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.

Friday, May 17, 2019

News, Views Etc . . . Forthcoming Events; Saturday 18th - Friday 24th May

Still not Blogging proper, but here's some weekly stuff . . .

AAC; AFV's; Announcements; Army Air Corps; Army Force; Atmosphear; Auction News; Auction Starts; Board Game; Boardgame Pieces; Die Cast Metal; Ertl Figure; Halo; Halo Characters; Hornby Railways; Jada; Jada Halo; Jada Nano Metalfigs; Jada Toy Figurines; Jada Toys Inc.; Khufu; Miscellaneous; Nano Metalfigs; Nano Metalfigures; News Views Etc; News Views Etc...; Newspaper Clipping; Panda Bear; Playing Pieces; Show Dates; Show Promoter; Show Reports; Show Times; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Spartan Locke; The Mummy; Top Toys; VIVID Games;

. . . last weeks weird strings of letters will have looked like this . . . if you've downloaded the 'SoldierWW2' font from the internet, if your Explorer recognises it, it can read it/will show it - my bad, I didn't think I'd be in a cognitive resonance design bubble of my own making! That last line will give Madame Pardeilhan kittens!


Toy Fairs

Saturday 18th May 2019

Merthyr Tydfil - Chris Dyer Fairs
Merthyr Leisure Centre, Methyr Leisure Village, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales, CF48 1UT
Tel. - 01643 702 757
Mob. - 07966 694 579
Admission £2
10:30-15:00hrs

Brentwood - J&J Fairs (John & Julie Webb)
International hall, Brentwood Centre, Doddinghurst Road, Brentwood, Essex, CM15 9NN
Tel. - 01522 880 383 (J & J Webb)
10:00 - Approx. 14:30hrs
Admission £3, seniors £2.50p, 1st child £2

AAC; AFV's; Announcements; Army Air Corps; Army Force; Atmosphear; Auction News; Auction Starts; Board Game; Boardgame Pieces; Die Cast Metal; Ertl Figure; Halo; Halo Characters; Hornby Railways; Jada; Jada Halo; Jada Nano Metalfigs; Jada Toy Figurines; Jada Toys Inc.; Khufu; Miscellaneous; Nano Metalfigs; Nano Metalfigures; News Views Etc; News Views Etc...; Newspaper Clipping; Panda Bear; Playing Pieces; Show Dates; Show Promoter; Show Reports; Show Times; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Spartan Locke; The Mummy; Top Toys; VIVID Games;
Oxford - Richard Atkins Fairs - Toy and Train Collectors Fair
Exeter Hall, Oxford Road, Kidlington, Oxford, OX5 1AB
Tel. - 01869 347 489
10:30 - 15:00hrs
Admission charge unknown
Refreshments
Free Parking

Didcot - Retro Ronnie
Civic Hall, Britwell Road, Didcot, OX11 7JN
Mob. I - 07708 385 061
Mob. II - 07900 266 427
Hours unknown
Admission unknown


Sunday 19th May 2019

Great Bentley - R & G Toy Fairs
Village Hall, Plough Road, Great Bentley, Essex, CO7 8LD
Internet presence unknown
Tel. - 01206 251 351 (Gary)
Tel. - 01255 473 509 (Richard)
10:00 - 14:00hrs
Admission £2.00, under 16's free
Free parking, refreshments

Newton Abbot - Ray Heard Train & Toy Fairs
Newton Abbot Racecourse, Devon, TQ12 3AF
Internet presence unknown
Tel. - 01823 480 097
10:00 - 15:30hrs
Admission £2
Free parking, refreshments

Kempton Park - RM Toys Ltd.
Kempton Park Racecourse, Staines Road East, Sunbury-on-Thames, Middlesex, TW16 5AQ
Internet presence unknown
Tel. - 02392 381 529
Mob. - 07957 823 507 (Russell Martin)
10:00 - 15:00hrs
Admission - £4, OAP's £3.50p, Children £1, early bird (from 8:30hrs) £10

Doncaster - Barry Potter / BP Fairs - 'Doncaster Racecourse'
Doncaster Exhibision Centre, Leger Way, Doncaster, DN2 6BB
Web. -
www.bpfairs.com
Tel. - 01604 846 688
Mob. - 07966 527 177
10:30 - 15:00hrs
Admission - Adults £4, Seniors £3.50p, Children £1, 'Early Bird' (from 8 a.m.) £10
Plenty of free parking

Orpington - SRP Toyfairs
Crofton Halls, Orpington, Kent, BR6 8PR
Tel. - 07739 998 012 (Paula or Gerry)
10:00 - 14:00hrs
Admission charge unknown


Auctions

Saturday 18th May 2019

Bury St. Edmunds - Lacy Scott & Knight
Tel. - 01284 748 600 (general enquires)
Tel. - 01284 748 623 (Oliver Leggett - auction)
Toy and Collectors Models


Thursday 23rd May 2019 -

Sheffield - Shefield Auction Gallery
Windsor Road, Heeley, Sheffield, S8 8UB
Tel. - 0114 281 6161
14:00 - Finish


If you are an event promoter/show curator/auctioneer and you want your toy, model, collectable or popular-/youth-culture type sale/exhibition/event listed here -  FOR FREE  - or linked to; please eMail me -

maverickatlarge[at]hotmail[dot]com

- stating the date/s of the event, address of event, contact details, opening/viewing times, admission pricing and any other relevant facts/details or features - parking, travel notes, disability access, availability of refreshments, event subject matter &etc.

And please mention any flyer-art or poster-/leaflet-scans but send by separate eMail, in case they go to the 'junk' folder, from where they can be recovered and marked safe, but only if I know they're there!


N is for News

AAC Museum

AAC; AFV's; Announcements; Army Air Corps; Army Force; Atmosphear; Auction News; Auction Starts; Board Game; Boardgame Pieces; Die Cast Metal; Ertl Figure; Halo; Halo Characters; Hornby Railways; Jada; Jada Halo; Jada Nano Metalfigs; Jada Toy Figurines; Jada Toys Inc.; Khufu; Miscellaneous; Nano Metalfigs; Nano Metalfigures; News Views Etc; News Views Etc...; Newspaper Clipping; Panda Bear; Playing Pieces; Show Dates; Show Promoter; Show Reports; Show Times; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Spartan Locke; The Mummy; Top Toys; VIVID Games;
The Army Aviation museum at Middle Wallop has opened again after a major re-vamp, I've enjoyed several visits - back in the day - wandering round the exhibits, so can only imagine it's an even better reason for a day-out now?

Hamleys

You're probably aware already, but the same day I was reporting the 150-somthingth store opening (last Thursday), the sale (rumoured in the past) went through, with Chinese shoe-empire C. Banner selling the whole concern to India's Reliance Group for around £70m quid.

They also opened their fifth store in Hyderabad last week!

The Works Aren't Working

The Works posted poor results and suffered a loss of share value last week, I suspect it's just a glitch and certainly hope it's not a sign of something more serious; the Blog gets a lot of mileage from them in the course of a year!


L is for Links

Only the one this week, a book, it may have appeared here already in the past, but I can't remember, so here it is . . . again?



H is for How They Come In

In addition to the pile of plunder I dragged-home from the PW show last week, there have been a few shrapnel purchases from local charity shops in the last seven days . . .

AAC; AFV's; Announcements; Army Air Corps; Army Force; Atmosphear; Auction News; Auction Starts; Board Game; Boardgame Pieces; Die Cast Metal; Ertl Figure; Halo; Halo Characters; Hornby Railways; Jada; Jada Halo; Jada Nano Metalfigs; Jada Toy Figurines; Jada Toys Inc.; Khufu; Miscellaneous; Nano Metalfigs; Nano Metalfigures; News Views Etc; News Views Etc...; Newspaper Clipping; Panda Bear; Playing Pieces; Show Dates; Show Promoter; Show Reports; Show Times; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Spartan Locke; The Mummy; Top Toys; VIVID Games;
. . . I managed to get over to Farnborough earlier this week and did the three charity shops in the old precinct, nothing in two of them but several things in the third, among which was this Vivid board game; not worth a separate post, and really only the vampire man-bat is of any use to figure collectors.

The sarcophagus would be better if he wasn't wearing comedy 'shades', the pumpkin will reappear in Halloween comparison-shots at some point and the Medusa's head will make a change from-/in a display of- all those cereal premium kings, admirals, explorers and footballer busts!

AAC; AFV's; Announcements; Army Air Corps; Army Force; Atmosphear; Auction News; Auction Starts; Board Game; Boardgame Pieces; Die Cast Metal; Ertl Figure; Halo; Halo Characters; Hornby Railways; Jada; Jada Halo; Jada Nano Metalfigs; Jada Toy Figurines; Jada Toys Inc.; Khufu; Miscellaneous; Nano Metalfigs; Nano Metalfigures; News Views Etc; News Views Etc...; Newspaper Clipping; Panda Bear; Playing Pieces; Show Dates; Show Promoter; Show Reports; Show Times; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Spartan Locke; The Mummy; Top Toys; VIVID Games;
A china (and probably China) panda and an Ertl rail-trolley operator (large scale Thomas the Tank Engine?) were also procured for pennies!

AAC; AFV's; Announcements; Army Air Corps; Army Force; Atmosphear; Auction News; Auction Starts; Board Game; Boardgame Pieces; Die Cast Metal; Ertl Figure; Halo; Halo Characters; Hornby Railways; Jada; Jada Halo; Jada Nano Metalfigs; Jada Toy Figurines; Jada Toys Inc.; Khufu; Miscellaneous; Nano Metalfigs; Nano Metalfigures; News Views Etc; News Views Etc...; Newspaper Clipping; Panda Bear; Playing Pieces; Show Dates; Show Promoter; Show Reports; Show Times; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Spartan Locke; The Mummy; Top Toys; VIVID Games;
I ignore these in the shops (well these days I'll take a shelfie) because they aren't worth the price, but in a tatty box for a quid, they are worth the punt as archive items; packaging's gone to the recycling, where it joined the Khufu game's box and main components!

A dodgy Panther, UPS truck (in mufti), high-performance sports-staff car (HMS Queen Elizabeth's?!!) and a reasonable Jeep Wrangler join a tacky helicopter and two road-signs; it's the bottom-end of the die-cast market! All courtesy of Top Toys; an importer based in Northampton we've seen before I think.

AAC; AFV's; Announcements; Army Air Corps; Army Force; Atmosphear; Auction News; Auction Starts; Board Game; Boardgame Pieces; Die Cast Metal; Ertl Figure; Halo; Halo Characters; Hornby Railways; Jada; Jada Halo; Jada Nano Metalfigs; Jada Toy Figurines; Jada Toys Inc.; Khufu; Miscellaneous; Nano Metalfigs; Nano Metalfigures; News Views Etc; News Views Etc...; Newspaper Clipping; Panda Bear; Playing Pieces; Show Dates; Show Promoter; Show Reports; Show Times; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Spartan Locke; The Mummy; Top Toys; VIVID Games;
This afternoon (Thursday)'s loot included a tenth Halo (of twelve, I may yet get them all?)* a handful of chinosaurs, a Taiwanese Luke Skywalker (magazine part-work) and a pallet of milk-churns, which were joined by a Phidal set of Toy Story figurines; they will get a separate post at some point.

* Except the post I'm referring to is err . . . still in the queue . . . Doh! Forthcoming! The Works (for it is they) are replacing the Jada Halo with Happy Potter (HP II) and Fantastic Beast sets, also in twelve's,  I think?

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