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.

Tuesday, September 19, 2017

I is for Itlerpud - Part Three; Safari Toob

Aa'haarr, mee 'arrtiees we been getin' to parrrt thrree and we'rrrr go'win on ah bit of a safarrriee!

These were bought the other day especially for ITLAPD "Aa'haarr!" and they arrived in a pack big enough for six sets! Safari have made loads of 'Toobs', mostly animals, but there are some figure sets for the AWI, ACW and Wild West and some civilian stuff I think, however, they also make a set of pirates and like the Zizzle set we looked at earlier, they are around the 54mm 1:32 mark.

Along with a few accessories you get eight actual pirates and they cover all the tropes; beenie hats, head-scarves, wooden legs, hook-hands, tom-boy girl with weapons, man with spade, Errol Flynn'alike, map, big hats, big swords, someone who looks like (and would make a great) Dick Turpin, parrot, swash and buckle - plenty of Swash & Buckle! But no eye-patch? [Shock emoji]

Different background and from the other side, each figure has a title under the base, and they are - top left to bottom right;

- Pirate w/Bandana
- Dueling Pirate
- Pirate w/Long Coat and Sword
- Holding Treasure Map
- Pirate w/Hook
- Peg-leg Pirate
- Pirate w/Parrot
- Lady Pirate

You even get a gay biker - Tom of Finland seems to have had a hand sculpting the guy top left!

When you're a pirate (with apologies to the Village People)

♪♪♫♪ Where can you find pleasure, search the world for treasure
Learn keel-haul technology?
Where can you begin to make your depravities come true
On islands or on the sea?
Where can you learn to kill, play in bars, skin men alive
Ignore Deuteronomy?
Sign on as a Brigand and sit on the hot sand
Watch where your peg and leg do meet!
When you're a pirate!
Yes, you can sail the seven seas!
When you're a pirate . . .
Yes, you can catch a French disease!
When you're a pirate . . .
You can pillage ships at ease!
When you're a pirate . . .
When you're a pirate . . .
Rum, buggery and fleas.

♪♪
Follow the treasure-map inland
When you're a pirate . . .
Come on and join the brigand-band
When you're a pirate
Come on scurvies and make a stand
As a pirate, as a pirate, as a pirate,
...Oh . . .
They want you, they want you
They want you in their pirate crew!
If you…
If you like adventure, don't you wait to enter
The roughest dock-side bar fast
Don't you hesitate; there is no need to wait
They're signing up new pirates fast
You'll never be too young to join up today
So don't you worry 'bout a thing
For I'm sure there will be always badass pirates
Plundering the land and sea
♪ ♫
When you're a pirate!
Yes, you can sail the seven seas!
When you're a pirate . . .
Yes, you can catch a French disease!
When you're a pirate . . .
Come on scurvies, fall upon the bloody sand
When you're a pirate . . .
Learn to smoke when you've hook-hands?
When you're a pirate . . .
When you're a pirate
Follow the treasure-map inland
When you're a pirate . . .
Come on and join the brigand-band
When you're a pirate
Come on scurvies and make a stand
As a pirate, as a pirate, as a pirate, as a pirate,
♫♫ ♪
They want you, they want you
They want you in their pirate crew!
Who me?
They want you, they want you
They want you in their pirate crew!
But, but, but, I'm afraid of slaughter
Hey, hey look man
I get seasick even watchin' through my patch!
They want you, they want you for Jones, Davy
Oh my goodness
They want you
What am I gonna do in a Brigantine?
They want you
They want you, they want you for Jones, Davy
♫♫
When you're a pirate!
Yes, you can sail the seven seas!
When you're a pirate . . .
Yes, you can catch a French disease!
When you're a pirate . . .
Come on scurvies, fall upon the bloody sand
When you're a pirate . . .
Learn to drink when you've hook-hands?

When you're a pirate . . .
Follow the treasure-map inland
When you're a pirate . . .
Come on and join the brigand-band
When you're a pirate
Come on scurvies and make a stand . . . ♫♪♫

As well as a parrot, you get a monkey which is a bit different (although Charbens had one climbing their palm tree); is it a macaque, or a little squirrel-monkey? You can also see from the close-up that while the painting is clearer than the Zizzle's; it's sprayed through pretty poorly registered stencils and both sets would benefit from re-painting.

My favourite piece in the set, unrealistically posed in an upright position which - in reality - would have resulted in a pile of bones, if you ignore such a literal viewpoint and allow the skeleton a bit of residual or supernatural life-force; a nice touch.

Publicity shots for this set often show them with grass-green bases, but mine are on a sandy beach as can been seen.

The other accessories, the gun is OK, it's a fixed barrel, at maximum elevation and the ship's a joke - unless you war game micro-ships in which case it may be quite useful . . .the wagon in the wild west set is a joke, but it's fine (ish) next to the Airfix HO/OO one in an ad-hoc wagon-circle or barrier! While the other pile of stores - sans skeleton - is very useful.

Descriptions - left to right;

- Cannon
- Ship w/flag
- Cannon Balls & Powder
- Sitting Skeleton

Halfway thrrew mee 'arrrtiees, Aa'haarr!

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