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.

Friday, December 20, 2013

C is for Corgi Competitors

Sports and pastimes manage to both produce unique or interesting vehicles and help sell less interesting vehicles, as a result of which Corgi made quite a few sporting or hobby related sets.

Cycling was a favorite and there were several versions of both Tour de France and more generic cycle-races, with the camera-man hanging off the back of a vehicle on a die-cast platform, while the later 1:32'ish set also having a shouty-trainer (orange figure) but I don't think there was an accompanying cyclist?

The unpainted cameraman with a correctly painted base is probably ex-out painters stock, while the driver with a very Gallic pair of shades was also from one of these sets.

The HK (for Cullpitts) copy of a Corgi boat is as close as I got when these were taken, also I still don't have the Corgi canoe, or if I do it's in the 'unknown canoes' bag! The surfer came with a Mini Countryman.

The rubber boat - one of the later issues I still haven't identified - paints up into a nice rigid raider (that's not my painting I hasten to add!), and due to the large scale of the diver, can be war gamed with several smaller figures quite realistically, four kneeling 28mil marines with an LMG or GPMG facing forward - ideal!

While I am short of the Corgi originals I have plenty of the HK rack toys, as it was one of the smaller cards and ended-up in many a Christmas stocking, and therefore, mint and unused in the back of many an emergency present drawer! This and similar cards (we looked at here) came with varied contents of which copies of the canoeist and canoe, the water-skiing lady (I also don't have a Corgi original of) and surf board featured.

These guys came with several versions of a Citroen estate car, some issued for specific Winter Olympics, others more generic, the two skiers are different sculpts and the sledge is a nice little die-cast moulding.

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