T is for Timely Manner . . . No! Toy Show Report . . . No! Torres Maltas! Yes, T is for Torres Maltas!

I am back from Camden! Remembering the criticism of me from 2019, when we were burying Dad, by you know who;

 

"There are three items we can not delay reporting : new figure news, collectible toy shows, and toy trade fairs."

 

I thought I'd better get the reports of yesterday's Toy Soldier Show out, in a 'timely manner', I'd hate to delay the importance of the occasion!

 

I picked this up at the show yesterday, I thought I'd got a mega-bargain, and to be fair I sort of did get a bargain, as it's a rare and usual survivor of old Spanish toy soldiery, but once I'd got it home and had a good look at the damage to the box, and its repairs, I figure it was a fair price, but it WAS, not a lot.

 

We've seen the figures before here, they also did Air Force personal, and there is a definite relationship between these 40mm Torres Maltas ('Maltese Towers') and the larger 54/60mm stuff from Manuel Sotorres, in the styling, the movable arms and the subject matters, but I don't know the exact link, or if I do, it's on the dongles somewhere!

 

The tank is fascinating, filling both the 'space tank' role as a purely fictional vehicle, albeit with shades of M46/7-48-60 in the nose/front glacis-plate, and looking very Hong Kong'y - if you found it in a mixed lot of loose-stuff, you would happily assume it was Hong Kong. The body/hull a blow-mould, the turret, however, injection-moulded.

While the marbled-plastic gun is closer to 54mm-compatible (here posed with a Crescent GI gunner - I got the Joplin big-book out, to save TJF 'having' to make the effort), and has a matchstick-firing capacity with hidden-spring mechanism.

 

Obviously more to come . . . in a timely manner! Very, very important, that you get this stuff out in a timely manner, apparently?

M is for Minor Swivels & Swoppets

Bit of a mix here, some 'seen elsewhere', some old Picasa clearance and one recently 'in' who's gone out, and he isn't really a swivel or a swoppet, but he is an over-mould, so he's here!

A 54/60mm motorcycle dispatch-rider from Manuel Sotorres of Spain, from their sort of post-war/contemporary range back whenever. They seem to have been quite common in Spain at the time, but don't turn-up so much over here, which meant I grabbed this when I saw it!

 

Nardi of Italy provide this swoppet cowboy in the style of Britains' own Swoppets, or at least his belt is modelled after theirs, otherwise he's more like early-Timpo or Charbens; all polyethylene, some paint and none of the PVC accessories Britains gave theirs.

 

Torres Maltas, 45mm figures, also from Spain, and yes, I get both (these and Sotorres) mixed up, and if I'm being particularly dimwitted I can confuse either with the Miguel Torres winery and their plastic bull seal-tags - seen here in the past!

 

I have a bit of a mental block on these for another reason too, I keep thinking I have a bunch 'somewhere' in the pile, but actually I think this is all I have, and I saw some others, somewhere else, and just think they may be hiding in the stash! So three mounted, helmeted troops and a sailor - they have swivel arms.

While this chap could be Nardi, but I suspect he will turn out to be Xandria from Holland, when the dust settles. He is part PVC and part PE, but the two over-moulded or heat-welded in 'layers' for a 'solid' figure, unlike the movability of some of the key-ring 'stacks' from Xandria.

And in conversation with Peter Evans and the recipient of it (I liked it, but I knew someone who's need was greater) we agreed it's probably depicting St. Nicholas, rather than some random bishop or archbish' handing out magic gloves, paired amulets and anointed rods-to-god to any old Tom, Dick or Charlie!?