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.

Thursday, June 4, 2020

H is for How They Come In - Week 17

I had another parcel of lovely things for the Blog arrive just after lockdown, from Peter Evans which included a gnome-village starter kit! Sadly I haven't the necessary planning-permission paperwork to begin development here, but they will be a future project!

Airfix; American Civil War; Armymen; Astronauts; Confederates; Dacron Police; Disney Princess; Fairy Toys; Galoob Micromachines; Gnome Figurines; Guardsmen; Matchbox Toys; Mixed Figures; Mixed Model Soldiers; Mixed Novelties; Mixed Playthings; Mixed Toy Figurines; Mixed Toy Soldiers; Mixed Toys; Poundland; Princesses; Rack Toy Figures; RedBox Spaceman; Ship models; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Spanish Gendarme; Union Forces;
Normally coming at the end of these posts, she was in there so quickly I'd only got the outer tape cut, so she helped herself to the packaging!

Airfix; American Civil War; Armymen; Astronauts; Confederates; Dacron Police; Disney Princess; Fairy Toys; Galoob Micromachines; Gnome Figurines; Guardsmen; Matchbox Toys; Mixed Figures; Mixed Model Soldiers; Mixed Novelties; Mixed Playthings; Mixed Toy Figurines; Mixed Toy Soldiers; Mixed Toys; Poundland; Princesses; Rack Toy Figures; RedBox Spaceman; Ship models; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Spanish Gendarme; Union Forces;
The only way to alleviate the situation was to send her on an early tea-break and surrender possession of the bag Peter had used as packing in the end of the box, which she 'trophied' in her 'nest'

Airfix; American Civil War; Armymen; Astronauts; Confederates; Dacron Police; Disney Princess; Fairy Toys; Galoob Micromachines; Gnome Figurines; Guardsmen; Matchbox Toys; Mixed Figures; Mixed Model Soldiers; Mixed Novelties; Mixed Playthings; Mixed Toy Figurines; Mixed Toy Soldiers; Mixed Toys; Poundland; Princesses; Rack Toy Figures; RedBox Spaceman; Ship models; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Spanish Gendarme; Union Forces;
Leaving me free (without assistance!) to sort the plunder parcel into photogenic piles of plastic peeps!

We're looking at most of it below, the two animals 'on card' are from Poundland, and I had purchased a sample myself (luckily a different pair), so they'll be a separate post in the next week or so (I'm busy in the garden!). There were some more of the Kinder superheros as well, and a HK Teepee, along with the Gnome House which will be backdrop to a Gnome 'round-up' - maybe in the winter.

Airfix; American Civil War; Armymen; Astronauts; Confederates; Dacron Police; Disney Princess; Fairy Toys; Galoob Micromachines; Gnome Figurines; Guardsmen; Matchbox Toys; Mixed Figures; Mixed Model Soldiers; Mixed Novelties; Mixed Playthings; Mixed Toy Figurines; Mixed Toy Soldiers; Mixed Toys; Poundland; Princesses; Rack Toy Figures; RedBox Spaceman; Ship models; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Spanish Gendarme; Union Forces;
Three from the Gnome starter kit and - would you believe it; so soon after the last 'round-up' - but another Spanish terracotta figurine, this one a traffic-cop to add to the officer and gendarmerie we've seen recently. While the guardsman is unusual; I'm assuming he's a garden ornament . . .

Airfix; American Civil War; Armymen; Astronauts; Confederates; Dacron Police; Disney Princess; Fairy Toys; Galoob Micromachines; Gnome Figurines; Guardsmen; Matchbox Toys; Mixed Figures; Mixed Model Soldiers; Mixed Novelties; Mixed Playthings; Mixed Toy Figurines; Mixed Toy Soldiers; Mixed Toys; Poundland; Princesses; Rack Toy Figures; RedBox Spaceman; Ship models; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Spanish Gendarme; Union Forces;
. . . due to the long stick or spike? It's made from some weird pressure-rolled fibreglass/resin compound, which is literally harder than steel, if it was a steel bar I would be able to bend it further than I can in the material it is made of! I can see a couple of hack-saw blades going to recycling in the eventual removal?

Alongside a close-up of Mr Motorcycle Policeman! One day I'll have to do a comparison with the diminutive EKO riders!

Airfix; American Civil War; Armymen; Astronauts; Confederates; Dacron Police; Disney Princess; Fairy Toys; Galoob Micromachines; Gnome Figurines; Guardsmen; Matchbox Toys; Mixed Figures; Mixed Model Soldiers; Mixed Novelties; Mixed Playthings; Mixed Toy Figurines; Mixed Toy Soldiers; Mixed Toys; Poundland; Princesses; Rack Toy Figures; RedBox Spaceman; Ship models; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Spanish Gendarme; Union Forces;
These are lovely! They come to enhance landscaping/scenery kits as part of the educational range from Scene-A-Rama. When Peter said they were in the Toyway catalogue I though "Where, I didn't see them?", but that's because they weren't illustrated, so anyone who fancies a set needs to be finding WSP4445 American Civil War Soldiers from the Scene Setters line. Currently $10.99 plus shipping from Woodland Scenics and Amazon (US).

They are 28/30mm compatible, which blew my idea of comparing them with the Merten and Elastolin ACW's, but a comparison with Spencer Smith would be so one-sided as to be not worth the digging in the attic!

Airfix; American Civil War; Armymen; Astronauts; Confederates; Dacron Police; Disney Princess; Fairy Toys; Galoob Micromachines; Gnome Figurines; Guardsmen; Matchbox Toys; Mixed Figures; Mixed Model Soldiers; Mixed Novelties; Mixed Playthings; Mixed Toy Figurines; Mixed Toy Soldiers; Mixed Toys; Poundland; Princesses; Rack Toy Figures; RedBox Spaceman; Ship models; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Spanish Gendarme; Union Forces;
A nice selection of clones, I'd spent 30-odd years collecting the small-scale clones but it's taking a while to get on top of the larger ones as there are so many, but lots like this (Chris Smith has sent a bunch recently too - post coming) are building a bigger picture and/or filling the gaps which can be matched-up to other imagery from shelfies, the old trade catalogues or web-pages.

The seated guy is an Italeri kit-figure I think, while the intermediate scale Matchbox 8th Army is new, and possibly a sub-copy of Wing Lung's similar figure

Airfix; American Civil War; Armymen; Astronauts; Confederates; Dacron Police; Disney Princess; Fairy Toys; Galoob Micromachines; Gnome Figurines; Guardsmen; Matchbox Toys; Mixed Figures; Mixed Model Soldiers; Mixed Novelties; Mixed Playthings; Mixed Toy Figurines; Mixed Toy Soldiers; Mixed Toys; Poundland; Princesses; Rack Toy Figures; RedBox Spaceman; Ship models; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Spanish Gendarme; Union Forces;
Modern vinyl; with a nice police-dog and handler from Dacron/Wings et al! The astronaut is from a RedBox space-set I shelfied a while back (No I didn't, it's still to come I think, we looked at a Johntoy one with very similar figures, so similar they may be RedBox too!), the Galoob will join his mates and the pink one will be in a big post one day.

I think they're Carama (I have the notes somewhere) but they were contract manufactured back in the 1990's for both Tesco and Sainsbury's supermarkets, Woolworths and then their late branding as Chad Valley (just before the collapse back in 2009), all here in the UK, along with other brands in Europe, each lot having different base-markings (to reflect contracts or batches?) and coming in three or four sizes, some commoner that others (the 'German' firefighter standing being the most common; in all sizes and several paint treatments), so there's still much work to be done before they get a proper Blogging.

Airfix; American Civil War; Armymen; Astronauts; Confederates; Dacron Police; Disney Princess; Fairy Toys; Galoob Micromachines; Gnome Figurines; Guardsmen; Matchbox Toys; Mixed Figures; Mixed Model Soldiers; Mixed Novelties; Mixed Playthings; Mixed Toy Figurines; Mixed Toy Soldiers; Mixed Toys; Poundland; Princesses; Rack Toy Figures; RedBox Spaceman; Ship models; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Spanish Gendarme; Union Forces;
Two 'Disney' princesses pose before the walls of Archie McFee! One or both may or may not be Phidal, generic, or capsule toys, time WILL tell!

Airfix; American Civil War; Armymen; Astronauts; Confederates; Dacron Police; Disney Princess; Fairy Toys; Galoob Micromachines; Gnome Figurines; Guardsmen; Matchbox Toys; Mixed Figures; Mixed Model Soldiers; Mixed Novelties; Mixed Playthings; Mixed Toy Figurines; Mixed Toy Soldiers; Mixed Toys; Poundland; Princesses; Rack Toy Figures; RedBox Spaceman; Ship models; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Spanish Gendarme; Union Forces;
I think these are from one of the bulk assortments from Preiser, but the qulity isn't there in the sculpting/finish, and I thought - so soon after Blogging the Pyro's - that they make a good, generic, ship's crew! Which they may turn-out to be?

Airfix; American Civil War; Armymen; Astronauts; Confederates; Dacron Police; Disney Princess; Fairy Toys; Galoob Micromachines; Gnome Figurines; Guardsmen; Matchbox Toys; Mixed Figures; Mixed Model Soldiers; Mixed Novelties; Mixed Playthings; Mixed Toy Figurines; Mixed Toy Soldiers; Mixed Toys; Poundland; Princesses; Rack Toy Figures; RedBox Spaceman; Ship models; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Spanish Gendarme; Union Forces;
In the shenanigans with Girly-girl, I looked over my shoulder and took a quick snap of the ongoing pile! The remains of the Wild West sorting, the ongoing parachute page stuff, a large bag of lions, a Pyro/Kleewar/Lido sort-out, Chris's parcel and some other stuff!

Many thanks as always to Peter, who has already sent another lot, mostly for Rack Toy Month! I also have to get on with a PW178 review as 179 has already dropped heavily onto the door-mat . . . and it's a cracker!

2 comments:

EY said...

I'm surprised your cat hoards plastic bags. My cats were always frightened by bags and would bolt when they heard the crinkling sound.

The plastic seated German is probably a Monogram figure. It came in a number of their 1/32 Geramn armor kits. 1/72ish copies were made by a number of other manufacturers (and I think Italeri may have been one of them).

Hugh Walter said...

Cheers for that EY, yes, technically Esci, but they had Italeri, Revell and Polistil boxings! They copied a bunch of the Tamiya figures as well I think . . . in 1:72?

I was assuming they scaled him up for the Italeri kits in 1:35th!

There's a cruder 'knock-off' to sit in or on the Fujimi '222?

H