B is for Big Box of Bounty - Intro' and Sports

So, with much gratitude, we start looking at Chris Smith's Autumn donation to the blog, another wonderful pile of the esoteric stuff he's put to one side for the last few months, and sent to me, to share with you, and there are some real treats among it all.

 

Immediately, we can see useful stuff on the top, I won't say anything, as we're going to go through it piece by piece, but what can you see, and; imagine opening this, and getting to dig through it, especially if your interests are as esoteric as mine!

 

I didn't announce it on Faceplant either, this time, because they want me to provide a 3d video of myself to prove who I am, and as we went through all that a few years ago, when they were asking for scans of passport or driving licence, I don't feel I need to prove my existence again?

 

They don't care who's a member, or how real/legitimate they are, they just want to feed data into their AI-bots, and generate some 3D avatar of me on the other side of the planet, so, I'm consequently rather off Faceplant for now, and maybe forever (check your junk folder, I've eMailed you from .gmail!)?

 

Initial sorting, and I haven't texted over it like sometimes, but a spiral from the top left gives; Prehistoric, Ancient & Medieval, Wild West, Pirates, Paratroopers (not numerous enough for the usual opening line-up shot!) Civilians, Bits & Bobs, Vehicles & Vessels, Wild & Domestic Animals, Historical & Ceremonial Sci-Fi & fantasy (with TV/Movie), Cartoon (also with TV/Movie stuff), Divers and finally, Sports with a Circus horse! And, apart from the horse, it's those last two we're looking at first.

 

These are fun, I thought I'd posted them years ago, but I didn't, so this is their debut - Tomy's Electronic Super Cup Football, a battery-operated, hand held 7-a-side football game, which came with two pre-painted, near HO-gauge compatible teams, in red and blue with yellow and green goalies, already emplaced in the holders on the pitch. But, in little drawers under the game, you got these, blank, flesh-coloured runners for painting your own favourite teams . . . although, no paints were included!

 

Three more cracker/capsule/Lucky Bag/Piñata type Olympians, two sizes and three different base marks give's you some idea of the task faced in sorting them all out, I had a half a go at the small-scale (these) near the beginning of the blog (nearly 19-years ago now!), and we looked at the bigger ones a year or two ago, but there's still a lot to cover/sort out, so every example is valued.

 

The weight-lifter is the same as the one in Peter's last lost, and has broken in nearly the same place, a weak-spot where the two flows of plastic meet in the cavity, a thin point, a cooler point, and a point which will get most stress, in play!

 

Hong Kong cake decoration footballers; I used to have a few of these in a bag, the same two poses, always damaged and no balls, but in recent years thanks to people like Adrian, Chris, John, Peter and Trevor, I've got a better sample to gather together and blog properly one day. But, suffice to say, more poses, some with footballers, complete examples, and several sets/sources are now clear. And there'll be a follow-up later.

 

Board-game or Totopoly pieces, we have seen them before, but it's a set of twelve, in three or four (?) colours (I think three each of four), and with plastic and metal (earlier, but commoner) to find, I still have plenty of gaps, especially as the waterslide transferred numbers can be missing or flaked badly.

 

The little red one is a similar chap, but much smaller, and seems to have plugged-in to something which may be similar to the Tomy football game? New to me, Blog and collection though, and I do have lots of these 'unknown' horse racing figures, most in small quantities. Like football games, there's a lot of horse racing games out there.

 

The little chap is from the Chap Mai play sets, there was the big Aircraft Carrier set, and a few window box 'gift set' type things, with a pair of runners, holding assorted Galoob style figures, in black and khaki.

 

The larger one is really nice, seems to be an unarmed sport/hobby diver, (lacking weapons, and seemingly undamaged), he might be a fish-tank thing, or, like the divers-watch promotional from Down Under, we saw a few years ago, something more commercial? Hard polystyrene, and, yeah, very interesting, does anyone know who he is? I have a feeling we've seen a similar figure, possibly seated?

 

Table-top football games and table-football players! We've looked at both generations of the Subbuteo St. John's Ambulance stretcher teams (left-hand figure), the magnetic footballers will need further work, as the samples are all over the place, likewise the spring-loaded ones, there are many versions/makers/issuers/titles associated with both types.

The magnetic ones can come with different cones, same-coloured figures or painted ones like the above, and in various qualities of pose and/or sculpting. Likewise, with the many versions of the yellow chaps' above -  standing on footballs -who can also be found in straight-armed sculpts, with plug-in springs, flat plastic bases or suckers, and manufactured in rubber, 'styrene or celluloid!

But, again, the chap on the right is very interesting, I have some in hard plastic, from Hong Kong, I think we've seen them here, and their similarity to the Gem ones has always led me to believe they were second generation piracies. But this chap is in soft polyethylene, and looks very 'early British plastic', so I'm wondering if they might belong with the diminutive 18/20mm circus and fox-hunters, in the "Possibly Charbens cake decorations" folder?

Certainly, while they (I think there are two similar poses) resemble the Gemodels goalie, they are less three-dimensional, which is a trait of Charbens sculpting, and something you could accuse those unknown mini-circus figures (and the 'other' Christmas carol-singer set) of suffering from . . . so food for thought there, thanks to Chris!

T is for Toys In The Media - Part the somethingth . . .

 

I was reminded in the early hours of this morning, of the words of Jamie Delson, owner and CEO of The Toy Soldier Company, when he was interviewed by the New Yorker magazine back in May 1992 . . .

 

. . . which has me contemplating, as we've visited them about four times now! Above is one of the pairs the modern Culpitt carried, still available from a few sellers online, they were previously sold by various other brands, sometimes as a six (although only five poses remain), and have clearly been around for several decades! Are you a starving man in the desert, readers, do you know one?

This was illustrating an 'advertorial' puff-piece on watches in The Sunday Times, back in October 2002, and shows what are probably the Toyway reissues of the Lone Star Guard's Band, under the Timpo label.

This was a common ad' back in the . . . 1990's-early 2000's? Advertising an ISA producd for Egg (now the Yorkshire Building Society), and is obviously artwork, but drawing heavily on the Subbuteo footballers designed by Charle Stadden.

Launched on August 5, 2011, the Juno probe to the Jovian system has three crew! Origianlly designed to be crashed into Jupiter at the end of the mission (to protect the integrity of the moons we are hoping to visit in the future), its mission has now been extended (for a second time) until late 2025, so these three are still very-much up there, or out there! I don't know where the cutting came from?

 

Galileo found Jupiter, the other two are more obvious!

News, Views Etc . . . Vectis Over the Next Fortnight

Another newsletter from Vectis brings a reprise of the other-day's announcement and further details on three more auctions next week (this coming week) and two the week after, as I seem to have saved dosh during lockdown, as have others I know, might be that you too are ready for a splurge?

Lot 5

TV & Film-related Sale

Tuesday 23rd June 2020, Starts - 10:00hrs

" The TV and Film related sale to be held on the 23rd of June features 64 lots of The Key Issue Comic Book Collection, over 1500 issues of Silver, Bronze and Modern Age Marvel, DC and other comics, including large groups and Single issues, with some hard and soft back books. Further items in the sale include Star Wars helmet collection groups, model kits, accessories, plus carded and loose figures, including graded. There is a large collection of Batman figures and vehicles, Thunderbirds collectables, Camberwick Green figures, plus Transformers, He-Man, Dr Who, and many more. The sale will also include a large selection of Prototype, One-off and Pre-Production sample items, from Disney characters, Star Wars, Tonka and Sindy plus Mr Turnip BBC TV original Whirligig scripts, artwork and ephemera. Further items include Hero Quest and other fantasy board games and sets, Modern Action Man, Subbuteo, Lego, and Caterbench product. "

Catalogue (on-line and download) here

Lot 1025

Specialist Die-Cast Sale

Wednesday 24th June 2020, Starts -10:00hrs

" The Specialist Sale to be held on the 24th of June, features seven private owner collections. The French Collection features 41 lots from Victory Models, Shackleton, and boxed and unboxed cars, trucks, and buses from Dinky. The Yorkshire Collection includes 29 lots of boxed and unboxed Dinky models whilst The Hampshire Collection features Tinplate and Plastic models from Mettoy, Wells Brimtoy, Victory Models, and Triang Minic; plus Corgi and Dinky figure sets and vehicles. The Graham Tucker Collection comprises a number of different toys and books, plus Pelham Puppets, Triang Minic ships, and Corgi Gift Sets; Dinky, Budgie and Matchbox. 1/50th scale cranes, Excavators and construction machinery feature in The Humberside Construction Collection whilst Private Owner Collection #1 includes Lansdowne Models, SMTS models, Spark, IXO, Minichamps, EFE, plus Aircraft and Corgi Aviation Archive. There are further items from Other Vendors including TV and Film related diecast, French Dinky, Marklin and Dinky Aircraft. "

Catalogue (on-line and download) here

Lot 2037

General Toy Sale

Thursday 25th June 2020, Starts - 10:00hrs

" The General Toy Sale to be held on the 25th of June, features The World's largest collection of Law Enforcement Insignia and Police Memorabilia. The haul of over 10,000 pieces forms part of an emergency services collection, amassed by a private collector over several decades. Further items in the sale include boxed groups from Lledo, EFE, Bburago, Solido, Matchbox Models of Yesteryear plus many others. There is a large selection of magazine Issues from Hachette, Altire and similar; Britains boxed sets, Disney "Cars?, Dinky, Danbury Mint, Triang, and white metal and resin lots from Provence, Record, John Day, Starter and others.  Further items include books, video games and consoles, board games, magazines, robots and space toys, Subbuteo, Lego and much more. "

Catalogue (on-line and download) here

Lot 3097

Model Train & Railway Sale

Friday 26th June 2020, Starts - 10:00hrs

" The Model Train sale to be held on the 26th June features The St Martins Bay Collection; OO Gauge British Outline from Hornby, Bachmann, TMC Models and other Manufacturers & Accessories. HO Gauge Continental & American Outline, N Gauge and OO & O Gauge Golden Age Models. Further items in the sale include OO Gauge British Outline from Other Vendors, a Wrenn Single Owner Collection, Part 3 of The Chris Freeman Meccano & Vintage Toy Collection, plus further Meccano & Other Constructional Toys, Live Steam, Hornby, Modern and further O Gauge plus Books, Magazines & Catalogues, Railway Photographs, Pictures & Prints and our usual good selection of General Trains. "

Catalogue (on-line and download) here

Lot 4351

Specialist Matchbox Toy Sale

Monday 29th June 2020, Starts - 10:00hrs

" The Matchbox sale to be held on the 29th of June includes two private owner collections. The Belgium Collection and the Bruges Collections, both feature Matchbox Regular Wheels, boxed and unboxed, single models and groups, including cars, commercials, buses, tractors and emergency vehicles plus others. The collections also include Gift Sets, Major Packs, King Size and Super King. Further items in the sale include sales and service stations, Accessory and Major Packs, Super Kings, Speed Kings, King Size and Superfast. The sale will also include unlisted variations, factory errors and unfinished models, plus, counter displays, books, catalogues, artwork, games and sets. "

Catalogue (on-line and download) here

Lot 5606

The Joe & Urs Ayres Matchbox Toy Collection Sale

Tuesday 30th June 2020, Starts - 10:00am

" The Joe and Urs Ayres Collection to be held on the 30th of June is a private owner collection of over 600 Lots of Matchbox Regular Wheel models. The collection includes road and racing cars, trucks and haulage, tractors, motorcycles, removals vans, constructions vehicles, buses and coaches, caravans', boats, military and many more. They include many rare and hard to find issues with different colour and wheel variations. "

Catalogue (on-line and download) here

Vectis also explained the system as it stands and going forward in the immediate future;

" We are now back and working to almost full capacity. We have a one or two Specialists still shielding and we have safe distance measures set out within the warehouse, but the Auctions are continuing and the prices being achieved are very strong.

We are still operating closed Auctions, with no viewing or room attendance. Bids can be made prior to, or on the day of the sale, please see our website for more details.

Because of the measures in place, and the time-off we have had, we are still slightly behind with packing, so please bear with us when waiting for deliveries, rest assured we are working as quickly and safely as possible whilst ensuring our usual high standard of packing.

If you would like to collect your lots please contact us prior to collection and once paid we can arrange a mutually agreed time with you.

We have some fantastic collections coming up this month, a World Record Collection, Original BBC props, Key Issue comic books, and a plethora of private owner collections with many rare and sought after Lots. Please take a look at our online catalogues and remember, if you would like any further information or photographs we will be happy to provide extra condition reports on any Lots. "

C is for Civilian Stuff

So, looking at the 'highlights from Chris Smith's parcel, I know Chris is always interested to see what I pick and why, but there was so much good stuff in this last lot, I can't possibly do it all justice in a coule of posts, and haven’t even selected things from every pile after the first sort, but here's some of the more interesting pieces.

The Elastolin and Britains copy farm people are generic China-marked soft (probably silicon of some sort) figures of the kind you get in vehicle sets or rack-toys, but are both new to the collection, the little red chap I know but can't remember! I think he's either from Ship Wreck or On the Buses . . . some other bus or ship-related board game, Abandon Ship? Possibly Waddington's?

The two lifeboat crew are interesting, they seem to be from a kit, and while I don't know it for sure, I've a feeling it may be the Frog kit which ended up behind the iron-curtain with . . . Kader? Something like that? But several lifeboats have been manufactured over the years so confirmation still required!

Which leaves the fat policeman! Now, in correspondence with Chris I've already chosen the sucker-guardsman (from the next post) as my favorite thing in the whole lot, but if he hadn't been there, this chap would take the medal. He's marked Hong Kong, but the lack of a base suggests cracker novelty or gum-ball, capsule-machine prize, rather than a die-cast or plastic vehicle set's accessory? He had an approximation of a British 'Bobbies' helmet, but a double breasted jacket more in-tune with 1950's New York cops and while he may be a copy of a less common hollow-cast, he's new to me and I think he's rather lovely.

All the footballers, I've Blogged them (footballers) so often in the last 18-months, if I didn't show all these now, I don't know when we'd get round to them again!

And three new to me, the Perspex flat far-right, middle, is probably an early type of Subbuteo figure, possibly from the Rugby game? The blue-and-white pair below him are quite statue-like and I wonder is they are a late replacement for the even more stolid Waddington's soccer set we've seen here previously?

While the Claret and Blue fella' (he's Hammer's!! Not poxy Palace) is totally new to me and a really nice figure around 35mm. the rest have been seen in one form or another here and consist of the ball-kicking novelty figure, a Culpitt, some Subbuteo and various blow-football figures, but why there are three colours of one type is a bit of a mystery.

So soon after the trio from Kevin (?), comes another, not the missing pose, nor the missing colour but neither a full duplicate either, so that 'group' or sample has grown! And I was wrong with the fractal-face thing, they are smaller ones; copies of these, this one has a separate plug-in face, held in place by a larger plug-in 'fish-bowl' visor.

There was also a small space novelty, which has particular resonance in this of all years, I spent sometime trying to get the metal ball to go down a hole, before realising it didn't have a hole, it's more of a rattle to annoy a cat with! I must exercise my glasses' prescription.

From the cartoon and TV/Movie pile comes a very eclectic collection of polymer and composition novelty 'stuff'. Woodie and Scoobie are both pencil-toppers of relatively recent manufacture, the little boat has probably lost its sail, but now goes quite well with the 'Brown WaterNavy'.

The composition thing is supposed to be a hedgehog I think, and is missing a pipe or cigar or cigarette, which is replaceable, but only once I've discovered whether it should be composition, a scrap of wood, metal or plastic? German? Easter thing? And technically a composite rather than composition, due to the stuck-on mohair hairpiece and the missing mouth-accessory.

The Beetlejuice 'snake' is fun. I was re-watching the film a few months ago and though "There's not many toys of this film?" when one turns up! It seems to be an accessory from a larger action figure set, but with the head around 54/60mm compatible I can see him reappearing at some point, wrapped round a ner-do-well! Soft PVC or silicon, he has set bends which don't equate to pencil-topping, but he must have wrapped around something or someone?

From the animal pile are a few items worth a mention now. The three dinosaurs are china-marked re-issues of earlier 1970's Hong Kong tools, but are useful as they tie two marks and two paints together by being of the same plastic, which helps sort the rest out of the 'unknown' zones.

The little Joal tiger is a bit paint-faded but a lovely sculpt, the turkey is another item for the Fontanini pile, while the deer (which looks quite new) has some kind of locating plug on its tail. I wonder if it's part of an early-learning thing were you plug him in where it says D is For Deer of something like that? I also think I've seen it before, but maybe another animal? If anyone knows, put the rest of us out of our curious misery by telling us!

Below we have four of the Merit animals we looked at in two posts back at the beginning of the blog, they come with a steam-traction engine circus 'train' and/or with a Noah's ark set, and there are so many colours I'll be ferreting them away until I die and not have all of them!

The post finishes with a die-cast Kinder elephant (left) and a nice little monkey (right) who's new to me, seems to be loosely-based on the old Timpo monkey with ball, but err . . . without ball!

S is for Subbuteo's Snappy Songsters!

Although known to be by Subbuteo in the UK, it's likely these were bought-in, and probably from Hong Kong, for several reasons, not least that a falco subbuteo (European hobby), as a small raptor, probably eats beetles when it's had a poor day's hunting larger pray!

Two other [proper!] reasons for suspecting importation are that 1) they were also issued carded in the 'States with white rosette-backs as lapel badges, presumably to cash-in on a US Tour?

2) They are made of a softish plastic which could be either a polyethylene or a dense PVC, either way; it's a much better material for making footballers than the brittle styrene Subbuteo was using at the time.

Nevertheless, they are very well-done compared to all the other 'Beatles' cake-decorations we've looked at, although Subbuteo sold them as stand-alone (stand- together!) figures in a window-box set. All three guitars are different shapes, with well-registered stickers applied, and all are held in place with a small black rubber-band on the note-forming/fret-board wrist.

The drummers stool is glued on and the Drum-kit usually has more than just a bass-drum if I recall correctly (with a stand of some kind?), but a slip of the scissors (you had to cut the kit out) and you might easily end up with just the main drum! Indeed, the lack of a 'proper' drum-kit may point to the US badges coming first?

RDA is for A Sort of Follow-Up!

Many moons (and several actual blue-moons) ago, I added 'Cricket' to the lag list with a quick overview of the available figures, or at least those from my collection! This is one of two updates to that original post from 2011 publishing today on Small Scale World.

I picked-up this set in a charity shop a few weeks ago, it's the second version of the RDA Wicketz game using Subbuteo players, basically a re-issue in new graphics, it was one of two issued at the same time, the other having hand-painted figures laid out in a flocked tray and more accessories or something, it's all here on a real enthusiast's (Peter Upton) site.

Of more interest is that the final version (and the one I've still to find) was issued under Paul Lamond's label, now they are the current carriers of Hasbro's Subbuteo footballers, and it suggests Hasbro (or Paul Lamond) where somewhere in the background of the RDA thing?

A reminder of the figures, they were pretty-well done to death - image wise - in the original post, but suffice to say they are from the Subbuteo tool, but fitted with different bases, the batsmen converted to spin in their bases.

Note also; the wickets, previously shot in a wood-sympathetic shade of plastic, are now the same plain white polystyrene as the players.

Of far more interest was a change to the offered mail-away sets, which now included coloured team-strips. I have never seen these and presumed they hadn't been issued, however the link above reveals they do turn-up occasionally. The right hand-side shows the unpainted figures you could purchase to paint yourself.

The new teams and other accessories now read;

International Teams (painted, in order given)

- Sri Lanka
- West Indies
- England
- South Africa
- New Zealand
- Pakistan
- India
- Australia
- Zimbabwe

Sunday League Teams (painted, in order given)

- Kent
- Northampton
- Derbyshire
- Hampshire
- Surrey
- Lancashire
- Warwickshire
- Worcestershire
- Sussex
- Middlesex
- Gloucestershire
- Nottinghamshire
- Essex
- Yorkshire
- Leicestershire
- Somerset

Other Items

- Unpainted Team/s (you had to specify team/s as they came in base-coloured plastic)
- All 9 Unpainted Teams (International line-up)
- All 16 Unpainted Teams (Sunday League line-up)
- All 9 International Teams (painted)
- All 16 Sunday League Teams (painted)
- Scoreboard
- Scorepad [sic]
- 2 Sightscreens
- Self Assembly Set (6 deckchairs, 2 rollers, glue)
- Complete Set (6 deckchairs, 2 rollers, scoreboard, scorepad, 2 sightscreens, 4 teams, unpainted)
- Complete Set (6 deckchairs, 2 rollers, scoreboard, scorepad, 2 sightscreens, 2 international teams, 2 Sunday League teams, painted)