F is for Flixstars! Flickable Flexible Superstars!

I think? Who cares! They're DC which gives them an immediate advantage over . . . ahem . . . the 'other lot', here at Small Scale World, and these have wung their way over the ether from New York for Rack Toy Month, courtesy of Brian Berke.

If blind-bags are an annoying phenomena as I suggested the other day (and not for the first time!), an even dafter idea is random content window bags, as you - presumably; if the line proves popular enough - run the risk of a queue of kids blocking the isle, comparing a handful of bags as they try to get one of each and/or the least number of duplicates in a set!

Nice from the front! But they have hollow backs like the board-game skateboarder we looked at a while ago (Christmas or the spring?), or a rack-toy prince/princess pair I seem to recall shooting in a car-park back at the beginning of the Blog?

However their primary trope is as novelty 'flicky-flyer' kung-fu panda types, so one can't complain that they have been kept light with a bit of liposuction! Coming in at around 60mm according to the Berserker!

Painted up and displayed on narrow shelves you won't even see the hollow backs! Thanks to Brian for sending these to the Blog, I haven't seen them in the UK, so I guess they are a US thing, but they should be available on-line for Euro-buyers.

I must say though, that given that he has no actual 'super powers' per se; I think the Man Bat may be making a serious error of judgement in drop-kicking the son of Jor-El, a man with a stomach of steel, who can set cars alight with his eyes! Just sayin'!

P is for Plant'tastic Plastic

Another carded blister of rack toy tat from those mighty toy suppliers; Kingstar International, and another from Peter Evans, this being donated back in the spring. RTM comes to a close and I feel I haven't done it justice, but actually with over 70-posts in August at the time of writing, I think it just went so smoothly it only seems like I didn't do much!

However there are so many in the queue we will still have the odd one though the year - as always!

This is interesting not for the toy animals, which are a typical set of mini, soft PVC-alike rack toy generics, but for the false-plant/fish-tank accessories thrown-in as make-weights/volume-fillers, but we'll have a quick look at the livestock first . . .

. . . all eight of them! Ignoring the facts that they are not in scale and that the kangaroo has sloth lichen in his fur (the elephant's aluminium, and the lion gold so why not!), they can be seen as reasonable for what they are, the llama type is unusual and both the bear and the lion are also nice sculpts.

I have - still in Picasa from last year - a folder called 'RTM- Henbandt et al' which deals with about ten or eleven of these sets, it's now penciled-in for next August, but I may try and get it done in the next few weeks so's to compare with this lot, who ended up getting their own post, due to the plants.

The 'plants' are three plug-in sections of larger synthetic plants/artificial flowers, although - from the leery colours - I suspect fish-tanks as an end destination for the bulk of the production, however a few ended up in these blisters, and while on one level fruitless fillers with no means of being stood-up as 'trees' they are very interesting from a technical point of view.

The easier to understand are these, where it would appear a twin-nozzle injector-head is used to fire a shot of yellow (or light green) polyethylene, followed (instantly?) by a shot of red (or dark green), the second shot pushing the first up the cavity as it mixes with it for yellow-orange-red or gradated green effects.

This however, presents one with more of a headache, as it appears that the (and this is all guesswork on both types) green is shot to almost full-cavity, then a jacket of red is shot over it, but it's not over-moulding as the green survives at the tips of the leaves and is visible under the red at the branch-joints and end-plug/loop.

I can only guess that the green goes in at under-[optimum]-pressure, then the red is immediately shot at a higher over-or-optimum-pressure, slipping over the top or 'surface' of the green, but also pushing the green into the tips?

It may be that a red polymer-stain/colorant is injected into the mould before the green has fully-cooled, but it's not clear, and both aught to lead to more/redder leaves nearer the gate at the end-plug/loop?

Either way it's very clever and I'd be interested to know more, however the way other posts here looking at technical aspects have resulted in further work appearing elsewhere, I'm sure someone will go and find out and wax-knowledgeable, in the near future?

I haven't got the time; next week we are World War II box-ticking and while I have the images, I haven't done the blurbs yet! Some clues here . . . 

https://www.plasticmetal.it/en/multi-injection-molding-machine/

. . . suggest it's a form of 'bi-injection'?

ZZ is for Whatever You Want to Believe!

But belief is the realm of the religious zealot, or the tabloid-reader of limited mental-faculties, not the empirical researcher.

A funny thing happened recently, or, at least; I think it's funny, but then I seem to have a lot of amusing enemies at the moment, enemies and critics, or critics equating to enemies (or 'emies' as TJF calls his!), so when they advertise their own idiocy, it amuses me, if it doesn't amuse you, read no further and I'll try to post some toys later.

Back at the beginning of August 2016 I published the results of much digging by several people on the subject of cheapo-knockoff plastic figures, farm & zoo animal rack-toys and tin-plate tree-hangers by Ingo Roggatz's ^Z_Z-branding here, yet recently Hildabreath Dildobrand (side-taking, self-identifying, associate of the PSTSM, so 'fair game') has been informing people (as fact) that the brand actually pertains to George Zimmermann's ZZ-branded metal fabricator's in Zirndof, Germany - this is a falsehood.

Firstly because '^Z_Z' the rack-toy importer started after 'ZZ' the German household goods manufacturer ceased trading and second because 'ZZ' the German household goods importer has been associated with few toys or playthings, there being a reference to their tin-plate 'piggy-banks' and a single example in the local museum (above link) of a toy truck, around 1:24th/25th (or larger) which is a huge chunk of beach/garden/sand-pit plaything composed of tin-plate, rubber and die-cast parts, showing its age, not a shiny, minty, 1990's, small tree-hanger of the sort imported by '^Z_Z' the rack-toy importer!

Now, this is not me being a 'clever-dick' (as someone calling herself 'Pardeilhan' would have you believe), this is my putting the record straight before more damage is done to the hobby by that group of loudmouthed, gobshite, blowhards centred on TJF and the Penn State Toy Soldier Mafia and their various AFD associates, idiot affiliates and Vichy hangers-on.

Witness the fact that some people are still using DGN in feebleBay listings as a brand-mark, despite the fact it is now appearing on other toys, by other brands, for its true purpose; to denote the English word 'design' as an abbreviation.

It should be noted that while the above illustrated dealer has tried to ride the coat-tails of 'vintage' tin-plate, he knows he's pulling a fast-one, hence the £3.50p start price, and the single bid was either speculative or made by someone who wasn't taken-in! £6.75p - with postage? . . . bargain; but only a small one!

Source:

https://www.zirndorf.de/Die-Metallwarenfabrik-Georg-Zimmermann-100-Jahre-Zirndorfer-Industriegeschichte.o4167.html

The dates may refer to a temporary exhibition, but there seems to be a permanent display (or collection) at the museum as well?

Text reads:

"Founded in 1880 by Georg Zimmermann sheet metal processing company employed in the year of the city survey 1912 over 700 employees. Today only a few things are reminiscent of the once flourishing metal goods factory Georg Zimmermann, which exported to the whole world. The company founder, who was awarded the title of "Kommerzienrat" because of his pronounced social commitment, was given a street. The former family villa on Nürnbergerstraße is still standing today. Behind it was the large factory area with an imposing main building and numerous workshops, sheds and other attachments. In the exhibition you can still admire them on old photos. To trace the former importance of the company, the museum team has spared no effort in recent months to reconstruct the wide range of Zimmermann products. Some came from far away by mail, others were carried by Zirndorf citizens and former employees into the museum. In addition to metal and celluloid mirrors adapted to the respective zeitgeist, smoking sets, picture frames, housewares, gift items and children's money boxes made of sheet metal, the broad assortment. Because they were usually cheap commodities, their lasting preservation was given little meaning. All the more we smile today about the shiny table accessories and household goods of bygone days, some of which are now quite in the status of an antique ascended. Since over the decades a comprehensive modernization of the company and the product range did not occur, the company, which was run in third generation, ceased operations in 1972. This ended a large chapter Zirndorfer industrial history. In 1990, all buildings were demolished and the whole area with a supermarket and parking built."

The upshot being; the factory Mr. Bildaburg Beiderbecke wants us to believe imported plastic shite from Hong Kong into the 1980's and carried the same tin-plate tree-hangers as Schilling through the 1990's, actually ceased trading in 1972, and seems to have made few toys, and then only larger ones; manufacturing them, not importing them?

Meanwhile - and well within a year of Zimmermann's demise - Herr. Ingo Roggatz was registering a ZZ trade-mark (after all: one had just been 'freed-up') with the German authorities responsible for such things . Now the fact that he would select a moniker rendered as a cipher, similar to one recently defunct, would add weight to the theory that the Rissen Farm and Riesen Zoo logos were deliberately similar to Stock chocolate's brand marks . . . what we have here is a consummate entrepreneur, exploiting the visual power of brand-recognition! And . . . as far as listings go; ZZ is second best to AAArdvark; one tends to look at both ends of a list first!

Nice try Deadleaf Hairbrand, but no banana! The red triangle is an old Victorian/Edwardian shipping-trope signifying 'quality' as Nabisco used to tell us on their cereal packets . . . every cereal packet! I think it goes back to old dock-side or Customs/Revenue stamps on imports (or exports?), but I haven't studied the origins, maybe they painted a corner of the crate to show it had been checked or passed or something?

We shall return to the ^Z_Z (not ZZ) tin-plate when I find my three in the garage . . . which - according to my notes - may only be two, after-all! I found them! There are only the two, and you can see from the 'Berserker' that they are actually very small, 1990's Tree-hangers!

Carried by Ingo Roggatz's ^Z_Z (in Europe), Schilling (in the USA) and possibly/probably Tobar and/or Hawkin's Bazaar (in the UK), not Zimmermann, who further; definitely, never handled the plastic tat from Hong Kong!

And while these state 'Germany' it is cleverly positioned before the ©-sign, the ©-sign being positioned alone, meaning nothing (officially), the whole basically saying whatever a lawyer might need it to say at some point in the future! This is modern Hong Kong-Chinese production for Herr. Roggatz.

News, Views Etc . . . Forthcoming Events; Saturday 31st August - Friday 6th September 2019

Apologies to those overseas readers who

don't know the tune to the Hokey-Cokey!

What an odd week, we have the Italians (who produced the above man-child sculpt) turning away from fascism, with a delightful irony as the other chap was positive he was going to be picking-up El Douche's crown; a crown left rather tarnished and fishy-smelling by Berlusconi, while over here our meat-faced, walking heart-attack has gone for a putsch on parliament, with Queeny's help!

It's also Ironic that in America, underage-sex fans who might prove embarrassing to the establishment die suddenly (and not that clearly), in their cell before they come to trial, in Italy they get re-elected three times . . . Bunga-Bunga anyone? And where's that Andrew? We put ours in number ten . . . what? Oh . . . sorry; apparently she's not under-age, must be just a masochistic power-groupie!

They're all rotten, none of them like democracy, they're not keen on obeying the rules that govern the rest of us and we should stop voting for them, but that's an idle fantasy, some people think they are all brilliant and are happy to believe their lies! Meanwhile, the world keeps burning.

You could drown your sorrows in a toy fair . . . Saturday's gone a bit pear-shaped but Sunday's busy . . .

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Show Dates

Saturday 31st August 2019

Oxford - Richard Atkins Fairs - Toy and Train Collectors Fair

Exeter Hall, Oxford Road, Kidlington, Oxford, OX5 1AB

Web - www.toytraincollectorsfairs.com

Tel. - 01869 347 489

10:30 - 15:00hrs

Admission unknown

Refreshments

Free Parking

Plymouth - Events Frontier - 'Collect-a-Happy' Toy & Train Fair

Methodist Central Hall, Town Centre, Plymouth, Devon, PL1 1BAJ

Web. - www.eventsfrontier.com

eMail - eventsfrontier@hotmail.com

Mob. - 07508 548 938

Hours unknown

Admission 'From' £3

[Note: 2nd new venue address - that's the third venue in less than 14-months?]

Rhyl - 'Rails in Wales'

Rhyl Town Hall, Wellington Road, Rhyl, Wales

10:00-16:00hrs

Admission £2.00, children under-12 free

Refreshments

Exhibition layouts, toy sales

Cancelled

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Sunday 1st September 2019

Chester-le-Street - Jim Corr Fairs

Lord Lawson Academy, Birtly Lane, Birtly, DH3 2LF

eMail - jim_corr73@hotmail.co.uk

Mob. - 07504 035 955

10:00 - 15:00hrs

Admission £3, children/senior citizens £2, 'Early Bird' £5

Falkirk, Scotland - McLaren Models

Tel. - 01324 624 102

(All other details here)

Malvern - Bulldog Fairs

The Seven Hall, Three Counties Showground, Worcestershire, WR13 6NW

Web. - www.bulldogfairs.com

eMail - bulldogfairs@aol.com

Tel. - 01373 452 857

Mob. - 07917 125 641

10:30 - 14:30hrs

Adults £4, under 16's free if accompanied, early-bird (from 08:30hrs) £10.

Spalding - J&J Fairs (J&J Webb)

Springfields Events & Conference Centre, Camelgate, Spalding, Lincolnshire, PE12 6ET

Web. - www.j-jwebbtoyfairs.com

eMail - jandjfairs@virginmedia.com

Tel. - 01522 880 383

10:00 - 14:30hrs

Admission - Adult £2.50p, seniors £2, 1st child £1.50p

Walsall - Transtar Promotions (Geoff & Linda Price)

Oak Park Active Living Centre, Coppice Road, Walsall Wood, Walsall, West Midlands, WS9 9BH

Web. - www.transtarpromotions.com

Tel.- 01922 643 385 (Geoff or Linda)

10:30 - 15:00hrs

Admission £1.80p, seniors £1.50p, child £1.00

Refreshments

[Note: not Tristar as advertised elsewhere; that's a old 'plane]

Worthing  - SRP Toyfairs

Charmandean Centre, Forest Road, Worthing, West Sussex, BN14 9HS

Web. - http://srptoyfairs1.co.uk/

eMail: srptoys1@hotmail.co.uk

Tel. - 07739 998 012 (Paula or Gerry)

10:00 - 14:00hrs

Admission charge unknown

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Friday 6th September 2019

Alfreton - Toy and Train Fairs (Malcolm Townsend) - Evening Fair

The Leisure Centre, Church Street, Alfreton, DE55 7BD

Web. - www.tttf.co.uk

Mob. - 07951 072 790

19:00 - 21:00hrs

Admission charge unknown

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Auctions

Monday 2nd

Lewis - Wallis and Wallis

West Street Galleries, Lewis, Sussex, BN7 2NJ

Web. - wallisandwallis.co.uk

eMail - toys@wallisandwallis.co.uk

Tel. - 01273 480 208

Fax. - 01273 476 562

Rayleigh - Staceys Auctioneers

Essex Auction Rooms, 37 Webster's Way, Rayleigh, Essex, SS6 8JQ

Web. - www.staceyauction.com

eMail - info@staceyauction.com

Tel. - 01268 777 122

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Tuesday 3rd

Stockton-on-Tees - Vectis Auctions (1st day of a three day auction)

Fleck Way, Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees, TS17 9JZ

Web. - www.vectis.co.uk

eMail - admin@vectis.co.uk

Tel. - 01642 750 616

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Wednesday 4th

Stockton-on-Tees - Vectis Auctions (2nd day of a three day auction)

Fleck Way, Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees, TS17 9JZ

Web. - www.vectis.co.uk

eMail - admin@vectis.co.uk

Tel. - 01642 750 616

Warrington - Warrington & Northwich Auctioneers & Valuers

551 Europa Boulevard, Westbrook, Warrington WA5 7TP

Web. - www.warringtonauctions.co.uk

eMail - enquiries@warringtonauctions.co.uk

Tel. - 01925 658 833

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Thursday 5th

Stockton-on-Tees - Vectis Auctions (3rd day of a three day auction)

Fleck Way, Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees, TS17 9JZ

Web. - www.vectis.co.uk

eMail - admin@vectis.co.uk

Tel. - 01642 750 616

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Friday 6th

Taunton - Greenslade Taylor Hunt (GTH)

The Octogon Saleroom, 113a East Reach, Taunton, Devon, TA1 3HL

Web. - www.gth.net

eMail - antiques.saleroom@gth.net

Tel. - 01823 332 525

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Friday 6th/Saturday 7th September 2019

Elstree - Excalibur Auctions (2 day sale)

The Village Hotel, Elstree, Hertfordshire, WD6 3SB (venue)

Chiltern Business Centre, Woodside Road, Amersham, Buckinghamshire, HP6 6AA (office)

Web. - www.excaliburauctions.com

eMail - enquiries@excaliburauctions.com

Tel. - 02036 330 913

Free Tea or Coffee

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Other Events

Sunday 1st September 2019

Stafford - MGM Fairs - Stafford Dolls House Show

(Formally; the Doreen Jeffries Doll's House Fair)

Members Pavilion, Stafford County Showground,, Weston Road, Stafford, Staffordshire, ST18 0BD (venue)

Linnet Lodge, The Village, Wembworthy, Devon, EX18 7RX (promotor)

Web. 1 - www.mgmfairs.co.uk (general)

Web. 2 - https://mgmfairs.co.uk/stafford.html (show)

eMail - enquiries@mgmfairs.co.uk

Tel. - 07818 462448

10:00-16:00hrs

Admission £3.50p, children (age?) 50p

Free parking, refereshments, prize-draws

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Overseas Events

Saturday 31st August 2019

Brummen (Netherlands) - Bouwmen & Bouwmen - Auction

Tel. - ++0575 650 393 (E. Bouwman)

General toy and model railway sale

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Saturday 31st August - Sunday 1st September 2019

Worlds biggest Jumble-sale?

Web. - https://www.braderie-de-lille.fr/

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Sunday 1st September 2019

Cologne (Germany) - Jurgan Hörner - Toy Fair

Stadthalle, Köln-Mülheim, Köln, Germany

Tel. - ++0210 351 133

Vintage toys, dolls, bears, railway and die-cast

Sevenum (Netherlands) - 'Ronald' - Toy Fair

Partycentrum de Schatberg, Sevenum, Holland

Tel. - ++0651 545 129

Die-cast, tin-plate and model railways

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Friday/Saturday 6th/7th September 2019

Bornheim (Germany) - Antico Mondo (World Antiques) - Auction

Königstrasse 109, Bornheim, Köln, Germany

Web. - www.anticomondo.de

Tel. - ++0223 6961 894

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

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!

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Other News

The local toy shop have sacked their policeman (see Blog passim) and replaced him with an Amazon, or should that be knightess (I suspect in the correct Playmobil sets she's a Princess!).

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

H is for How They Come In

A quiet week compared to last week, only two little bags for 75p and £1.25 for a whole two quid! A few Phidal's (I think), some Blue Box 'Singapore' animals, a couple of horses and a fish & turtle - for the next marine round-up! Smaller, upper piles of larger items will go back to charity.

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

Links

Looking for something on the last weekendof the summer?

Dare to touch my toy soldiers Ratty?

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★