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, January 13, 2020

News, Views Etc . . . Plastic Warrior 177

A prestigious calibre and how long since issue 22! A few weeks on the mat for this one but December's issue often gets a later review (I'm much better than I used to be!), but if you've already received yours you won't be worried, and if you don't subscribe maybe this will convince you - back numbers still available - details at the end.

Magazine Review; Plastic Figurines; Plastic Soldier Magazine; Plastic Soldiers; Plastic Toy Figures; Plastic Toys; Plastic Warrior; PW 177; PW Magazine; PW177; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com;
Articles

* The first article this month is Colin Penn's overview of Britains Hospital sets over three pages and with added helicopter!
* The third part of Peter Evan's look at Fontanini's historical military statuettes which pleases me as I have some stuff I can now put on the blog!
* An editorial covers the Lone Star Zorro and Dick Turpin figures with information and images from a number of sources.
* Gerald Edwards makes the suspected connection (first suggested here) between Taffy and Poplar Plastics with the aid of the catalogues
* Part 2 of the BR Moulds coverage begins to clear-up all sorts of mysteries and mysterious figures previously of 'unknown' attribution'
* Peter Nussbaum returns to the Bayeux Tapestry, figures which may be based upon it and other points raised in correspondence following the previous article

* 'What The !&*$?' is busy as always with an eclectic mix of figures to ID

  • ·         Colin Penn is hoping readers can put a name to his dinosaur
  • ·         A frogman seeks Branding
  • ·         Peter Evans seeks help with a large'ish figure marked Walt Disney and possibly a Marx Swansea test shot (I thought it was a footballer!)
  • ·         An African bearer also seeks information on his origins (French?)

* Eric Kemp's 'Converters Corner' applies knife, glue, Greenstuff and paint so some of Replicants ACW marines to produce Danish troops of the First Schleswig-Holstein war! They're brilliant and such an unusual subject.

* The issue also carries a rolling theme this quarter with items of an archaeological bent to the fore including

  • ·         Colin Penn supplies photographs of a charming Cleopatra diorama using Cherilea figures and a possible shop-display (jewellers?) Egyptian palace with multiple-levels
  • ·         Coverage of Dan Morgan's 'alternate' history of the Sussex Downs and it's archaeology - as seen at last May's Plastic Warrior show and exclusively featuring Replicants figures
  • ·         More archaeological 'digging' comes from Les Collier with several dioramas of the stages of opening a tomb in the Valley of the Kings

Regular Features
* 'NEWS and VIEWS and other stuff ' covers

  • ·         News from the family on The Hamilton Toy Collection
  • ·         The editor muses on the possibility of changing tastes as he gets more civilian submission against toy soldier (or military?) articles?
  • ·         Report of an article by Robert Crompton in The Times on the subject of plastic (as opposed to other media) toy soldiers
  • ·         The Arndale Centre's Help for Heroes display is filed to PW Towers by roving reporter Chris Smith
  • ·         New on the tie-in between LOD Enterprises and Ron Barzo
  • ·         The regular explanation of re-subbing gets a reprise
  • ·         The date of the next PW Show is confirmed as 16th May 2020
  • ·         While Tiger Hobbies have news of a new relationship with AIP
  • ·         Finally - the inordinate hype over 'rare Timpo' I stayed well out-of has gone to court!
  • ·         In addition to all the above or below-named; Andreas Dittmann and Barney brown get credits for providing additional pictures

* 'Readers Letters' include

  • ·         Feeback from John Treanor on previous outings of A Call to Arms artillery
  • ·         James Delson of The Toy Soldier Company makes his position very clear!
  • ·         There's still more on BR Moulds and the origins of the figure sculpts from Brian Carrick
  • ·         Barry Blood also makes his position clear (on team colours) while following-up on footballers
  • ·         Mike Weldon-Linne finds two more 'lefties' in a set of Marx AWI figures
  • ·         Brian Carrick's a quick return; this time ID'ing Eric Critchley's Camel riders, but you need to subscribe to get the answer!
  • ·         Rainer Maul follows up on old Russian flat articles, with his recent finds

* 'Book Review' has been replaced this issue by something among everything else!

* 'What's New' has two sets from Engineer Basevich, both 1918-21 Civil War cavalry;

  • ·         28 - Workers Soviets' or Bolshevik Cavalry?
  • ·         29 - Cossacks (or White Russians?)

[I think?]

* Plus all the usual readers small-ads

* Covers - More imagery from Les Collier's dioramas

* PW's contact details;

Website's back on the menu but won't be updated (eMail first) - www.plasticwarrior.com

Tel: 01483 722 778
Fax: 01483 722 723
Address; Mr. P. Morehead, 65 Walton Court, Woking, Surrey, GU21 5EE, UK
And they are on Paypal

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