A is for Almark

Almark Model Products Ltd.

They were also primary importers to the UK of the Armtec range of accessories from the USA. Charles Stadden was the sculptor, and cross-over exists with Triang/Lines, Waddington’s and others through the apparent use of the Minimodels plant in Havant, Hampshire for the production of the ranges, upon their demise; Micro-Mold took over marketing of the Armtec range.

WD Series’ 20mm figures Carded sets 

WD-1 - British Infantry 1939-45 (as Tri-ang battle game figures, without spigots on bases) 

WD-2 - British Infantry Weapons 1939-45 (Some the same as Tri-ang battle game figures, without spigots on bases) 

 

Bagged sets

WD-1 - British Infantry 1939-45 (as Tri-ang battle game figures, without spigots on base 

WD-2 - British Infantry Weapons 1939-45 (Some the same as Tri-ang battle game figures, without spigots on bases) 

 

White-metal Range 20mm (5 figures, carded;later 20-odd figures boxed)
WD-201 - Panzer Grenadiers kneeling firing
WD-202 - Panzer Grenadiers throwing grenades
WD-203 - Panzer Grenadiers MG34 lying firing
WD-204 - Panzer Grenadiers advancing
WD-205 - Panzer Grenadiers standing with machine pistol
WD-201/205 - Panzer Grenadiers (One each of the above)
WD-206 - Panzer Paratroopers NCO with MP38
WD-207 - Panzer Paratroopers MG34 gunner
WD-208 - Panzer Paratroopers kneeling firing
WD-209 - Panzer Paratroopers advancing
WD-210 - Panzer Paratroopers MP38 firing from hip
WD-206/210 - Panzer Paratroopers (One each of the above)

 
Almark Kits (54mm plastic figures, ex-Mini-Models sets, unpainted on runner)
No 1. - German Panzer Grenadiers 1939-1945
No. 2. - japanese Infantry 1939-1945
No. 3. - US Army Infantry 1943-1945

 
Century Series 54mm figures (plastic figures, metal accessories)
Kit № 101 - German Army 1939-45 5cm l.gr.W36 light mortar and crew
Kit № 102 - German Army 1939-45 Pz.B39 7.62mm anti-tank rifle and crew
Kit № 103 - German Army 1939-45 MG34 light machine-gun and crew

 
Wehrmacht Series 54mm figures (metal figure with metal accessories)
No. W1 - Waffen-SS Panzer Grenadier
No. W2 - Army Officer
No. W3 - Waffen-SS Drum-Major

 
Almark tank/AFV transfer sheets (water-slide type)
T.1 - Africa Corps Emblems
T.2 - Africa Corps Emblems
T.1/2. - Africa Corps Emblems
T.3. - German Army Crosses 1939-45
T.4. Alamein sheet
T.5.
T.6.
T.7.
T.8. - US national markings and numbers
T.9. - German Panzer divisions and vehicle classification signs
T.10. - Panzer division markings and warning signs
T.11. - Panzer division emblems
T.13. - Airborne and infantry divisions
T.14. - Russian Tank markings
T.15. - Arms of service signs
T.16. - Arms of service signs
T.S.1 – Wittman’s Tiger, Russian and Normandy front

 
Flags
F.1 - Confederate flags for 20mm figures (Self-adhesive vinyl)
F.2 - American Civil War Union flags for 20mm figures (self-adhesive coated paper)

A is for Accoutrements

This has been imported from 'Boring Blog' (which I will close down) and may have images or other text added in the future.

Accoutrements - Available through Archie McPhee, Stads Stuff and other outlets in the mid-to-late 1990's
Re-issues of the Giant piracies
Bulk Bagged sets
- Knights
Header-carded Bags
(YF) Nọ 810 - Mongolians And Castle
(YF) Nọ 811 - Romans And Castles

M is for Merit

This has been imported from 'Boring Blog' (which I will close down) and may have images or other text added in the future.

Merit - by J and L Randall of Potters Bar, where Wardie (BJ Ward/Mastermodels) and Revell [UK] among others also had units/factories.
Games
405 – Remote Control Driving Test (various versions, all with figures and accessories taken from the old Wardie/Master Models moulds)
HO/OO Railway Accessories
K30 - Scammell Scarab and trailer kit (?)
5000 - Imitation Coal
5001
5002 – Ballast bins, 3 pieces
5003
5004 – Lamppost, gas, 8 pieces
5005
5006 – Telephone kiosk and caller, 2 pieces
5007 – Bus stop and shelter, 2 pieces
5008 - Traffic cones, large and small, 20 pieces
5009 - Tyres, 12 pieces
5010 – Railway [shipping] container, 1 piece
5011
5012 – Loading-bay, assembly kit
5013
5014
5015 – Scammell lorry, assembly kit
5016
5017
5018 – Corn stooks, 12 pieces
5019
5020 – Hedges, 8 pieces
5021
5022
5023 – Kissing-gates, 2 pieces
5024 – Stile with two fences, 3 pieces
5025 - Feather-edge [paling] fencing, 20 pieces
5026 – Feather-edge [paling] fencing, 12 pieces (early set)
5026 – Feather-edge [paling] fencing, 10 pieces (late set)
5027 – Post-and-rail fencing, 9 pieces
5028 – Wattle fencing, 12 pieces
5029 – Coalmen and scales, 3 pieces (early set refers to both figures)
5029 – Coalman and scales, 3 pieces
5030 – Coal office
5031 - Coal Bunker (three bays)
5032
5033 - Plate-layers hut
5034 – Fog-man, hut and brazier, 3 pieces
5035 – Signal box, assembly kit
5036 - Water Tower
5037- [Line-side notices?]
5038 – Loading-gauge, 1 piece
5039 – Hording, 1 piece (Shell petroleum design, creosote woodwork, early set)
5039 – Hording, 2 pieces (mixed designs, white woodwork, late set)
5040 – Tunnel
5041
5042
5043
5044
5045 – Tunnel portal, single
5046 – Tunnel portal, double
5047
5048 – Poplar trees, 4 trees
5049 – Alder trees, 3 trees
5050 – Fir trees, 6 trees
5051 – Level signs and mileposts, 6 pieces
5052 – Track-signs, 3 pieces
5053 – Wood planks, 72 pieces (6 bundles of 12 wooden tapers)
5054 – Corrugated asbestos, 6 pieces
5055 – Cycles and stand, 5 pieces
5056 – Passengers seated, 5 pieces
5057 – Passengers standing, set A, 5 pieces
5058 – Passengers standing, set B, 5 pieces
5059 – Station staff, 5 pieces
5060 - Milk Churns
5061 – Platform seats, 12 pieces (early set, green)
5061 – Platform seats, 10 pieces (late set, brown)
5062 – Trunks, suitcases and sack barrows, 12 pieces
5063 – Electric trolley, trailer and driver, 4 pieces (two trailers, truck and driver)
5064 – Sacks and barrels, 24 pieces (pirated/licensed? by Marx)
5065 - Concrete pipes, 6 pieces, (early version)
5065 – Sewage pipes, 4 pieces, (late version)
5066 – Sacks of coal, 24 pieces
5067 – Oil-drums, 12 pieces, (either red with Shell stickers, or green with BP stickers)
5068 – Station lamppost, 6 pieces (style matches 5087)
5069 – Small packing cases, 6 pieces (two pirated/licensed? by Marx)
5070 – Large packing cases with lids, 3 pieces (6 pieces including lids)
5071
5072 – Oxygen cylinders, 24 pieces
5073
5074
5075 - Tar barrels, (black versions of 5067)
5076
5077 – Track maintenance party, 6 pieces (some poses are the same as 5078)
5078 – Cable laying party, 5 pieces (some poses are the same as 5077)
5079 – Cable Drums, 2 pieces
5080 – Telegraph poles, 6 pieces (pirated/licensed? by Triang in N-Gauge)
5081 - Pallets, assorted, 3 types, 18 pieces
5082 – Locomotive crew, 3 pieces
5083 – Dustbins, 12 pieces (plus 12 lids)
5084 – Girders, 12 pieces
5085 – Fences and gates, 16 pieces
5086 – Parcels, 6 pieces
5087 – Double lamppost, 4 pieces (style matches 5068)
5088 - Skips, large and small, one each
5089 – Mailbags, 15 pieces (pirated/licensed? by Marx)
5090 – Stone walls and buttresses, 7 pieces (3 walls, 4 buttresses)
5091 – Station name-boards, 3 pieces [Potters Bar, home of J&L Randall]
5092 – Carboys, 8 pieces
5093 – Trespass and other board signs, 6 pieces
5094 – Signal and switch box
5095 - Chocolate and weighing machines, 3 pieces
5096 – Ticket collector and box, 1 piece
5097 - Bookstall
5098 - Switch Boxes, 3 pieces
5099
5100 – Cows, 4 pieces
5101
5102 – Dogs, 8 pieces
5103 – Dogs, 8 pieces (number change or early catalogue misspelling?)
5104
5105 – Horses and ponies, 4 pieces
5106
5107
5108 – Pigs and trough, 9 pieces
5109
5110 – Sheeps and lambs, 12 pieces (10 sheep, 2 lambs)
5111
5112
5113
5114
5115 - Farm-workers, 5 pieces
5116 - Army personnel, 5 pieces
5117 - Navy personnel, 5 pieces
5118 - RAF personnel, 5 pieces
5119 - Porters, 5 pieces (from Wardie moulds)
5119 - Porters, 5 pieces
5120 - Schoolgirls and Mistress, 6 pieces
5121 - Schoolboys and Master, 6 pieces
5122 - Hikers, 5 pieces
5123 - Public service personnel, 5 pieces
5124 - Scouts and trek-cart, 4 pieces
5125 - Commuters, 5 pieces
5126 - Walking people, 5 pieces
5127 - People on stairs, 5 pieces
5128 - Ticket collector and queue, 5 pieces
5129
5130
5131
5132 - Horse drawn delivery van, assembly kit
5133 - 1927 Maudsley ML3 bus single-deck Buckingham body
5134
5135 - Thornycroft PB 4-ton lorry kit, 'Hall & Sons' (1926?)
5136 - Thornycroft PB 4-ton lorry kit, GWR livery, Cocolate & Cream (1926?)
5137 - 1927 Maudsley ML3 bus with GWR livery, Cocolate & Cream
5138
5139
5140
5141 – [Age of Steam, set A] (not known if it existed)
5142 – [Age of Steam, set B] (not known if it existed)
5143 – [Age of Steam, set C] (not known if it existed)
5144 – [Age of Steam, set D] (not known if it existed)
5145 – Age of Steam, set E
5146
5147
5148
5149
N-gauge range
5150 – Station staff, 5 pieces
5151 – Passengers (early sets)
5151 – Passengers, set A, 5 pieces (late sets)
5152 – Passengers, set B, 5 pieces
5153 – Passengers, male, set C, 5 pieces
5154 – Passengers, female, set D, 5 pieces
5155 – Passengers, seated, set E, 7 pieces
5156 – Unpainted figures set ‘A’ (20), (20 pieces)
5157 – Unpainted figures set ‘B’ (20), (20 pieces)
5158 – Fir trees, 3 trees
5159
5160
5161 – Tunnel portal, single
5162 – Tunnel portal, double
5163
5164 – Fences, 24 pieces (copied from Faller?)
5165 – Cable drums, 2 pieces
5166 – Cable laying party, 4 pieces
5167 – Track maintenance party, 5 pieces
5168
5169
5170 – Locomotive crew, 3 pieces
5171 – Porters and luggage, 8 pieces
5172 – Porter, trolley, barrels and sacks, 14 pieces
5173 – Porter, trolley, drums and crates, (early set - 13 pieces)
5173 – Porter, trolley, drums and crates, 8 pieces (later sets)
5174
5175
5176 – Farmer and pigs (early set - 9 pieces)
5176 – Farmer and pigs, 8 pieces (late set)
5177 – Shepard and Sheep, 11 pieces
5178 – Horses, 4 pieces (Merit sets)
5178 – Horses (Model scene sets - 6 pieces)
5179 – Cows, 4 pieces
5180
5181
5182 – Telegraph poles, 8 pieces (copied from Tyco?)
5183
5184 – Cars, 3 pieces
Other Toys and Models
6021 – Blow Football (red and blue plastic goalkeepers on stalks)
6228 – Magic Robot Quiz Game (54mm Robot from Cherliea mould)
6475 – World of Sport Quiz Game (Olympic torch athlete)
7614 – Noah’s Ark (complete with Noah and ten animals, pairs of Elephants, Bears, Camels, Asses and Lion & Lioness)
? – Blow Football (green and blue cardboard goalkeepers on sticks)
? – Everest (board game complete with 3 green and 3 orange climber figures)
? – [Circus wagons] (complete with one animal per wagon, animals are the same as the Noah’s Ark - 7614 - animals)

M is for Monogram - Product List

This has been imported from 'Boring Blog' (which I will close down) and may have images or other text added in the future.

Monogram
Plastic kits from balsa and Multi-media beginnings with a bit of white metal and die cast mazak thrown in for good measure!(very much a work in progress)
1/32 scale AFV kit series
PM21/6864/8211 – US Army Jeep and Gun
PM22/8214 – US Army Eager Beaver 2 ½ ton Truck (post-war 6x6)
PM23/8215 – US Army Half-track
PM24/8212 – US Army Amphibious Weasel
PM34/6863/8217 – Patton Tank
PM35/8213 – Military Figure Set (18 GI’s)
8216 – Personnel Carrier
6859/8218 – Panzer IV Tank
6860/7582/8219 – Flakpanzer Tank
6861 –
6862 –
8220/78001 – Sturmgeschutz IV(StuG)
7505 – Panzerjeger IV
7506 – Sturmpanzer 43
7535 – British Grant Tank M3
7536 – US Lee Tank M3
4100 – US M-8 Greyhound
4200/78002 – Screamin’ Mimi M4A1 Sherman Tank
4201 – M4 Sherman Hedge Hog
7851 – Panzer Spahwagen 232
78003 – Leopard II
78004 – T-80 Tank
Space and Missiles
5082 – Apollo Saturn V Rocket (1:144)
5083 – Apollo Space Craft (1:32)
5904 – Space Shuttle (1:72)
PD27 – US Air Force SM-62 Snark Guided Missile
PD38 – US Army Little John with Mobile Launcher
PD39 US Navy Regulus II with Mobile Launcher
PD40/6871 - US Rockets/Missile Arsenal (1:100)
PD41- Earth Satellite Missiles Jupiter-C and Vanguard
PD42 – US Air Force Rascal Air-to-Ground Missile
PD43 – Missile Mobile (6 missiles)
PS44 – TV Orbiter
PS45 – Space Taxi (became 6870)
PS46 – Orbital Rocket
PS47 – Passenger Rocket
6869/5081 - Moon Landing (1:48)
6870 - Space Buggy (1:48)
6872 - Apollo-Saturn (1:144)
Larger Scale Water-borne Vessels
PB3 - Dipsy Doodle Racing Hydroplane
PB - Sea Breeze Star Class Sailing Yacht
PB17 - Water Devil
PB18 - Wander-lust Racing Sloop
PB48 - US Navy Frogman and LCP
6857 - Voyager Cruising Sloop
75003 US Navy Swift Boat (1:48)
Sea Quest
13600 – Submarine Sea Quest (1:600)
13601 - Ocean Pickup Sea Quest (1:32)
13602 – Stinger Sea Quest (1:20)
13603 – Dolphin Sea Quest (1:12)
Miscellaneous Interesting Kits
6740 - Red Baran/Baron
6745 - Rommel’s Rod
Balsa-wood Kits
R1 – Hot Shot Racer
R3 – Mono-jet Racer
R4 – Mid-jet Racer
B6 – Aqua-jet
Monogram Merite’ 54mm soft metal castings
Series 1 (1968)
801 - Prussian Guard Infantry 1914
802 – US Army Special Forces Green berets 1966
803 – German Luftwaffe Paratrooper 1941
804 – Berdan’s Sharpshooter Union Army 1862
805 – French Horse Artillery of the Guard 1810
806 – Rogers’ Rangers 1757
Series 2 (1968)
807 – German Shock Trooper 1944
808 – German Tank Officer 1943
809 – Viet Cong Guerrilla 1968
810 – Texas Infantry 1862
811 – US Infantry 1780
812 – French Dragoon of the Guard 1812
Series 3 (1969)
813 – German Afrika Korps Infantry 1942
814 – German Waffen SS Officer 1944
815 – Russian Guard Infantry 1944
816 – British 8th Army Infantry 1942
817 – Japanese Infantry 1942
818 – American Paratrooper “D-Day” 1944
Pocket Force / Battle Links
8071 US 7th Marines Vietnam
8073 – Vietcong Guerillas
8075 – US “1st Infantry” WWII
8077 – German Infantry WWII
- US Special Forces Vietnam
- North Vietnamese
- US Paratroopers WWII
- German Paratroops WWII
1/8176 – Vietnam Firebase with US Marines
2 – Vietnam Jungle with Vietcong
3 – WWII Farm with German Infantry
4 – WWII Beachfront with US Infantry
5 – Vietnam River Bank with US Special Forces
6 – Vietnam Sniper Base with North Vietnam Regulars
7 – WWII Checkpoint with US Paratroopers
8 – WWII Eastern Stronghold with German Paratroopers

S is for Stringbag Fokkers

Yeah...but these Fokkers are other makes, phnar, phnar!!!

I am reliably informed by several collectors of these things that they are indeed Flybirds, not as you might otherwise have guessed; Skybirds. Although the tin-plate building in the background is Skybirds and looks a bit like my memory of the Primrose cafe at Eastleigh!

Flybirds were obviously tripping on the coat-tails of Skyirds, when these came in they were with a load of the latter leading brand's 'planes and the difference between the two was marked, the Skybirds being altogether a superior product.

I have catalogues for a couple of others makes, one American (not Monograme) and one British but they are not to hand at the moment, however the online Meccano magazine archive (which I will link to when I remember to find it!!) should contain adds for several of these early establishers of 1:72 scale as an aero-modelling ratio.

T is for Tommy...

...old Mar' Attkins boy! Usually depicted as a muddy, toothless, miner's son in a 1916 trench or a cherry chappie in baggy shorts somewhere near Wadi-al-Summthing'oar'utha circa 1942. It is this latter stereotype we have in the next image.

A nice now-clean group of 8th Army from Britains Detail, with the tricky bayonets still intactum! The Vickers needs it's 9 little ball bearings found but there's a hardware store in Camberley (AHC) that will have a shed-load for a few pence, so that's not a problem!

The Daimler Dingo Scout Car can be used with either desert or standard infantry, and while there was a desert version in the end; designed for the 8th Army figures, the crew were made of the same plastic in both cars so match up quite well, especially when your brother had...

...such a small selection of the British Infantry! These are in the European theatre garb and I've only included them as they show well the difference between the early semi-transparent wash over cream plastic (the two single figures) and the later solid-colour plastic of the mortar team, which also needs ammunition, but I won't be getting a sprue of 10 (or was it 12?) mortar bombs from AHC!

D is for Detail

The real reason I grabbed the Japanese in the post below when I was at the unit the other day was because I thought I had the Japanese Detail figures missing from this lot; I didn't but we'll look at them anyway...

This rather grubby box was not a car-boot find, it came from the attic at Mums and consists of my Brother's childhood collection of Britains Detail, which as you can see is A) German heavy, and B) in a bit of a state brought about by 24 years or so in a poor environment, luckily they are PVC and will take a lot of punishment.

As can be seen some have a black 'bread mould' all over them, others a white bloom. They will clean-up with nothing more than a little mild detergent such as washing-up liquid or - as I used here - shower-gel!

Before and after shower-gel shots of the US Infantry. These are all early types with the separate arms, some would later be redesigned to have integral arms. The very earliest had brown bases, but they changed to green - as memory recalls - within the first year or so, the early Brits and Germans also got brown bases initially.

If you clean them in mildly hot/warmish water, you can also straiten any bent bits and get all the figures to stand-up properly at the same time.

There is a pose missing, as the officer in these shots has been removed from the recoiless-rifle base, yet without a catalogue to hand I can't remember the missing pose! The fact that they got a second set of new poses doesn't help...there was another advancing pose, a bazooka-man, a grenade thrower and others including another waving rifle (was he the other first series?) and a stabbing with bayonet.

Various arm-swaps, a paint colour variation (bottom left) and the rather tatty Recoiless-rifle given a new lease of life with a different figure. The rifle has been wedged in to the original slots! These guys are all missing their helmet stickers and while I know someone with German sticker sheets, I don't know anyone with the US stars (black on a red shield).

My brother has said in the past that I can have this box for my collection, but once they have been posted here there is no real need to keep them and I will clean them all up, give them a better container and put them back in the loft, he'll be glad I did one day...

L is for Land of the Rising Sun

There will be a slightly thematic style to a lot of the posting in the foreseeable future as I have to grab whatever is to hand when I visit the storage unit, find somewhere quiet to photograph it and throw it up here. Case in point is this post, I thought I had some Britains Detail Japanese for some posts to appear above in the next day or two, but I don't, however with my fledgling large scale collection being still small it is stored thematically (with exceptions - Speedwell for instance) rather than the alphabetical by make of the small scale, it was not until I'd dug the Jap box out and brought it here that I realised I didn't have any Britains.

Anyway; as the 54/70mm stuff seem to be closest to the storage unit doors, there'll be more like this to come, and as a starter here's the Japanese - I have picked-up in three years of sporadic purchases - as enemy for the post above, when it appears!

Better start with the British production, as stated; the Detail are yet to be collected (despite a false memory that I'd found some!!) and the exception that proves the rule is my one Speedwell Jap, who is not it the Japanese WWII box but rather the Kentoys/Speedwell/Trojan box!

At top - in this shot is an incomplete set of Minimodels works-painted Japs, the missing bayonets are mostly painted over the 'join' suggesting miss-molding in the factory, but one or two have broken-off. The set was later sold unpainted by Almark on the sprue in the same green plastic.

Bottom is one each of the Airfix 1:32 set, which needs to go on the Airfix blog/page, but I'll re-take photo's for that job when I get round to doing that set there. Above are four Hong Kong/China copies of which the right hand two are piracies of the standing firing Airfix pose.

The one on the left I'm really pleased to have found, a friend picked one up a few years ago and I liked it then although I wasn't collecting the large scales then, so was happy to later find him myself - he reminds me of the Atlantic 'Sendai' sniper! The one in the middle is a 'CHINA' marked copy of the Chinese Hing Fat's take on Japanese troops, they are also not here being in with the Blue-box/Rado/Ri-Toys 45/50mm ones which I will have to make a mental note to try and cover another day.

These all seem to be the Spanish firm of Jecsan, I thought some (the UN helmeted troops) might be Comansi and had titled the image to that effect but a frantic search of the Spanish blogs in the early hours reveals that they are all Jecsan.

The two with chunky bases are early production Japanese Infantry, the officer is from the River Kwai set I think (plastic colour?) The others are late production repainted as UN forces to take advantage of the interest in the conflict in the Congo in the late 1960's-early 1970's, and I think the waving guy may actually have been a US soldier originally.

The Americans, having such a great role in the defeat of Japan, made quite a few, and some of the best, top in this collage of vintage makes are Marx, a mix of old figures and re-issues in various colours, with the very similar MPC set below them. The MPC figures are slightly gangly, but still quite animated.

Below them are three Lido figure with what is best described as 'Toy Soldier Charm', I like these and the similar German set because of their crudeness rather than in spite of it!

The US has been responsible for more Japs in recent years and here are samples of two of them; BMC above and CTS below, sadly not very compatible with each other (one lot being closer to 60 mil and quite chunky, the other 54mm and of more oriental slightness), but in a rug-war joining with all the above; they just add to the display as they should...they're toys!

While writing this I've reminded myself that Atlantic are also absent, I might have one or two in a mixed large-size Atlantic tub somewhere, but already having the small ones, Atlantic are a low collecting priority for me in the larger sizes.

H is for HOW Cool Are These?

I like to think I've found a few pretty esoteric things to put on this blog over the years, but 40mm rubberised Dalek 'Flats' are gonna' take some beating...(I beat them - Bicycles)

Edible rubberised Daleks in two colour/flavour packs with a cut-out and slip together card flat of a Fatlek, made by BonBon Buddies they are currently available in Walmart-call-me-Asda and other outlets fa'sure, and they taste nice! Click on Dalek in the tag-list to find the more sensible variations of these now-flying constant invaders of Earth.

R is for Raco

Wanting to spread the range of subject matter (and hopefully - the appeal of the blog), here's a bit of hollow-cast lead farm in 54mm! It's a cow by Raco in near mint condition...although a calf seems to have been a bit over exuberant in the nipple department! Picture courtesy of Adrien over at Mercator Trading - link to right hand side of page.

That's it...it's by; Raco...a cow...54mm...hollow cast...lead...from the farm animal range...nothing else to see, move along now...tell your friends...

M is for Megland

I love a bit of a mystery and here's a good one - This fascinating item turned up at the Sandown Park swap meet a couple of weekends ago, an almost perfect 25mm/1:72 scale The Thatched Cottage made by a B L Megland and apparently part of a set or series of similar sets.

Fully assembled from a multi-media of parts including a composition/plaster cottage, flock, lichen and rubberised-horsehair matting, wood and cast soft-metal components like the green ladder. The whole arranged on a medium-card base and packed in a sturdy box.

Close-ups to give an idea of the amount of work that must have gone into the little vignette which is about 10 inches on a side. It has - as you can see - also been painted with all the techniques known to modern modellers such as dry-brushing, weathering, dark undercoats etc...and to a high standard.

Shots of the packaging reveal the range to be 'England's Fairy Toys', with B L Megland being based in Torrington; Devon. Was Megland an individual or a small company with employees? How many other items were in the set? What date would you put on this; it could be 1900 or 1950 from all the clues!!? Does anyone have any other information on the range or Megland?

S is for Sponge Bricks

Or; Brick Sponges? Ever had a mate throw a piece of sponge at you which you thought was a piece of concrete or a brick? Well, the sponge which looks like concrete doesn't seem to be around any more, it was used in play-pen mattresses when I was young, but I have found several bricks over the years!

The bright pink one had the Sun newspaper's logo down the side and was given away by them for some reason years ago, it started this rather small collection of - usually - Christmas novelties!

J is for Jackson; Steve Jackson

Now that I'm semi-homeless and meandering between various points Southeast as the spirit takes me/the tolerance levels of friends and family allow - normal service may well be surpassed!! - I won't be fighting two legal cases while...yeah; that's all for the other blog! Anyway, within days of placing my entire collection in storage, I was already adding to the 'Master Reference Collection'!!

Checking out some old haunts (Esdevium Games - new owners, new name and the shop seems smaller?) after a few years in the wilds of West Berkshire; I found these little horrors.

Now I thought I'd covered the card figures of Steve Jackson right back at the start of this blog, but he's not on the tag list so maybe I didn't, although the format did evolve quite a lot in the first few months, and I didn't tag as well as I try to now!

Anyway; he/they're now making little PVC figurines around 28mm for a specific game of theirs, but still paintable and usable with other games/systems, then they give them away free, in sixes, with a relatively inexpensive Steve Jackson plastic bag!

There is a Munchkin 'Babe' of hideous allure, and a bog-standard munchkin with an Orc-b-gone chainsaw and a hammer borrowed from Thor himself...probably...hummm....get them before they're gone!

Meanwhile I'll try to have an evening re-tagging some of the early posts...

Westonbirt - The National Arboretum

I Took my Mother to Westonbirt Arboretum on Thursday, and the display was stunning, I'll put a load of images up here in a day or five, but need to sort them out properly, in the mean time, here's a taster...

Above shots taken looking through the Japanese Maple/Acer glade, the colours are quite breathtaking and will still be well worth a view tomorrow if you have a few hours to kill, the display this year is better than normal and a once in a blue-moon thing, so go if you can. I'd imagine the show will 'go-over' mid-week, a few had already lost their leaves, but most were still in full show.

J17 off the M4, or map-read from the Midlands!! I saw a sign for Chipping-torybury so it can't be too far from J's 9-12 of the M40?

Autumn

Well, just left the court for what was hopefully the last time and - due to the other party hopelessly compromising the out of court settlement - all will be revealed, but not on here first, I'll let the New Agency dealing with the case disseminate it all and make some sense of it!

Anyway, should be less of a bear with a sore head going forwards, but still a few weeks stress moving house and sorting files!

In the meantime here are some pretty pictures of one of the best Autumns I can remember, the late trees seem early, the early trees seem late and they've all caught the Oaks, so the colours out there are stunning...

Victoria Park, Newbury, Berkshire about two weeks ago, the limes just on the turn and in direct sunlight seconds before the heavens opened! The grey storm-clouds providing the studio drapery.

Fleet, Hampshire, on the Ancelles Farm commercial park, is it my imagination or do the young trees turn a week or two early? Less capacity to store water?...

A corporate HQ in Basingstoke the same day, a truly yellow one; apart from the odd red yellow or pink 'turn', when you go up to them and study autumn trees, you find most of them are some shade of brown, but it's the way they go over, or interact with the others around them of in the background that makes the display. The Hazels - as an example - currently have mostly green leaves, with a Florida-tan brown edge to them and a yellow zone between the brown and the green.

A hillside on the edge of Salisbury Plain on Monday, a few miles short of Luggershall on the Hampshire/Wiltshire boarder. I was on the way to an interview for a retards course, now I'm officially a retard (don't worry, it'll all come out in the next few weeks...), and had to pull over for this burning hillside. The Andover road up toward Wayhill had some stunning vistas but I couldn't stop to shoot them.

This is the hill down into Newbury from the big retail-park up at Wash Common, yesterday, just loved the dull maroon in among paling greens.

Pheasants congregating in the first wisps of the first mists about a week ago, the mist was changing as fast as the pheasants woke to my presence and despite taking a dozen or so shots this was the only usable one, and it's hardly a pro-shot...Doh!