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 21, 2019

K is for Kiwis . . . and These Kiwis Flew!

A real red-letter day here at Small Scale World, and red figures . . . and a red box!

Mr. The Right Honourable the Lord Glenn, Sir 'Sibby' Sibbald of Poly-Mer, currently of the parish of Morrrdorrr, the Shire, Mirkwood and the Misty Mountains, Rivendell, Rohan and the Ridermark and the lands of Gondor, has only gorn and went and sent the Blog (for free, gratis, asking for nothing in return) a 'New To Hobby', mint as it can be after 65-70-years, New Zealand issue of the Airfix/Pierwood cellulose acetate figures . . .

8 Different Models; Airfix 50mm Figures; Airfix Model Figures; Airfix Plastic Soldiers; Airfix Products Limited; Airfix Toy Soldiers; Airman; Commando; Early Airfix Figures; Early Airfix Toy Soldiers; Fethalite; Fethalite Plastic Products; Foreign Legion; Haledane Place; Infantry; Knight; New Zealand Toy Soldiers; No. E.8 RED; NZ Toy Soldiers; Paratrooper; Pierwood; Pierwood Plastics; Pirate; Plastic Toy Soldiers; Red Plastic Figures; Sailor; Set of 8; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Toy Soldiers;
. . . looking like the figures were shot yesterday in a factory in Camberley and rushed-over here, by courier, still-warm! Not an easy colour to photograph and the shots on the Airfix page are marginally better, or easier on the eye.

Normally when I post these they go straight on that Airfix page, with a link-back here, but due to the importance of these and my desire to do them justice, I'll post them over there  at the same time, with new pictures.

All eight poses, arranged - top left to bottom right - differently to the listing on Pierwood's card (to be seen in the Plastic Warrior magazine Early Airfix'Special') but sharing their adjusted figure-descriptions, as I was still waiting to locate the 18thC fusilier/pirate and both the pilot and the Japanese/infantryman, it's lovely enough to have them all in one shot, but the real treat today is the packaging.

8 Different Models; Airfix 50mm Figures; Airfix Model Figures; Airfix Plastic Soldiers; Airfix Products Limited; Airfix Toy Soldiers; Airman; Commando; Early Airfix Figures; Early Airfix Toy Soldiers; Fethalite; Fethalite Plastic Products; Foreign Legion; Haledane Place; Infantry; Knight; New Zealand Toy Soldiers; No. E.8 RED; NZ Toy Soldiers; Paratrooper; Pierwood; Pierwood Plastics; Pirate; Plastic Toy Soldiers; Red Plastic Figures; Sailor; Set of 8; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Toy Soldiers;
The box; it has a small tear at one end I will fix eventually with a near invisible mend. It is a single colour litho-printed graphic with no brand or maker clues anywhere. However there were a bunch of plastics firms that came and went in the 1950's/60's in New Zealand, while the possibilities; least-likely first - are that
  • Airfix supplied the product, bulk - for repacking
  • These predate Pierwood with the tool moving on to Oz.
  • Pierwood supplied the product
  • These are post Pierwood with the tool sold/lent to NZ
If they are New Zealand-produced the further question raised is: was it an independent company or an Airfix subsidiary - they had many? While I would love it to be New Zealand manufacture, I fear - from the like-for-like figure titles - that it's the third option?

As we will see later in the week, there is a slim possibility (and it's very slim) that there's a link with Lincoln and/or Toltoys, but - from the dates - one more of inheritance than production, if any at all.

8 Different Models; Airfix 50mm Figures; Airfix Model Figures; Airfix Plastic Soldiers; Airfix Products Limited; Airfix Toy Soldiers; Airman; Commando; Early Airfix Figures; Early Airfix Toy Soldiers; Fethalite; Fethalite Plastic Products; Foreign Legion; Haledane Place; Infantry; Knight; New Zealand Toy Soldiers; No. E.8 RED; NZ Toy Soldiers; Paratrooper; Pierwood; Pierwood Plastics; Pirate; Plastic Toy Soldiers; Red Plastic Figures; Sailor; Set of 8; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Toy Soldiers;
Tantalising hints of other colours (E is the 5th letter of the alphabet), although the '8' is probably referring to the figure-total and obviously the correct figures were in the 'Red' box. Does this mean the other boxes were coloured for their contents - Pierwood also did yellow, silver, bronze, white and blue; I think, although the NZ-sent figures from Norman Dunckley on the Airfix page may well be/probably are NZ figures, not the previously assumed Australian-made ones, and they have a fawnish-grey/tan!

Also the figure graphic on the long-side (same both sides) clearly show the 'Lemon Squeezer' of New Zealand troop's service dress, not the Australian slouch-hat with its pined-up side. I love that it's called a lemon-squeezer! The Americans have their 'Smokey Bear', we have the 'Boy Scout' . . . what do the Canadians call theirs?

8 Different Models; Airfix 50mm Figures; Airfix Model Figures; Airfix Plastic Soldiers; Airfix Products Limited; Airfix Toy Soldiers; Airman; Commando; Early Airfix Figures; Early Airfix Toy Soldiers; Fethalite; Fethalite Plastic Products; Foreign Legion; Haledane Place; Infantry; Knight; New Zealand Toy Soldiers; No. E.8 RED; NZ Toy Soldiers; Paratrooper; Pierwood; Pierwood Plastics; Pirate; Plastic Toy Soldiers; Red Plastic Figures; Sailor; Set of 8; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Toy Soldiers;
There's only so much you can waffle-on, about one little set, and I'm wont to stop, but all good things come to an end . . . I can't thank Glenn enough for this kindness both on my own behalf (I get to see them every time I go in that Airfix box!) and for the Blog, which only benefits from getting such treasures in the tag-list for all of you to enjoy.

There are other treasures to come from Glenn's parcel, but this was very-much the 'icing on the cake'.

6 comments:

Daisy Gowan Ditchburn said...

Cool looking minis. I wish there was more NZ manufacturers today. Would be cool to buy some. Which reminds me I need to find out what is my local store closest to my current location.

Terranova47 said...

I think the RCMP refer to their Campaign Hat as a Biltmore or at least the hat manufacturer does.

Hugh Walter said...

Cheers Gowan, glad you liekd them, more NZ stuff in the pipeline!

Cheers Terra', nice that they don't use the lemon Squeezer one!

H

Gisby said...

I'm in Canada, I thought it was a Montana hat, or a Stetson. But the RCMP shop does indeed refer to them as the Biltmore.

I think it's a Biltmore (brand) stetson (type) with the crown crimped to a Montana style.

NB: Mounties wear it with a dimple front and centre, some other groups wear it with a ridge front and centre.

Terranova47 said...

The RCMP hat has not always been modelled well with 54mm figures either metal or plastic.

Now that there are a number of women in the ceremonial RCMP troop, they may switch them to a more female style hat like the one HMQ used to wear for Trooping the Colours.

Hugh Walter said...

Both - fascinating, who knew . . . who knew a felt model of a grapefruit-juicer could have a whole science and nomenclature, not to mention alternate wardrobes!

Gisby - I posted four of the Deetail ones once, I think I may have lined the hats up the wrong way! Doh!

Terra' - I'd be surprised; the US female drill-instructor staff-sergeants take pride in their Smoky-bear's I think, feminising bits of uniform in bi-sex units is rather frowned-upon these days as a form of discrimination! Although I think our lady-officers still have a fairy-tale princess dress as their mess-best, albeit with a skirt?
...
I've just Googled it and actually they're looking more and more like the men, but still with a long skirt!

H