Text & Photographs Copyright Mike Jackson 1998-2008
Factory Sealed Original Parts
After over 40 years of mixing and matching sets by collectors, it is fairly difficult to say for certain that any particular set had specific parts. Luckily, a few of the unopened cellophane bags of parts have survived and this page is dedicated to showing them the way Hartland shipped them! If you have any factory sealed packages, please send a photo or scan. Credit will be given!
 
Brave Eagle parts:
I have never seen any literature showing a Brave Eagle set with all of these pieces but it was obviously shipped like this on at least some occasions. Typically, Brave Eagle came with the special warbonnet, feather, yellow knife, and longer bow. The bow is often seen bent over to the shape of a full “C”, but this photo confirms that they would have just bent over time under the pressure of the rubber band.

Brave Eagle was produced quite a bit later than the Chief Thunderbird molds, however some early literature does show Thunderbird with a shield and white rifle. The hook on the shield set nicely on a Thunderbird but has no good place to hang on a Brave Eagle. The white rifle shown above is the same mold that was used on all Cochise sets, however they were molded in brown. I recently obtained one of the Chief Thunderbird production "trees" in which all the parts are still connected to the sprues that were used in the molding. I did indeed prove that the shield and rifle were originally part of the Chief Thunderbird mold.
Warpaint Chief Thunderbird Parts:
I believe these photos show the standard issue on the Warpaint Chief Thunderbird sets. A Wards Christmas catalog in 1958 showed that it could have been used with some of the earlier style sets, too! You can see how the color of yellow varied over the years, along with the amount and placement of the red or black trim on the spears.
Lone Ranger Parts:
This set usually shipped with two silver pistols, so I have to assume the other one is under the brochure in this photo. This one includes the brochure, leather lace, hat, and guns.

(Thanks Paul!)
Tonto Parts:
The pistols in these two package are early “Champ” style—as opposed to a regular silver pistol. I own a brown version of this pistol, and I believe it was shipped with some Tonto sets. Both packages we found inside one of the later stlye Tonto sets with the silver head band and silver diamonds.
Cochise Parts:
The silver pistol in this package is sealed in a separate compartment. The lacing instructions, lace and rifle were sealed in the right section.
Cochise Pistol (<Rollover):
The pistol on the left was shipped with the Cochise parts above. This 1957 set was still be shipped with the earlier style pistol. Notice how rough this pistol is!
Large Champ Parts:
These parts came with a 901P set...a Large Blue/Brown cowboy on a Palomino horse with brown tack. There are two silver pistols and one hat with the deep crease. The original mold for this set had two different hats in it!
Later Roy Rogers Parts:
Here's proof positive that some Roy Rogers sets shipped with brown pistols. It is impossible to say what percentage did get them, but I would bet quite a few were shipped this way in the later years.
Dale Evans Parts:
This package contains only the hat and silver pistol.
Hoby Gillman Parts:
Many of the sets produced in the later years shipped with a black or brown rifle holed saddle, and it appears quite a few of them included a rifle.
Bill Longley Parts:
Again, the Longley sets shipped on black rifle holed saddles. Most probably had a rifle and brown pistol.
Seth Adams Parts:
Several collectors confirm their sealed parts for this set do not include a small Winchester. I have yet to find any positive proof he ever had a rifle. The existence of numerous smaller Winchesters indicates at least some of Hartland’s Western sets must have shipped with them. This photo shows the brown pistol, brown whip, black hat, and reins with lacing instructions.
Tom Jeffords Parts: (Photo courtesy Rick Stough!)
The silver pistol in this package is separated by a heat seam, probably to keep it from rubbing or marking the other solid colored plastic parts. This package does have the parts that I have considered correct: The brown knife which looks like the yellow one from the Brave Eagle package above, the longer style Winchester rifle, his normal squished oval crown hat, and the leatherette cinch strap. I believe later sets could have had the brown pistol, too.
Matt Dillon Parts: (Photo courtesy of Roger -zedsdead53)
If you look closely, you can see the little “bead” line around the edge of the hat. Troop hats lack the little indention. Also, this set has the cinch strap instructions which indicate the bag goes with a rider. As you can see, the pistol with this set is brown, indicating this one was from some of the later years.
Vint Bonner Gunfighter Parts: (Photo courtesy of Jack Canning!)
According to Jack, the gun inside this package is BLACK! At last, proof positive that Hartland did produce the black pistols, though several collectors have reported getting them as a child. Vint Bonner was introduced to the brochures in 1959 so this package helps date the use of the black pistols, however it does seem that most gunfighter pistols are brown. My Lone Ranger Lamp has black pistols glued in the holsters, too
Colt Gunfighter Parts:
A high percentage of the standing gunfighters appear to have shipped with the brown or black pistols, as seen here.
Maverick Gunfighter Parts:
A high percentage of the standing gunfighters appear to have shipped with the brown or black pistols, as seen here.
Jim Hardie GF Parts:
A high percentage of the standing gunfighters appear to have shipped with the brown or black pistols, as seen here.
Rifleman Parts: (Photo courtesy of Larry Hyatt)
Apparently some of the glassine bags contained the small parts along with the leatherette lace. The Rifleman would have only had the parts shown here.
George Washington Parts: (Photo courtesy of Rick and Ellen)
While you can’t see the seam, it divides the silver sword from the hat and cinch strap. The flag would have been separate.
General Lee Parts:
These were the parts shipped in a 1961 General Lee set with a head down prancer. Earlier sets might have had the clear plastic versions. Inside the bag are the laces, sword, and hat. The flag was loose in the box.

<<Rollover!
General Lee Parts:
This is probably an earlier Lee parts package. It lacks the leatherette reins and the brochure that might sometime accompany a set.
Ranald Mackenzie Parts:
Until this package of sealed parts was sent to me, I was never absolutely positive that Mackenzie was shipped with a silver Military Pistol. I have seen it packaged with Custer, but this certainly adds to the Hartland knowledge base! Custer's hat is blue, so this has to be a Mackenzie package.
Annie Oakley Sealed Parts:
This package came to me in a MIB Oakley set that had been stored for roughly 40 years. The pistol is sealed in a compartment to keep it from rubbing onto the hat. The larger compartment contains the hat, string, cinch strap, and cinch instructions.
Davy Crockett Sealed Parts:
Until August of 2004, I had never actually seen a Crockett set still boxed. Then out of the blue, two different old store stock sets appeared, each having a different color and style knife. The one above is the smooth handled yellow knife in the same style I have been selling for Crockett as repros all along, but in rust brown. I have an original brown one and always figured it went with Crockett.
Davy Crockett Sealed Parts:
Again, this Crockett set had a different knife. Based on the size, I am fairly sure it is the shorter one I sent out as earlier Bowie knives. Some later Bowie figures shipped with the longer knife used with Cheyenne. See below.
Jim Bowie Sealed Parts:
Actually, I believe Bowie's first knife was a short one, as seen in the second Crockett set of parts above. I have seen at least two sealed bags for Bowie containing this longer "Cheyenne" style knife, so it appears Hartland switched over when the new Cheyenne set came out.
Sgt. Preston Sealed Parts:
Thanks to eBay seller, Dave Reter, we can now see the packaged parts on this rare set. The gun is sealed in a separate compartment, with the lacing instructions, leather lace, hat, and white cord in the larger compartment.
 
This page last modified Thursday, October 18, 2007