P is for Penalty Shoot Out

It's funny, but 2018 has turned out to be the year of the footballer on Small Scale World, I don't think we even had the tag before January? But quite by chance they've kept coming, even after the deliberately queued mini-season in Jan'!

I picked this up today (Wednesday) as one of those odd things some charity shops carry from time to time; a corporate donation of over stock, end-of-line clearance or canceled-order stuff and £3.99 is near the retail price I'd imagine, I'd seen them a few days earlier, and they still have a few?

Desktop Distractions from Paladone Products it's been numbered PP3481, 707804 and - most recently - 134774, so has clearly 'done the rounds' of the retail world before ending-up in SCOPE (the mental health charity previously called MIND) the last numbering being added as a sticker over the previous codes and on the goal's stand?

Goal-keeper is hand-operated from a long stick which locates in his back so he would need a base (or a lump of Blue Tac - other proprietary blobs of squidginess are available) to be added to any cabinet/displayed collection! Sculpting is lacking in the facial features department, disappointing given the size, but it's a football game rather than a 'figure toy'?

The striker is a variation of the old rack toy one . . . one of which I think we saw here not that long ago, I seem to remember getting one the other month and shooting it? Try the Football tag!

Anyway, press his head and either a toothed rod running down inside his body activating a hidden cogged arc of plastic at the top of his thigh, or - as in this case - a simple off-set hinge/rod, similarly hidden, causes the foot to fly forward and kick the ball, a spring-return 'resetting' the figure for another go.

With a stretch you can play it with yourself! My 'berserker' needs to find some victims who are actually going to quake at his toothpick of a bayonet; recently he's been going-up against some much bigger opposition!

70mm and interestingly the packaging states it's manufactured from PET (Poly-ethyl[ene]-terephthalate) a polyester with similar properties to polypropylene, ie; it will take the punishment likely delivered from excited little handipuds trying to score goals - yer' typical executive in other words! I'll list it under PP to save having another tag; it's about type/properties and is only a guide!

Ghosts in the machine!