Anyway, when I got it home I noticed among all the bumps, scrapes and lumps of 'extra plastic' a couple of slightly less white lumps in the underside, picking them off and putting them in my mouth - as you do (what do you mean 'you don't'!! Hey, I've got Asperger's, I'll put anything in my mouth, it's the childlike reflex of monkey-investigation...we are - after all - only monkeys!), and realised they were a couple of semi-transparent wax granules that had clearly been picked-up by the still warm moulding all those years ago.
I say "all those years ago" with such authority because (while I had at first assumed it to be a 1939'ish French bomber), after realising that it was carrying British markings (red in the centre), I was at a loss as to the 'plane's type. It seems to be a Turret-less Flying Fortress, of which we did have a few early in the war, these proved a tad vulnerable in the bomber roles, so where handed to the anti-submarine chaps for long-range maritime patrol work (or the survivors were!). The only real clue being the ventral bulge running down the spine on the aircraft and the fact that while having four engines....it doesn't look like a Lancaster or Stirling...or Sunderland! It is otherwise a very crude moulding, due wholly to the material.
Maker is likely to remain unknown (it's about 3-inches long), but the following who were all still making wax-dolls or dolls heads in the 1930's could be in the frame; Morell, Lucy Peck (both demised sometime in the 1930's) and Pierotti (still going in 1942?). Anyway your ideas on date, maker and aircraft-type appreciated in the comments section!
Mmmmm! semi-transparent wax granules.
ReplyDeleteSteady-now John, you can still get them from Hobbie's Annual if the appetite has been re-kindled!!
ReplyDeleteinteresting... is it nice and solid? then again the wings do look a bit droopy. an interesting find none the less.
ReplyDeletehurrah for Asperger's syndrome, which I have also. I also have many other things so I won't go into detail.
anyway neat find... can't wait to see what becomes of it. (oh and before you ask no I don't east things to find out what they are... any more. though I do understand why you do.)
Hi Gowan
ReplyDeleteThis is the thing...clearly heat - at some - point has caused a bit of droopy'ness, but it's a minor miracle it's survived at all? Clearly a wartime Austerity piece (which I meant to put in the main text), God knows what else was in the range?
I've just had 18 Months at collage with various peoples on the spectrum and it was fun!
cool... if you go look at the most recent post on my blog you'll see I've just completed 5 years of (mainstream) college (well you'd probably call it secondary scool, not sure)... and got something which I would not have got if it wasn't for my asperger's syndrome. (go take a look if you want)
ReplyDeleteas for the survival of the plane, it sure is a mirical but then again stranger things and more vulnerable thigns got through the war and the times after it.