U is for Unknown White-metal Civil Types; Rail . . . and Road!

Starting big and getting smaller, these will probably not appeal much to those war gamers who have been so helpful over the previous few days . . . but hoping some die-cast vehicle collectors or model rail fans are viewing this week, I'll run them pass you all anyway!

 

These chaps are around 40mm or O-gauge compatible (1:48th 'ish or 'scale 7') and may be from the same maker; but I suspect not - the one (1B) having a small base the other (1A) a foot-plug; and both having come-in, in different lots, from different painters.

 

A bevy of babes, I used to wonder if the nude (2A) was from the old Phoenix Atlantis range, but they were very good sculpts, this girl is quite crude and if she stood-up would be about 60+mm but with ridiculously long legs.

The rest are around the 35mm mark (1:50) and seem to be a selection of all-girl truckers and err . . . trucker's molls . . . very modern. Most have been very well painted, one in a gloss finish and another in matt may have come form other sources, but all seem to go together, but who makes/made them?

Down a scale - 30mm'ish - and more babes! Cruder sculpts on the upper row, with no markings at all, while the slightly larger figures below them are James Bond character figures - I think we're looking at (from left to right) Miss Moneypenny, Blofeld and Goldfinger or Scaramanga?? I forgot to turn the second 'Goldfinger' round!

There is a clue to the later set . . .

. . . as they are all mounted on Little Lead Soldier bases, but are they LLS? I have a nicely illustrated catalogue somewhere, and I don't remember James Bond themed figures, nor figures this big from Little Lead Soldiers (see upcoming ACW post); so are the bases a red-herring and does anyone know who might have made these, or can confirm Little Lead?

Note - in the background you can see that the slightly smaller figures in the upper row seem to have had their bases added after moulding with a sort of double-rivet thing - or is it a shrink-mark - leaving the same base marks as the vintage Skybirds figures are found with?

Back to the safer ground of HO or OO railway layout accessories - apart from the chick in a cocktail dress! Starting with the set of three, it seems to be a factory-painted 'blacksmith' vignette (the horse as suffered damage and only requires 3 shoes!), but may be a home paint?

To the right of that group is a small dog of (equally) unknown origin, and a pair of unpainted castings which may or may not go with the driver (4F) in the lower image. All are closer to HO than OO and the standing lady looks familiar so they may be copied of something more painted and/or plastic?

The oilman/engineer (4D) looks very American to me: the cap, the dungarees, the tie? Next to him is an aftermarket rail-man, home-painted and the sort of thing many Ad's for have been seen in the back of Model Railway magazines over the years, but who was this maker?

The aforementioned driver and Ms Cocktail-dress finish this group of orphaned odds and sods.

Two who turned-up after the other shots had been taken, a nun and a very nicely sculpted (look at that velvety ear! And the begging, downcast look) dog (Labrador?), both OO-gauge compatible, one painted (probably by purchaser) the other not, and coming separately over the last few years, probably different makes, but do you know who?

These Airfix piracies have appeared on the relevant post in the Airfix Blog, but they are too good for old model soldier book 'how to's with Plastacine and Lego-dams, for home-casts, so I'm hoping someone can put a name to them from those Ad's in the backs of Railway magazines?

These have also appeared before, here, and the same shot! But again: I'm still after a maker for this range of aftermarket/garage Edwardian or late Victorian turn-of-the-[last]-Century models in a pretty standard OO-gauge or 23mm.

If I can get the maker, then track down a catalogue, I suspect these will break down into thematic groups of 4, 5 or 6 figures - Tradesmen, railwaymen, walkers, bathers/boaters, a hunting party, blacksmith and a photographic group are evident?