I have mentioned them once or twice over the years in passing, invariably dropping the d I fear and writing them 'Lunby', and a real departure for the blog, but I saw this in a charity shop (Age UK, here in Fleet) the other day, and the lady kindly let me photograph it for the blog.
Lundby were a Scandinavian doll's house manufacturer best known for these 'post modern' chalet houses and for buying-out the British maker of dolls furniture/accessories -
Barton, who had similar designs in their range.
My interest comes via the
Motoplay series from
Barton, elements of which were carried/copied by both
Blue Box and
Lucky (among others) and are still available via
Hobbys/Hobbies Annual, as they were always HK imports - you'll know the die-cast petrol pumps as they turn-up all the time in job-lots.
Barton were also makers of wooden farm buildings and such like, but today we're looking at something I know little about - so it's either enjoy the pictures or come back tomorrow and hope there's something a little more war-like for you!
Top floor of the main building, configured as a sort of open-plan master bedroom and a kids room/nursery I think.
What is conventionally the ground floor with a kitchen, living area and study, here being used as a rather Spartan music room?
If Mummy and Daddy were feeling flush, they could purchase an extension, which is placed below the ground-floor! It rather mucks up the conventional layout, but provides two extra rooms, which is two extra levels of play-value I guess. Although there's no stairs to the upper floors, there are windows, so ruling out an imaginary basement!
Close-ups of some of the smaller pieces, it's a very odd mix of traditional and 'groovy' modernist '
Clockwork Orange' accessories. The fireplace is very Scandinavian though, and power was available throughout the dwelling via hidden wiring in the walls and little two-pin plugs - which look like they might be compatible with some model railway accessories - running your level-crossing off your sister's dolls house?
The same odd juxtaposition of styles is found in the kitchen units, where a modern design, finely modeled in plastics is placed next to quite chunky wooden components, but the whole must have looked lovely when brand-new and complete.
My favourite piece, a polar-bear rug made from real fake polar-bear fur! And - it has to be said, not far off 54mm compatible . . . I imagine it on the floor of an Officers Mess, you know: the sort of thing
BMSS guys were doing in the 1970's; box diorama, couple of Lady Butler's or Cuneo prints on the wall, a fan of claymores round a targe over the fireplace and a bunch of Yeomanry officers circa 1910, standing around in Mess Dress!
Although . . . it would look good in a throne-room with a bunch of Vikings eating meat off the bone and drunkenly spilling mead - "
Oi, watch the bearskin Olaf, it stains easy!"
