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.

Friday, May 3, 2019

News, Views Etc . . . Forthcoming Events - Saturday 4th - Friday 10th May 2019

Still feels a bit inappropriate to blather, so on with the listings . . .

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Toy Fairs

Saturday 4th May 2019

Brecon, Wales - Chris Dyer Fairs
Market hall, Town Centre, Brecon, Powys, Wales, LD3 7LG
Tel. - 01643 702 757
Mob. - 07966 694 579
10:30 - 15:00hrs
Admission £2

Exeter - Events Frontier - Devcon '19
Exeter Corn Exchange, Hele Road, Exeter, Devon, EX4 4JS, UK
Mob. - 07508 548 938
Hours unknown
Admission fee unknown
Sci-fi, film and comic convention

Hawkinge - SRP Toy Fairs
Hawkinge Community Centre, Heron Forstal Avenue, Hawkinge, Kent, CT18 7FT
Mob. - 07739 998 012 (Paula or Gerry)
10:00 - 14:00hrs
Admission fee unknown

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Sunday 5th May 2019

Coventry - Barry Potter / BP Fairs
The Connexion, Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Coventry, CV8 3FL
Tel. - 01604 846 688
Mob. - 07966 527 177
10:30 - 15:00hrs
Admission £3, seniors £2.50p, children £1, early bird (from 08:00hrs) £6
Free parking

Falkirk, Scotland - McLaren Models
Tel. - 01324 624 102

Haydock Park - Barry Stockton Fairs
The Exhibition Centre, Haydock Park Racecourse, WA12 0HQ
Web. - http://barrystocktonfairs.co.uk/
Tel. - 01513 343 362
10:30 - 14:30hrs
Admission - Adult £2, Children £0.50p

Worthing - SRP Toyfairs
Charmandean Centre, Forest Road, Worthing, West sussex, BN14 9HS
Tel. - 07739 998 012 (Paula or Gerry)
10:00 - 14:00hrs
Admission charge unknown

York - J&J Webb - 'York Racecourse'
The Knavesmire Stand, York Racecourse, York, Yorkshire, YO23 1EX
Tel. - 01522 880 383
10:00 - 14:30hrs
Admission £2.50p, seniors £2, 1st child £1.50p

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Auctions

Reminder - Today (and Tomorrow)
Friday 3rd / Saturday 4th April 2019

Chippenham - Wessex Auctions (days 2 and 3 of a three-day auction)
Wessex Auction Rooms, Westbrook Farm, Draycot Cerne, Chippenham, Wiltshire, SN15 5LH
Tel. - 01249 720 888

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Saturday 5th May 2019

Sheffield - Shefield Auction Gallery
Windsor Road, Heeley, Sheffield, S8 8UB
Tel. - 0114 281 6161
Viewing - Thursday 2nd 10:00 - 19:00, from 08:30 on sale day
14:00 - Finish
General toy and collectable sale

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Wednesday 8th-Thursday 9th May 2019

Stockton-on-Tees - Vectis Auctions (2-day sale)
Fleck Way, Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees, TS17 9JZ
01642 750 616
Specialist die-cast sale
 
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Other Events

Sunday 5th May 2019

Chertsey - Great Cockrow Railway - Miniature/Garden Railway
The loco's start running for the summer season this Sunday and mostly Sundays, so check the website before travelling!

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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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Links

What's New In Table-Top Games

Tugging the Heart Strings!

New Auctioneers

I Bet Someone Thinks They'Re The 'Five Best' Wrestling Toys!

Toy Soldiers Get Everywhere!
&

Battleguard Ready and New Hope Design News Piece
https://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/2019/04/toy-soldier-company-in-jackson-ships-history-around-the-world.html

Tabloid'y Piece on Values

Comics Spain
Clearing eMails and I came across these from a few years ago;



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H is for....

....How Big is a Bearskin?

This big.

....How Small are Donald Trump's Itsy-Bitsy Little Hands?

This small.

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Other News

Money Money Money!
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Disney Corp Bob Iger has just seen his pay rise to £50m+ ($65.6m), for a year, that's a million squid a week, give or take, £200,000 per day! I wonder what he spends it on? How can anybody do 200,000-quid's worth of work in eight hours, there's the end of the human race, right there; no sense of proportion!

Lego - Not!
Chinese police raided the Lepin factory and took possession of 620,000 fake Lego sets, which sell in China for a 6th of the correctly branded originals, as most of the cost of these things is the material, that suggests Lego is at least five times more expensive than it needs to be, and Mega Blocks about three-times as expensive as necessary. It also explains the growing success of the plethora of lesser brands in poundshops, Wilko and The Works!

Record Prices Realised at Vectis
Vectis are understandably chuffed with their recent 'Star' Wars Items, and have issued the following press-release;

"Star Wars Prototype Resin Master Tooling Aids – World Record prices!
On the 30th of April, Vectis Auctions offered for sale three prototype resin master tooling aids, something which had never before been offered for sale on the open market. The figures are examples of the master sculpts used to create the well-known vintage Star Wars 3 ¾” figures from The Return of the Jedi toy line, and have been authenticated and encased by UK Graders Collectable Grading Company.
The Vendor visited the auction room, and watched with anticipation as his lots began. First up was Lot 6429, Ewok “Logray”, and with all three models estimated to achieve £6,000 - £12,000 it was uncertain how the bidding would go, after all, there were no pre-sales to base the valuations on.
The anticipation soon escalated as “Logray” sold to a telephone bidder in the USA for £12,000 (inclusive of Buyers Premium). With the Emperors Royal Guard up next, and two telephone bids, plus Internet and room bidders eager for the second lot, the bidding took off, with a Vectis Internet Bidder winning the Lot for a phenomenal £28,800 inclusive.
However, in this case, it would appear the best was saved for last, as Lot 6431, Bib Fortuna, a male Twi'lek who lived on the desert planet Tatooine, again had a flurry of bids from across the globe, with the hammer finally falling to an internet bidder for an incredible £36,000 (including Buyers Premium).
The vendor was delighted with the results of the auction and with these characters being relatively unknown to non-Star Wars collectors, they beat all expectations, these vintage, one of a kind lots have realised World Record prices. 



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Toys in the Media

The modern tourist equivalent of Matchbox by the looks of it! Sainsbury's Magazine.

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And Finally

Ooh! Are 'we' going to Alderney?

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Plastic warrior
next weekenD

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