H is for How They Come In - London, December

The last show report of the year, and I've sort of caught-up, although there's a lot of older stuff still in the long-queue to be cleared, one day/some day. I've done them as one post, so there's a lot to get through, including two of the most interesting figures to come in this year, or any year, and they were both given to me.

 

Also, and genuinely without trying, I see that both the 2017 target of 468-posts and the best month (which I think was 81-posts a few years ago) are within my grasp, if I can get about 17 posts out in the next 7-days, so apologies if I post some crap to get there, but I'll have a go, although I am working five of them, so it's a tall order I may fall short on!

So, it's just gone 2pm, and as soon as I've blurbed this up, I've a Crimbo-dinner to cook, so let's get on, you often see these in this pinky-red, good ones are actually very red, but it's an unstable dye in the plastic which fades with ultra-violet light action.

 

Reisler, and I assume they did the whole set, although I've never seen the motorcycle or female soldier in this scheme, which could be a take on some African peacekeeper thing from the 1960's, the figures are always finished in an Afro-Caribbean skin-tone, as well as the loud uniforms? Anyone got any ideas?

My third (? I think?) Cavendish on the left, and not as explosive as the previously mentioned pair! Sadly, when Cavendish inherited the Britains Eyes Right stuff, they seemed to drop these, but they are lovely in their own right.

 

On the right a French premium, but in the middle a very interesting figure of an American Indian warrior with a swivel head? He might be Hong Kong, but isn't marked, he could be Argentine, but isn't marked, might he be Polish or Hungarian? Or even French bazaar?

Steve Vicker's gave me this, because he'd forgotten he had it and didn't know what it was, and while I did briefly discuss it with him, in case he wanted to change his mind and ask for some shekels, he was happy I have it, and it wasn't until I got it home and had a proper look at it that I realised it's very interesting indeed.

 

Obviously, it's a copy of an Elastolin Landsknecht gunner, but 1) it's in the same hard, dense PVC of the Azur-Culpitt-Injectaplastic-JSP (Jouets Super Plastic)-Prior-Rena family of PVC output, and B) it is carrying a base identical to the late Britains Herald Hong Kong production of Trojans and the Roman charioteer, when he - as over-production - was given a base and sold out of shop stock boxes with the Greeks.

We looked at them last here, and you can see this one has a 'NO 514' on the slightly smaller base (I suspect the figures is a straight lift from the 40-mil'), while they are randomly -618 or -619? But it raises the possibility that the/a factory in Hong Kong, being used by, or even owned by Britains, possibly the - previously mentioned here in passing - Herald Metal & Plastic of Kowloon, are going to link all the above together, and may also have been responsible for some of those generic antiqued pencil sharpeners, copied from the Spanish, and from which (one of the cannons) this chap probably came, with another pose/figure?

 

It's not that clear-cut, as we know some of the above were credited to Macau, and two or more factories could obtain the same dense pink vinyl I'm sure, but it opens up new possibilities for avenues of inquiry, and I'm very grateful to Steve for giving it to me, to share with you, to extend the conversation, as it were?

I was a bit disappointed with these, they looked lovely in the bag, but when I got them home they were just repaints with a replacement stretcher, but I think I have a spare stretcher somewhere, so I'll make good on the investment at some point, late'ish Tim-Mee, and nothing to get too excited about without the dog, but I think I have him too, somewhere!

 

Gareth Morgan also gave me an early Christmas present in this Hong Kong copy stagecoach, it's got a little bit of damage to the luggage-rail, but I know I have a battered one in the spares, and I think a careful mend with have it back to parade-finish, they are clean-breaks at either end, and I have the driver, because we saw him here, not that long ago! While the catapult-plane is missing all its flying surfaces, but is a first example, and was from a cheapie rummage tray!

 

These two were from Mercator's cheapie tray, and I got them as the Frenchman is quite unusual, and the 'Afrika Korps' finished German even more so, I think they were marked, or one of them was, but I haven't got time to look for them now, so they can come round again, or I'll look them-up this evening and add something here?

 

Frenchie is marked Durso, a Belgian producer of composition figures, while the DAK chappie is unmarked and appears to be chalkware which could make him Belgian also, or French?

 

Also from the cheapie trays, were a few more hollow-cast lead 'Khaki Infantry', again, we'll return to them another day, but if you follow the Blog, you'll know I've had several lots like this in recent years, and am getting a half-decent sample of these types, whether originals or copies - as per one of the pair in the middle?!!

 

Well, this is getting silly now! A forth Argentine copy of the Timpo Hopalong Cassidy, but this one in more realistic decoration/plastic colours than the previous three! Along with two Lone Star because they were clean and unbroken!

 

And . . . having had the lovely Landsknecht gunner from Steve, Adrian Little gave me the figure in the middle, who looks to be composition, but is a crude plastic figure! And again he gave it to me because he didn't know what it was, I guess we both hope one of you do, Loyal Readers! I guess some Tourist thing, but where from? Lancers in black with New York cop hats? South America, smaller European state? Mystery figure, the second in one show! And unusual to be holding the lance in the left-hand?

 

To either side of him are a nice marbled Hilco infantryman and a dog with two locating-studs who is technically as interesting as anything else unknown, but I know he won't be rated the same as the Landsknecht or lancer by most of you!

 

Three clean ceremonials, with - from the left - Hilco, Charbens and believed to be Trojan, I don't think I had the Hilco previously, and the Charbens soldiery seem harder to find than their Bandsmen, who are very common?

 

Is it a Tresco? I don't know, but it's about the fifth in the collection and we've seen a couple of others from Brian B or on evilBay, so there are many variants of the Tresco original to track-down! It must have been one of the most widely used novelty items of childhood, ever, and you can still find new issues/piracies now, forty or fifty years after anyone wore something like that underwater!

 

And a little whitemetal bicycle?

The Gopher/Groundhog actually has a damaged (missing!) tail, but is unknown to me, so came into the stash as a first sample, while the Totem Pole was a speculative purchase against my not knowing in the moment what I had, but I think I do have one in this colour-way, with this base, as well-preserved, so one day I'll have to move one on!

 

In the bag with the gopher were a 'Funimal', an Aristocat premium and the two Kinder solids between them.

 

I'm not sure on the Pirate, he's sort of half Ideal, half Hing Fat, and I have half-an-idea I should half-know him, so I guess he'll be returning, when I remember! The Timpo copy obviously went with the Tim-Mee's above but was in a seperate rummage tray, while the ABC copy of Herald's ACW had good paint!

 

Blue Box doll's house lady, the 'atomic family's' stay-at-home housewife, all dressed up to do dinner after receiving her new Hoover from under the tree - no, she really, really wanted it! And a space-man rider/driver, I don't recall seeing before? He/she/it has a plug-in polyethylene or nylon ariel thingy, but is otherwise polystyrene and of a crudity that points to Hong Kong.

Hopefully, like with the recent Lady Penelope Chitty Chitty Bang Bang figure, the two Paul's will find and post the correct figure for their self-awarded brownie-points soon, and I can add a note here, and we'll all know!

Couple of make weights, a Gemodels/Festival I don't think I had, or if I do, in a different coloured coat maybe? And another of the now confirmed Blue Box firefighters, loose.

 

The organisers of the show, Guideline Publications, were giving these to anyone who wanted one, upon entry, and there are supposed to be instructions on their website, but I'm damned if I can find them, so? However, it should be easy enough to put together, one day, looks to be about 1:24th, and possibly a Model-T?

 

So less than 50-items in total, barely a cupped-handful, probably my least show-plunder ever, but I was being careful, and it's full of interesting things, Thanks to Adrian, Gareth, Guideline and Steve for the freebies!

Right! It's nearly four-o'clok, I must start cooking or |I'll be eating at midnight! Happy Christmas all!