Bill McMasters (Mr. BMC) had planned to produce all his playsets focused on American History, his untimely death after the company weathered the Mexican factory fire and a Chinese takeover, sadly cutailed his great project, but not before he rolled out his San Juan Hill set, which I bought in the 90s for 20 bucks.
It was a great set, an unusual subject, plus lots of accessories and play value, and unlike the few earlier explorations of "Teddy's charge", put the black men who saved the rough riders chestnuts front and center. In the traditional myth of the charge Tedfy's rough Riders bravely attack a fortified house, the reality is the future president recklessly led his all White and mostly rich freebooters into a narrow defile where they were being killed like fish in a barrel until the "buffalo soldiers" of the 24th Infantry (Colored) and the 10th Cavalry (Colored) came up and used gatlings and water cooled .30 cal machine guns, plus bayonets to push the Spanish Cacadores back. These men did the fighting, while Teddy got the press, and the glory, and the rewards. At one point the racist SOB Teddy even had the nerve to accuse some men of the 24th of cowardice, a slur he was forced to retract. But history is coming along toward righting wrongs these days. The one criticism I have of the set is the lack of any Cuban Revolutionaries, but though they were in the larger battle for the El Caney heights, they were not it seems right in the San Juan blockhouse fight, so it is excusable. Also could have benefitted from some jungle vegitation; palms, cactus, aloe are all cheap extras in playsets, and would have been ideal to model the rugged Cuban tropical forest.
It was a great effort at an educational toy, and the reincarnated BMC has cleverly used the molds in olive green to represent Pershings punitive expedition against Pancho Villa...I know B.McM's ghost woul approve.
Anyway, I cannot replace the full playset, now around 80-100 dollars, but the new BMC has put out header card bags with the figures, character figures, and gatlings and .30cals for 8 bucks and shipping... and thats reasonable!
the dioramas below are based on the BMC figures...slightly crude sculpts, but charming when painted.