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, April 8, 2019

News, Views Etc . . . Plastic Warrior 174

Not too shabby with the speed of review this time, been out about three weeks now, and packed with goodies, the most fascinating thing is Colin Penn's recent discovery, a two-page spread which is probably worth the subscription by itself, which you will need to subscribe too, as it's this review's 'not telling you - subscribe' piece!

Magazine Review; Plastic Figurines; Plastic Soldier Magazine; Plastic Soldiers; Plastic Toy Figures; Plastic Toys; Plastic Warrior; PW 174; PW Magazine; PW174; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com;

Articles

* Frank Lancaster get's this issue off to a colourful start with a look at banners from the Battle of Bosworth field, covering Toyway Tringa figures along the way
* More peow-peows with brumm-brumms on the carpet from James O'Connell (lovely chap, we're still to be looking at that piece of his erudition, in depth, here, soon'ish!)
* Some lovely sets of Britains Khaki Infantry copies from around the world are displayed by Chris Goddard including examples from Oklahoma, Cragstan and AHI (Metal in Plastic Warrior?!!)
* Colin Penn's discovery probably poses more new questions than it answers, but nevertheless has great significance for many of the mysteries of early British plastic toy soldier production - to find-out what his discovery is though, requires a subscription!
* A lovely use of toy soldiers for education and entertainment through public display is explained by Chris Brown of Mr Brown's Pig with shots of his Waterloo, Pirate and WWII displays
* Tom Stark pays homage to Ron Barzo's retirement from active production by giving us his top-ten Barzo Playsets.

* 'What The !&*$?' laughs in the face of five queries (last two issues) with no less than thirteen items of discussion or intrigue
  • ·         Peter James seeks more information on a Prior badger marked Roja?
  • ·         A GI-type needing a name, sought by Gian Piero Larizza
  • ·         Steve Weston wants help getting an ID on his Ming The merciless, who looks familiar, but I think only from pulp-comic art?
  • ·         Blue Box Japanese are ID'd for Mike Harding
  • ·         Lone Star Colonials are cleared-up for David Sakov
  • ·         Another GI-type marked Mondial Toys (world toys?) needs more work for Andreas Dittmann (is it a Tee Mee copy?)
  • ·         David Sakov also seeks and receive editorial help on his Poplar Plastics stretcher-case (which I'm pleased to see has a painted face)
  • ·         Brian Carrick's seeking help with a mounted Corporal of Artillery he thinks may be from a metal-figure mould
  • ·         The total arrives at thirteen queries with five from Eric Critchley varying from Britains' zoo keepers through mechanics to servicemen with an Air Force look (the 'Tubby Mechanic' might be LP and a zoo keeper?)
* Peter Evans delivers on a small range of Carolingians and Moors from Historia in France
* HR Products get an editorial with more on the plastic Vikings and images from Joe Bellis
* An insight into Homeworker's habits from Erik Kemp (of Helmet) looks at the painting of Swoppet horses
* Finally; 'We Know Wot' covers various items which look to be Speedwell; guards previously seen in 'What The !&*$?' submitted by Brian Carrick and the 'Hilco' cowboy firing over his horse?

Regular Features
* 'NEWS and VIEWS and other stuff ' covers
  • ·         PW show date - Saturday 11th may 2019
  • ·         Sad news of the Hockey Centre in Maybury (well if you won't subscribe; you won't know!)
  • ·         Good news on 'What The !&*$?' . . . there's tons in the queue!
  • ·         A call for submissions to avoid embedding images in Office for Windows documents and/or dumb-phone or .pnc file-formatting
  • ·         Show dates for C&T Auctions forthcoming in 2019
  • ·         The sale of TSSD (Toy Soldiers of San Diego)
  • ·         Subscription details
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  • ·         In addition to all the above named; Steve Pugh gets a picture credit
* 'Readers Letters' include
  • ·         Peter Cole, James Delson, Brian Carrick and Tom Stark all follow-up on Peter Nussbaum's PW172 article on The Bayeux Tapestry, with more on Replicants horses from err . . . the horse's mouth (I'll get me coat!), Elastolin, Ougan and various flat figures in a 'Letters Special'
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  • ·         Chris Simpson asks for more 'mainstream stuff' articles
  • ·         Juan Carlos Martin ID's the 'What The !&*$?' tent from PW173
  • ·         Erik Kemp explains equine gaits with a view to accuracy
  • ·         Les White talks unpainted Starlux
  • ·         James Peter Young reports on rack toys and asks after the Chinese end
  • ·         Peter Hall calls for a report on the state of the hobby
  • ·         Peter Wall congratulates the magazine and follow-up on S-Model
  • ·         Les Collier asks about the perennial question of whether Britains or Lone Star copied the other first? (He should read the Khaki Infantry page here; I think we've put that one to bed - with some bent toes!)
  • ·         Steve Norris finishes of with musings on Lone Star's medieval/Robin Hood figures, sets and issue dates with lovely pictures
* 'What's New' is held-over to make room for other stuff however you will always find new releases on Steve Weston's site; www.plasticsoldiers.com

Plus all the usual readers small-ads and a commercial supplement

Covers - Both continue the Bosworth Field's opening theme with more images from Frank Lancaster

PW's contact details;

Website's back on the menu but won't be updated (eMail first) . . . www.plasticwarrior.com
Tel: 01483 722 778
Address; 65 Walton Court, Woking, Surrey, GU21 5EE, UK
And they are on Paypal

And it's only a month 'till the next Plastic Warrior toy soldier show, which is something to consider!

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