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.

Monday, September 30, 2024

B is for Bristol Bloodhound

Managed to tick-off a smaller 'grail' at Sandown a month ago, with the purchase of this beast, I knew it existed, I can't remember when or where I saw it, but I had seen one, some years ago I think, anyway, I recognised the box and bought it quickly without checking the contents! I've also managed to shoot it twice, with some of the following 'seen elsewhere' soon after the purchase, so a few more images than usual, and no collaging!
 



The box; exactly the sort of thing I remember from Webb's The Newsagents in Hartley Wintney when I was a kid, colourful, but basic three-colour screen-printed on low quality card, reminiscent of early, cheap, post-war wallpaper like our grandparent's bathroom ducks! It leaves little doubt as to the contents and includes simple graphical instructions in the drawings.
 




Components; there's approximately 30+ pieces, all factory assembled in both polystyrene and polyethylene, with a couple of metal parts. Several small, plastic pivots/axle-pins allow for elevation/depression of the whole launcher, which also revolves on its baseplate, and a separate Bloodhound Missile with spring-firing mechanism can be locked in.
 








Ready to fire; The trigger is slightly damaged, so while I can set it up for a photograph, I can't fire it, and that's probably a good thing, as making such a model in frangible 'styrene was not a wise move, as far as longevity is concerned, and it's a bit of a miracle it's still this complete. And that white button on the back may have had a function, which I haven't yet worked-out!
 
When I first posted it elsewhere, I suggested in might be scaled-up from the Corgi die-cast, but rapidly came to the conclusion it's more likely to be based on the Frog kit, which will give my crew-figures, from that aforementioned kit, something useful to do! It's around 1:35th scale, or maybe a little smaller, I'll have to get the Frog kit, I've never previously been after, to compare! And obviously, no maker, or any clue to same!

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