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.

Saturday, March 30, 2019

News, Views Etc . . . Airfix Input


I've added some HK-copies to the 1:32nd-scale Airfix Russian Infantry post/page (link), not sure if I've even added blurb to the rest of the post, but if memory serves (being written at home) I didn't, it was only a few small-scale copies as a page holder and I have a shed-load of catching-up-with to do over there!

1:32nd Scale Figures; 1:32nd Scale Russians; 1:32nd Scale Toy Soldiers; 1:32nd Scale Toys Figures; 54mm Figures; 54mm Plastic Figures; 54mm Russian Infantry; 54mm Toy Soldiers; Airfix 1:32nd; Airfix 1:32nd Scale Figures; Airfix Toy Soldier; Hong Kong; Hong Kong Plastic Toy; Hong Kong Toy Soldiers; Made in England; Made in Hong Kong; Plastic Figurines; Plastic Toy Figures; Plastic Toy Soldiers; Plastic Toys; Rado Industries; Rado Russians; Ri-Toys; Ri-Toys Russians; Russian Infantry; Russian Plastic Soldiers; Russian Toy Soldiers;
It's a perennial problem with me; I start something and then get bored with it! Because I'm writing this at home, to post later, I'm not even sure if the Russian page has been started, but if it hasn't, it will have been by the time you read this!

Friday, March 29, 2019

News, Views Etc . . . Forthcoming Events

Brwreakshit is so unbelievably risible at the moment I can't bring myself to subject you to my opinions this week! "Ray!" Goes at least half of you . . . and the weather has been gardening-weather, not Blogging weather!

I know we're a third of the way through the year already, don't quite know how that happened, but there you go; time waits for no man, and as you get older it goes faster, that's a fact! No - it is; it's a subconscious trick you play on yourself as it’s a percentage of life-lived! So I do know how that happened . . . Doh!

Still, clock's go back Saturday night (another hour stolen from us!), so if you're lining-up one of Sunday's shows, bear that in mind and the weather is supposed to hold for a day or two - only the six events this week . . .

. . . AND - Guys; It's also Mother's Day on Sunday!

Chocolates
Card
Plant or Flowers
Meal/Meal Out/Day Trip

Everything's happening this weekend, except the one thing we've been told would 'absolutely be happening on the 29th' for the last two years! Britain's becoming the world's comedy warm-up act for that obnoxious bellicose trouser-trump over the pond!

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Toy Fairs

Saturday 30th March 2019

Brentwood - J&J Fairs (John & Julie Webb)
International hall, Brentwood Centre, Doddinghurst Road, Brentwood, Essex, CM15 9NN
Tel. - 01522 880 383 (J & J Webb)
10:00 - Approx. 14:30hrs
Admission £3, seniors £2.50p, 1st child £2

London (Chalk Farm) - Guideline Publications - The London Toy Soldier Show
Haverstock School, 24 Haverstock Hill, Chalk Farm, London, NW3 2BQ
Tel. - 01908 274 433
10:30 - 16:00hrs
Admission £6, early bird (from 09:30hrs) £10, late hares £4 - after 14:00hrs
Parking £5 (reasonable for London!)

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Sunday 31st March 2019

Buxton - Barry Potter / BP Fairs
The Octagon Hall, Pavillion gardens, St. Johns Road, Buxton, Derbyshire, SK17 6XN
Tel. - 01604 846 688
Mob. - 07966 527 177
10:30 - 15:00hrs
Admission £3.00 (early-bird £6, from 08:00hrs), OAP's £2.50, Children £1
That's price reductions from last year for main and senior entry

Pudsey, Leeds - Steel Promotions - Leeds (Pudsey) Toy/Train Fair
Pudsey Civic Hall, Dawson's Corner, Stanningley Road, LS28 5TA
Internet presence unknown
Tel. I - 0161 283 1255
Tel. II - 0161 766 2012
10:00 - 15:00hrs
Admission charge unknown
Café, licensed bar

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Thursday 4th April 2019

Theydon Bois - Joe Lock Fairs (evening fair)
Village Hall, Coppice Row, Theydon Bois, Essex, CM16 7ER
Internet presence unknown
Mob. - 07866 641 215
19:00-21:00hrs
Admission £1

Thatcham - Steven Clements (evening fair)
Thatcham Catholic Hall, Bath Road, Thatcham, Berkshire, RG18 3AG
Tel. - 01380 725 322
Mob. - 07958 101 891
18:30 - 20:30hrs
Refreshments, free parking

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Auctions

Friday 29th March 2019 (Today - Reminders)

Elstree - Excalibur Auctions (day 1 of a 2-day sale)
The Village Hotel, Elstree, Hertfordshire, WD6 3SB (venue)
Chiltern Business Centre, Woodside Road, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP6 6AA (office)
02036 330 913
Free Tea or Coffee

Poole - Cottees Auctions Limited
Mannings Heath Road, Poole, Dorset, BH12 4NQ
Tel. - 01202 723 177
Viewing 10.00-17.00hrs on Thursday 14th (tomorrow) and from 9.00-10hrs on the 15th, a major collection of comics is under the hammer along with a Hornby Dublo collection


Spalding - M&M Auctions (day 1 of a 2-day auction, day 2 tomorrow: 29th)
Unit 4, Plover Court, Stevenson's Avenue, Spalding, Lincolnshire, PE11 3SY
Tel. - 01775 724 939
Viewing Wednesday 27th March 2019 10:00 - 18:00hrs and on the day of the sale 08:30 - 10:30hrs
Sales starts at 10:30hrs - runs 'till finish


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Saturday 30th March 2019

Elstree - Excalibur Auctions (day 2 of a 2-day sale)
The Village Hotel, Elstree, Hertfordshire, WD6 3SB (venue)
Chiltern Business Centre, Woodside Road, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP6 6AA (office)
Web. - www.excaliburauctions.com
eMail - enquiries@ excaliburauctions.com
02036 330 913
Free Tea or Coffee

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If you are an event promoter/show curator/auctioneer and you want your toy, model, collectable or popular-/youth-culture type sale/exhibition/event listed here -  FOR FREE  - or linked to; please eMail me -

maverickatlarge[at]hotmail[dot]com

- stating the date/s of the event, address of event, contact details, opening/viewing times, admission pricing and any other relevant facts/details or features - parking, travel notes, disability access, availability of refreshments, event subject matter &etc.

And please mention any flyer-art or poster-/leaflet-scans but send by separate eMail, in case they go to the 'junk' folder, from where they can be recovered and marked safe, but only if I know they're there!

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Toys in the Media

Thought this was clever and it includes toys, so up it goes!

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Lackadaisical Attitude!

I'm still feeling a bit bleugh, as you may have noticed from the drop-off in postings, but this is the 'queue' as it currently stands, along with all the Wild West, Hong Kong and Airfix stuff seen in similar screen-caps a year ago, so plenty coming/waiting/being prepared and - to that end -  I'm still beaver'ing away behind the scenes!

A few things are waiting on a new scanner which should be up-and-running by the weekend, and I've been photographing Airfix 'readymades' for most of the week, so I hope to start getting more output on the Airfix Blog, and yes - I know it needs lots of blurb on previous posts, but 'everything in its own good time'!

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P.S. - Stop the presses, I have a bunch of emails but no time to answer them today, so I'll try to have a session on Monday!

Late Link


Rogue War Gaming Trooper!

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

F is for Follow-up - Kit Cars

I'm definitely in an unproductive phase, not a lazy phase, just an unproductive phase - as far as the Blog goes; I'm busy sorting the various bits of the collection together, photographing like mad and dealing with eMails in a vaguely timely manner! This week I'm shooting Airfix readymade AFV's for what are well-overdue pages!

Century of Transport; De Gruyter; De Gruyter Premiums; Jet Premium, Jet Petrol, jet gasoline, Jet Petroleum, Jet Gas, Kellogg's Premiums; Lucky Bags; Model Kits; Novelty Models; Old Plastic Toys; Plastic Kit; R and L Premiums; R&L; RL Giveaways; Rosenhain & Lipmann; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Sobres; Vehicle Novelty; Vintage Plastic Kit; Wundertüten;
There are a few follow-ups I'll try to get-up here, over this week, this one comes from the De Gruyter post the other day,, not the best photo's but they're sufficiently illustrative of the pints; it struck me the unknown green one might be the Jet Petroleum premiums, so I dug out the near complete set we looked-at a while ago, and the part set in storage (pleased to say I had the missing '3'), but the question-mark car wasn't one of them!

Eight of eight Jet premiums to the left, manufactured by Rosenhain & Lipmann. The other three - from the other day - on the right.

Century of Transport; De Gruyter; De Gruyter Premiums; Jet Premium, Jet Petrol, jet gasoline, Jet Petroleum, Jet Gas, Kellogg's Premiums; Lucky Bags; Model Kits; Novelty Models; Old Plastic Toys; Plastic Kit; R and L Premiums; R&L; RL Giveaways; Rosenhain & Lipmann; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Sobres; Vehicle Novelty; Vintage Plastic Kit; Wundertüten;
Colours for the jet premiums tend to match the colour of the cars' artwork, but there are shade variations, and left-field alternatives like the orange '4' (the black bits have been painted on by the previous owner) and a black '7'.

Kellogg's (in the tub - for a whole other post another day) introduce a pink, but seem closest to the green of the unknown car.

News, Views Etc . . . Catching-up

Couple of Links - Soldiers in Art

Mitchell Gaudet's glass 'toy soldier' sculp

More painted 'army men' in art - no artist, this is commercial 'home-decor' four-hundred and sixty-quid; I'm in the wrong business!

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Barney's site's news!

"We are delighted to announce that we have been chosen to sell a substantial plastics collection on behalf of London collector, Roger Saunders. It is a fabulous single-owner collection of mainly plastic toy soldiers, by Britains and Herald, a feature of which is the large number of early trade boxes and packaging, with many rare gems. Most of the collection was amassed by Roger during the 1970's and has only now come to market for the very first time. There are a number of rare and sought after items and we have listed the first few (farm) models today with many more to follow over the coming weeks."

Sunday, March 24, 2019

B is for Britains Mini Sets - 3 - № 1002 Shepherd & Sheep

I thought we'd had this years ago but I can't find it so I suspect it got shoved onto a dongle during the house-move or upon the death of the old Laptop, which I donated to a tech-training centre for the students to play with! I also wondered if it was mine but I think it's 'from the archive' which was the early Blog's euphemism for 'I photographed it at JB's house'!

№ 1002 Britains; № 1002 Mini Set; № 1002 Shepherd & Sheep; 1002 Shepherd & Sheep; Britains № 1002; Britains 1002; Britains Herald; Britains Mini Sets; Britains Mini Sets № 1002; Britains Mini Sets № 1002 Shepherd & Sheep; Britains Minisets; Farm Animals; Farm Hand; Farm Toys; Lambs; Mini Set № 1002; Mini Set Shepherd & Sheep; Sheep Toys; Shepherds; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Vintage Plastic Figures; Vintage Toy Figures;
Whether I've shown it here or not, it's been cleaned-up and given a nice picture-frame, so it's worth a second-look, if it's a second-look!

A complete Shepherd & Sheep set and looking at it, I think I may have shown the dog as a question-mark Corgi in the past, being the same scale (1:48th), size (40mm-compatible) and material (PVC) as some of their [Corgi]'s other stuff - I think it was darker brown as well?

The shepherd looks more like the Britains tractor-driver (he also seems to be based-on) than a shepherd, and has stopped for a smoke, confident the sheep aren't going to wander-off as they are rooted to the ground with those long spikes of 'grass'!

№ 1002 Britains; № 1002 Mini Set; № 1002 Shepherd & Sheep; 1002 Shepherd & Sheep; Britains № 1002; Britains 1002; Britains Herald; Britains Mini Sets; Britains Mini Sets № 1002; Britains Mini Sets № 1002 Shepherd & Sheep; Britains Minisets; Farm Animals; Farm Hand; Farm Toys; Lambs; Mini Set № 1002; Mini Set Shepherd & Sheep; Sheep Toys; Shepherds; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Vintage Plastic Figures; Vintage Toy Figures;
The image from the door-hanger display board sent out to retailers and photographed courtesy of John Begg - whose set it may be as well!

As with this morning's diver set, the idea was to separate the smaller ovoid bases from the larger plate, so increasing the playability of the set, and to enable the mixing of elements from other related sets.

Had Britains stuck with the concept until they had issued more sets, I think they would have taken-off, and might even have still been with us as a blind-bag or capsule 'thing', imagine; thousands of 40mm vignettes (20-per year for 50-odd years?), with interchangeable parts!

But for whatever reason it was pulled soon after the second tranche was issued, and while they sold well enough for plenty of loose bits to turn-up in junk lots, they clearly didn't sell as well as Britains had hoped they would?

B is for Britains Mini Sets - 2 - № 1091 Frogman & Octopus

As kids we had two of these, some Friday afternoon or Saturday shopping-trip bribe if I remember correctly, rather than a Crimbo-stocking thing, but they might have been a consolation 'going-home' present from someone's birthday party - the past is another country, and that's how it was round here . . . I got a 6" Marx Indian and a handful of Minimodels 25mm Cowboys & Indians at other-people's parties!

№ 1091; № 1091 Divers; № 1091 Frogman & Octopus; Briatins № 1091; Britains 1091; Britains Frogman & Octopus; Britains Herald; Britains Mini Sets; Britains Minisets; Diver Figures; Diver Figurines; Frogman & Octopus; Mini Set № 1091; Mini Set Frogman & Octopus; Octopus; Sea Monster; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Vintage Plastic Figures; Vintage Toy Figures;
We had one of the Wild West sets and the diver set with the shark which is now considered one of the rarer ones to find, I haven't found it, but I do have this one which isn't rated so highly, but is just as much fun!

Although both my posing (below) and the catalogue art (bottom) show the second diver being caught by the octopus, he can also be posed struggling in the sea-grass (which you may recognise as being pirated in Hong Kong as a joined-pair) using a hole in his back which plugs on to one of the spigots provided (arrowed) for both divers.

№ 1091; № 1091 Divers; № 1091 Frogman & Octopus; Briatins № 1091; Britains 1091; Britains Frogman & Octopus; Britains Herald; Britains Mini Sets; Britains Minisets; Diver Figures; Diver Figurines; Frogman & Octopus; Mini Set № 1091; Mini Set Frogman & Octopus; Octopus; Sea Monster; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Vintage Plastic Figures; Vintage Toy Figures;
The sea-grass, in order to hold the diver/s up, is made of a rigid polymer which is probably nylon or a propylene, it could be a very dense ethylene or even a hybrid styrene, but I think these sets were too early for the latter to have been commercially available. The base IS a bog-standard polystyrene while the figures, Scuba-tanks and sea-creature are PVC.

The fixing of the Scuba gear to their backs is achived by popping them over a large stud on the backs, which has lead - over time - to the little connecting 'runners' braking away under the stress as you can see with the spear-gun bloke.

№ 1091; № 1091 Divers; № 1091 Frogman & Octopus; Briatins № 1091; Britains 1091; Britains Frogman & Octopus; Britains Herald; Britains Mini Sets; Britains Minisets; Diver Figures; Diver Figurines; Frogman & Octopus; Mini Set № 1091; Mini Set Frogman & Octopus; Octopus; Sea Monster; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Vintage Plastic Figures; Vintage Toy Figures;
The Retail shop display door-hanger/prop-card has this set featured twice, both seen here in the 'all sets' bit (right) and on the main information panel (left), courtesy of John Begg, who's card I photographed years ago!

Note that the pre-production octopus used for the press-shot is an insipid, semi-transparent pale-blue, rather than the production model's flat grey.

B is for Britains Mini Sets - 1 - № 1074 German Gun

Three quickie box-tickers today, starting with what is possibly the worst example of a PAK-38, 50mm anti-tank gun ever to hit the toy shelves and stay remotely fashionable, or, collectable!

№ 1074 German Gun; 1074; 50mm Anti-tank Gun; Artillery Crew; Artillery Gun; Artillery Piece; AT-Gun; Britains 1074; Britains German Gun; Britains Herald; Britains Mini Sets; Britains Minisets; German Artillery; German Gun; PAK-38; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Vintage Plastic Soldiers; Vintage Toy Soldiers;
The box fold's out to make a Tunisian scene with a herd of Shermans threatening to flatten some innocent village. Unlike the earlier series, this later issue had no box-square base, but rather a little 'baselette' which plugs-in to the underside of the gun and is further attached to the gunner's base.

№ 1074 German Gun; 1074; 50mm Anti-tank Gun; Artillery Crew; Artillery Gun; Artillery Piece; AT-Gun; Britains 1074; Britains German Gun; Britains Herald; Britains Mini Sets; Britains Minisets; German Artillery; German Gun; PAK-38; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Vintage Plastic Soldiers; Vintage Toy Soldiers;
The wheels and shield are actually pretty good, but the box-scale gun is let down by a huge cannon-barrel (with Dinky-style 'safety' muzzle) and short, stumpy trail-legs. I nicked the barbed-wire scenery from the ACW set as it came with the same colour bases!

№ 1074 German Gun; 1074; 50mm Anti-tank Gun; Artillery Crew; Artillery Gun; Artillery Piece; AT-Gun; Britains 1074; Britains German Gun; Britains Herald; Britains Mini Sets; Britains Minisets; German Artillery; German Gun; PAK-38; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Vintage Plastic Soldiers; Vintage Toy Soldiers;
The 40mm figure; remember - as the only other WWII set to be made - he has to attack (or defend himself from) six US G.I.'s, a mortar and a medium machine-gun, on his own! Using - as ammunition - something which looks like a lighter-fluid can's spout-attachment! And they gave him a comedy German uniform which wouldn't look out of place at Gay Pride . . . or in the Blue Oyster Club!

№ 1074 German Gun; 1074; 50mm Anti-tank Gun; Artillery Crew; Artillery Gun; Artillery Piece; AT-Gun; Britains 1074; Britains German Gun; Britains Herald; Britains Mini Sets; Britains Minisets; German Artillery; German Gun; PAK-38; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Vintage Plastic Soldiers; Vintage Toy Soldiers;
Zulu Hour!

Saturday, March 23, 2019

S is for Spring is Sprung!

Even as I was Blogging the Gnomes Peter Evans kindly sent me the other day these shots of some of my own Gnomes were sitting in Picasa after I'd shot them sorting some other stuff back at the start of Feb' and with spring in the air I know some people will be renewing their Gnome homes or villages, and these were aimed at exactly that market.

Thick-walled blow-moulds which I believe are actually rotary-mouldings, and quite common when I was a kid, being sold in garden centres, hardware stores, beach-side kiosks and general newsagents/corner stores as novelties there are lots still around, and I have the set of musicians, along with a miner holding a lamp (making a nice busking scene) and the gardener (below); other figures have tools (the rest of the gardeners and miners) and there are more I think . . . fishermen, playing leapfrog, sitting round a camp-fire set, but I may be getting confused with Kinder or Santa's or something?

Pleased to get this in one piece, it's often missing bits being quite brittle 'kit' styrene, the spade-handle, the barrow-handles or the wheel are prone to damage or - if you're lucky - poorly-glued, amateur mends!

A is for Another . . . Board Game with Turtle Ninjas

. . . another charity-shop purchase . . . another Nickelodeon-licensed to Tactic game . . . another box ticked!

52857 A; Board Game; Board Game Playing Pieces; Boardgame Pieces; Cowabunga; Donatello; Hero Turles; Heroes In A Half Shell; Heroes in a Half-shell; Kimble; Leonardo; Michelangelo; Nickalodeon Board Game; Nickalodeon TMNT; Rafael; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Tactic; Tactic Board Game; Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; TMHT; TMNT; TMNT Board Game;
Now I'm back using the library for internet, these boxes get shot in the shopping precinct and left there! I may be more honest and open with friends and family about my collecting than some in the hobby (anyone read the recent story of the family sorting out their late father's property for sale, finding thousands of quid's-worth of model trains under the floorboards, even the deceased man's wife new nothing about!) but I'm not wandering around town with a kids toy box under my arm any longer than I have to!

'Kimble'? It used to be called Ludo or 'Pachisi' when I wer't' whipper-snapper nipper!

52857 A; Board Game; Board Game Playing Pieces; Boardgame Pieces; Cowabunga; Donatello; Hero Turles; Heroes In A Half Shell; Heroes in a Half-shell; Kimble; Leonardo; Michelangelo; Nickalodeon Board Game; Nickalodeon TMNT; Rafael; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Tactic; Tactic Board Game; Teenage Mutant Hero Turtles; Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; TMHT; TMNT; TMNT Board Game;
Four times four figures, each colour-coded by 'Lone Ranger' style 'kerchief mask and coming in at a comfortably-compatible with role-playing figures' 28mm, you'd have to remove the locating-tube under the bases though. Softish PVC-replacement polymer.

The only point to note is that the purple one (Yeah! I could look 'im up, but I can't be arsed! Botticelli the Younger, Mona Liza Presley . . . one of them!) comes in two variants; two-each with the staff bent forward at the top, two-each backward and there's no apparent reason for it?

Friday, March 22, 2019

News, Views Etc . . . Forthcoming Events

Well, what a difference a week makes huh? It's surreal isn't it? We currently have - collectively - the worst 660-odd MP's in what? A hundred, a hundred-and-fifty years?

While I genuinely think Mrs. Maybe Maybe-not is going mad; she was so keen to be leader, plotting for years, doing all the right jobs (badly is seems if crime statistics and/or the state of the Police Force, prisons or probation is anything to go by), then, having taken what was clearly a poisoned chalice, she's lost-it in less than two years. It took Thatcher 11, and that B.Liar was nuts by the end . . . they think they're gods if you don't get rid of 'em in a timely fashion!

Meanwhile, the 15-years we were given to save the world has been shortened to 12 by Chinese scientists (we still haven't done anything meaningful since last October), our own environment agency have said there's only 25-years water left (a Tory-boy Brwreakshiteer had to be told building more reservoirs wouldn't help as they dry out in droughts too!) and the UN have said globally there are probably only 60 harvests left on the whole planet.

From the good news department (it's not all doom and gloom) New Zealand have found in their [female] Prime Minister a hero for our times, perfectly measuring the situation and the will of the people and showing such compassion it shamed almost every other being on the planet!

Also, strip-clearing of rain-forest in Asia to plant palm-oil is slowing down a bit, although as Brazil's President (a mate of Trump) is parcelling-up what's left of the Amazon basin for his farming mates and hanging the last of the Amerindians out to dry, I suppose the pendulum is still swinging the wrong way, and the one insect species going extinct every minute rate will accelerate.

So, while they argue in Brussels and Westminster about where to put the full-back-stops, best get buying toys . . . Saturday's disappointing, but Sunday is packed so there should be a show near you!

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Toy Fairs

Saturday 23rd March 2019

Oswestry - Chris Dyer Fairs
The Pavillion, Owestry Showgrownd, Park Hall, Oswestry, Shropshire, SY11 4AS
Tel. - 01643 702 757
Mob. - 07966 694 579
10:30 - 15:00hrs
Admission £2

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Sunday 24th March 2019

Aston Clinton - Joe Lock
Green Park, Stablebridgr Road, Aston Clinton, Buckinghamshire, HP22 5NE
Internet presence unknown
Mob. - 07866 641 215
18:00-20:00hrs
Admission £2

Great Bentley - R & G Toy Fairs
Village Hall, Plough Road, Great Bentley, Essex, CO7 8LD
Internet presence unknown
Tel. - 01206 251 351 (Gary)
Tel. - 01255 473 509 (Richard)
10:00 - 14:00hrs
Admission £2.00, under 16's free
Free parking, refreshments

Lincoln - J&J Fairs (John & Julie Webb)
The Exhibition Centre, Lincolnshire Showground, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, LN2 2NA
Tel. - 01522 880 383
10:00 - 14:30hrs Approximately
Admission £2.50p, seniors £2, 1st child £1.50p

Llandudno, Wales - Chris Dyer Fairs
Craig-y-Don Community Centre, Queens Road, Llandudno, Wales, LL30 1TE
Tel. - 01643 702 757
Mob. - 07966 694 579
10:30 - 15:00hrs
Admission £2

Orpington - SRP Toyfairs
Crofton Halls, Orpington, Kent, BR6 8PR
Tel. - 07739 998 012 (Paula or Gerry)
10:00 - 14:00hrs
Admission charge unknown

Plymouth - Plymouth Die-Cast Club - Plymouth Collectors Toy Fair (club event)
Jan Cutting Centre, Scott Business Park, Beacon Park Road, Plymouth, PL2 2PQ
Tel. - 01752 846 250
10:00 - 14:00hrs
Admission charge unknown
Free parking, refreshments

Seaford - Robert Horsecroft - Toy & Antique Collectors Fair
Downs Leisure Centre, Sutton Road, Seaford, East Sussex, BN25 4QW
Internet presence unknown
Tel. - 01323 899 879
Tel. - 01424 846 676
10:00 - 14:30hrs
Admission £1.50p, children under 12 free

Shepton Mallet - Bulldog Fairs
Royal Bath & West Showground, BA4 6QN
Tel. - 01373 452 857
Mob. - 07917 125 641
10:30 - 14:30hrs
Adults £4, under 16's free if accompanied, early-bird (from 08:30hrs) £10

Warrington - Barry Stockton
Warrington & Vale Royal Collage, Winwick Road, Warrington, Cheshire, WA2 8QA
Tel. - 0151 334 3362
10:00 - 14:30
Admission £2.00, children 50p

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Tuesday 26th March 2019

Garstang - Janet Pearson - Garstang Evening Fair
Kirkland & Catterall Memorial Hall, PR3 0HR
Web-presence unknown
01282 439 009
18:00 - Finnish
Admission fee unknown

Tonbridge - SRP Toyfairs (evening fair)
Angel Lane, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 1SF
Tel. - 07739 998 012 (Paula or Gerry)
18:00 - 20:00hrs
Admission £1.50p, Children Free

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Auctions

Toy Fairs, Toy Shows, Toy News, Announcements, News And Views, Miscellaneous, Bears, Trains, railway Models, Germany, Cacti, Cactuses, Dinky, Corgi, Steiff, Vectis, M&M Auctions , Herne, Sammler, Sammlung, Borse, Stads, Stadinger, Paul Stad, Stadswatch, Stadsstuff
Reminder - 21st March 2019 (today)

Stockton-on-Tees - Vectis Auctions (last day of a three day auction)
Fleck Way, Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees, TS17 9JZ
Tel. - 01642 750 616
Trains/model railways

"The Model Train sale to be held on the 22nd of March features an exciting collection in the large scale category, "The North Wales Collection", it includes a 5" Gauge coal fired King class loco and tender "King George V", a coal fired 0-4-0 narrow gauge loco "Dolgoch" and an incomplete Britannia class loco and tender. There is a 2 1/2" gauge Southern class 70 overhead electric loco and 4-car EMU, both of which are believed to be apprentice or works produced locos. The collection features interesting historical items, Spirit fired Cardean loco and tender in LMS maroon and Milbro coaches plus others.  The sale will also include 60 plus lots of G Gauge garden railway locos rolling stock and accessories by LGB and others, and 100 lots of Hornby O gauge from a private owner collection. There is a further single owner collection - The Iain Gothard Collection; Japanese Brass & Other Commercial OO Gauge Locomotives; Meccano & Other Constructional Toys plus a selection of OO, HO, and N gauge, Triang, Kits and our usual good selection of general trains."

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Saturday 23rd March 2019

Newark - Northgate Auctions
17 Northgate, Newark, Nottingham, NG24 1EX
Tel. - 01636 605 905
Fax. - 01636 612 607
Mixed toys, vintage and modern

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Thursday 28th March

Toy Fairs, Toy Shows, Toy News, Announcements, News And Views, Miscellaneous, Bears, Trains, railway Models, Germany, Cacti, Cactuses, Dinky, Corgi, Steiff, Vectis, M&M Auctions , Herne, Sammler, Sammlung, Borse, Stads, Stadinger, Paul Stad, Stadswatch, Stadsstuff
Spalding - M&M Auctions (day 1 of a 2-day auction, day 2 tomorrow: 29th)
Unit 4, Plover Court, Stevenson's Avenue, Spalding, Lincolnshire, PE11 3SY
Tel. - 01775 724 939
Viewing Wednesday 27th March 2019 10:00 - 18:00hrs and on the day of the sale 08:30 - 10:30hrs
Sales starts at 10:30hrs - runs 'till finish

Toy Fairs, Toy Shows, Toy News, Announcements, News And Views, Miscellaneous, Bears, Trains, railway Models, Germany, Cacti, Cactuses, Dinky, Corgi, Steiff, Vectis, M&M Auctions , Herne, Sammler, Sammlung, Borse, Stads, Stadinger, Paul Stad, Stadswatch, Stadsstuff
Stockton-on-Tees - Vectis Auctions
Fleck Way, Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees, TS17 9JZ
Tel . - 01642 750 616
Dolls, Bears, soft toys &etc.

"The Dolls and Teddy Bear sale to be held on the 28th of March starts with a large collection of over 500 Charlie Bears, predominantly designed by Isabelle Lee. With Kaycee Bears Dragons, Hermann, Deans Rag Book, Steiff and artists bears, plus Pelham Puppets and porcelain artist dolls. The sale also includes Part 2 of The Joan Donachie collection, over 150 lots of vintage dolls, bisque, vinyl, hard plastic costume dolls; Sindy and Barbie plus clothing and accessories, dolls houses, furniture, prams and chairs, plus a lovely collection of wooden bears and Teddy Bears from Chad Valley, Merrythought, Chiltern, Steiff, including hand puppets and animals."

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Friday 29th March 2019

Toy Fairs, Toy Shows, Toy News, Announcements, News And Views, Miscellaneous, Bears, Trains, railway Models, Germany, Cacti, Cactuses, Dinky, Corgi, Steiff, Vectis, M&M Auctions , Herne, Sammler, Sammlung, Borse, Stads, Stadinger, Paul Stad, Stadswatch, Stadsstuff
Spalding - M&M Auctions (day 2 of a 2-day auction, day 1 yesterday: 28th)

Unit 4, Plover Court, Stevenson's Avenue, Spalding, Lincolnshire, PE11 3SY
Tel. - 01775 724 939
Viewing Wednesday 27th March 2019 10:00 - 18:00hrs and on the day of the sale 08:30 - 10:30hrs
Sales starts at 10:30hrs - runs 'till finish


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Overseas Events

Toy Fairs, Toy Shows, Toy News, Announcements, News And Views, Miscellaneous, Bears, Trains, railway Models, Germany, Cacti, Cactuses, Dinky, Corgi, Steiff, Vectis, M&M Auctions , Herne, Sammler, Sammlung, Borse, Stads, Stadinger, Paul Stad, Stadswatch, Stadsstuff
Herne, Germany - PB Toys - 47th German Plastic Soldier Show
Kulturzentrum, Willi-Pohlmann-Platz 1, 44623, Herne, Germany (venue)
PB Toys, Wickeder Straβe 32, 58739 Wickede (promoter)
Web. - www.ksfb.de (venue)
eMail - peter@pbtoys.de (promoter)
Tel. - 02377 787 9322

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If you are an event promoter/show curator/auctioneer and you want your toy, model, collectable or popular-/youth-culture type sale/exhibition/event listed here -  FOR FREE  - or linked to; please eMail me -

maverickatlarge[at]hotmail[dot]com

- stating the date/s of the event, address of event, contact details, opening/viewing times, admission pricing and any other relevant facts/details or features - parking, travel notes, disability access, availability of refreshments, event subject matter &etc.

And please mention any flyer-art or poster-/leaflet-scans but send by separate eMail, in case they go to the 'junk' folder, from where they can be recovered and marked safe, but only if I know they're there!

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Toys in the Media

Strangely, BBC Radio 4 got in on the act this week, in The Archers (18/19th March) of all things, when fatuous-Freddy (the jailbird)'s equally fatuous-sister and her paedophilic boyfriend/sponger found some of his (fatuous-Freddy's) late fatuous-father's 'collectable' toy soldiers under his (fatuous-Freddy's) bed, it was suggested they should be put with the rest, the inference being that there was a cabinet of them elsewhere in the house?

The fatuous-father; 'Nigellllllllll!', being best known for a death which - it was calculated by fact-checking websites - involved him falling half-the-height of the Empire State Building, judging by the length of his scream . . . in leafy Warwickshire . . . sorry; Borsetshire!

The even-more fatuous-Mother was in another room having a breakdown.

Dat Eastender's got nuttin' on rural bucketshire, init gezzer!

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H is for How They Come-in

Toy Fairs, Toy Shows, Toy News, Announcements, News And Views, Miscellaneous, Bears, Trains, railway Models, Germany, Cacti, Cactuses, Dinky, Corgi, Steiff, Vectis, M&M Auctions , Herne, Sammler, Sammlung, Borse, Stads, Stadinger, Paul Stad, Stadswatch, Stadsstuff
I had a good haul from charity shops this week, nothing exciting, but nice - if you know what I mean? For followers of graphic novels; I picked up a near-mint copy of the Mouse Guard - Legends of the Guard, which is lovely, along with another book; a work on the Hubble-telescope images.

There was a Minjah Tortoise board game (is that three now?) which has its own post along with this book (above) on Bears (another one Erwin won't believe I have in my non-existent toy library!) and a set of eraser-cactii (which I think we have to call cactuses these days; I always get confused by that one?) which are the same one's I got from WHSmith a few years ago.

The Smith's one had three plants for £1.99, these are six (with a new sculpt) for a quid, and a colour variation on the tall one, so 'bargain' all round!

Toy Fairs, Toy Shows, Toy News, Announcements, News And Views, Miscellaneous, Bears, Trains, railway Models, Germany, Cacti, Cactuses, Dinky, Corgi, Steiff, Vectis, M&M Auctions , Herne, Sammler, Sammlung, Borse, Stads, Stadinger, Paul Stad, Stadswatch, Stadsstuff
Also coming-in this week were three odd vinyl figurines which I sorted-away without shooting; a sheepdog, a Disney and something like a Mr. Man but with an odd mustache! And then there was this for 95p . . . large chunk of Hasbro's finest superhero tat, licensed from Marvel and dated to 2015, I bet it was a lot more than ninety-five pee three years ago! 60-mil'ish figure, on a motorcycle, which doubles as a Space Tank, what's not to like?

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One More Thing . . . More

TJF's idiocy just got more idiotic;

Toy Fairs, Toy Shows, Toy News, Announcements, News And Views, Miscellaneous, Bears, Trains, railway Models, Germany, Cacti, Cactuses, Dinky, Corgi, Steiff, Vectis, M&M Auctions , Herne, Sammler, Sammlung, Borse, Stads, Stadinger, Paul Stad, Stadswatch, Stadsstuff
"There is a sad person who is worried about my collection. He keeps getting the size of my collection wrong. He would be a poor weight guesser at a county fair. Now he has called my collection magical. This time he got it right because it is."

Which would be a quite amusing comeback, if it were true . . . which it 'aint! I've never called his collection magical, I don't use the word that often, it's a bit too Disney/girly for me, as words go.

I suspect what's happened here is that Mr. Stadinger, who only continues to confirm his stupidity every time he has a pop in my direction, seems to have conflated mythical collection (a phrase I used in the Kentoy/Cavendish Police post on March 13th) with the 'quoted' magical (last used in the 'Paint Your Own These are Mine' post of November 2017)? A pretty standard mistake if you have the comprehension skills of a five-year-old, but yet another example of him 'quoting' me falsely!

I quote him (with screen-caps), he puts words in my mouth, I just don't use and/or haven't used? Consequently the "...because it is" comeback-joke is a fantasy construct of his own rabid imagination!

At the risk of dropping to his 'black-book' level of humourlessness (colours, who gave, what's in &etc.), I was intrigued by the "He would be a poor weight guesser at a county fair" line.

A 'hundredweight sack' (hessian) holds a hundredweight of potatoes (or Potar'toes) give-or-take a few pounds, but filled with clean-riddled wheat (Marshall's thrashing engine - of course!) requires two or even three people to drag into the back of a pick-up, the same sack, filled with equally well-riddled oat seconds can be thrown over the pick-up's cab, by one guy, one hand.

You tell me what's in the sack and I'll guess the weight pretty accurately, but if this is what passes for amusement in rural America over the summer, I think I've found an explanation for a lot of what's not right with the world! Brazil, the Golan Heights and fake university entrants this week!

I have estimated his collection (without seeing it) to be a few boxes of stuff he thinks might be rare, or valuable (or even particularly interesting), and his showing us the odd single figure hasn't done anything to change my opinion, especially as the stuff he's showing us now is often on its second or third outing.

Really, what I've really, actually really said is this really - He's a dealer not a collector. Period. I've said it more than once and I stand by it. I'm not "worried" by his collection; I just doubt it's much more than the few bits and bobs he shows us! He's the emperor 'Legend' with no clothes.

AND - that facile comment of his was on a post where he failed to read the embossed Lone*Star on a figure's base and declared it to be Crescent! A trick he managed with a W.Germany-marked figure a few months ago, banging on about his Italy figure! He then hid his stupidity by whingeing about "...another party..." calling it Nardi, it probably never occurred to him the other party was taking the piss!

He's really a very stupid man . . . with a "mythical" collection! What's 'magical' about it is that it's yet to really show itself! What's 'sad' is that a man who doesn't know the difference between mythical and magical would put fingers to keyboard and fake a quote, for a cheap laugh.

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Links
Only the one story today, but two links;



They say 'only in America' but this has the same level of intellectual debate as the House of Commons this week! And before you draw conclusions PSTSM'ers, I'm with the kid, show the damn thing, although it's a bit derivative, but he's young; he'll get better!

Which reminds me; The Metro (right-wing Tory-owned rag) headlining with '...Brussels softens' today, is utter rubbish, Brussels didn't soften; they played a blinder last night! In an attempt to not get the blame from the right-wing Tory-owned press going forward (which sadly won't work; nothing is ever the Brwreakshiteers own fault), they offered up two scarves, each made of rope, slightly noose-like and let us (who have given ourselves the stiff nick) choose which one to wear!

Whatever happen in April or May is down to stubborn, short-sightedness, internecine jostling, political dogma or doctrine, or plain animosity in the House of Commons and between the two main parties equally awful showers sf shit, and no one else.

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