C is for 'The Crazy Clown Circus'

This set was issued in the late 1940's/early 1950's and sold through Woolworth's stores.

The basic unit - a clown figure - seems to be based on a Morestone novelty die-cast toy of a clown on a penny-farthing. The original has a pom-pom on top of the coned hat, three large red buttons on a smooth top, the same patterned trousers as the plastic ones, and is holding a ball in each hand, the similarities are greater than the differences between the two figures, even to the pointy two-digit hands.

 Left-to-right:
Marx weighted-cord 'walker' rider, a damaged Crescent I had to hand
and the recent resin BTS  find, finally - a Crazy Clown

However, this 'design' of clown seems to follow one of the recognised patterns of clown in the real world, I'm no expert, but I know some clowns registered/protected their look and/or face make-up, while others are anchored in the old (and now 'traditional') costumes of the Italian Commedia dell'Arte, and it would seem to be that this clown is a regular/specific clown 'type', is it a peirrot?

Basic Unit
1 - Clown - to which can be added . . .
2 - Small base
3 - Large Base
4 - Clown with balls in hands - to which can be added . . .
5 - Small base
6 - Large base

Variations
Both can have their hands bent forward for a possible 12 main variations of the standard clown, not all of which were used, but by the time people have glued their bits together for onward sale on feebay they mostly are!

Further variations are created by placing [gluing] clowns on horses, tall platform-poles, beach-balls or each other in various configurations. A 'Ring Master' is created by the addition of a top hat (basically a little flanged beaker) and whip (a piece of hollow or thread-cored PVC cable). And other variations are added with the addition of three different drums, an umbrella. A 'hoop' ring, or a unicycle described as 'a wheel'. Variously these accessories can be found with a clown and large, small or no base, and basically it's almost as if any variation you can think of will turn-up in a mixed lot on evilBay!

The large red spot most of them have painted on their tummy is actually hiding/camouflaging the mould release-pin mark. It could also be a reference back to the sculpted buttons on the Morestone metal figure, each of which is also painted red.

 The large set: The Crazy Clown Circus which was sold through Woolworth's stores, listed its contents as three coded subsets, each subset lettered to its 'act' title, but apparently numbered consecutively across the range. There are gaps in that numbering, and among them must lye the drummers.

As listed on the back of the larger sets:

Acrobatic Act
A1 - Clown (see 1-6 above)
A2 - Two Clowns Balancing (one on top of the other)
A3 - Two Clowns Tumbling (see Variants below)
A4 - Three Clowns in Line (see Variants below)
A5 - Three Clowns Balancing (in a Y shape)
A6 - Four Clowns Balancing (in a diamond shape)

Variants
A3 - Two Clowns Tumbling, this vignette is two clowns glued together, some are glued parallel to each other along the forearms, which makes for an unstable partnership, others are glued in an 'A' shape, with one clowns head between the shins of the other, which allows them to be set up as an A, V, or sharp C, and they can be rolled more easily, both types seem equally common and there's no clue as to whether one was earlier or later. It may be that some worker/s or outworker/s did them differently, but at the same time.

A4 - Three Clowns in Line, I have seen this set with the third figure (on the far left as they look forward) being a bent-arm figure set back from the other two as if he is either joining them or out of step. Commonly its three straight-arm clowns in a line or two supporting a third - middle one - who is upside-down.

Juggling Act
J11 - Clown on Wheel (large base)
J12 - Clown on Wheel with Ball on each Hand (large base)
J13 - Clown on Pole with Hoop*
J14 - Clown on Pole with Ball on each Hand*
J15 - Clown on Pole with Ball* (bent hands)
J16 - Clown with Ball (bent hands)
J17 - Clown on Ball with Umbrella (one bent arm, the only such figure)

*Each has a small based clown, the base pierced for receiving the pole, and a large base at the other end for the pole to stand on.

Clean balls can be found (with no signs of a figure having been glued to them), on a large base.

Cropped from larger internet images

Equestrian Act
E21 - Ringmaster with Whip and Hoop (see Variants below)
E22 - White Prancing Horse**
E23 - Black Prancing Horse**
E24 - Clown on White Horse***
E25 - Two Clowns on White Horse (one on top of the other)***
E26 - Two Clowns on Two White Horses (one on top of the other)***

** These horses are rearing on 'ski' bases and have a plume
*** This is a copy of the Bergan Toys (Beton) horse, a heavier moulding than the Airfix or Tudor Rose versions

Variants
E21 - Ringmaster, this figure is stated as having a whip and hoop, in fact he usually has a whip or a hoop, the hoop versions often having a standard black-cone hat/head, the whip version usually having a top-hat, made of the same coloured plastics as the balls, drums or poles and glued over a cone-head. Lack of glue marks suggests most of these variants are correct, but some may be down to hats, hoops or whips becoming lost or removed? Both versions tend to have their trousers painted red, occasionally a purplish-maroon colour. Sometimes the whole figure's outfit has a red wash.

Missing numbers are:
7, 8, 9, 10 and 18, 19, 20

Not listed on the main play set's circus-ring card-back and given my own 'act' title:

Musical Act (arms always bent forwards)
Playing Large Floor Drum (large or no base)
Playing Large Floor Drum - Balls on Hands (large or no base)
Playing Side Drum (small or no base)
Playing Side Drum - Balls on Hands (small or no base)
Playing Tom-Tom or Bongo-Drum (small or no base)

Other Variants
Some variations are almost certainly caused by damage (one ball-hand), or repairs (hoop or umbrella on wrong figure), while others are more deliberate looking. I suspect the Ringmaster variations may well be connected to the musicians and missing numbers, maybe as a band-master/band-leader?

Likewise the clowns tumbling would take the missing numbers to zero (if that makes sense?) with floor and side drums being 7-10 and the tom-tom, Ringmaster and tumblers being the other three? This is pure conjecture ion my part and takes no account of the lone balls.

It also takes no account of the fact that most of the drummers in my most recent purchase have '6' written on their bases in pencil. Prior to decimalization, the many-sided (seven, nine?) sixpence was a pretty standard rate of pocket-money (we went down 'up' to 5 'new' p after 1971!), and it looks as if they were sold/'also sold' from a 'shop stock' box, as extras.

Material
Early examples are made of a volatile plastic subject to shrinkage and distortion, especially the poles and the two-part balls, it has a lot of the properties of the phenolic plastics popular in France at the same time, but I think it's an early, unstable styrene plastic. Later versions were standard - perfectly stable - polystyrene.

Everything major except the black horse is in white plastic, but it sometimes verges on grey, partly due to dirt and age, partly due to poor material, there are also translucent washy-white examples.

 Cropped from larger Internet images

Accessories (poles, balls, drums, umbrellas and top hats) come in various colours, with earlier sets having pastel colours, or chalky darker colours, often with bi-coloured balls, while later sets have more primary coloured accessories and some sets have all-yellow as a pallet.

The tom-tom/bongo-drum is a clear piece of ribbed-tube with blue or - more commonly - red-painted rims, and painting is also used to colour the balls on the hands of those clowns who have them. There are at least two versions of the hand-balls; egg-shaped and more-fully round, and they seem to be used as maracas on the drummers, or is it the comedy element of trying to play drums with balloons? The single clown with balls may be supposed to be a juggler (as can all the similarly equipped figures), while two of them facing each-other would make a juggling act?

Cropped from larger Internet images

Maker
It is usually assumed that these are Airfix, I have always remained more open-minded and suggested the 'usual suspects' as also in the frame: Kleeware, Tudor Rose et al.

I think I have to accept that the plastic/s used is not really to the specification or style of Kleeware, nor the whole Thomas/Taffy/Tudor Rose 'family', while the lesser makes such as Cheerio or Bell were using or copying US moulds and this is a very British 'thing', which rather lets the usual suspects of the hook!

So back to Airfix . . . their early stuff was a right old mix of polymers, with stable and unstable styrene and various ethylene's used for the animal flats, aircraft and 8-figure set, as well as for the Beton copies, however, the horse supplied with the Beton copies is a different beast from this one; a lighter, cleaner sculpt.

Cropped from larger Internet images

Also: Airfix were terrible pirates in those early days, so they could well have copied the Morestone clown, especially as they have changed the sculpt by carrying the trouser pattern to the top half of the figure.

However, the link with Morestone is a strong one, and they did experiment with plastics for their Hawkeye and Chingachgook figures (in chalky ethylene with a nylon/rayon or different PE musket), among other items, so there's a strong case for them too - having used their own clown.

Who could have fulfilled such a large order to Woolworth's (these figures are not rare; whole, but damaged sets appear on feeBay all the time)? If it had been Airfix you would expect more of their other early production in these plastics and that doesn't seem to be the case, their 'cigarette box' ships being closest. Morestone's die-casts are not that common, but they are not rare, so maybe they could have managed this?

I think the Jury's still out on this one! Which is why I'm not putting them on the Airfix page . . . yet, although the horse is there - as a mount - on the Beton copies entry. Toymart.com credit Charbens as set 9999? having been linked to Toymart in the past, I can't possibly comment!

And...

Did I say they're not rare! Some of many Internet/eBay images (reduced resolution) I've found from the last few years, there's a decent lot of these on sale, somewhere, most weeks.

04-04-2019 - These are now known to have been Fraser & Glass (F&G).

K is for Kingly Kings King'ing-it!

I know we keep returning to this chap but he needs returning to...we'll it's 'chaps' from now on . . . these two came together the other day in a 'new to market' lot (with a Cherilea saloon-barman!), they have clearly been painted at the same time, by the same person, with the same paint. I think all previous mentions of the one being converted from the other (here on the Blog and elsewhere) can - in future - be discounted.

I guess what happened was (clicks-into fantasy, alternate history mode . . .) the sculptor wasn't happy with one attempt, so re-did the sculpt, someone from the factory came to look at them and said "They'll both do" and ergo - they both went into production?

Or it was simply a deliberate act to obtain a Richard II and Prince John (they're brothers - they should look similar)? Or a Richard and a Sherriff; remember the opposite (even: 'opposing') set for the Lone Star knights was the Robin Hood figures? Whatever the reason, I think it's clear now that these two were contiguous production.

Ultimate Explorers were a series of interactive book/craft sets, published as One Inch Warrior magazine was at its height, two of which containing mostly small scale, they were covered at the time, in that organ, although we will return to look at them here one day. Paul at PW Towers may have back issues of the mag.

The Castle set (published by Design Eye) contained about 20 18mm'ish figures in three poses, a nice clip-together catapult and this figure for painting. I believe it is based on an actual statue, but don't believe me, I originally thought it was the Alfred one in Winchester, and it wasn't! Does anyone know if it is a copy of a real statue, and if so: which one, where?

[A quick Google while posting finds a similar statue of Riched II somewhere - Bradford?]

There was a second set called Ancient Egypt also with small figures, it was however - while still an 'Ultimate Explorer' - published by Portico Publishing and so - in case both sets were re-published - I'll add both to the tag list.

There were four, then there were five and then there were six, now there's eight!

P is for Pencil Punishing Panzer

I got another pencil eraser from WHSmith . . . how cool is this? Too cool for school, no . . . I mean it this time: far too cool to take to school and use to rub-out pencil errors!

Four rubbers and a plastic tube, in a bag, it's a tank . . . and a rubber! Four rubbers and an AFV . . .

. . . it's a bit of a page-filler, that's what it is; but after a week or so of pre-loaded articles, I've not got much ready to go, lots in preparation, but this is just to get through the weekend! I'm gonna' bore you with my appalling Farnborough Air Show photography before the week's out as well . . . although, 'photography' it 'aint.

M is for Many Modes of Medieval Men

This really is a box-ticker; Timpo's 'solid' knights and men at arms . . .

. . . on the left are original shop-stock and boxed-set painted figures, with the green bases being earlier, the unpainted bases a later simplified or austerity paint job.

On the right are a few of many later unpainted issues, including a home-paint. Timpo sold them as bagged and boxed figures, then Toyway had I go as well I think, there are other colours out there, these are just a sample.

T is for Tresco's 'Triffic, Tube-operated Tepid-Tub Toys, or . . .

. . . S is for Suck-it-up You Suckers and Blow-off!

Brian Berke's name keeps cropping-up at the moment, but that's because he keeps sending me brilliant images and examples to work from. Today's is a case in point . . . he sent three images of his divers, and I wrote back saying I'd dig out what I have here to 'fill-out' the post (knowing I had a submarine), well, turned out one of my Hong Kong divers was different, and I had two slightly different 'subs', in addition I found a couple of old feeBay images in the archive, I wouldn't usually use, but as the story is told by the stuff already in the folder, I've added them for research purposes and completeness.

If you didn't get one of these from your parents - and I'm talking to anyone between the ages of nought and about seventy here, as they are still available - you probably have a case against 'mum and dad' for mental-cruelty, deprivation and abuse of position as parents in order to prevent you obtaining your full human right to an unencumbered childhood!

Brian's two divers; on the left a Hong Kong copy (both British - see comments), and on the right a Tresco original from the 1960's with its box to the left of them both. My memories of these were that you had to really blow to get him to rise, and really suck to get him to dive, the result being that you got itchy ears . . . and the odd mouthful of soapy-water!

Brian's Crescent 'berserker' giving us a sense of scale, they are about 75/80mm depending on the origin. Below is an evilBay image of the box I remember from the 1970's, we definitely had these as 'consolation' prizes at someone else's Birthday party.

Birthday parties were a win-win when I was a kid, you took an Airfix kit - he probably already had and was only going to ruin with too-much tube-glue and gloss bottle green paint - which your parents had paid for and you left with a bath toy, a Marx six-inch Indian, a balloon and a bag of sweets or a giant-lollypop . . . Bargain!

I have a Tresco (on the right) and a Hong Kong figure that has been upgraded from the traditional deep-sea diver, with a modern pressurised helmet and scuba tanks . . . if you have scuba tanks you don't need a line to the surface do you? Clearly that didn't occur to the sculptor!

There was also a Submarine, again originally made by Tresco, and much copied by HK makers, I have definitely seen this recently somewhere, I tried The Works but it wasn't there, I'm sure Google/eBay/Amazon will provide, if you have youngsters of your own and don't want to be sued!

If you got too much water in them, they would eventually split, as the weight was a ferrous lump of cast-iron and flaked to twice its size once the rust had got a hold. The other feeBay image shows the Tresco box. The original has finer-etched details, but is otherwise no different to the clones, as the clones were kept (and priced) with the pocket money novelties, it's easy to see where all our toy companies went . . . to the knackers' yard . . . or should that be Kowloon Knockers' yard!

Everybody had one of these . . . didn't they?

Thanks to Brian for all his help and contributions.

H is for Hidden Hideaway Harassed by Horrible Harpy

Brain Berke sent me another of his dioramas, this one is not as sombre as the subject matter of his returning 'little ships', and I love it . . .

It's an old volcanic caldera, with sea access, a beach, a railway, a shelter made out of a pirate-ships living quarters and a signalman's hut - for the railway; of course! It has a small jungle, a jerry-built jetty, a set of steps (from an Airfix signal-box?), a float-plane and err . . . a bloody great octo'squid killer-monster on the attack!

Airfix provides the adventurers using the base from its Australian Infantry set, and they are responding to the threat. I think this is charming . . . it needs rolling stock though, perhaps Hornby-Triang's small crane, to lift treasure to safety, or to drop blocks of pumice, or palm-tree trunks on the octo'squid, or just hook it like a giant cat-fish!

News, Views Etc...Plastic Warrior No.163

A couple of weeks adrift catches me almost 'on the ball' . . .

Articles

* The issue kicks-off with Debbie Stevens' article on Marx Cowboys

* 'Hollywood Conversion' sees some superb figure modelling (the Kirk Douglas is stunning) from Graham Eyles

* An editorial round-up of several Britains giveaways is found in the section called...er...Britains Givaways!

* Alwyn Brice's Elastolin at 40 (part 7) is similar to parts one to six, only . . . a bit different.

* This issue's 'Converters Corner' has a plethora of French Foreign Legion troops, all modelled on Britains Detail by Les White

* 'New for 2016' by Peter Evans is a round-up from the Toy Fairs and brings news of products by Varto, Miniworld, Papo, Star Images, and most welcome: Bachmann-Toyway-Timpo

* A company new to me; Brohm presents a fort play-set, courtesy of Andreas Dittmann (that's another copier of the Beton horse for the list!) with Polistil and Dom contents

* P L Cunha give illustrated advice on how to build ingenious narrow, removable shelves that can sit in front of books on a book-case

'What The !&*$?' has two question marks this quarter;

·         A running Highlander similar to, but distinct from: Hilco is forwarded by Joe Bellis

·         Steve Pugh is asking about some vehicle loads which look 'helicoptery' to me?

* 'Meet Your Maker' meets Sergey Zabashta from Mars, of small scale fame, now moving into larger figure production.

* Tom 'the dull' Barker (I'm not being rude; he admitted it in the last issue!) tells the tale of his IKEA tie-in and illustrates it with lovely stuff - Starlux, Timpo, Lone Star and other lovely stuff

* 'From The Archives' looks at 1956 and what Cherilea and Crescent were doing

Regular Features

* 'NEWS and VIEWS and other stuff ' carries stories on BMC Toy's new plans, new Russian sets, a call for Samurai articles and acknowledgement of receipt of the latest Eurofigurines magazine.

* 'Book Review' looks at 'Toy Forts & Castles' by Allen Hickling

* 'Readers Letters' this time is limited by space and obituaries to feedback from Steve Morris, Joe Bellis and Peter Rushton, with the obituaries for Ian Walden and George Hill

* 'What's New' covers recent releases from:

·         Engineer Basevitch - Ancient Assyrians

·         Mars - Ex-Oritet Mujahedeen, Russians in Afghanistan and Vietcong Insurgents

·         all available from Steve Weston

Plus all the usual small-ads

Front Cover is a fine space diorama from Tom Stark

Back Cover - Travis at the alamo by G. Eyles

Remember also; for subscription details or to 're-up', for contributions, letters or queries, Plastic Warrior is now on-line through various platforms:

Facebook

Blogger
eMail; pw.editor@ntlworld.com

And they are on Paypal.

The old website is to be run-down/retired.

G is for Gift Egg Updates - 5 - Tarco

We first looked at Tarco here about a year ago, but there is another set or Dr. Who out (actually the third - I seem to have missed one!), and other sets to look at.

So the Dr. Who Figures Part 3, flyer/insert and two figures with the K9 we looked at last time, this set is all new version characters and that's about all I can say?

This lot is more blurb-worthy, as they are also branded to Tarco, but were being vended from a standard, stickered Tomy stack in the local Sainsbury's? Whether this is a legit licence between Tomy and Tarco or an old machine being filled with locally sourced product by a supplier of easy ethics I don't know.

Give him a sword on a baldric and cut those pointed toes down and he'd make an excellent adventurer hanging around the bars in Riverdeep...do people still play proper D&D?

Now . . . I've had these for ten years or more, they were in the Galoob box, not because I thought they were Galoob, but because Hasbro ended-up with Galoob, and Hasbro issued new type Action Man licences, so it made sense to put unknown Action Man figures with the Galoob/Kenner/Hasbro stuff of similar ilk!

Also, Hasbro were responsible for the Subbuteo figures which appeared in Italian gift-eggs a decade or so ago (Can't remember if it was Zaini or one of the others now?), so these figures may be from those Italian eggs. However, the Hasbro mark is the same as the BBC and Disney marks on the other sets above, as far as size, font and the like, so Tarco are also a likely candiate?

G is for Gift Egg Updates - 4 - Balaban 'Toto'

Toto has become one of those 'Eurowords' that sort of means 'play' somewhere; 'playing' somewhere else, here - I think - 'plaything'? And these were the 'house' eggs of choice for the recently demised 99p Stores.

Only sold in packs of three; the same as Kinder are retailed as in larger stores, or - a little cheaper - in Lidl and Aldi. Following the merger they were cleared through Poundland for a few weeks but seem to have vanished now?

A pound (or 99p) for three eggs is considerably cheaper than the best price you'll find Kinder at, and at least a  third (per egg) than any of the rivals, you might expect the toys to be crap, given the Bonbon Buddies and Dracco contents, but actually these Turkish Balaban eggs have comparable contents to Kinder.

Here two decent mini goods-wagons and two (of four) small boats, a 'pirate' raft and a little jolly-boat, with Airfix sizer!

Compared to other rail-stock from Kinder, if anything the Balaban are better models?

G is for Gift Egg Updates - 3 - Giochi Preziosi; World of Warriors

In the UK actually handled by Flair, these were in one of the lots from the Plastic Warrior show in May, there are supposed to be two figures per 'hut', but I only got one in each?

With 60 sculpts and 126 variants these will take a whole childhood to collect! However, they are quite fun if you like that kind of thing. What are known as deforms or super-deforms now (I think?), they seem to represent all sorts of ancient/ medieval or 'primitive' soldier/warrior types from around the world, covering a period from about 3000BC to 1900, although some of the Polynesian types were still giving people trouble in the 1950's I believe!

There is a semi-transparent version of each sculpt, with six further super-rare ones to find and they are in a polystyrene type hard plastic - probably a better wearing polymer, they have the feel of good dice; acrylic, ABS, Perspex? In fact they are like those Crazybones things that were all the rage a while ago.

I won't be seeking any more (I've seen them available in several locations) but they will be turning up in mixed lots for the next 40 years (I'm getting quite a pile of Crazybones already!), so at least the cropped flyer image will help ID them.

The huts are different, and with four 'armies' (I think there's a simple 'top-trump' game element to the whole concept) I assume four hut types? The huts can be stacked and the figures can be displayed on the plinth under the roof (with the door turned out of the way) or on the top, using a locating stud on the plinth or roof.

As I say, they're not for me, but if you have young kids, these would be a fun way to get them collecting, they look like they could be fun, and there's history in there as well if you dig a bit and ignore the cartoon-caricature elements in favour of the tell-tale signature armour and headdresses?

G is for Gift Egg Updates - 2 - Dracco and Bon Bon Buddies

I buy them so you won't have to; let's get the real shite out of the way, so you know what to avoid.

There are several sets of Star Wars eggs around at the moment including some with figures in and others with figural key-rings, these - from Dracco Candy of Spain - have an enticing enough wrapper, but. . .

. . . are the pits, a sheet of stickers, or a styrene-sheet key-ring, I don’t see a pound there, do you? Maybe kids today like this sort of stuff and I'm just looking at it from the point of view of an adult figure collector, but I seem to remember knowing when I'd been sold a pup when I was a kid too!

I gave this a punt too, we looked at a Mickey one a year or so ago (little red pencil rubber I think?), and this was no better, a very naff key-ring and a paper sticker from Bonbon Buddies.

G is for Gift Egg Updates - 1 - Overview

I didn't know whether to use this as a last post roundup, or a first post intro, but guessing a lot of the die-hard 'Toy Soldier' purists will quickly get pretty sick of little novelties (and it's not December so I can't use that excuse!), especially five posts of them; I figure if we start with the bits and pieces, we can end with a short post...with proper figures!

In the beginning there were gift eggs, and they were egg shaped and full of gifts! Originally these were made of waffer-thin wood, by the inter-war period tin was common (and is making a comeback as trinket storage/jewelry boxes) with papier-mâché and heavy, pressed card also popular, but by the 1970's it was another item of human construct ripe for a plasticisation!

Kinder themselves (still the market leader) have made two changes to packaging in the last year or so, firstly the wrap-around was changed to two foil halves (of which one is shown flattened above) joined pole-to-pole, and more recently they've been turning-up with two moulded plastic halves or 'clamshells' like a lunch-box snack-pack dip! Because when the world is knee-deep in plastic waste; let's find more things to make out of plastic!

The Ziani Frozen we looked at a year ago (I got the little dwarf thing, you may remember) but I've since had a session of scanning the paperwork into the archive, while these two Trolls (one of which I think we looked at in the novelty posts last Xmas) are both imported by CBG of Belgium (not Minot!) from WF Industrial of China. The paper slip of the earlier being replaced by, yes, you guessed it...a printed plastic sheet - that's not going to find its way into the environment between the sweet-shop and home/school is it!

The drag-racer in the upper shot was broken, some of Kinder's suppliers in the 1980's used a silver plastic which was very frangible, and is almost impossible to glue, however I have a method...I coat both halves in a cyanoacrylate 'super-glue' gel, then put a blob of that plumbers-sealant between the two and wedge them together.

The sealant evaporates away to nothing in minutes but bonds and fills nicely, being mixed with the super-glue gives the whole thing added robustness...or at least I like to think so! Time and chemistry will tell if it's a busted-flush?

Below is a bunch of Kinder motorcycles and such-like (pedal trike!) from the 1980's and 1990's.

From that same lot (I got at the PW show back in May) came most of the ships, I've left them in the bags as they are a real bugger to set-up for photography and I have a bunch-more in storage, so one day we will come back to them and do them justice.

Below them a selection of lorries and vans, we looked at a couple of them with the other novelty mini-trucks in December-last, sorry! Another racing-car for the project...but I think I already have the yellow one, so it can stay on its low-loader.

This is brand-new, bought last week for a quid in Wilkinson's (Wilco) and branded to them; it's an egg full of rubber dinosaurs no bigger than a fingernail! Four poses and four colours, packed as two each of two each, I suspect you would only need two eggs for all four of all four, but one's enough to give you the idea. Same new crumbly rubber as other things we've looked at though.

D is for Dragon Roundup

Dragons are building-up in Picasa, and given their volatile nature, best to get them up here and away in the attic before they do any real harm!

From Ubisoft who I think we've visited before (might even be these dragons?), but all in Spanish so obviously clearance - here in the UK. Imported by Heathside Trading and sold through The Works about a year/18months ago, I seem to have taken some shots (which may have appeared here?), then got another dragon or two.

Each comes with a flyer/rule sheet in Spanish and Portuguese, three game cards and a jewel, there are a total of 30 dragons to collect.

This may have appeared before, or he may be the addition (or I may not have Blogged them yet!), with the limits of the Library for posting I can't check. They are a cut above the rack-toys below, but they're not that good either, trying too hard to be as spiky as the characters in the World of Warcraft franchise, if you ask me.

The full set of 30, some sculpts seem to have been re-used several times, others are unique, there's no real reason for this I can see, but it may be a familial thing hidden in the rules?

Imported into the US by JPW, these shots were sent in to 'Smallscaleworld Towers' by Brian Berke and this is a current rack-toy on the far shores of the pond. Standard 'Chinasaur' type dragons, they would look better for a proper paint-job, but as fantasy air forces, you can't get them cheaper!

Key Ring I got last Christmas, a 'proper' Chinese sea-serpent style dragon coiled in a heap, don't know for sure if it's modern or vintage, but I suspect (from the simple ring and chain) mid-1970's to the mid-1980's?

[added at library - yes, I've blogged them once already...click Ubisoft in the tag list...at least I know there are 30 now!]

L is for lifesize

I know we've had that title before, but i'm not feeling inventive today and I haven't posted wildlife for ages, these were shot in an hour or so on the 7th of this month, between rain showers!

This first one is a bit of a mystery, it looks a bit like a weevil, or a scarlet lily beetle and was found on a day-lily, so you might think it's a green domestic version of the red intruder, but I can only find a more weevil-like thing in the books called Byctiscus Populi which lives on Aspen...anyone recognise it?

Buff Ermine moth, he/she had a lovely orange and black tiger-striped (stripped? The one the doesn't involve the removal of clothes!) thorax, but it was difficult to photograph as you could only see it when it was fapping it's wings, which is when you can't get a decent shot in focus!

Emperor Dragonfly, sitting and in flight, our best dragonfly by a mile! Snail on the march and a Ringlet Butterfly. I also took loads of shots of various slugs - who knew we had so many species of slug! - but I've spared you those pictures.

A female Beautiful Damoiselle, our largest damoiselle, the male is bluer. Yes; it's official name is 'beautiful', how nice is that!

M is for More Superheroes

I know I said that would be it for superheroes for a while, but I also said I'd look-up the ID of the new eggs I got in The Works...and then another set turned-up!

These are the insert-slips for the Hulk/Disney Princess ones we looked at a week or so ago, branded to Disney, Marvel, STL (UK importer) and TPF (manufacturer) you can take your pick where to place them in your data storage/information retrieval system!

I actually got a couple more in another store last Wednesday, some independent 'pound' store in Aldershot, so they are clearly current stock with at least one of the clearance wholesalers, being originally from the £1.99 bracket, and now at a pound with two sources to my knowledge.

 

Then I found this huge capsule from Chinese firm Zuru - who's given address is a few doors away from Blue Box's HQ - with a full 54/60mm figure, one of five, with no picture of the range we must assume Hulk, Thor, Iron Man and err...one of the others! Again, currently a pound, probably originally priced around 2.99 or 3.99, get them when you see them, they'll be another end-of-line.