N is for Not Christmas Odds & Sods!

These were sort of pencilled-in for the Christmas season, but aren't really Christmas stuff, with the possible exception of the Carol Singers, however it seems easier to post them now as civilian stuff (despite the connection some of them have with Nazi Germany!), over the festive season, than shove them down in Picasa's 1968 with the other eight folders of pending Christmas stuff, or elsewhere, or just leave them choking-up 2025 in the short queue, before the year's even properly started!

 

Vaguely nutcracker'y, but not really; no bushy beards, proper muskets, lack of overemphasized uniform elements, but they do have the huge epaulettes, this would appear to be a belt-buckle of some kind.

 

But it doesn't seem to have the robustness to survive on my trousers, where I've broken heavy die-cast buckles over the years, yet seems a little too whimsical to be part of a genuine military panoply, not even the historically-dressed 'old guard' many British regiments still have a few of, for ceremonials or KAPE - Keep the Army in the Public Eye.

 

So, my guess is some sort of costume jewellery or actual theatrical costume?  The clasp clearly hooks to a bar or rod similar to the belt loop, and the whole has been cast from three repeats of a single figure moulding, with the joins between them barely hidden, possibly using the lost-wax method - I'd add that the paint's probably been added by the/a later, hobbyist owner.

And while it looks brass, it doesn't really weight 'brass', so it may be a brass-coloured (alloy) base metal type material with brass clasp and copper or copper-bronze wire loop, which could be brazed, but are more-likely soft-soldered, suggesting it wasn't meant/designed to take any great strain, or long-term work-load . . . any ideas greatly appreciated?

These are a mystery also, they are composition, rather than bisque, and painted in a similar style to some of the Zang 30-40mm's we've seen here before, but with more effort on the faces. You can see from the damaged blue figure that the composite material is similar to Zang's too, however they came with some WHW figures (next section below) and may be Winterhilfswerk?

 

If they are WHW I'd love to know the set, if not, festive cake decorations from Zang are a possibility, or someone like them, of 17/18th century garbed carol singers or street musicians seems to be as likely? Equally, some French/Low Countries composition uses that plaster/pumice base? A real question mark?

While these ARE Winterhilfswerk, nine of a ten-set of Grimm's fairy-tale characters, with - from the left - Snow White and five dwarves, a lovely Puss-in-boots, a frog-kissing princess, a goose-girl, a generic witch, a very small 'giant' or hunter, a girl with blue birds (I remember some story about the bluetits sewing a dress or something?), whatever the Grimm version of Tom the piper's son is called (Tomas?) and Red Riding Hood on the right.

The box is probably not original, but I will keep them in it, it's a nice little fake snake-skin embossed paper from the 1940/50's (probably a gift box, from a watch or pen), and will keep them together until they inevitably have to be handed on, one day.

 

They are the typical bisque of such sets, looking quite like French fèves (which are traditionally hidden in tarts at this time of year), with a firing hole, that doubled as a receptor for the chemical fixer/glue blob we've seen on these before, for when badge-pins are added (two issues?), and the tenth turned up hiding under the faux-wool when I put them away - Sleeping Beauty, still holding her bobbin of spun thread!

Also, please note Dwarves six and seven are moulded on the rear of Snow White, albeit undecorated! And I don't know the set's issuer or issue date/s.

 

Finally came this witch-like, rather troglodyte, femme-sinister, who you can see from the chip at the baseline, is in a red terracotta, again reminiscent of other WHW sets/subjects, but would appear to be a beer (or Bier!) promotional, the monogram is not clear, but could be HB (Herforder Bier?) or RB, and whatever that answer, she may well be contemporary with the other pieces above, excluding the brass number!

 

Clearly she's holding the moniker'ed Stein, but what is in the crook of the other arm? A swaddled baby, some kind of brötchen or pretzel, or a sheaf of brewer's barley?

 

You can see she's barely 30mm to the more standard 40-mil of the other two, and more questions than answers with all four here, once I'd sat down and typed the blurb! So any help with these, sets, dates, issuers, origins, gratefully received!

F is for Follow-up . . . to the Previous Posts

A few bits of relevance to the stuff Chris Smith sent to the Blog last October, and which have 'come out of the wash' in the last 48-hours, and in the order in which they appeared!

The Daktyl Perterrohsaw went in a block-rock but had been divorced from it by Royal Fail shaking the parcel to see if it was worth nicking! I made that last bit up. You can just see it in the first photo' on that post and, as you can see, it's not showing much compatibility with Lego's Kiddybrick rip-off, which had been my suggestion. The Bird'o'saur's gone to storage.

The clown with a giant bow, was also a pencil-top, so he has more in common with the tripple-headed Kaiju in the following 'military' post. The sculpt might be a Brabo rip-off?

Yesterday, Chris's mum suggested the fairy might be Titania, Queen of the Fairies, and subsequent image Googling by both Chris and I revealed a veritable cornucopia of sexy, alluring or even scantily clad Titania's so we were definitely on to something, but the truth (and the previously mentioned familiarity) is a little more pedestrian . . . Marx's Blue Fairy from Disney!

And she is a bit blue, or pert, yes I think 'Pert' is the word required here! She's a softish PVC though, so not from the chalky 'classic characters' range we've seen here before, and while the material was used for the painted 40mm Circus figures back in the day, it was also used on the reissue dancers I picked-up a while ago?

The sack turned out to be from the Dinky TK (civilian transport ancestor of the military MK) coal-delivery truck! They have been reproduced, in recent times, usually in black, but with the Dinky name now just a traded brand handled by several companies in the last twenty years (Universal and Atlas Editions for a start) the yellow ones may be for a modern-made greengrocer's truck; potato's, or miller's/baker's vehicle - corn? Seen above with an imported, rival, Spot On coalman.

From this morning's post, the line-up as it currently stands; the new Guardia Civil is a tad taller than the others, and you can see marked differences in say, the jacket flaps, but a general pattern is followed in the various potteries, look at the short, fat, round boots with their chunky soles, or the eyes!

H is for How They Come In - Peter

A few days after Brian's parcel, another arrived without warning from North of the river, something some of you are probably expecting as he's scrupulously fair and seems to send parcels together so if he's name-checked at the other place he's shortly thereafter name-checked here, or vise-a-versa!

An interesting sample of mixed 'odds and sods' (which is right up SSW's street!); most of them happy to wear the 'Novelty' moniker. /the contents of the small bag (bottom-left) is now a separate post.

I'm not so sure about the large pink mouse, however the similar mini-bath duck is a happy receipt, so I can't reject his stable mate and one day there will be an overview of all rodents here on the blog (as there - hopefully - will be for everything) and when that day comes he/she-or-it will be ready and waiting . . . for a second viewing!

The three nutcracker'esqe (or 'Babes in Toyland' style-) guardsmen are part of a larger family which hung around in the late 1990's and early 2000's, I've pinned them to two or three brands and - in at least two sizes - they were used in snow-shakers, the sort of mini-trees truckers' put on their dashboards, as novelty earrings and possibly (as here?) cake decorations.

Both the drummer and the blue-jacketed chap were new to me and we will look at them all properly one Christmas, as that seems to have been their destination, whatever the end-use.

The Kinder eggs carried the latest figure type, and they are both nice (well sculpted and approximately 54mm) and disappointing at the same time.

The disappointment steaming from the fact that as stand-alone figures they are all in a silly pose, yet the point of the pose is a bit pointless, you have to balance the 'shield' on the two hands (not easy as a dextrous adult, god knows what kids will make of the job!) and then flick them [the shields], using the over-designed base, at the paper/card flat 'baddie' targets. The hitting of which seems more unlikely than getting the shield to stay put, but maybe I'm just a curmudgeonly old-git and it's easier on a smooth surface?

I had discovered them a few days before Peter's parcel, but typically in situations like this sod's law meant I had found the same figure as two of Peter's so now have three gold'n'green fish-men!

This is charming, possibly missing a few toes, but then he's probably over eighty and clearly survived Corvid-19 so one can't complain! Made in Japan and a fired bisque, hand-painted after firing there has been a bit of rubbing over the years . . . and another cricketer!

Now . . . we saw the female addition the other day and with another from Peter the total's become seven figures in a few months, from one, and five from Peter - here they all are together.

The new one is a second Spanish National Guardsman (like gendarme); an 'other rank' to my previously found officer, but the officer had a cartridge-paper board to his hat (as the Beefeater also has a card rim), while the new addition has the whole hat in the same clay.

He also has a slightly more expressive face, and while - like Erzgebirge - I suspect a regional aspect to the production, equally I suspect a different locale or town/village . . . the clay's a different colour to the other six, as well?

 

11th February 2021 - Now known to be craft figures (artesanos) from Alborox in Grenada

Another fisherman! Sans rod, so I put a 'pole' rod into the hold for the photograph, the original was probably a length of piano-wire with a piece of cotton-tread glued to the tip? Like the Spanish 'toristicas' in the previous shot, he's a terracotta/clay, rather than the bisque of the cricketer, but is also Japanese I think? And he's been glaze-fired rather than painted.

Aaaahh! I'm lovin' this! I already had the archer on the left and had always thought of him as a cartoony/anthropomorphic ancient or medieval type; a warrior archer, if you like, but the new figure from Peter makes it clear there is probably a set of 'sports cats' somewhere, and gum-ball capsule-machine inserts, or Christmas cracker prizes? Anyone else got some?

I shot it without flash (inset) to show the true colour difference.

Another excuse for a group shot was the china cat, which is also a different colour (darker grey), but the flash washed it out, so they look like twins (centre-left), and - as a group -growing ever larger!

I also have plastic copies/versions of the little kittens playing with balls of wool (front row), which are not direct piracies, being smaller, slightly different poses and . . . for another day!

The three Siamese's (top right) are chalkwear (plaster) and named, but I forgot to note it! The two dirty ginger's are Whimsy's from Wade the rest are porcelain 'ornamentals'.

Finally is this interesting chap, a Maori dancer from New Zealand, who has been glued to a paper or card base of some kind, I suspect as part of a tourist keepsake, but has a brand; G.L Models and may have had a second purpose as a colonial war-game figure, he's the right size and material under the paint?

And many thanks to Mr. Evans again, for another collection of eclectic stuff without the sending of which, I wouldn't have been able to share with you!

H is for How They Come In

Another box from Peter Evans, which he kindly brought to the recent show in London for me, and even more kindly; reported that some of the figures are from his late mother's 'cabinet of curious things'.

We'll look at them all in a minute but I'll just draw your attention to the Panda on a park bench as I rather cut his head-off without noticing in the second image - nothing lasting, just poor photography!

He's sitting on a park bench and reading a copy of the China Daily! Whether he represents the detent following Nixon's visit or one of the many baby-panda exchanges of my childhood, each of which, single or pair, used to generate more headlines and column-inches that Trump and the Windsor's do now, put together!

Equally he could be an early Beijing tourist souvenir, his China Daily has very Chinese stories?

If we work snail-round, anti-clockwise from the panda (you can see what I did there!) we have 'enry from Westair in a 70mm poured-resin with factory paint, another micro-racing car (we've seena  rather chewed pale-blue one in polyethylene, this one's styrene; cracker's the pair, I suspect) and a police-bear with Harrods on his tunic!

A safari bust from the Egyptian toob, two 'winterval' cake-decorations either side of St. Francesca Romana the patron saint of drivers, who has a dash-board sucker (starting to perish with age but still usable), and might be made of casein under the paint? Below the Iwako eraser (sample from Toy Fair 2020 in the wrong shot!) is a small vinyl, probably from a safari set or Jurassic Park knock-off in Matchbox 1-75, Majorette or Hot Wheel size?

A small carousel/roundabout from a funfair as a bracelet charm, a probably-Kinder penguin and then two characters from the Wind in the Willows. I think they are from one of those board games I keep bookmarking and doing nothing about, like that Dougle game, Chris sent some-of the other day! Anyway, there is probably a Mole and Badger to find?

Snow White and the six dwarves! . . . in terracotta; she seems to be a new'ish sculpt (with a very porcine face), but I think the little fella's are cast from Marx's Disnykins and I will track down the seventh . . . some day! One of my great regrets [now] was selling a set of all eight in Japanese blow-moulded celluloid, but they went to a good home and I didn't collect that scale at the time . . . hey-ho!

Three cartoonish Buddha-types, clearly enjoying life, in antiqued 'ivory' plastic take us back to the top where we find a rural or farm-couple spinning wool, a memento from Junin, Peru, they are constructed in the same way as the teeny-tiny worry-dolls, but much larger and obviously another touristy thing.

Finally another, new Phidal busy-book character; I have ceased to be amazed at the number of these, I'm pretty sure he's not a duplicate and I saw another (new) one on the Toy Project's stall the other day, so heaven knows how many sets there have been now? He's (Iron Man) standing over two of the 40mm Papo-Mini sea-monster/pirates in the centre.

Another fine sample of eclectic stuff, mixed toys and novelties, tourist souvenir figures, trinkets and mementoes in fabric, metal, various plastics and terracotta to filter into the pile, with some definitely destined for a return under one theme or another and as always; many thanks to Peter.

S is for Same Seasonal Santons

Except I think they were Italian so technically Precepi, but in the style of the Santons over the border in France! I haven't a clue . . . actually I have a clue how I missed these last year, they must been in a row I missed below the bottom of the screen when I highlighted the rest and moved them to a new folder for blurb and publication a year ago!

Sent by Brian Berke, where he had seen them in a store there in the Big Apple, and representing for the most part, the 'everyday' rural crafters and trades which are collected to add round a nativity scene - not strickly modern, but not biblical either, rather sort of generic mid-last-millennium!

Given the last comment, this lad is a bit of an exception being in rural garb of the last few hundred years, but carrying a tray of amphora, for sale; these being ancient (Biblical era) vessels - and, by dint of having not been decorated - revealing the terracotta all these are made from.

The butcher with half a carcase and the stick-collector seem to be adults of another scale, while the smaller figure (through the gap) is a child in the commoner scale on show.

Standing behind the lady with the embroidered pinafore is an actual nativity character with the full Arabian/Biblical 'nativity' garb, but I think there was a better shot of him last year from a different angle?.

Thanks again to Brian for sending these (quite some time ago now?), and my apologies for leaving them off last year's post. Only just over three weeks 'till the big day!

T is for Tsarist Troop of Terracotta Tree Trinkets

I love these, they may be [quite?] modern, but they are so charming, and this is proper collecting of proper toy soldiers, sadly outside my budget, but I shot them before they had all gone, thanks to Adrian Little for that opportunity and let's look at them;

I don't know where Adrian got them from (and wouldn't ask, trade secrets are trade secrets!), but he did say one had broken which was unfortunate for him, but it means we know they are made of a very thin slip-cast terracotta, but fired beyond the 'composition' of the Spanish figures we looked at the other day, to a fine ceramic which rings just like glass decorations. They may be double-fired as the painted decoration - while fine - seems to be a glaze, but they are then dipped in a thick varnish so may only have been painted and covered?

The Cossack is supposed to hold something, a (wooden?) sabre? The chap on the far right is a Lancer (?) the other three are regular Russian infantry of different ranks or employments, I think; from the left - Officer, Line Infantry, Grenadier?

They are finally mounted on a wooden plinth which gives them the appearance of Central European nut-crackers, but obviously stylistically different, being accurate renditions of the uniforms worn by the Russian army in the Wellingtonian period!

For readers not familiar with the Wellingtonian period (I don't use the term as often as I used to), it is that period in history at the beginning of the C18th, when Lord's Wellington and Nelson ran around Egypt, the Iberian Peninsula and Belgium, or the nearby oceans, giving Frenchie a few good spankings, which he'd asked for, so that was nice! Sadly (and not for the only time) the Russians had to handle the eastern-end of the enterprise by themselves, a job they managed ably, with the aid of General Winter - not for the only time!

I didn't have a tape measure at Sandown Park, but you can see the figures are 140mm with a 10-mil slice of finest larch or birch (?) at one end. They have a loop at the other end which must be for hanging, and I know some of the nicest glass tree decorations come from the former Soviet Union (along with some pretty kitsch awfulness, but the same is true of any large amount of random decorations anywhere [TKMaxx yesterday!]; taste is a strange mistress!), so I assume these are tree decorations. Given there were other regiments/uniforms available; they must look stunning in numbers!

T is for Terracotta Troops

I can't remember if we've seen one of these before, or all of them on two occasions, or none of them or four of them in a large show-report shot of everything, but to find out I'd have to check back through the tag results, which I can't do until Monday, and I'm putting this together to post on Monday, so if you've seen them before . . . sorry!

Thought for the Day - If really very sorry and hurry have no 'e', why does Surrey?

Spaniards . . . from Spain! Little terracotta figures, I was going to say caricatures, but they differ for over-emphasising each subjects features? These are more consistent; 'cartoonish' maybe, they follow a stylisation anyway - bee-sting lips, short fat legs with big feet, offset, pool-ball eyes and relatively stationary posing.

State police (Civil Guard), Air Force and a soldier, I have no doubt there are sailors and other recognisable Spanish figures to be found; bull fighters? And they are probably (no 'e') or I assume; sold as tourist keepsakes? Both the policeman above and the Beefeater below have stiff-card enhancements, or detailing on their headdress.

But why would the Spanish sell British characters? If they do, must I start looking for Germans in lederhosen, French-bereted chaps with bunches of onions, RCMP Mounties? I would have guessed they were supplied to a British Tourist industry novelty (no 'e' - twice) wholesaler, but they all came together bar the Guarda Civil chap, suggesting they all came from the same place?

I can only suppose there are so many beered-up, misbehaving 'brits' in some parts of coastal or island Spain; they've found they can sell British icons to the British tourists as easily as their own Spanish ones? Especially (no 'e') those large numbers of regular visitors who are also [rather hypocritically (no 'e')] Bwreakshiteers!

Anyway, it's another Beefeater, and another Horse Guard, whom I prefer to Lifeguards! And thanks to Chris Smith or Peter Evans in one of who's parcels the latter four figures turned-up.

Second thought for the day - The gap . . . why don't Lifeguards or lifeguards have a gap, or; why do Horse Guards?

 

11th February 2021 - Now known to be craft figures (artesanos) from Alborox in Grenada

News, Views Etc . . . Forthcoming Events Saturday 17th - Friday 23rd August 2019

So India is to brutalise the people of Kashmir, Pakistan won't help/can't help because the 'International Community' has tipped-the-wink to India, which conforms to our ignoring of the Uighur genocide; forced re-education in concentration camps and forced sterilisation with the exact whereabouts/status of up to a million people 'unknown' , as we've ignored the atrocities in Tibet for decades, which gives Israel and Burma the green light's they need to move against the Palestinians, the Karen and the Rohingya, as next-door Sri Lanka brutalises the Tamils!

Meanwhile Trump demonises his own congresswomen and has them banned from visiting Palestine by the illegal occupiers! The same Trump whose homo-erotic love-in with the leader of North Korea has ignored 65+years of US-lead UN demands for a unified Korea and hasn't stopped Kim firing missiles like they're conkers! A Trump who crossed the 'impossible' border - unprompted - weeks before Kim said he'd never speak to South Korea again!

And, at the exact moment they should all be getting closer, the US, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan are singing from different hymn-sheets and arguing about each-others latest tweets or speeches! Leaving China free to look at brutalising the people of Hong Kong!

Bolsonaro kills Amerindians, everyone kills Kurds, Sunni and Shir kill each other and the weather is killing more of us than ever before!

In 1945 we said never again, we lied, or our representatives lied on our behalf, but it's not like many of us are holding them to account . . . what International Community? The rules-based international system build through trade and diplomacy, over the last seventy years, over the last 2000-years, is crumbling, and it's what Trump and Putin want!

50 years after Woodstock it's ironic to realise the Hippies were right about just about everything, yet it's too late to do much about it!

Let's pretend it's got nothing to do with us, the weather will be fine and go buy toys! I'll be ignoring the gathering signs of Armageddon and buying toys at Sandown this Saturday!

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Toy Fairs

Saturday 17th August 2019

Exeter - Ray Heard Train & Toy Fairs

Matford Centre, Matford Park Road, Exeter, EX2 8FD

Internet presence unknown

Tel. - 01823 480 097

10:00 -15:30hrs

Admission £2.00

Free parking, refreshments

Sandown Park - Barry Potter / BP Fairs - 'The' Sandown Park Show

Exhibition Centre, Sandown Park Racecourse, Esher, Surrey, KT10 9AJ

Web. - www.bpfairs.com

Tel. - 01604 846 688

Mob. - 07966 527 177

10:30 -15:00hrs

Admission - Adults £6.50p, seniors £6, children £2, early bird (from 08.00hrs) £10.00

Tons of free parking

Note: Newish Date

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Sunday 18th August 2019

Bodmin - Chris Dyer Fairs

Bodmin Leisure Centre, Lostwithial Road, Bodmin, Cornwall, PL31 1DE

Web. - www.chrisdyerfairs.co.uk

Tel. - 01643 702 757

Mob. - 07966 694 579

10:30-14:30hrs

Admission £2

New Venue/Show

Rayleigh - SRP Toyfairs

Sweyne Park School, Rayleigh, Essex, SS6 9BZ

Web. - www.srptoyfairs1.co.uk

eMail: srptoys1@hotmail.co.uk

Tel. - 07739 998 012 (Paula or Gerry)

10:00 - 14:00hrs

Admission charge unknown

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Tuesday 20th August 2019

Wootton Basset - Steven Clements Fairs - Wootton Basset Evening Fair

Memorial Hall, Station Road, Wootton Basset, Wiltshire, SN4 7EN

eMail: clementfairs@aol.com

Tel. - 01380 725 322

Mob. - 07958 101 891

18:30 - 20:30hrs

Free parking, café

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Auctions

Saturday 17th August 2019

Bury St. Edmunds - Lacy Scott & Knight

Web. - www.lsk.co.uk

eMail - oleggett@lsk.co.uk

Tel. - 01284 748 600 (general enquires)

Tel. - 01284 748 623 (Oliver Leggett - auction)

Toys and Collector's Models

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Thursday 22nd August 2019

Stockton-on-Tees - Vectis Auctions (1st day of a two day auction)

Fleck Way, Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees, TS17 9JZ

Web. - www.vectis.co.uk

eMail - admin@vectis.co.uk

eMail - kathy.taylor@vectis.co.uk (for info. on the charity lots)

Tel. - 01642 750 616

Specialist sale - dolls, bears, soft toys &etc.

"Simply Stunning Studio Bears!

Started in February 2006 by Charlotte Morris and her husband William, Charlie Bears have had a meteoric rise to popularity over a relatively short period of time. Charlotte had built up a wealth of experience with customers, design and pricing having run a couple of successful Teddy Bear Shops in the North of England. Charlie Bears initially launched with twelve bears in the range, designed by Heather Lyell from New Zealand and Isabelle Lee from the US, today these are some of the most elusive and sought-after Charlie Bears on the market.

Currently, the range includes Plumo (mixture of plush and mohair), Isabelle Collection, Minimo (smaller bears), Secret Collection (not in the regular catalogue but for QVC or other country specials), Animals, Accessories, Plush and Baby collections.

The ‘Bear Studio’ designed by Isabelle Lee are the earliest produced for Charlie Bears. They include many of the trademark features including hand-sculpted faces, air-brushed muzzles, hand-embroidered noses and glass eyes. Some have white felt under the eyes to give them that soulful look. Current editions are generally between 200 and 500 pieces world-wide but early releases only included perhaps 100 editions in total.

There are over 450 Charlie Bears in the Sale with 50 plus being Bear Studio and many of the newer ones are ex-shop stock in brand new condition.

Just a few highlights are shown in the following link - https://www.vectis.co.uk/news/simply-stunning-studio-bears"

Please Note:

There are two sections of charity-lots within the auction:

Lots 4439-4487 inclusive are to raise money for Julia’s House Children’s Hospices and Children’s Hospice South West.

www.juliashouse.org 

www.chsw.org.uk

Lots 4542-4554 are to raise money for The Teddy Bear Trust - Never underestimate the healing power of Teddy!  (The more collectable and vintage bears they are selling, are to help with delivery and transport costs; rather than use them for the children, who get all the other toys donated).

https://www.teddytrust.org.uk/

Heathfield - Watson's Auctions

Heathfield Auction Rooms, Burwash Road, Heathfield, TN21 8RA

Web. - watsonsauctioneers.co.uk

eMail - auctions@watsonsauctioneers.co.uk

Tel. - 01435 862 132

Sale starts 10:00am

Toys & Transport Auction

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Friday 23rd August 2019

Stockton-on-Tees - Vectis Auctions (2nd day of a two day auction)

Fleck Way, Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees, TS17 9JZ

Web. - www.vectis.co.uk

eMail - admin@vectis.co.uk

Tel. - 01642 750 616

Specialist sale - trains/model railways

"........................"

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Other Events

Thursday 15th (yesterday) - Monday 26th August 2019

London (Central) - British Museum - Manga at the BM

British Museum, Great russle Street, London, WC1B 3DG

Web. - www.britishmuseum.org

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Thursday 15th (yesterday) - Sunday 15th September

London (Central) - Design Museum - Stanley Kubrick: The Exhibition

Design Museum, Kensington High Street, London, W8 6AG

designmuseum.org

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Friday 16th (today) - Sunday 18th August 2019

Birmingham - TFNation Plc - TF [Transformers] Nation 2019

The Hilton Birmingham Metropole, National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham, B40 1PP

71-57 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JQ (promoters)

Web. - https://tfnation.com/2019

10:00-21:30hrs approximately (Friday 16th)

08:30-22:00hrs approximately (Saturday 17th)

08:30-18:00hrs (Sunday 18th)

Not affiliated to Hasbro Plc, fan-driven Transformers event

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Saturday 17th Augaust 2019

Old Warden - Suttleworth Collection - Flying Proms!

Suttleworth Collection, Old Warden Aerodrome, Bedfordshire

Web. - www.shuttleworth.org

Sounds like a recipe for disaster, but presumably it is a regular and practised spectacular?

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Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th August 2019

Bury - East Lancashire Railway - Sci-Fi in the Sidings

East Lancashire Railway, Bolton Street Station, Bury, Grater Manchester

Web. - www.eastlancsrailway.org.uk

Re-enactors (the inevitable Star Wars Stormtroopers et al!)

Cardiff - Cardiff Castle - Tournament of the Knights

Cardiff Castle, Wales

Web. - www.cardiffcastle.com

Knight's tournaments, re-enactors, living-history, family entertainment &etc.

Cardiff - Cardiff Anime & Gaming Con (CAGC)

Mercure Holland House Hotel, 24-26 Newport Road, Cardiff, CF24 0DD

Web. - summer.cardiffanimecon.com

Tel. - 02920 435 000

10:30hrs (prepaid)/11:00hrs (door) - finish?

Featuring exhibitors, performers, TCG'ing, game tournaments, talks, cosplay contests (nearly £1,000 worth of prizes), Smash, League of Legends (£100 cash prizes), talent show, parties, other activities &etc.

Limited on-site parking, £5 per day or £12 overnight

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Overseas Events

Saturday 17th August 2019

Florence (USA) - Pee Dee Doll Club - Doll & Toy Show

SiMT Conference Center, 1951 Pisgah Road, Florence, SC 29501, South Carolina, USA

Web. - http://www.dollsmagazine.com/locations/simt-conference-center/

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/peedee.dollclub/

eMail - ahayek73@aol.com

Tel. - ++8437 312 107

Leinster (Republic of Ireland) - Prince August Factory - Making badges of Flags of the World

Prince August, 1 Kilnamartyra, Macroom, Co. Cork, P12 FN79, Ireland

info@toysoldierfactory.ie

Tel. - +3532 640 222

No other details known - sounds like fun for kids, with Toy Soldier casting tomorrow (see below) but the Prince August site has nothing on either event, and the Toy Soldier Factory site hasn't been updated for a year? Check before you travel

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Saturday 17th & Sunday 18th August 2019

Chantilly (USA) - Greenberg’s Great Train & Toy Show- Train Show

Dulles Expo Center, 4320 Chantilly Shopping Center, Chantilly, VA 20151

Web. - http://trainshow.com/chantilly/

10:00-16:00hrs

Admission $10 both days, $9 Sunday only, under-11's free

Operating model train displays, free workshops and demonstrations, free door prize giveaways, free test track (test run your trains at the show)

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Sunday 18th August 2019

Leinster (Republic of Ireland) - Prince August Factory - Casting Metal Toy Soldiers

Prince August, 1 Kilnamartyra, Macroom, Co. Cork, P12 FN79, Ireland

info@toysoldierfactory.ie

Tel. - +3532 640 222

No other details known - sounds like fun for kids, with Bagde casting yesterday (see above) but the Prince August site has nothing, and the Toy Soldier Factory site hasn't been updated for a year? Check before you travel

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If you are an event promoter/show curator/auctioneer and you want your toy, model, collectable or popular-/youth-culture type sale/exhibition/event listed here -  FOR FREE  - or linked to; please eMail me -

maverickatlarge[at]hotmail[dot]com

- stating the date/s of the event, address of event, contact details, opening/viewing times, admission pricing and any other relevant facts/details or features - parking, travel notes, disability access, availability of refreshments, event subject matter &etc.

And please mention any flyer-art or poster-/leaflet-scans but send by separate eMail, in case they go to the 'junk' folder, from where they can be recovered and marked safe, but only if I know they're there!

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This Weekend

I've rather failed his week, other things and poor weather combined to produce an unproductive stasis over the last couple of days (and I've been headachy - blub blub! It's all these high/low-fronts blasting over) and at the time of writing there is nothing posting Saturday or Sunday and only a brief paragraph on Monday, now I dare say I'll shove something together, but it won't be much and with Sandown on Saturday and sorting (or gardening!) on Sunday, there may not be anything else substantial 'till Tuesday?

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Other News

Hamley's have opened another store, their second in Guwahti. Now it would be both an easy line, and slightly racist in that casual form of neo-colonial racism to add 'wherever that is', but the fact is I don't know where that is; I, a relatively educated man, don't know where a city (or county/state?) large-enough to support not one, but two Hamley's, is.

The point here being, this is Asia's century, Chinese money in Indian retail-empires; and we - through Trumpundbrexit; through white-right fascist minorities holding the headlines; through the resurgence of catholic intolerance in Central and South America, Eastern Europe and Iberia - are 'fiddling while Rome burns'; are ignoring the fact that 'European civilisation' and - yes! - liberal democracy, have been rather left behind. Sliding to the Right won't help, it will just make us more enemies, quicker!

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Links

The Torygraph? - Twice in one week!

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Beer and soldiers - what's not to like!

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Toy Soldier's in new museum; 830 Kipling Street, Lakewood, Denver, Colorado

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H is for How They Come In

A couple of bits of 'heavy-metal' were the first items to join the collection this week, the little camel - pretty-much Airfix or Marx 'Miniature Masterpiece' Arab-compatible is a piece of base-metal tat, with a fridge-magnet, but fun nevertheless, and removal of the 'pearl' would render him slightly more useful, while the very heavy lump of quite hard whitemetal (probably proper 'mug' pewter) unicorn is a perfect fit for 54/60mm figures, but I couldn't find a suitable rider - in time!

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Big score of LRG's! there were ten figures to a bag for a pound and I found eight, although I noticed a ninth a few days later (today - Thursday - as it happens!) which I left. Mostly they are Mini-Boglins, with a handful each of Monsters in my Pocket  and the Severn Towns thing - Pet Aliens - along with a set I'm unfamiliar with, but which I shall endeavor to find out about!

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Today's minor-haul included two terracotta ('terricata'!) birds and a modern wooden guardsman, very similar to one we had as kids. I am looking out for the original (we had a policeman as well) and have seen two on feebleBay over the years, but both is a bit of a state! Finally a Star Wars figure which was lying in the street!

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Other Stuff

The sunflower has done a brave job of striving to look . . .      

                                  . . . like a daisy, I'm sure you'll agree!

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