H is for How They Come In - Peter - August

The other day a third parcel arrived from Peter Evans, with no warning (a few days after Chris's equal surprise, I think) consisting of the DS parachute-trooper card (in time for RTM!) and a handful of similar but non-airborne 'Chinatroops' . . .

. . . which can be seen here. A pretty balanced mix of combat clones, with five Airfix copies, three Britains knock-offs, a policeman in military coloured-plastic and two US Para's - of whom we've seen some of their comrades before here (I think in a Chris Smith donation) and who - further - seem to be channelling Italieri or Revell (?) but with 'generic' helmets, they also have some of the Tim Mee about them, while a yellow version of those common sculpts makes up the sample.

The most interesting chap in the sample has to be the policeman, who is probably out there in a commoner blue (or red . . . white, even black) iteration, but in a rich mid-olive, he looks like he's on internal security in somewhere like Palestine, Cyprus, Greece, Kenya or any other of the number of colonised uprisings or 'brush-fire' wars of the 1930-60's. And - given his origins - could paint-up as a Hong Kong policeman from the 70's or 80's.

A young Subaltern or MP over-enthusiastically cracking the skulls of the people who actually own the land over which the butcher's rag is raised each morning with much pomp! 50mm and clearly marked MADE IN HONG KONG I rather like him, even if he is meant to be a US cop!

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Which isn't much of a post [although I now think this morning's fairy belongs here!], so I thought I'd use the space to have a quick look at 'How it Works', or how one corner of it works!

This used to be one tub, now it's six, two [elsewhere] for the DAK copies (yellow/sand's and other colours) and these four, for the HK and China clones of British Airfix's WWII German Infantry originally issued in 1:32nd scale or 'standard' 54mm, although most of the clones tend to be smaller, some by a wide-margin.

Here I am just about to add those figures fitting the bill from a previous lot sent to the Blog by Chris a while ago, I keep one each of every pose, with every version of base, base-mark or colour variation, although the MTC Marx'y ones which 'look right', are in there as well!

Here, a few weeks later go Peter's three grey ones, the greys are a pain to sort as under different light they appear different shades, but take a grey looking one from the blues or greens and lay him on the grey pile and he immediately turns blue or green!

Similar tubs exist for the Japanese Infantry and Australians (both seen on the Blogs in the past), the US Paratroops (seen the other day and recently split into two tubs), the Russians seen January 2019, but since added to, British Para's &etc.

I've got lots of shots to go up on the Airfix page, but as they may well be retaken to include recent additions here's a couple. The upper lot are those trying to be Afrika Korps, they aren't really, the larger sets of rack toy 'army men' always having two armies of contrasting colours and sand yellow being often one of them, but for those who like to play with unpainted figures (bigger in the 'States?) they can immediately be recruited into the ranks of the Desert Fox's army group!

While the lower shot - apart from the DAK interloper - is the standing firing poses, prior to Peter's chaps entering the 'greys' tub!

These (the tubs) then go in either larger clear Really Useful Boxes indoors (currently attic, previously spare room with curtains permanently drawn-closed) or card boxes in the garage, so they see very little ultra-violet, which is the big killer of polymers.

Additions for the Airfix page which as mentioned may now be re-shot at some point! Anyway - thanks again to Peter for another jiffy-bag of goodness and more combat clones!