B is for Building a Bibliography

While we're ticking through the Tente stuff, it would seem to be a good time to look at the construction corner of the library, one of the weaker wings as it happens, and while I believe there is a good book on the Spanish Tente and Exin Castillos, both owned by Exin Lines at one point, I don't have it yet, so mine are mostly the on the Kiddycraft thief from Bilund, Denmark!

 

This was the big boxed set by Dorling Kingdersley, published about fifteen years ago, but available remaindered for a fraction of the original cost for several years after, both volumes have been updated and enlarged in the last few years, with whatever WHSmith are now calling themselves (it's like watching a Diplodocus slowly dieing) currently selling the new, expanded figure-book for a tenner, while the history was republished a few years ago.

 

More personal books, about private projects or themes, two by Warren Elsmore, who has several more titles under his belt, the other also on architectural themes, Lego are now producing kits on the subject of these urban 'town house' types, a case of life imitating art!

 

Classic Sets, rebuilt!

 

Predating the boxed set, and also a DK tome, it too glosses over the theft of the design in the first place, but reveals a tractor model, so similar to the famous Airfix 'Fergie', you wonder who was copying who (the famous Aurora Spitfire controversy, and the Bergan-Beton mounted line), but realise the big-guys were all pretty ruthless and lacking in a level of morality, or ethics, which probably sent the smaller guys to the wall.

 

Latest member of the construction toy section, this is a more interesting work on the relationship/s, actual or imagined (by the authors) between construction toys, and their place in the 20th Century, as compared to the actions of the architects themselves, and has chapters on lesser makes, such as Minibrix, Lincoln Logs,  Bayko, or Triang's Arkitex, and the wackier examples like PlayPlax.

V is for Visit, Spring Visit . . .

. . . to The Works, which proved fruitful, if only to add more ephemeral polymer shite to the stash!

So this was 6-quids-worth of plunder, booty or barrel scrapings - depending upon your point of view! A Dorling Kindersley tome on Kiddybricks-call-me-Lego [do you know; I sometimes spell that ...bricks, sometimes ...briks and sometimes ...brix, yet I have all the notes on a dongle less than two meters away, the only thing preventing me from correcting myself is fucking laziness, and the fact that I know the Tag's right!], a pack of chinosaur dinorasers and a rather nice little Ankylosaurus.

They made a Fergie! I may not know much about anything, but I know that's an MF 135/165 body-shape or my name's Serwin 'Eell! Other than a picture of my old steed, the book is crap, being yet another DK-Lego  inspired marketing exercise in saying nothing with lots of pictures, and most of them are of pretty common fish, still at four-pounds it will add some colour to the bookshelf!

Branded to the same 'Fun Workz' as those risible, n'th-generation copy, propylene, hidiosities we looked at a week or two ago, these are a bit better - imported by TWSL (The Works Stores Limited?) - more erasers; it seems everyone has a set of dinosaur rubbers at the moment, it's the third or forth set we've looked at in less than 12 months! And they had both my favorite greens (apple and puke or is it grass and camel-dung?!!) in one bag - bargain!

The rear of the Ankylosaurus card shows six sculpts, well . . . I saw three of the others and while the Triceratops is worth a punt if they've still got some next time I'm passing and feeling pound-flush, the other two (top right and bottom centre) were disappointing lumps of wasted polymer in the flesh; so I doubt I'll be adding them to the pile - until they turn-up in a cheepie lot a few years hence!

However the Kandytoys model of an Ankylosaurus is a nice little sculpt, about in-scale with Airfix Tarzan figures should you be going down the 'Lost World/Centre of the Earth' path, and you can see how the design of the erasers is semi-flat, even though they are fully round, with the legs sort of welded into one!