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.

Monday, January 26, 2009

V is for Vero

This is one of several examples of Model Railway stuff I have from behind the Iron Curtain, Vero seem to have been an East German concern, and while I first thought it would be a copy of Wiad or Faller or somebody like them, it seemed to be a quite unique design when I got it home. Dual language instructions in German and Russian were the pointers to it being from the 'wrong' side of the wire. Internal blackout sheet for electric lighting, this follows the practice of Kibri, Faller and co. in the West, although without all the curtains, screens and blinds that come on a separate sheet, for daytime displays. Majority of parts laid out, the three little paper bags contain two types of scatter material and all the small parts. The green 'propeller shaft' bottom left, is the sprue. Loosely assembled, in total contrast to most of the western manufacturers; there are no locating channels, stud-and-holes or anything, so the modeller would have to assemble the whole building 'by eye'. However there is the same attempt at a self-coloured kit we had over here - Airfix being the notable exception!

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