C is for Civilian Stuff

So, looking at the 'highlights from Chris Smith's parcel, I know Chris is always interested to see what I pick and why, but there was so much good stuff in this last lot, I can't possibly do it all justice in a coule of posts, and haven’t even selected things from every pile after the first sort, but here's some of the more interesting pieces.

The Elastolin and Britains copy farm people are generic China-marked soft (probably silicon of some sort) figures of the kind you get in vehicle sets or rack-toys, but are both new to the collection, the little red chap I know but can't remember! I think he's either from Ship Wreck or On the Buses . . . some other bus or ship-related board game, Abandon Ship? Possibly Waddington's?

The two lifeboat crew are interesting, they seem to be from a kit, and while I don't know it for sure, I've a feeling it may be the Frog kit which ended up behind the iron-curtain with . . . Kader? Something like that? But several lifeboats have been manufactured over the years so confirmation still required!

Which leaves the fat policeman! Now, in correspondence with Chris I've already chosen the sucker-guardsman (from the next post) as my favorite thing in the whole lot, but if he hadn't been there, this chap would take the medal. He's marked Hong Kong, but the lack of a base suggests cracker novelty or gum-ball, capsule-machine prize, rather than a die-cast or plastic vehicle set's accessory? He had an approximation of a British 'Bobbies' helmet, but a double breasted jacket more in-tune with 1950's New York cops and while he may be a copy of a less common hollow-cast, he's new to me and I think he's rather lovely.

All the footballers, I've Blogged them (footballers) so often in the last 18-months, if I didn't show all these now, I don't know when we'd get round to them again!

And three new to me, the Perspex flat far-right, middle, is probably an early type of Subbuteo figure, possibly from the Rugby game? The blue-and-white pair below him are quite statue-like and I wonder is they are a late replacement for the even more stolid Waddington's soccer set we've seen here previously?

While the Claret and Blue fella' (he's Hammer's!! Not poxy Palace) is totally new to me and a really nice figure around 35mm. the rest have been seen in one form or another here and consist of the ball-kicking novelty figure, a Culpitt, some Subbuteo and various blow-football figures, but why there are three colours of one type is a bit of a mystery.

So soon after the trio from Kevin (?), comes another, not the missing pose, nor the missing colour but neither a full duplicate either, so that 'group' or sample has grown! And I was wrong with the fractal-face thing, they are smaller ones; copies of these, this one has a separate plug-in face, held in place by a larger plug-in 'fish-bowl' visor.

There was also a small space novelty, which has particular resonance in this of all years, I spent sometime trying to get the metal ball to go down a hole, before realising it didn't have a hole, it's more of a rattle to annoy a cat with! I must exercise my glasses' prescription.

From the cartoon and TV/Movie pile comes a very eclectic collection of polymer and composition novelty 'stuff'. Woodie and Scoobie are both pencil-toppers of relatively recent manufacture, the little boat has probably lost its sail, but now goes quite well with the 'Brown WaterNavy'.

The composition thing is supposed to be a hedgehog I think, and is missing a pipe or cigar or cigarette, which is replaceable, but only once I've discovered whether it should be composition, a scrap of wood, metal or plastic? German? Easter thing? And technically a composite rather than composition, due to the stuck-on mohair hairpiece and the missing mouth-accessory.

The Beetlejuice 'snake' is fun. I was re-watching the film a few months ago and though "There's not many toys of this film?" when one turns up! It seems to be an accessory from a larger action figure set, but with the head around 54/60mm compatible I can see him reappearing at some point, wrapped round a ner-do-well! Soft PVC or silicon, he has set bends which don't equate to pencil-topping, but he must have wrapped around something or someone?

From the animal pile are a few items worth a mention now. The three dinosaurs are china-marked re-issues of earlier 1970's Hong Kong tools, but are useful as they tie two marks and two paints together by being of the same plastic, which helps sort the rest out of the 'unknown' zones.

The little Joal tiger is a bit paint-faded but a lovely sculpt, the turkey is another item for the Fontanini pile, while the deer (which looks quite new) has some kind of locating plug on its tail. I wonder if it's part of an early-learning thing were you plug him in where it says D is For Deer of something like that? I also think I've seen it before, but maybe another animal? If anyone knows, put the rest of us out of our curious misery by telling us!

Below we have four of the Merit animals we looked at in two posts back at the beginning of the blog, they come with a steam-traction engine circus 'train' and/or with a Noah's ark set, and there are so many colours I'll be ferreting them away until I die and not have all of them!

The post finishes with a die-cast Kinder elephant (left) and a nice little monkey (right) who's new to me, seems to be loosely-based on the old Timpo monkey with ball, but err . . . without ball!