About Me

My photo
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, February 7, 2020

News, Views Etc . . . Forthcoming Events; Saturday 8th-Friday 14th February 2020

Saw my first bumble-bee today, and the mirabell started to flower, god knows what either of them will make of the two day storm they're promising us, but the viewing of them both, was a good sign!

Let's buy toys . . . 

╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗

Toy Fairs

Saturday 8th February 2020

Chester - Tony Oaks Toy Fairs
The Cheshire Country Club Sports Club, Plas Newton Lane, Upton, Cheshire, CH2 1PR
Internet presence unknown
Tel. - 01270 652 773
Mob. - 07825 631 323
10:30 - 14:30hrs
Admission £2.00
Free Parking

Hawkinge - SRP Toy Fairs
Hawkinge Community Centre, Heron Forstal Avenue, Hawkinge, Kent, CT18 7FT
Mob. - 07739 998 012 (Paula or Gerry)
10:00 - 14:00hrs
Admission charge unknown

╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝

Sunday 9th February 2020

Birmingham - Barry Potter / BP Fairs - 'NEC'
Hall 18, National Exhibition Centre, Birminham, B40 1NT
Tel. - 01604 846 688
Mob. - 07966 527 177
Fax. - 01604 771 070
Hours unknown (probably 10:30-15:00hrs)
Admission £7.50, early-bird (from 08:00hrs) £12, OAP's £7, Children £2
Free parking
 [Which also made it into Waitrose magazine this week, which either means BP Fairs are becoming an institution, or the editors were short on event-dates?!!]

Kirkby-in-Ashfield - Townsend Toy & Train Fairs (Malcolm Townsend)
Festival Hall, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, NG17 7DJ
Mob. - 07951 072 790
10:00 - 14:00hrs
Admission fee unknown, aaccompanied under-16's free
Free parking, refreshments

Orpington - SRP Toyfairs
Crofton Halls, Orpington, Kent, BR6 8PR
Tel. - 07739 998 012 (Paula or Gerry)
10:00 - 14:00hrs
Admission charge unknown

╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝

Tuesday 11th February 2020

Elsecar - Newcomen Fairs Ltd. - 42nd Elsecar Toy & Train Fair (evening fair)
Elsecar Heritage Centre, Elsecar, Nr. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S74 8HJ
Tel. - 01226 744 425
19:00 - 21:00hrs
Admission £1.50p, children 50p

╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝

Wednesday 12th February 2020

Burton-on-Trent - Townsend Toy & Train Fairs (Malcolm Townsend) - Evening Fair
The Town Hall, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, DE14 2EB
Mob. - 07951 072 790
18:00 - 20:30hrs
Admission unknown, accompanied under-16's free

╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝

Thursday 13th February 2020

Theydon Bois - Joe Lock Fairs (evening fair)
Village Hall, Coppice Row, Theydon Bois, Essex, CM16 7ER
Internet presence unknown
Mob. - 07866 641 215
19:00-21:00hrs
Admission £1

╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗

Auctions

Saturday 8th February 2020

Bury St. Edmunds - Lacy Scott & Knight
Tel. - 01284 748 600 (general enquires)
Tel. - 01284 748 623 (Oliver Leggett - auction)
Toy and Collectors Models

Poole - Cottees Auctions Limited
Mannings Heath Road, Poole, Dorset, BH12 4NQ
Tel. - 01202 723 177

╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝

Wednesday 12th February 2020

Stockton-on-Tees - Vectis Auctions
Fleck Way, Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees, TS17 9JZ
Tel. - 01642 750 616
Sales commence at 10:30hrs
Toy & model soldiers & figures, kits & AFV's

╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗

Other Events

From Thursday 6th February (yesterday) - until Monday 20th April 2020

Manchester - Nathan Sawaya (Lego builder) - The Art of the Brick
Great Northern Warehouse, Peter Street, Manchester
[Seems to be a re-hash of the show which actually started 19th Jan and was flagged-up here then - Fri. 10th Jan.?]
Added interaction/participation building?

╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝

Saturday 8th & Sunday 9th February 2020

Exeter - Westpoint - Antique & Vintage Home Show
Antiques, collectables and vintage - 400+ dealers

Sheppton Mallet - Bristol Classic - Great Weastern Classic Car Show
Bath & West Showground, Sheppton mallet, Somerset

╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝

Saturday 8th - Sunday 23rd February 2020

Norwich - The Forum - Norfolk Makers Festival
The Forum, Millennium Plain, Norwich
Crafting, spinning & weaving, printing, painting, drawing & sculpting, knitting, crochet & embroidery etc . . . workshops, displays and traders.

╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗

Overseas Events

Saturday 8th February 2020

Schertz (USA) - Attic Antiquity Dolls - Hill Country Doll Show & Sale
Schertz Civic Centre, 1400 Schertz Pkwy, Schertz, TX 78154, Texas USA
eMail - dmeredith@dolldr.com (Dorothy Meredith)
Tel. - ++8306 065 868
09:00-16:00hrs
Admission $6.00, children $2.00
50 dealers, dolls, bears and miniatures

╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝

Sunday 9th February 2020

Wallingford (USA) - Classic Shows - Model Railroad Show
Zandri's Stillwood Inn, 1074 South Colony Rd, Wallingford, CT 06492, Connecticut, USA
Tel. - ++2039 261 327 (Lud or Tina Spinelli)
09:00-14:00hrs                                                                              
Admission $5, children 12 & under - free with accompanying adult

╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗

If you are an event promoter/show curator/auctioneer and you want your toy, model, collectable, military, historical 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 a link; if the event or your organisation has a web-page.

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!

╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗

Link



╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗

H is for How They Come In

I found a new old Charity shop, or that is - one which has been closed every time I've been past it, but which was staffed this time, and not just staffed, two ladies were running-out of places to put stuff. They had a drawer of mixed figures for 20p from which I selected this little lot!

The weird insect with a prehensile tail looks to be from that McDonald's set of Smurfs we looked at the other day; I think the two girls are from a board-game (looking at the bases) and possibly Barbie-related, although they look a little younger and more anatomically realistic than Mattel's Miss.

The Sci-fi's are a Hasbro whatsit (seen 'em here before) and a small rubber Cyberman who may be from those advent calendars from which the Philosophical Toad gave a Dalek to the Blog years ago.

A [probably] Kinder kangaroo and an Indian made up the group, I got him because although he's a common enough looking figure (from Timpo Swoppets) in PVC-rubber material, he's not the expected Hong Kong marked offering, but clearly marked 'China'.

Also in the shop was a shelf of what had been someone's fairy collection, of which this one around the 54mm mark joined the growing pocketful.

The Asian importer gave up what I think is another from that Ubisoft lot we looked at a few years ago, although it's unmarked . . . the fact that it involves a mushroom (with a pair of eyes pocking out) and a weird sluggington sitting on it, might have something to do with my assumption!

The evilBay lot arrived, very useful stuff, two or three posts should be the result.

Invicta Plastics for the British Museum (Natural History); I know, I've got one; but I thought it had a slightly chewed tail, so considered this an upgrade! In fact; there was nothing wrong with the last one and I think I might have three, but the others can make for useful swaps.

╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗

This Week I Are Been Mostly Sortin' . . .

. . . Hay! And Straw!

╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗

Other Toy Stuff

Chocolate

Look what I found in my suit-jacket pocket! Another freebie from Toy Fair 2020! A chocolate I shall enjoy (well . . . I already have!) and the Hornby Group posts (three I think) are in the long queue, that's the tardy queue!

╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝

Barbie

I saw a story about the ethnic Barbie's (mentioned here passim), but which added that there will be disabled Barbie's as well, already there is an African-American Barbie with Vitiligo (the contrasting skin-patch thing) and another with a prsthetic, while plans are afoot for wheelchair and hair-loss Barbie's.

╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗

Other Stuff

Spot the 'deliberate' mistake . . .

╔╗
╚╝

╔╗
╚╝

╔╗
╚╝

╔╗
╚╝

╔╗
╚╝

╔╗
╚╝

╔╗
╚╝

╔╗
╚╝

╔╗
╚╝

╔╗
╚╝

╔╗
╚╝

No; look properly . . . !

╔╗
╚╝

╔╗
╚╝

╔╗
╚╝

╔╗
╚╝

╔╗
╚╝

╔╗
╚╝

╔╗
╚╝

╔╗
╚╝

╔╗
╚╝

╔╗
╚╝

╔╗
╚╝

One of the snowdrops picked up a 'hat' made of a hollowed acorn shell! Skin? What are the chances of that happening? Probably not that great in a snow-drop wood with lot of oaks! Indeed the way they open and then drop the flower may be a mechanism for shedding such collected empty acorns or hazelnuts? I blame the squirrels!

╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗

And finally;

Whaaaaat?!! Sometimes I need a box . . . aaaaand sometimes . . . I don't . . . have you seen it? It's far too big; I could easily fit in it . . .  and now you've emptied it! Where's the fun in that?

╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗╚╝╔╗

No comments: