R is for Ravensburger's Rake of Role-Play Recreations!

And so to TKMaxx, where a relatively expensive (but cheaper than the toy shops) purchase (we buy this stuff so you don't have to) led to three board games currently on the seasonal displays, and all containing nice figure sculpts in that mid 40mm-50mm size bracket. Each licensed from a different studio.

 

From Universal Studios we have this game based upon the better known characters from the horror oeuvre, some of whom are not even Universal properties, but hey, who's nitpicking Hugh? From the left in the above line-up we have The Wolf Man, Dracula, The Creature from the Black Lagoon, 'Frankenstein and The Bride (obviously, actually - Frankenstein's monster!), The Mummy and the Invisible Man.

To which is added a sheet of card-flat 'standee' civilian victims/secondary players, I don't know for sure, as I haven't read the rules; I would hope by now, you know these game posts are about the figures, other Blogs do games better than I ever could! The coloured ones look like they could be used in Cludo!

The second game is from Warner Brothers, and takes us to the Emerald City via a pair of red shoes and a wicked witch! I was going to weave the Kansas gag in here, but it's on the box, which rather stole my thunder, there! I assume you don't need these Wizard of Oz characters identified, but they are quite accurate to the original movie, and Dorothy is carrying Toto!

Finally, a Disney vehicle gives us five named Gargoyles, a human helper and two baddies, reduced to standee flats! The Gargoyles are rather nicely done with little contrasting flecks in them to suggest stonework, while the human (Elisa) is flat red. You'd have to be a fan of the movie to ID the individuals, or read the rules properly, which - we've already established - I didn't do! But there's a Goliath, Brooklyn, Broadway, Lexington and Hudson, in there somewhere!

 

Feelin' blue - a sizer, with the Invisible Man, Dorothy and a Gargoyle, the Invisible man is touching 39mm with his base, the 'Monster' heading toward nearly 50-mil, but most are around 40/45mm. Out there now, two are £14.99, the other (Gargoyles?) £12.99.

S is for Shelfies - A Roundup I

Just a few bits and bobs which have piled-up, got lost, been found and sent somewhere else, brought back together and split into two posts and with several of them; duplicated at one point! The first shot actually goes back to last October, and got really lost for a while . . .

. . . not exciting, but shot in a newsagent (or Sainsbury's?), not so fussed by the funny little semi-flat ones above, but I thought I'd better grab a shelfie of the four-inch (or thereabouts) Disney Princesses as they may turn-up in mixed/job-lots in a year or two. Paint Your Own Frozen . . . and not the first time I've seen them.

Then in December, a visit to TKMaxx (I think) found this wild animal set from Ravensden. The giraffe wasn't quite as bad a sculpt as this forshorteing suggests, but it wasn't the best either and the tiger looked decidedly demented! The elephant's alright, but his tusks are a bit short/fat, but it puts a name to them!

 

At the same time I shot this lot from Playtek LLC, who I think we've seen before here as a brand, probably also in TKMaxx, bigger, they are less likely to appear in mixed lots of toy soldiers, but for animal collectors, may need a box-tick at some point!

While 'Maxx often turns-up these die-cast vehicle sets from HTI with a few figures, here road workers, but Peter Evans has sent me several Police (extant, or forthcoming posts) with similar bases, possibly from the Toy Project's charity shop in North London. 40mm and a replacement PVC-alike polymer, I dare say there are firefighters too?

A few days later, but still close to Christmas I shot these in The Range in Aldershot (I was rushing around trying to buy bathroom storage with suckers on because of the no glueing/drilling rule in the new flat!); two takes on T-Rex, although I thought the one on the right looked a little more Allosaur to me?

But, again, both Paint Your Own kits, from unbranded on the left (credited to and possibly clearance from Universal themselves, I assume they have gift-shops in their theme parks?), and Kandytoys on the right. One has a useful base, the other is going to keep falling over!

Finally, and an hour later I was at B&M in Basingrad (still looking for bathroom accessories) and I shot this, normally I only give the little vehicles a quick one-over for military or space, but this can be built-upon with Hestair Kiddybricks or Megabloks (other compatible building systems exist!), which I thought was novelty enough for inclusion here! Titled 'Brick Rides' this one is Bricking Trails.