About Me

My photo
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.

Tuesday, October 9, 2018

T is for Two - Card Forts

Competing with the Raytel (and other) forts in the mid-to-late 1970's (as seen here earlier today) were these card bulding kits from two of the bigger names in toys at the time - Britains and Marx.

1977 Catalogue; 4750 Western Fort; 4751 Farmyard; 4752 Castle; 4753 Safari Park And Zoo; Britains Card Buildings; Britains card Forts; Britains Card Kits; Britains Card Models; Card Board Toys; Card Buildings; Card Kits; Card Models; Card Scenics; Cardboard Toys; Make Up Card Models; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com;
Britains 1977 catalogue carried these four card play-sets, covering the main genres of their figures/vehicles and providing a quick and easy, affordable set of buildings or scenics. They reappeared in the '78 catalogue and then disappeared forever, I think? When they come-up for sale these days; they do fetch a premium price!

1978 Catalogue; Card Board Toys; Card Buildings; Card Kits; Card Scenics; Cardboard Toy Fort; Cardboard Toy Hospital; Cardboard Toys; Catalogue Image; Hospital Toys; Louis Marx Toys; Marx Hospital; Marx Playsets; Marx Swansea; Marx Toys; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com;
[Might take a minute to load, I accidentally scanned it at 600dpi, so it's ten-times the size of the Britians image, but I didn't realise until I was uploading it just now!]

Marx answered in their 1978 catalogue with these two, although they were scaled slightly larger to equip the world of Playmobil, known as 'Playpeople' in the Marx universe (the 52-page catalogue having no other figures in it, apart from the 12" Wild West dolls), they would nevertheless prove useful for 54 or 60mm figures.

The Marx kits are modular and slot-together for easy putting-away after play, the Britains' required gluing, another reason for their rarity today, but then I can't say I've ever seen one of the Marx ones, so they're probably harder to find! St. Marx Hospital . . . geddit!

No comments: