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, August 9, 2019

News, Views Etc . . . Forthcoming Events Saturday 10th - Friday 16th

Lets congratulate Israel this week (otherwise it's Trump/guns/Right Wing racism or Boris/Brwreakshit/Ireland - great!) for invading the Moon with a colony of Moss Pigs! Not content with their trading of arms to and from South Africa during the height of the apartheid sanctions or helping Saddam's Iraq obtain long-range artillery and 'Supergun' technology/parts during the UN sanctions, Israel has managed to break the one rule, the only rule you are supposed to keep . . .

. . . let me explain, Ladies and Gentlemen; because it was considered a list would be too complicated; plastic - no, banana-skins - no, little bits of explosive bolt and Lander legs - yes &etc; all the nations of the world signed up to a simple clause . . .

. . . 'Don't contaminate the Moon'! But no, oh no . . . the Israelis - not perhaps your initial choice for space-faring superpower - managed to fill their very FIRST, very experimental Moon-shot with microscopic life, and then fuck-it-up, crashing the whole caboodle into the cheesy-fizog!

I've read the books, I know what happens now, in low gravity the indestructible tardigrades will evolve rapidly to fill all ecological niches, realise we are an existential threat to their future and start catapulting bulk-rubbish bins and mining-containers the size of lorries at us like interplanetary ballistic meteors!

Buy toys but look to the skies . . . Saturday's a wash-out (but with the current forecast it was going to be!) but there's a few on Sunday.

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Toy Fairs

Sunday 11th August 2019

Barry Island (not 'Barry' CF63) - Chris Dyer Fairs
Barry Island Railway Station, Station Approach, Barry Island, South Wales, CF62 5TH
Tel. - 01643 702 757
Mob. - 07966 694 579
Admission £2
10:30 - 15:00hrs

Ditton - SRP Toyfairs
Ditton Community Centre, Kiln Barn Road, Ditton, Kent, ME20 6AH
Tel. - 07739 998 012 (Paula or Gerry)
10:00 - 14:00hrs
Admission charge unknown

Exeter - Bulldog Fairs - 'Westpoint'
Westpoint Arena, Clyst St. Mary, Exeter, EX5 1DJ
Tel. - 01373 452 857
Mob. - 07917 125 641
10:30 - 14:30hrs
Admission £4, each under-16 free with adult, 'Early Bird' £10 from 08:30hrs

Announcements; Aspro; Battle of Britain; BP Toys; Chap Mai; Chap Mai Plastic Toy; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; Guardsman Toy Soldier; Hello Kitty; Insect Photography; K&M Astronauts; K&M Spacemen; Key Chains; Key Rings; Lancasters; Macro Potography; Miffy; News; News Views Etc; News Views Etc...; Newspaper Clipping; Potters; RAF; Ron Lines; Sea Nature; Show Dates; Show Reports; Show Times; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Snoopy; Spanish Importer; Wasps; Wooden Figures; Wooden Guardsmen;
Southampton - Ron Lines - Southampton Toy Fair
Blighmont Barracks, Millbrook Road West, Southampton, Hampshire, SO15 0AJ
Tel. - 02380 772 681
10:00-14:30hrs (doors close to buyers 14:00hrs)
Admission £1, children under-12 free
(combine with Southsea's kite-flying event - see below?)

Stafford - Barry Potter / BP Fairs - 'Stafford Showground'
The Preston & Argyle Suites, Stafford County Showground, Weston Road, Stafford, ST18 0BD
Tel. - 01604 846 688
Mob. - 07966 527 177
10.30 - 15.00hrs
Admission £4.00 (early-bird £8), OAP's £3.50, Children £1,
Free parking

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Tuesday 13th August 2019

Hook - Steven Clements Fairs - Hook Evening Fair
Hook Community Centre, Hook, Hampshire, RG27 9NN
Tel. - 01380 725 322
Mob. - 07958 101 891
18:30 - 21:30hrs
Admission £1
Free parking

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Auctions

Saturday 10th August 2019

[Runcorn] On-line Auction - British Toy Auctions
The Auction Centre, 9 Berkeley Court, Runcorn, Cheshire, WA7 1TQ
Tel. - 01928 579 032

Spalding - M&M Auctions
Unit 4, Plover Court, Stephenson Avenue, Spalding, Lincolnshire, PE11 3SW
Tel. - 01406 422 848

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Thursday 15th August 2019

Sheffield - Shefield Auction Gallery
Windsor Road, Heeley, Sheffield, S8 8UB
Tel. - 0114 281 6161
Viewing - Wednesday 14th 09:00 - 16:45, from 08:30 on sale day
10:00hrs - Finish

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Other Events (it's nearly all bloody Lego; the end of the world will be Lego themed!)

From Thursday 8th (yesterday) until Monday 2nd September 2019

Knowsley - Knowsley Safari Park - Ultimate Brick Safari
Knowsley Safari Park, Knowsley, Prescot, Merseyside
Lego lifesize wild animals

From Thursday 8th (yesterday) until Sunday 3rd November 2019

Newcastle-upon-Tyne - Discovery Museum - Brilliant Bricks
Discovery Museum, Blanford Square, Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Famous inventions from history recreated in Lego bricks

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Saturday 10th August 2019

Announcements; Aspro; Battle of Britain; BP Toys; Chap Mai; Chap Mai Plastic Toy; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; Guardsman Toy Soldier; Hello Kitty; Insect Photography; K&M Astronauts; K&M Spacemen; Key Chains; Key Rings; Lancasters; Macro Potography; Miffy; News; News Views Etc; News Views Etc...; Newspaper Clipping; Potters; RAF; Ron Lines; Sea Nature; Show Dates; Show Reports; Show Times; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Snoopy; Spanish Importer; Wasps; Wooden Figures; Wooden Guardsmen;
Basingstoke - Dai Lawrence, RAF - The Battle of Britain
Basingstoke Discovery Centre/Public Library, Festival place Shopping Centre, Basingstoke, Hampshire
Tel. - 01256 478 670
14:00-finnish
Admission £4
Presentation lecture/readings from a serving RAF SNCO on the Battle of Britain and what it still means to the RAF today.

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Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th August 2019

Southsea - Portsmouth International Kite festival
Southsea Common, Southsea, Hampshire

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Overseas Events

Saturday 10th & Sunday 11th August 2019

Dublin (Rep. of Ireland) - - Dublin Comic Con
All other details here (very confusing dynamic website I couldn't be arsed to wrestle with!);

Edison (USA) - Trainshow - Greenberg’s Great Train & Toy Show
New Jersey Expo Center, 97 Sunfield Avenue, Edison, NJ 08837, New Jersey, USA
10:00-16:00hrs
Admission $10 both days, $9 Sunday only, under-11's free

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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!

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Received with Thanks

A parcel of polymer loveliness for the Blog wung* its way from N5 on Monday, courtesy of Peter Evans, new colour of Chap Mai figures, a set of Wing Lung complete runners, two 'pop-trolls', Thelma from Scoobie-Doo and a rudie-nudie swizzle-stick were among the goodies which will feature here in the months and years ahead, thank you Peter.

Previously; a parcel from Chris Smith was received the other day, which has already been mentioned, and posts are in the queue (posting Sunday), but this 'Received with Thanks' is a new (occasional) feature of the Friday-dates  post, so a second thanks to Chris.

Imagery from Chris and Brian Berke has also popped into the in-tray in the last fortnight.

*Birds are winged, parcels are wung, I'm sure of it!

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Other News

Charity Shops

A small piece in the Evening Standard mentioned the fact that Charity Shops are currently doing well and seem to be contributing to a pick-up in high-street footfall, and overall sales.

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Theme Parks / Attractions

As mentioned briefly last week, but in all the papers over the weekend; even as Lego was buying them, Merlin were reporting poor performance of their attractions and a profit warning as visitor numbers failed to meet expectations and forecast profits fell by a fifth.

By the middle of this week Disney were reporting similar problems with their US operation; Likewise, Cineworld (the cinema chain) have also [today] posted disappointing results. Are we falling out of love with trash-culture? It's helped destroy the planet!

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H is for How They Come In

Better cover the ones I've flagged-up already, first . . .

Announcements; Aspro; Battle of Britain; BP Toys; Chap Mai; Chap Mai Plastic Toy; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; Guardsman Toy Soldier; Hello Kitty; Insect Photography; K&M Astronauts; K&M Spacemen; Key Chains; Key Rings; Lancasters; Macro Potography; Miffy; News; News Views Etc; News Views Etc...; Newspaper Clipping; Potters; RAF; Ron Lines; Sea Nature; Show Dates; Show Reports; Show Times; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Snoopy; Spanish Importer; Wasps; Wooden Figures; Wooden Guardsmen;
. . . nothing terribly exciting; another Chap Mai Hummer and a K&M moon-buggy both of which I think we've had here before, I've also comparison'ed the K&M on the Airfix astronauts post (the accompanying K&M stand-alone figures are much bigger), but won't trouble you with a link for the one shot when you've just seen the thing here!

Announcements; Aspro; Battle of Britain; BP Toys; Chap Mai; Chap Mai Plastic Toy; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; Guardsman Toy Soldier; Hello Kitty; Insect Photography; K&M Astronauts; K&M Spacemen; Key Chains; Key Rings; Lancasters; Macro Potography; Miffy; News; News Views Etc; News Views Etc...; Newspaper Clipping; Potters; RAF; Ron Lines; Sea Nature; Show Dates; Show Reports; Show Times; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Snoopy; Spanish Importer; Wasps; Wooden Figures; Wooden Guardsmen;
I also picked this up last Friday an hour before posting the dates for this week-gone, he's got no holes in him so not a Christmas-tree thing, probably from a set of building blocks or a 'my first castle' type thing? Or . . . he may be a piece from a shape-puzzle, or one of those shape-filler trays?

Announcements; Aspro; Battle of Britain; BP Toys; Chap Mai; Chap Mai Plastic Toy; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; Guardsman Toy Soldier; Hello Kitty; Insect Photography; K&M Astronauts; K&M Spacemen; Key Chains; Key Rings; Lancasters; Macro Potography; Miffy; News; News Views Etc; News Views Etc...; Newspaper Clipping; Potters; RAF; Ron Lines; Sea Nature; Show Dates; Show Reports; Show Times; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Snoopy; Spanish Importer; Wasps; Wooden Figures; Wooden Guardsmen;
This toob was found on Sunday, I almost never go to town on Sunday's but this week I did and found an Aspro (Spanish jobber) branded toob of PVC-alike fishy fellows (actually more than half of them are mammals or crustaceans, not fish!), which will be looked at when the long-in-the-queue sea-creature round-up publishes.

Announcements; Aspro; Battle of Britain; BP Toys; Chap Mai; Chap Mai Plastic Toy; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; Guardsman Toy Soldier; Hello Kitty; Insect Photography; K&M Astronauts; K&M Spacemen; Key Chains; Key Rings; Lancasters; Macro Potography; Miffy; News; News Views Etc; News Views Etc...; Newspaper Clipping; Potters; RAF; Ron Lines; Sea Nature; Show Dates; Show Reports; Show Times; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Snoopy; Spanish Importer; Wasps; Wooden Figures; Wooden Guardsmen;
Pound each for 12, it's pure, unmitigated tat-shite, but it will prove useful at some point! We have one of the independent or small/local chain pound-shops recently opened in an empty unit, you know the type of establishment; vinyl-banner shop sign, minimal shop fittings, tons of stuff you wouldn't give house room to, going for a quid straight out of the plain outer cartons, or wire baskets - they have very little of use, but these were worth a punt! Bootleg Snoopy, Miffy and that Japanese cat . . . Hello Kitty look-a-likes!

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Heads-Up - BP Fairs

Announcements; Aspro; Battle of Britain; BP Toys; Chap Mai; Chap Mai Plastic Toy; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; Guardsman Toy Soldier; Hello Kitty; Insect Photography; K&M Astronauts; K&M Spacemen; Key Chains; Key Rings; Lancasters; Macro Potography; Miffy; News; News Views Etc; News Views Etc...; Newspaper Clipping; Potters; RAF; Ron Lines; Sea Nature; Show Dates; Show Reports; Show Times; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Snoopy; Spanish Importer; Wasps; Wooden Figures; Wooden Guardsmen;
I wouldn't normally issue a warning-order for a regular show in a week or two (as you know), but Sandown Park which is normally well into September is actually the middle of August this year? Whether this will be the normal 'new' time (it regularises the gaps between the four shows) or is just a one-off due to something 'horsey' happening on the usual weekend I don't know, but if you're thinking it's still a month or so away; think again - it's next Saturday; 17th August 2019

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Links




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Fighting over Toy Soldiers! They've both had so much 'work done' they're starting to look like each other!

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Other Stuff This Week

Announcements; Aspro; Battle of Britain; BP Toys; Chap Mai; Chap Mai Plastic Toy; Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; Guardsman Toy Soldier; Hello Kitty; Insect Photography; K&M Astronauts; K&M Spacemen; Key Chains; Key Rings; Lancasters; Macro Potography; Miffy; News; News Views Etc; News Views Etc...; Newspaper Clipping; Potters; RAF; Ron Lines; Sea Nature; Show Dates; Show Reports; Show Times; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Snoopy; Spanish Importer; Wasps; Wooden Figures; Wooden Guardsmen;
Shot this wasp, outside an office block near the train station! It's like a normal wasp, but with fewer, thicker-banded stripes, I don't know if it's a summer visitor (or climate change migrant!) over from France or the low countries, or one of our lesser parasitic wasps, but it's pretty and often turns up in late summer, they hover over the lawn but are hard to shoot - possibly looking for little 'lawn ants'?

I also found a very drunk 'normal' wasp in my Victoria plum, so I dispatched it with a knife (kind to the wasp) and fed it to the Venus Fly Trap - kind to the Venus Fly Trap!

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