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.

Monday, July 22, 2019

News, Views Etc . . . Plastic Warrior 175

Another lovely tome, handcrafted in PW Towers by Mr Morehead, and the one-hundred-and-seventy-fifth issue, that's a hell of a mountain been climbed, right there! And only been out a couple of three-weeks or so, small review-delay being as much down to the personal stuff going-on, as to my usual tardiness!

Magazine Review; Plastic Figurines; Plastic Soldier Magazine; Plastic Soldiers; Plastic Toy Figures; Plastic Toys; Plastic Warrior; PW 175; PW Magazine; PW175; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com;
Articles

* The issue gets off to a much anticipated start, with the first of Peter Evan's articles on Fontanini, as I hinted at here whilst keeping mine brief, he also clears-up my confusion re. the large number of poses, but you need to subscribe to get the details!
* From the sublime to the  . . . errr . . . curious with Peter Coles banjo carrying 'Redder pig'!
* Michael T Hyde returns to ecclesiastical subjects with an overview of Monks and Friars (and an explanation of the difference!), he covers too-many to name here but I've waxed lyrical on this series before, and the latest part also delivers.
* Dinosaurs and a 'dinolizard' from Cherilea are covered by Steve Pugh (Ed - can we have a note on the two Dimetrodon types in 176's News-Views?)
* An editorial with help from Mig Bonnefoy and Bill Hanlon returns to Bergan Beton-like mounted figures from Fraser & Glass (F&G), reminding me I need to update my page to reflect these new revelations!
* Les White's 'Converters Corner' shows us how to get ACW Iron Brigade Federals from French Foreign Legion!
* Tony Sowerby has contributed a nice scratch-built diorama, with figures from A Call To Arms, and an unknown (Elastolin?) gun, which illustrate a bit of interesting history into both early artillery and early 'all-arms' co-operation.
* Finally we find a couple of Airfix box-arts, but with no clue as to whether they are from the Airfix 'archive' (which I assume they are) or Photoshop - which would be disappointing!

Regular Features
* 'NEWS and VIEWS and other stuff ' covers
·         PW show-shot!
·         Apology - Brian heaps was the originator of issue 174's carded Robin Hood set from Lone Star, not Steve Morris
·         Video news on the Chicago Toy Soldier Show
·         Note on corresponding with PW, please address all snail-mail to Mr. or P. Morehead, not PW or Plastic Warrior
·         A call out for shots of-, or anecdotes pertaining to- any Trojan boxed sets which may have been encountered by readers?

·         In addition to all the above or below named; Dan Morgan gets a picture credit

* 'What The !&*$?' is back to 'only' six queries this quarter (after the last issues 13!), but they are all interesting;
  • A lion - swiftly proposed by the editor to be Hilco is Eric Crichley's first ponder
  • A real quandary from Giampiero Larizza is a military-looking lady, who might be M.A.S.H. or a kit figure?
  • A large Scottie dog with collar needs ID'ing, looks the same size as the Corgi (?) corgi see here recently, but in polyethylene, not PVC?
  • Timpo-catalogued Mounted Arabs (from the solid era) pose a problem, has anyone ever seen one?
  • Brian Wagstaff has a second pose of plinth-based 'Commonwealth' plastic dancer, but unlike the previously seen Geisha (which Brian also shows), the new Thai/Burmese (?) dancer is a more unique pose?
  • Finally Eric Critchley also asks about Blue Box packaging, specifically for the ACW sets if anyone can help? (I have a 'T is for Two...' post in the queue which may offer a clue, but it's got GI's and a gun, not ACW)
* 'Readers Letters' include
  • VP Lane asks if resin is 'toy soldier' plastic? For the purpose of collecting; a valid question!
  • Gerald Edwards has a Merciless 'We Know Wot', it's Ming'ing! (sorry - couldn't resist!)
  • Raimondo Torelli reminds those who were asking that The Toy Soldier Company still has stocks of undecorated Starlux, although I could only find FFL on the website?
  • Dan Morgan points out (with empirical logic) that Harvey (Lone Star) were the copyists, not Britains (Herald)
  • Eric Critchley muses on Chris Goddard's khaki Infantry article (PW174) with reference to radio operators and the Timpo hollow-casts
  • Brian Wagstaff shows an interesting Hong Kong blow-moulded fort!
  • Chris Smith waxes lyrical on several subjects from issue 174
  • PL Cuna has a good, but polite, rant at a few things; Timpo bases (totally agree . . . too small!); availability of Napoleonic 'minor nations' cavalry and artillery (and size); AiP numbering; wargame rule suggestions . . .
  • Yours Truly follows-up on Gondoliers and Doolittles!
* 'What's New' returns with PW-show releases and other 'new'-news from . . .
  • Mars - Pirates of the Carribean
  • Replicants - Texas Rangers
  • Engineer Bassevich - Colonial era Russian (set 27) and Turkish (set 26) troops
  • Chintoys -
                  o       CHT012 - Conquistadores
                  o       CHT016 - Inca Warriors
                  o       CHT020 - Mayan Warriors
  • Expeditionary Force - Napoleonic British Hussars
* 'Book Review' is back with three volumes this issue, which are;
  • Juguete Completo, Juguete Comansi by Juan Hermida (locally produced limited edition)
  • Airfix HO•OO Scale Figures A Comprehensive Guide 1959 to 2018 by Peter Williams (Corsham Print, apparently limited to 50 copies - ISBN 978-1-5272-3716-2)
  • Forty Years of Airfix Toys by Jeremy Brook (Crowood Press - ISBN 978-1-78-500-535-0)
I think you'll agree; all three are self-explanatory from the titles, I've only got one so far, Mr. Williams' work, which must have been a labour of love, but has one or two niggles, the appearance of a sculptor called John Nesbitt, credited with about half the sets including all of Niblett's seems to be the result of someone being sent down the garden path, while the constant use of the word 'casting' for mouldings will annoy pedants!

* Plus all the usual readers small-ads and a commercial supplement

* Covers - Both showcase Fontanini figures from Peter Evan's collection

PW's contact details;

Website's back on the menu but won't be updated (eMail first) . . . www.plasticwarrior.com
Tel: 01483 722 778
Address; 65 Walton Court, Woking, Surrey, GU21 5EE, UK
And they are on Paypal

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