S is for Show Report, PW 30th of 30!

Stats on the blog are right down today...can only mean one thing...

everyone is at home sorting out their plunder, painting their purchases, converting their new figures or researching the weirder stuff they carried home from Richmond yesterday!

Before the main rush of punters, and people are still setting-up. Brian Carrick of the editorial staff/organisation team and the Collecting Toy Soldiers blog in the centre, prepareing his table, with Peter Burgner behind in the black and yellow T-shirt.

As you can see, the venue is much brighter and airyer than the old one, yet more 'cosy' at the same time.

A collection of Tarzan figures from (I think...) Argentina, Hong Kong and Spain rub shoulders with Polish knights and early British jets on Adrian Little's upper-deck. There was some debate through the day as to the origin of the car-boat; turn-it upside down and there's a yellow boat Bath-toy!

Single figures from all manner of makers, all rare, unusual or in good condition. Note the Palitoy 'flying-wing' over on the far left, there was also a Sunderland, both on my 'wants' list, but beyond my Budget yesterday.

At the back are four Malleable-Mouldings life guards in very good nic. This is also a shot of Mercator Trading's table, he currently has an Airfix Furguson header-card on FeeBay!

Steve Weston in front of his display tables, he had a sales 'wall' behind the photographer (yours truly), and was displaying the new Guderian's Duck SPG in 1:32 scale from Sell, which looks nice, and had Peter Cole on his flank with a table for Replicants, which Steve stocks in the normal course of events.

Peter was selling a figure which rumour-control had previously hinted would be available to punters on the door (a rumour I repeated the other night!), it actually had to be sought and bought from Replicants stand, but was the '30th Anniversary' figure, and a lovely one at that; Alan a'Dale leaning against a tree-stump strumming his lute!

Peter Burgner of PB Toys, came all the way from Germany, by road, in the middle of the night, to play Tetris with cardboard in the back of his car!

Peter had new production from all over (I only bought a small Orion AFV crew in resin!) and his rummage crates proved so popular they were in business from 07.45 in the car park! The weather being ideal for a bit of al fresco dealing.

Plastic Warrior used the event to launch two new titles, a colour 'Special' on Hilco which I missed when they sold out, but are available from the usual sources and this thematic overview of toy and model Romans, from the collection of Peter Evans which I did manage to pick-up at the end, and it is an absolute treat to read, tons of figures, some I've never heard of, let alone seen - totally recommend it!