About Me
- Hugh Walter
- 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.
Thursday, June 8, 2023
S is for Sharper & Sharper!
Saturday, January 8, 2022
H is for How They Come In - June 2021 - 3 - Chris
All sorts, of which the highlight is probably the three Wild West (top of picture) which look Polish (bases) but are probably French 'bazaar' figures, but not common ones? The flocked donkey next to them is cool, he's a mini blow-mould under the fur! The pale-jade French firefighter is probably another bazaar figure, while we had two paratroopers and a . . . in a minute on that one!
A small group of margarine premiums (top left) balance a similar sample of Commonwealth 'world dolls' except these are the later sub-piracies. And speaking of pirates; the big brown fellah is a Brabo 'Parafool' missing his chute-loop and waving a short-short cutlass! Various cake decorations and mini's can also be seen, along with an oversized copy of one of Arco's smaller sized Rambo figures and a nice pile of Kinder bits (bottom right).
That other figure - he might be a parachute toy, but I suspect - from the locating studs on his hands - that he is a swinger, spinner or revolver! He's some kind of superhero, with a possible sun-motif on his chest, but it could just be a runner gate-mark or release-pin blemish.I asked the chaps and chapesses on Brian Heiler's Faceplant group if anyone knew, but apart from a suggestion he might be a "...Palmer Scuba Diver figure or VooDoo", both of which drew a blank, there cameth-forth an answer none, so if you can help? He's also a bit 1950's pulp, rather than '70's Marvel/DC?
Cheers, as always to Chris Smith, for the bag of bits, all really appreciated.
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
News, Views Etc . . . Dancing Dolls Page - Contribution
Dolls! - Rush Job!
Sunday, August 4, 2019
S is for Shilling
Wednesday, January 16, 2019
News, Views Etc . . . Bits
Links
The Simpson's finally have a Toy Soldier episode!
Good news story - I'm not the only one to receive presents of toy soldiers!
Mending Dolls
Friday, February 3, 2017
C is for Contribution Fortnight! - VIII - Commonwealth Street Light from Susan
"Great information on your blog about Commonwealth Plastics. Very much appreciated. I found your blog researching the Lamp Posts. I have a Blue one that isn’t listed on your blog. See attached. Wonder if they made other colors…any idea of boxes for these items or how they were sold? Were they sold as part of a kit? Thanks in advance."
To which my rather poor reply was...
"I'm guessing they were sold for model railways Susan? Sort of O or G gauge, 'carpet', tin-plate type, toy trains? But possibly for dolls houses? H"
But what are we on about?
It's a combined glow-in-the-dark street-light/lamp-post with street sign and mail-box. I've since remembered that there are some more on these somewhere on the Internet and after a bit of a search . . .
On Binn's Road Website It doesn't add much, but there are other colours! Meanwhile on a short-lived link (so copy it now if you need it) there's this on Terapeak with its original envelope/label!
Thanks for the pictures Susan.
Sunday, February 21, 2016
News, Views Etc...New Page
Dancing Dolls
It has taken 18 months to research and collate (on and off) and four or five weeks to unload, finish and edit, so I hope you enjoy it...understanding - of course - that most toy soldier fans couldn't give a feckin' heel for small plastic 'dolls'!
I will add the four companies histories to the A-Z pages tomorrow and add the links here and to the DD page when I've done so.
Two day later....Needless to say I didn't get that done yesterday and Vodafone (the Prince of Internet Darkness) have decided I'm library bound again! I have got a Van Brode draft up though, and a Clinton Mfg. cross-ref., so it's slowly hapening!
Commonwealth on the A-Z
Sanitarium on the A-Z
Van Brode on the A-Z
All done!
Sunday, February 8, 2009
W is for World Dolls/World Dancers Part 2
Commonwealth seem to have been owned/operated by/as part of the Aero Plastics group by the Catalucci family, who's decendents have recently opened another plastics factory in Leominster called Phoenix Inc.! Research however leads to an apparently unrelated high-tech plastics company with a near-dead website called Phoenix Co.Inc. (rather than plain 'Inc.'!!) in Texas!!?!
The connection hinted at above is not quite as clear as say - they bought the Commonwealth moulds. First; the Van Brode figurines are in pairs (like the Britains 54mm/1:32 Ethnic Dancers) with one being the musician the other the dancer. Second; the Van Brode figures are reversed (where similar to) Commonwealth poses. Footnote; Van Brode manufactured C-Rations during WWII and these figures were almost certainly a premium given away in the breakfast cereals from their mill in the (late?) 1950's. [Kent Sprecher (toysoldierHQ - link above) now has them actually putting the figures in ration packs for the Korean War - Given the number of Asian looking figures in a full set and speaking as an ex-soldier; I can think of nothing worse, while freezing in your fire-base on the Imjim River, than finding a Koren looking figurine in your Chili ConcarneMRE!!]
Size Comparison shot of some of the above, top left to bottom right they are; Commonwealth; Early, late and 20mm copy, Commonwealth; Early, mid, late, 20mm copy and lastly; a copy of Van Brode's reversed Hawaiian dancer.



