T is for Thanks

'Jim' - who you may remember gave me a nice load of stuff awhile ago - sent me a box of bits the other day - literally; out of a clear blue sky . . . well, maybe not literally as no aircraft were involved in the final delivery, but it was a lovely morning and made all the finer by a polymer-based surprise package!

Mid sort; my assistant (knowing what I'd said re replacement) immediately took a nap in the packing and played no further part in the proceedings!

It's basically a junk lot, but they are always useful, for instance the - quite common - Hong Kong copies of Jean's Wild West figures which are normally polyethylene, came here in Blue PVC/vinyl which was new to me and will add colour to the common cream/brown sample!

The little yellow 'plane is interesting, unmarked and fitted with an eye/loop possibly for one of those 'take-off & landing' games with a long arm? There were a few more of those 'Euro-flat' Wild West with the little 'chad' bases (not in shot) and the five-inch'ish Mountie seems to be one of the HK copies of Reliable-type originals? He'll need a horse.

The parcel, being 'ordinary post' must have already been in the system when the Gem footballer's posted the other day, but there was a nice early (large based), unmarked (Cullpitt?) goalie with his jumper in the same puce green paint as the two I mentioned the other day. A paint-less, semi-flat Tirrailier would seem to be French, a Hong Kong paratrooper, Marx Warrior of the World Federal Officer, 2 'crazy clown' horses and a blue sea-dragon are other highlights!

Some of the stuff was a bit grubby, so the ear-buds are for cleaning as I go, and there were lots of other useful things in the lot including another of the Cherilea mounted 60mm knights with that dragon-decorated lance - he needs a base, and I now believe (I got quite excited when I got a whole one) that they were in the late (1970's) fort [play-] sets issued/branded under Cherilea-Sharna Ware - the one with the tall hexagonal towers?

Also publishing on the Blog while I think this parcel was in transit was the pencil tops 'top up', so as it will be a year or a few before we look at them again, I'll chuck these two up here quickly - the Worzel Gummidge is marked Hong Kong (and suggests an Aunt Sally is probably out there somewhere - have you got one?), while we saw The Flash when I first visited pencil tops in a multi-post 'round-up' a few years ago, from a set with various super-peeps and man-bats.

This was a nice find; Cherilea bass drummer - I think we've looked at the figure sans drum with alternate aprons, but this one has a drum and nice paint! There was a lot more and I had no idea it was on its way!

It's very hard to thank people properly for these kinds of gift lots, as they will re-appear one or two figures at a time for years to come, as they 'make-up' sets - added to my own purchases, or contribute to comparisons in posts not even dreamt of yet, but I am always very grateful for 'junk' lots! They all add to the whole.

Jim was careful not to include his surname or a return address, so I will thank him in person when I see him next as he obviously wishes to remain otherwise anonymous - as quite a few contributors do; some more so - no publicity - but Jim's known to a couple of the Sandown Park 'crew' and for them, to Jim, many thanks for a lovely surprise; hopefully I'll see you at PW, if not - the next Sandown?