About Me

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No Fixed Abode, Home Counties, United Kingdom
I’m a 60-year-old Aspergic gardening CAD-Monkey. Sardonic, cynical and with the political leanings of a social reformer, I’m also a toy and model figure collector, particularly interested in the history of plastics and plastic toys. Other interests are history, current affairs, modern art, and architecture, gardening and natural history. I love plain chocolate, fireworks and trees, but I don’t hug them, I do hug kittens. I hate ignorance, when it can be avoided, so I hate the 'educational' establishment and pity the millions they’ve failed with teaching-to-test and rote 'learning' and I hate the short-sighted stupidity of the entire ruling/industrial elite, with their planet destroying fascism and added “buy-one-get-one-free”. Likewise, I also have no time for fools and little time for the false crap we're all supposed to pretend we haven't noticed, or the games we're supposed to play. I will 'bite the hand that feeds', to remind it why it feeds.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

U is for more Unknown Military subjects

Another selection of hopefully more identifiable figures, most of these are more recent/current Hong Kong/China production in the larger scales.

These turn up all the time at the moment, 40mm'ish they come in Temperate, Arid and Urban camouflage fatigues with a separate set of Naval mouldings. Numbered under the base like Soma figures, I have a load somewhere and when I find them will try to produce a definitive list, or - at least - a numerical list with gaps, but it would be nice to know what the list is actually of! [Found the rest, all in urban camo. so will be able to produce a better pose list, but not show the other schemes. It struck me also, there is a forth scheme, the guy on the top-left looks more like an Australian soldier mid-1980's?]

Similar to the previous, but a bit older, softer vinyl or silicone rubber (?) and clearly Aircraft-carrier deck-support, the two that have bled-out under the camera are in fact different shades of pale blue. Any ideas? [The rest have turned up, another pose in a yellow deck-jacket with both arms up]

Clockwise from top left; the first three are 30mm vinyl, next to them are some hard polystyrene Germans in 40mm, I have a suspicion they may be New Ray, they aren't the same as the New Ray modern stuff, but I think they did a King Tiger at one point, did they? Did these come with it? [They are New Ray and were also marketed in Toy Mark packaging] Then a little guy similar to the Ideal clone in the previous post, he looks like maybe he accompanied a cheap truck model, or is a game playing piece? Finally 4 figures best linked with those Philippine tourist figures, mostly in national or theatrical dress, and usually in factory painted Ceramic or polystyrene. These are Colonial/WWI types. [Several New Zealanders have contacted me now with further information on these figures, they were produced in three colours, with two more poses, in a header-carded (bag?) set by the National Army Museum, a full follow-up article will be forthcoming ASAP, with acknowledgements, thanks]

A very odd group of base-less modern hard plastic (nylon/rayon?) figures, one with a German WWII helmet, one a mid-century GI, the other a US Cold War Warrior!!!!

The GI (with the two stick grenades - "See yuse! Jimmeh! Can yuse daan'ce like this!") seems to have the legs of the German exiting the Matchbox half-tracked Sd.Kfz 251, while the actual German also has a Matchbox connection from the waist-up, the third figure is standing around quietly being actually quite a good moulding! - 35mm the three.

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