O is for Older Charity Shop Stuff

These were procured between January and October 2022, and are from a larger folder we will dip into a couple more times to empty, and there's a run-up to Christmas post on Charity Shop purchases coming too.

We're going from the sublime to the ridiculous in this post, and while not ridiculous, this little set from Red Deer hasn't turned-up in either of the Red Deer haunts Peter Evans or me have been sourcing Red Deer from! But it turned-up in a charity shop for less than a quid? Mini-vinyls!

 

This and the next one, were real finds, they were a few quid each, can't remember how much but not enough, maybe £3.50p each, something like that. They are almost certainly ivory, and not bone, they are too fine a texture, and a few years ago they would have been worth a lot at auction, if not thousands, certainly hundreds, especially for this one, as it's a recognisable character figurine of The Mahatma Gandi?

 

But I'm not so sure now, selling ivory without provenance is hard (I've kept the receipts to establish provenance for futures sale), but they are both 'clean' enough to be illegal, modern pieces, which is what the legislation is designed to clamp-down on?

 

This one is possibly a goddess, or priestess, and with a slight patina, could be a little older, I have a fair bit of ivory in the collection from teeny little Indian cracker-toys, and bracelet charms, from before the last war, to Japanese pieces better than these.

 

But it is all a bit of a liability now, it's fine to own the stuff, but selling it and/or buying it can be problematical, so one day it will probably all go to a Museum, but not until I've put them all on an 'Ivory' page in the A-Z's, or here?

 

Santa is a cat person! Hey, it's not the 6th yet, but three folders of crackers, baubles and cake decorations have now joined Brian's nativity shots for an eleven-month sleep! And I can't remember if the Tortoise was resin or PVC, but I thought it was worth a punt?

This was another real find, a cold-painted 'Vienna bronze', probably German and despite the chipping, a really nice piece of antique novelty figurine, and again eminently saleable in the hundreds, so one day I will part with it, to finance a gap-filler/grail piece, but for now I rather like them and they stay!

R is for Red-Dino-Deer!

Well, the last 'quickie' ended-up being a bit wordy - and I added two images! This will be a real quickie, by way of a follow-up to Brian's B's dino-post of the other day; Red Deer, a brand both Peter E and myself keep finding, sometimes the same sets, sometimes different, sometimes the same sets on different packaging, this found about a week ago here in Fleet!

Small 'Toob' of mini-dinosaurs, some of which we may have seen here at Small Scale World already, as unknowns in a Charity-shop post, standard fare, with the tube packed-out with spurious scenics (useful for war-gamers) and a handful of dinky-dino's.

Here are the dinosaurs; all manufactured in a dense polyethylene rather than the more common PVC-substitute these smaller dino's tend to be found in these days. Each then sprayed from above in a single colour, some of which appear to have a metallic sheen, which isn't there when you look closely, so I suspect a slight translucence or inkiness to the paint, like old-fashioned glass-paint?

The accessories, two rocky outcrops and a couple of palm-trees, following the usual pattern for them these days  - a pair growing together in a semi-flat countenance, with plug on foliage. That's it, out there now in independent hardware and 'everything else' stores; Red Deer's imported 12-piece dinosaur set.

H is for How They Come In - Peter - June

Another day another gratefully-received donation to the Blog; just as Lockdown was starting to really grate with most, and the same morning as the latest issue of Plastic Warrior arrived, I received a lovely surprise from Peter Evans;

In the shape of mostly rack toy type stuff, or things suited to individual posts we have - now - seen most of the above sets and some of the lose bits like the pyramids - everyone should see the pyramids!

Other items of interest were the erasers (previous post today); a rather nice (possibly old'ish) crocodile; two mid-scale farm workers; the three large Egyptians, which due to one of them being a standing-about mummy with get a reprise later; an interesting copy of a Britains Deetail Japanese soldier who's not from the Kwong Wah series of chrome-sprayed ones and a fantastic Scooby [♪-doobie-♫] Doo (RIP Joe Ruby) dressed in a Sherlock Holmes costume!

Cracker toys, Boley cowboys, a wooden farmer's wife, snakes, a daft squirrel and a rather nice rabbit in a daft colour all add to the joy of sorting, and I suspect the twin palm trees are also from the large tub version of Wild Republic's set from whence came the pyramids?

While technically an action figure with various simple (single plane) points of articulation, I was rather taken by this, the construction of the horse is reminiscent of the larger Indians branded to Maxxi which wear various monikers, so he may be findable about the place under various brand-marks.

But he is big, ELC, Papo or Schleich big at about 70/80-mil? Still give him a better weapon, de-seam the joints and add some painting; he could look really sharp as a stand-alone display-figure and the caparison is begging for a complicated design!

S'not yours; s'mine!

M is for Many More Motorised Machines!

I think it's fair to say Rack Toy Month wouldn't be RTM without three elements, Parachute toys (coming), Dinosaurs (done!) and motorcycles! Not all 'rack-toys' but let's get that box ticked before we run-out of Month!

Lion toys from . . . I can't remember when now, I think I've mentioned it on another visit to the Catalogue, about 1984 I think? Maybe 1980? Anyway, the bike's tool is still around, we saw them in newer packaging a couple of year's ago, but of more interest are the Corgi copies of race official and camera-man.

Lego! I was holding this for a better shot, but this post is a Picasa clearer, so they've been shoe-horned in to get them off the laptop. Note (if you were following the Blog eleven years ago) the conversion to a German soldier on a DKW is still waiting for arms, handlebars and . . . . paint!

I will try to re-shoot them separately (and better) as comparisons with the scooter rider in the Airfix Civilians set over on that Blog one day?

Not motorised, but as there were bicycles in the previous shot, they can fit here, also we have seen them before I think, but I don't always remember what's what, so shot them again (or just had some shots left over) as I think the red one is a new colour?

Robo-motorbike-cop! There's no indication this chap from Lik Be / LB is a policeman or any other kind of law-enforcement or security operative, but I've always thought of him that way! He could just as easily have a hose and a buffer in his hand sockets for cleaning cars "Would you like wax with that Sir?", but I like to think they are a siren-horn and a 'needle-gun'!

Branded to Hunson and shipped into the 'States by JPW, these were sent to the Blog by Brian Berke and look to be 3/4 inch Action Figure sized? Four colours with a possible shade variation of the green - but including it would have ruined the collage!

I can't remember if we've seen one of these, both of them or neither? More board game flats anyway! The one on the left looks a bit like the Waddington's one from those post-war versions of Monopoly (see recently here at Small Scale World), but is a softer lead/whitemetal flat, while the other one (with a short-shot suffering front wheel - bouncy-bouncy!) is probably from a much earlier Edwardian game from between the wars?

Similar to the green one

By way of a follow-up to a motorcycle ChrisSmith donated to the Blog a year ago, but only in its size, and the stabiliser wheels! Classic rack toy, and it can't have been rare as that rider seems to have been in every-other rummage tray I've ever looked through!

Speaking of Chris, he sent these as a follow-up to the unknown copy of a Britains Sheriff's motorcycle we looked at a while ago, which came from Jeff I think, at Sandown Park, or Gareth - I can't for the life of me find the post now, so if any loyal readers happen to have bookmarked it, or know where it is?

Chris not only found the bike and a complete rider, but he found the accompanying (Spanish) guard and the base of that figure reveals the truth - Guisval! Obviously they can be used as WWII Germans, but with a Harley-D and white gloves I think we are actually talking Franco's Civil Guard, on parade?

These came in a week or two ago, a donation from Peter Evans, and another Red Deer offering; chunky and fitted with stabilisers, they are really infant toys (as if most of the rest aren't!), bt it's all grist to the mill.

Only seen the other day, but I already had these in the big folder! Home-cast or similar figures, the post was here.

T is for Two - Current Production, 'Real' Rack Toys

The driving force behind the origins of Rack Toy Month (RTM), was the phenomena of August being the quiet month , the slow news month, the hot humid month when one hasn't always got the energy or inclination for deeper articles requiring much research &etc, coupled with a seasonal drop-off in readers/traffic as people go away . . . well; this year there seem to be more people at home, but circumstances have meant the year's not 'panning out' in any way, and I've not been here so much!

Another reason behind the RTM thing was that it allowed me to clear some of the less salubrious stuff, which has some validity, but might not be of interest to all, and this post is one of those!

Both donated by Peter Evans of PlasticWarrior magazine, this will probably go-on to charity, as I have little use and less space for a large, pull-cord motor, carpet-toy, warplane!

But don't think it's not appreciated though, a second set of images are on the dongle for eventual inclusion on the A-Z Blog entry; the bigger-picture being of import . . . it is quite literally - all grist to the mill. And PMS have shown more valid stuff in the past, so will have an importance in the final picture of the 'whole'.

While this is also lacking figures, apart from a simplified action-figure knock-off who probably won't interest loyal readers of the Blog (I stand to be corrected if this is your 'thing' and you follow the Blog!).

Red Deer are currently to be found in independent general stores, although it's almost certainly a phantom brand, however wholesaler-invented rather than retailer-invented, the contents included stuff previously seen in other branding by both Poundland (GE or Funrise) and the now defunct 99p Stores (the above PMS for instance, or Top Toys), actually; the tank - I think - was previously seen carded by Funtastic in Pounland?

Anyway, both out there now, and many thanks to Peter for sending them, another rack-toy box, ticked!

R is for Rack-Toy Gliders

Quick apology to Mr. B - our support in New York; he sent a set of the Superhero gliders we looked at last time to the blog for closer inspection, but I've misplaced them in the attic somewhere so they aren't here. What we do have are some more of the 'traditional' or bog-standard, pocket-money ones in envelopes and a 'pack of three'!

These are in the local pop-up discount store, and you get three colourful jets, two with vaguely Asian or Asian-reminiscent markings (South Vietnam (orange) and China/North Korea/North Vietnam (blue) ?), the other even more generic in yellow and all three the same die-cut design. Red Deer - it's the fourth or fifth item from them, found by Peter Evans or myself in the last couple of years, so some importer's nom de jour!

I shelfied these awhile ago, but they still have them and I may purchase one (for the life-changing amount of a whole quid!) for next time, as when I was putting everything away in the garage a year ago I found the storage lot and - as I mused before - there is a four-prop Lancaster! . . .  and several older promotional/advertising freebies/giveaways in balsa, so another post due on these in a year or so  . . . got to top-up the tag occasionally!

I was so intrigued by the FW Trainer on the pack-back listings last-time, when I saw them together somewhere, I bought both to compare, as with the others (about five brandings now, these are Rex - London (Rex - International)) the printing as been allowed to deteriorate with age and the change in material they are printed on - they used to be balsa but have been expanded-polystyrene sheet for a couple of decades, or more now.

You can see where the original German crossed have been Photoshop'ped out (although that probably happened before 'Photoshop' ever existed) which is odd as it's the swastika that has the cultural-association problems attached; not the cross?

The 'A-4' looks like a Focke Wolf, I fear the 'TA 152H' trainer (an Eocke Wolf!) is using the same dies as the Japanese Zero!

H is for Hard Plastic Animals

I really don't know what else to call them! This is a bit of a box ticker, and represents the efforts of seveal people, over about the last three years, everything being chucked in a folder until publishing, which you nearly got last August, but time waits for no man!

The phenomena or trope we're looking at here is hard, polystyrene plastic toy animals, manufactured in a hollow-cast style, with the hollow in the extremities (legs mostly) visible, this due to or caused by the act of not bothering with undercuts by creating the animal in two halves - in a shallower, two part mould, and then gluing the halves together. This is presumably cheaper that having a more complicated three-part mould, to create a similar solid/single-piece model from polyethylene or PVC; with the undercuts filled-in?

These two were shelfied by Brian Berke over two years in new York and are branded to Lan Jia Da (left) and Rong Xing Toys (right), one of which (if not both!) has to be a phantom brand.

Contents are identical and scale is 'large' but not consistent. The actual sculpts are quite good, the panda possibly a bit dog-like and I'm not sure I'm familiar with the monkey species, but they are dirt-cheap rack-toys!

Again a year-apart and again 'stateside, but the same branding (Zhenkai), and scale is further apart with the domestic cat posing a threat not just to the zebra, but the giraffe! They are also manufactured slightly differently with the hooves/ankles fully-round, so the possible savings hinted at above my not have been involved here, which begs the question; why any hollows at all? I guess material is still saved?

These are of a larger size again, and carry AAI branding on the sticker and tampo-printed onto the side of the Donkey. We've previously seen them here shipping-in dinosaurs from the Far East sub-branded to Bely, also courtesy of Brian - both the animals shelfie and the past dino' set. Design is the same as the first set we looked at.

I love the artwork (Photoshop or I'm TJF), one sheep is saying to the other "Don't look now, but there's a giraffe in our field" while the horse clearly let Lady Gaga do its hair!

Red Deer have gone with a giant duck  and tiny horse! The left hand one was sent to the blog by Peter Evans, over a year ago I think; although they are now on a hook in Fleet here, as the new pound-shop has them (right hand image) where they were shelfied! Added play value comes with two pieces of fence! And some greenery . . .

. . . which are no more than sections of budget plastic plant! It's naff isn't it; not even cost can be an excuse for not including a couple of 'proper' flat trees!

A few close-ups showing how it's the backs of the legs which end-up still hollow after the two separately-moulded pieces have been glued together. This allows for the animal to be shot in a shallow mould-tool, like a kit, before being assembled and given a touch of paint. The duck and hen however seem to have a third 'gusset' piece, or to have be manufactured slightly differently, possibly more expensively, but it's the unit price of the set which matters.

I also had these come in (from Chris or Jim?) in an odd-lot, the deer is missing his antlers and they have some age to them, probably weren't 'rack toys' but are manufactured and assembled the same way as the others. You can see they have been given fully-round legs but at the cost of a flat section running up to them from the join-line.

These resemble Tri-Ang/Mettoys 'wheelimals' in size and execution, but without the wheels and I suspect they may be Marx? Whether US or UK I wouldn't like to guess, especially as there's no evidence for them being Marx at all beyond a similarity between this Hippo's pose (and painting) and the little HO Miniature Masterpiece one?

I guess an infant's ark set? And that's large hollow, polystyrene animals for while. Thanks to Brian, Peter, Chris and Jim for the 'stuff' of the article.

C is for Contributed Chinatroops

I haven't got a big post or set of posts on Army Men this year for RTM but there are a few, and both these have come from other sources; with shelfies of a set from across the pond via Brian 'Terranova' Berke and a set from closer to home donated to the Blog by Peter 'PW's Roving Reporter' Evans, so thanks to both.

Brian sent me these shots to see if I could ID them, I wasn't 100% at the time but I'm sure now that they are 2nd generation sub-piracies of the 1990's New Ray figures, we looked at some 1st generation copies last year in the big RTM four-parter (which over-ran into September!), and you can see these have suffered a further drop in detail/quality, but . . . they will still paint-up.

Indeed seeing what the Man of Tin - Men of Tin has been/is doing with those 30mm's from Poundland/99p Stores (et al), it's fair to say the less detail, the more can be done with paint! Branded to WowToyz Inc., and available in TJMaxx, I haven't seen them in TK' . . . yet!

Meanwhile OTL are importing these Red Deer branded 'army men', and again we saw these last year, but in a series of screen-grabs of various issues from various phantom-brands and Ali-Baba page-holders, so hard to tell which was which and which these are closest too.

As they are 3rd or 4th generation copies-of-copies-of-&etc., with a skeletal semi-flat countenance it matters not, but with 20-odd each of four colours they might keep two small boys quiet in a wet caravan . . . not much danger of that this year though!

Peter and Brian - cheers guys, even especially 'chinatroops'-  all grist to the mill!

Monday 6th - Follow-up in the pipeline! I got home from posting this article to find a big parcel from Peter Evans, with more on these, digging in the dongles added yet more still!