H is for How They Come In - Another Box From John

I was over at John Begg's a week or two before the last London Show (report in the queue!) and he managed to foist a bunch of polymer loveliness on me, which we are looking at now, back from mid-June, you can see how everything slides!

Starting with an odd one, I didn't open it or shoot the contents very well as I thought they would be something common, like generic-packaged Billy V or BMC, but when I came to check - after they'd gone to storage, I couldn't place them.

Indeed, from what you can see here they are a bit of a Curate's egg; the marching Confederate looks to be a HaT 1:72nd scale copy, the kneeling Unionist has no base while the advancing Rebel looks more Comet-Authenticast or Spencer Smith? they also have small cannons (x2) and some mounted figures.

Pretty sure they aren't Imex, Imex-Billy V or BMC, BMC- Americana they don't look like the Hing Fat-Billy V, nor any of the obvious; Revel/Accurate, Esci/Italeri or A Call to Arms, so, for now: China [semi-] originals, in un-branded packing  . . . anyone know anything different, I don't think they are very old? They are now a priority for a re-look at the other end of my - currently stagnated (although HMRC found the missing £10K!) - journey.

The next day -  Loyal Readers to the rescue; Gisby recognised them as being Marx'y, and Peter Evans gave me the following "Those 45mm ACW figures were sold at a tourist concession at Gettysburg They are mainly scaled down copies of Marx 60mm figures, apart from a couple of Deetail copies and Peter's Replicants lying Confederate.", doubly useful info., as I'd not measured them either, so they are 'generic' sub-scale tourist trophies!

When I posted some carded Jean sets, an RTM or two ago, one of the PSTSM's little German shills posted some too! A while later, with the immortal word 'rare'! Please believe me, there is nothing rare about Jean carded sets, they are on eBay every day, these types are 1970's, early 1980's even, and while they tend to be a bit pricey, bargains can be had if you wait, but they are not rare!

This one is 'unusual', consisting of a variation on the Dulcop Charley Kit or Super Charley cartoonish, infant-toy Puppies figures*, and all civilian in this set, with a truck around 1:48/50th? and figures about 54mm, but still . . . not rare.

* A direct translation gives the same puppies as in 'baby dogs', but I suspect an infantile diminutive of the German Puppen for dolls giving Puppies (pronounced; poopees) for 'dollies', 'small dolls' or 'dollettes'?

Four Blue Box Russians; top left, which, with the three that came in a while ago (not shown, Chris, Peter, eBay?), made the full set without me ever getting my incomplete ones out of storage! Bargain!

Below them more Blue Box - knight (much-needed original weapon) and Tarzan, a useful Spot-On Policeman, and three of the many-branded (Tomy, Pressmann, ActionGT et al.) Crossbows & Catapults floor-game figures.

Right above is a mix of bits including a lead para' wargames figure, half an 'Old Bill' Bus Tommy (the other half may be in their bag!) from Airfix, and unusual ACW figure from Hong Kong, Marx Miniature Masterpiece totem-pole, Preiser Bundeswher Engineer from the river-crossing set and some other junk!

Bottom right is a nice Hong Kong stretcher-team, which may be (from the platic colours) two versions/makers or two batches - another Marx knock-off.

A right old mix here! Top left are some more of the educational supplies / cracker prize items, four Indians (I've just learned were cereal premiums in Canada - thanks Gisby), another Dinky clone road-worker, half a handful of comic-ad' AWI and some other novelty bits.

Top right are a probably French lead gun (RF, RL, SR . . . something with an R in!), and an anthropomorphic donkey, which may be from a Spanish or similar (Portuguese, Italian or French?) TV series? Rather nice, some age and while the paint is a bit chipped, he still sits/rests on his tail which you might expect to be missing!

John also insisted I take a bag of bits which included a bunch of rockets and missiles form Corgi, Dinky and Matchbox, along with ones for the Hong Kong pull-back tanks and armoured cars and a load of kit spares, while other bits include a flag-pole, pile-of-bricks lorry load (Eldon?) and some HVSS suspension/road-wheel units off of a large kit; 1:25, 1:30?

 

This was so nice I shot the arse out of it, you may remember we had the Barratt & Sons flying ducks from this range of doll's house furnishings, years ago, courtesy of Adrian Little I think, but this is so much more fun, No.2: Aquarium, four little goldfish in a little tank, we actually had one when we were kids, AND it had a green enameled wrought-iron frame with glass panels sealed-in with bitumen, which would spring a leak from time to time!

Small scale odds included a bag of Giant and Giant-like bits, a nice 'Cracker wagon', some Blue Box khaki infantry, a Preiser wagon, the top half of a Matchbox petrol-station attendant (the bottom half is part of the die-casting which includes the fuel-pumps and base), a bag of mixed Wild West and a bag of rack-toy 'army-man' bits.

Money changed hands, but not near what it was all worth and only because I insisted, so really it's another contribution to the Blog / Master Collecton - once it's all sorted out at the other end - Cheers John!