S is for Show Report - Late, Sandown, September, Purchases

So much stuff got put on the back-burner last year (a daft expression these days as the smaller 'simmer' rings are often the ones at the front or (in the case of the one here) to the right!), among which are several show reports, so we'll get get stuck into the new year with a bit of the old one!

First though, a note about the shows - I'm not proud of attending two shows in the autumn, and don't advocate doing so, as you know I haven't got back to posting forthcoming show news yet, and that is precisely because there is still a very real risk in putting-on or attending shows or events of any kind - I'm also penciled-in for the London Toy Fair trade show later this month too! Doh!

However, we were between Covid-variants, I wore a mask whenever I was close to anyone, went outside to remove the mask and get a bit of fresh air . . . and vape, and generally took care. Just as it was my personal 'right' to be a dick, it's each individual's right to be a dick, but not to promote dickishness in others!

We're all a bit stir-crazy now, I get that, I am too! But imagine - for a moment - if half the population of London or Southampton had decided it was their 'right' to ignore blackout-regulations in the early 1940's? Huh? It's not about OUR individual rights or perceptions, it's about the rest of our family, our friends & acquaintances and every stranger we might meet.

Now, the way the figures & stats are going-up, we'll all be looking at further measures in the next few days and I probably won't make Kensington-Olympia! But those backbench anti-regulation fans; the Covid Research Group, ex-European Research Group, ex-'Spartans' (the real Spartans would have eaten that shower of inbred-toff shits for breakfast and then ordered bacon and eggs - twice) are the equivalent of anti-blackout fans, and should be ignored, along with their friendly tabloids!

Anyway, that's what I think on the subjects! On to the toys . . .

. . . and I found two little rack-toys of the pocket-money size, a set of petrol pumps I already have loose, and some more civilian versions of the Humber-cab mini-trucks. The pumps - although in a generic pack - are almost certainly Blue Box, or at least Tai Sang (the parent)'s production as they are regularly included in the larger Blue Box sets. The mini-trucks are the type I've called 4A - with the 666 marking.

This was lovely; unmarked on the underside, but obviously an old 'Dime Store' plastic from the 1950's and probably a mould-share with a US firm, it has a little tool chest built-in with little (out of scale) tools, I suspect a spanner or wrench and maybe a drill or saw are missing, for a four-count? There's certainly room for a couple more.

The tractor-unit is from Triang Minic's range and will join a militray green one and a red example in the collection. The Daimler 'Dingo' scout car in nice for having a crew-member, while the windmill is fascinating, and might be British, despite the Hong-Kong'ishness of it's production.

I have several solid versions (which are HK piracies - and I often wondered what of?), while this - as you can see - is a stacking novelty (like this morning's Kazakh rocket!), or even a 'jig-toy' with the key-like central stem. Shot before and after cleaning, it could be early domestic production, by someone like Bell?

Bit of a story behind this chapter in the continuing LB-Lik Be story; I knew where I thought there was one of these, had known for over a decade, bought and sold by the same chap several times, always selling back to the same dealer, I last saw it with that dealer, and asked him to bring it to the show, if he could find it, and he said he's have a look.

Well, he couldn't find it, which was a disappointment, but in such cases you can then wizz round the stalls and find something else for the money . . . only I found another Clifford Toys branded Moon Explorers set (for less than I had been about to pay), so bought that! It was on a stall with some MPC XL5 stuff, but I had already got them, and shown them, although we'll be looking at them again soon!

I assume/presume/hope or guess the other four poses can be found in the same box for a 'pair' containing the whole 'set' - No27/5643B? Clifford also carried some of the Spacex sets in small scale, makes you wonder why Tri-Ang never carried these larger figures?

Half of me wonders why I bought the Tudor Rose wagon, but then the other half knows it was because it was in an usual colour-way I didn't think I had (we've seen them here before one than once, some courtesy of Michael Melnyk), it was very 'clean'; almost mint and it was cheap!

The HO gun team (not Giant) was mine, and I took it to the show after someone rang me three times in two days, getting me to promise I would do so (I think I quoted him a fiver?), only for him to not turn up, nor have I had another peep out of him as to why not! Some people are a waste of oxygen, and the older I get - the less patient with them I seem to be!

Been after these Bathing Beauties for a while, and the seller has had them in re-issue purple and green (?) or candy-pink (?) for a while, but at the September show he had this set (Marx) in a similar flesh to the originals, I think they are modern production, but they even have the chalkiness of the originals, so I'm happy enough with them!