About Me

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No Fixed Abode, Home Counties, United Kingdom
I’m a 60-year-old Aspergic gardening CAD-Monkey. Sardonic, cynical and with the political leanings of a social reformer, I’m also a toy and model figure collector, particularly interested in the history of plastics and plastic toys. Other interests are history, current affairs, modern art, and architecture, gardening and natural history. I love plain chocolate, fireworks and trees, but I don’t hug them, I do hug kittens. I hate ignorance, when it can be avoided, so I hate the 'educational' establishment and pity the millions they’ve failed with teaching-to-test and rote 'learning' and I hate the short-sighted stupidity of the entire ruling/industrial elite, with their planet destroying fascism and added “buy-one-get-one-free”. Likewise, I also have no time for fools and little time for the false crap we're all supposed to pretend we haven't noticed, or the games we're supposed to play. I will 'bite the hand that feeds', to remind it why it feeds.

Friday, August 19, 2016

L is for Lizards Again!

So another post covering recently Blogged stuff, which has come around again in time for Rack Toy Month (yes - we'll get back to army men soon!), with more of the multiple connection thing we've seen in the last two posts (below).

In the previous post on lizards (back in June), we looked at an MTC set Brian sent picture of with six small lizards, well, the other day I picked-up the same six, with two others in a net by Unique at the same time as the similar insects. Then - last week Brian sent me a picture (top left) of the same in the Big Apple - which is why I suggested in yesterday's post that the MTC insects may turn-up over there in the Unique bag as well! Anyway, there's 3 poses in at least 8 colourways!

4 snakes and 4 snakes is eight snakes, but in a Rack Toy, not on a plane - phew! More MTC minis . . . put money on them turning-up in Unique packaging, or would they wiggle out of the bags! Also; take a 'sportsman's' on them turning up as glow-in-the-dark under Grossman?

Hunson novelties, but Rack Toys for Rack Toy Month! We had these when we were kids, there were lovely composition ones still around when I was a child as well, little lozenge-shaped lumps of 'olin' composition, formed either side of a canvas strip and richly painted, the head had a little red-leather tongue!

Also who remembers the howling snakes: long concertinaed tubes with a snakes head, and you whirled it round as fast as you could to get an eerie howling noise which was part air-raid siren, part Hawkwind instrumental and part alien battle-fleet attacking; it didn't sound anything like a snake!

Ooh! Are we doing reptiles again? Have I shown you this? Best Birthday present ever . . . I have? Well, they're here now, so they can stay! Isn't it brilliant?

Thursday, August 18, 2016

I is for Insects Again!

So the multiplicity of sources for the same figures I mentioned in yesterday's monkey post, is highlighted again with today's post (most supplied by Brian Berke), which looks at insects again, had I known I'd be running Rack Toy Month I might have held over that first post, but it's all grist to the mill!

So these are the same insects as were (are being) issued over here by Unique, except in the 'States they are under the MTC branding. Although, tomorrow's post suggests that the Unique set should be findable in the New World too. A few days after the original post (couple of weeks ago), I found the same set of insects as glow-in-the-dark novelties, in the same net-bag as Unique, but branded to H.Grossman (HGL) - one of our oldest surviving importers (although recently sold; I seem to recall reporting here a while ago), which is two types of product from the one set of moulds in three formats from at least three brands on two continents!

These 'Souvenirs de Fiesta' (must put that in the foreign terms section!) from Amscan are larger and what I consider novelties rather than model animals (but then so were the The Works insects!), and it's nice to see that something (or a version of something...) which is 30, 40, 50 years old can still be bought by - mum's and dad's who enjoyed them then - for their kids to enjoy today.

I think it's 3x12 and the list looks like (from the top); dragon fly, bristle-tail, millipede, mantis, scorpion, ant, fly, earwig, grass-hopper, caterpillar, spider and cockroach?

These seem much cruder than the Unique/MTC beetles, more like the older Ackerman bugs we looked at the other day, same softer rubber in black, with basic paint-job in a contrasting colour. Don't show them to my mother, she'll be off up to Baker's hardware to by a packet of magnets and some glue . . .

. . . for her fridge door! Thanks to Brian for the pictures in the first three images.

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

3 is for Monkeys, Wisdom not Included

Another pack sent in from Brian Berke, and another MTC Rack Toy from the other side of the pond, however, as with a lot of this current Chinese stuff, it raises questions rather than answering them.

'3 Monkey', no lie and nice sculpts, well . . . small lie; one of them looks like an eye-eye or bush-baby, not a monkey! But, remember when I showed the snail key-ring and said I'd got a couple of others, and that I thought they were from larger sets, well this was one of the other two . . .

. . . and clearly it's from the same set as the MTC branded ones. Now - there are people who buy this stuff in bulk and add key-rings, earrings or such-like for onward sale on evilBay as a sort of craft business. But the three I bought were in a retail 'party' chain, so will be more commercial, I'd imagine the full set is larger, maybe 6, 8, 10, 12 figurines?

The trouble with trying to pin this stuff down is that the OEM contract manufacturers in mainland China will carry a bunch of lines in a catalogue, and any or several of the various FOB's and 'Jobbers' can pick-and-mix from those inventories/mould-banks, ship it to their UK/US end, or on to various smaller importers/jobbers, any of whom can then package it for further onward marketing ('jobbing') to various retail outlets or other clients, in the importers, the retailer's/client's own or a made-up brand.

Meanwhile back at the China end, the originator will offer them in maybe a deluxe, standard and basic paint job, glow in the dark, an infant version in monochromatic bright colours, in ethylene or PVC, or in synthetic-rubber as erasers, or as key rings or fridge-magnets, glued to plinths for museum shops or such like, in gum-balls . . . and . . . and!

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

T is for Tub Fun!

Courtesy of Brian Berke comes this set and the associated photographs, some taken of the sample he donated to the blog! You can't beat a good bath/beach toy - when you're six! But as we saw in Brian's own diorama of Operation Dynamo they can paint-up well and prove more useful than throwing at your younger sibling in a tantrum, when he tries singing over the wafted sounds of Bob Dylan Live at Blackbushe, blowing in the evening wind (see what I did there) across Bramshill Forrest and through the bathroom window!

Previously issued by Amloid (now holder of Crayola brand, still carrying beach toys and celebrating 100-years in the toy business!), these will be a copy of what were probably originally US desings, such is the nature of the toy business!

Common designs, they are based on earlier sets with more detailed sculpts, one of which - 'Pee Wee Boats' - is on Kent Sprecher's Giant page, I would disagree that Giant 'made' them, Giant issued them, as many other firms did, as Ja-Ru does, but they were (and still are) made in the plants of otherwise anonymous contract manufacturers in China or what were the 'New Territories'; these (and a dozen copies of them) were available in every sea-side kiosk in Europe when I was a toddler (and still are).

In recent years Ja-Ru have taken to getting their own logo placed/moulded-on to larger items (and most - but not all - packaging) this will likely be in response to China's decision to develop 'own' (or actuall!) brands (primarily to serve a domestic market) rather than exist purely as a contractor to the West and to establish Ja-Ru as a 'player' (or the player they have been for 55 years) rather than the [in the background] 'Jobber' they've been happy to operate as, thus far!

Two of the other designs from the Ja-Ru set, along with an earlier un-marked version of the yacht, and a carded set of smaller clone yachts from Pay Day Products (a Madeupbrand if ever I heard one!), we looked at a similar (but 20-odd years older) set from Ri-Toys quite a while ago.

The Ferry, again a common enough design, similar to the Lido dime-store model, and the barge I was chatting to Ed Berg about on his blog the other day. Basically an on-shore, inland or harbour ferry design with a roll-through facility to allow quick-turnaround, here loaded with rack-toy copies in soft ethylene of old hard styrene US dime-store mini-vehicles - more on them soon.

Yes - I am fully aware of the garbled block of 'text' pertaining to Ja-Ru (in answer to a totally unrelated comment about new production Nappies?) which have appeared after my recent mentions of them and apparently trying to pre-empt the A-Z entry being forthcoming; as have also appeared comments on Amscan, Ackerman and Hing Fat, also within days of them being mentioned here, most of them rubbish or containing a barrow-load of rubbish amongst the commoner 'facts'!

As there are only so many days in a month and this is Rack Toy Month, not 'Start a War with the Penn-State Toy Soldier Mafia (hereafter: PSTSM) Month; such things can wait, after all: Give a man enough rope and he'll hang himself! 'So called jogger' - Too funny! Somebody tell him what a jobber is, I hate the phrase - it's too similar to FoB'er, prefer 'importer' and only use it out of deference to the PSTSM!

The Ja-Ru A-Z entry is now here, and sensible feedback or additional links, product listings or empirical evidence will be happily accepted and credited/acknowledged, however made-up rubbish from secret ..."business chamber international system"…'s won't be! Although it's nice to know he's following the blog so closely!

Monday, August 15, 2016

H is for Homies

I'm loving these, I'm not sure if they pass muster as Rack-Toys, more of a blind-bag or carded 'collectable' thing, but my blog-my rules and all rules are made to be broken, even "Rack Toy Month means Rack Toy Month" and I'm loving them anyway.

I don't know anything about them, there's a link here to the website where there's loads of stuff if you want more. Also because they are popular/originate over the pond, I wouldn't try to explain in depth something a chunk of the readership probably know more than me about.

From the author/artist:

"The Homies are a group of tightly knit Chicano buddies who have grown up in the Mexican American barrio (neighborhood) of "Quien Sabe", ('who knows') located in East Los Angeles"

- Dave Gonzales.

They were a gift from Brian Berke, and while they may have been available over here, I suspect it would have been in small quantities, somewhere like Forbidden Planet, where they wouldn't have been cheap! Let's look at them . . .

There are various sub-stories/genres within the line, some of which involve clowns!

I love the guy with the 'Stars & Stripes! Is he a vet, or is he a wannabe? Either way he's proud . . . "Don't tread on the flag dude!". When I get my stuff out of storage and set up my desk he's going to squat on the disc/dongle tub; guarding the archive!

They all have so much character, they are quite cinematic really, but I believe they are now a cartoon as well. However as figures they vary between quite cartoonish, flat caricatures and almost realistic sculpts, yet they fit together wonderfully, each is 'right' for his or her part.

Left - "I ain't seen nut'un. Straight-up!"

Middle - "Guys! Look up! I'm trying to take a snap here!" although after I took the shot I realised whatever he's holding has a power lead, so I think he's actually a barber!

Right - Priceless . . . if there's one thing about American culture that the whole world knows, one trope, one stereotype which has travelled via Hollywood round the world it's the whole fat-cops and doughnuts thing! And the Pigeons on the bin! Thinks "Any minute now the guy in blue is gonna' run to his cruiser's voice and that third doughnut is mine!" he's just willing the cop to drop one!

Close-ups. I didn't think to do a photo but I think they go well with the boarders/surfers and probably the Kid Robot street performers, but I don't know for sure?

Product-placement is got around by using the Homie meme for everything logo'ed, which is a really nice touch in a world where everything is covered in brand logos or product-placed. Scale varies as much as humans do, and they are all made of a stable, soft but firm vinyl, like old school Bully, Heimo or Comic Spain stuff

I love the look on the face of the older guy, talking to the graduate . . . "You got a degree? Little Louie got a degree? I don't think I can spell degree, you gonna' make loads of money and move away huh? Buy a big house up the hills? Sheeesh, whoda'thought it; from this neibourhood?"

Brain - Thank you so much for these, I love them!

Could someone over the pond do an article on them for Plastic Warrior magazine, I don't think they've been in yet (maybe in 'new product news'?) and they need to be, I'm sure Paul M would appreciate it? With a little more knowledge/background than I've managed!

Sunday, August 14, 2016

UFO is for It's a Wind-Up!

It's a UFO . . . that's it.

What?

It's better than a parachuting penguin . . . or a doll in a basket!

I like the backing-card artwork; . . . "zzzt...'crackle'...Wingman?...Zzzt...Stay in formation for fucks sake!...Zzzt...You'll have us both on the deck...zzzt...and why are you wearing the same call-sign as me - you doofus?"

Saturday, August 13, 2016

T is for Toys, Tour, Tonto and Tiny T'ings . . .

Well, this is the bottom of the bran-barrel as far as Rack Toys are concerned, these - would in their day - have been the sub-dollar stuff (with the exception of the metallion bits) in 20 or 50 ¢ or p brackets, or a few cents or a shilling or less for the really early ones.

No wheels, no rotors, but recognisable as a helicopter! The card hints at nicer stuff?

From the same stable, some Christmas cracker/gum ball capsule 'hair tools' - bagged!

Ah, things improve somewhat! A plastic copy of the old (and much copied/pirated/licensed) Lone Star Metallion of Geronimo (they didn't do Tonto but I needed wanted to literate the title!)

An actual metal Kit Carson, but not a Lone Star one, I think this might be Gilbert Toys, but I don't know?  They were issued in several packagings, some store-specific such as for SS Kressege, whether this is a pirate, a licensed product or from the original mould, after onward sale I can't say but from the apparent lack of a title on the lump of grass (which I think was a rock on the original) I'd plump for piracy!

Below it is a Polish copy of the same figure courtesy of  Konrad Lesiak 

The same treatment was given to various bits of the Britains Deetail range including the Japanese and US Infantry, here we see the recoilless-rifle team, expertly antiqued by the chrome-elves of Aitchkay!

Below it is one of those things you'd love to lose, but it has age and adds to posts like this (and the 'whole picture'), so it sort of stays as an ugly duckling, without a proper storage box, worryingly with an ever-growing bag of mixed babies and piracies of the Thomas Toys kids and infants!

The fireplace is probably sold as a dolls house accessory (as was the baby in a basket), and I think I'm correct in saying this was also placed in Grandmother Stover's packaging?

The cycles are fun, and we'll do a cycle post one day, as there is a whole bunch in storage. These will be copies of game playing pieces, there is a super cycle board game page somewhere (or there used to be) with loads of bicycles, including about five games with the Britains cycles in, which is why they are always on feebleBay and wholly over-rated price-wise!

Britains copies aagin, the show jumper, I should get one out and shoot it in glorious techniclose-up, but another day.

That's some older cheepies cleared, more newer stuff to come in Rack Toy Month!

Friday, August 12, 2016

ZZ is for A-Z

Just a quick one, mid-1970's, Germany via Hong Kong, although also handled in the USA (as this set was). Posted here to announce that the ZZ entry in the A-Z has been posted, if anyone can answer the call for more information or product listings, which would be nice. Or help get the animals and their coded-bags twinned.

Two scale-up's of the Britains zoo-keepers, to feed the mostly Elastolin animal knock-offs in 70mm.

Thursday, August 11, 2016

A is for 'Army Men' in Alternate Artwork

Back to Modern stuff, both from Brian Berke, several months apart, but both still findable that side of the pond I'm sure.

The two packagings found by Brian in his jaunts round the dime-stores and party-shops of the Big Apple, the figures must have been around for a while as they are already available as much poorer piracies. We may even look at some soon, I know I've photographed a few.

Let's face it - if you're over about eight years of age you don't really want these in your army!

But you do need one of each in the archive! Three figures 'after' Matchbox, 2 after Airfix and three other poses, all from Ja-Ru, one of the older import 'Jobbers' still going, and I'm working on their A-Z entry, with help from Brian!

Wednesday, August 10, 2016

M is for Monogram's Men Made Much Mangier in Macau

Not much blurb with these, being vintage (after all the new stuff we've been looking at) and un-branded generics; there's nothing TO say! They are all copies of Monogram's kit figures, which have been much copied and re-issued (by Revell) over the years and we will look at them all in greater detail on the Hong Kong Blog eventually as there are various types, we're looking at 3 maybe 4 different sources here. Enjoy the artwork!

The first four are all from the same source . . .




We looked at the vessels (loose) when I did all the mini-ships years ago, they are copies of the Triang Minic range in soft plastic. We also saw three of the sets when I did the 1-ton Humber posts. These sets are all dated early to mid-1960's.

This was sent to the Blog by Dario from Italy, and we looked at another one from the range on the Airfix Blog (8th Army - 1st Type), they are rather charming with the shaped blisters, but the contents are third-rate in the hierarchy of Hong Kong production - as are all the sets in this post, of course, that is the nature of Rack Toys! These figures are slightly smaller and I would imagine this set dates to the late1960's or the early 1970's.

Your eyes can tell you as much as I can waffle. Back to the earlier 1960's for this one.

Ditto! It's trying to be the same as the last set, but has a different mix of slightly different figures.

PS - probably not Macau!

Tuesday, August 9, 2016

L is for Looks Like Wing Lung . . . But Isn't!

As we saw yesterday, Matchbox figures became ripe for piracy as soon as they had been released, taking the pressure off old Britains and Lone Star sculpts and joining Airfix as the origin of choice for copyists in Hong Kong, Macau, Singapore and increasingly by the 1980's - Mainland China.

With the bulk of my Matchbox copies in storage the figures we are looking at today are all contemporary or very recent, we did have a brief look at older, larger US clones here and the small scale Airfx/Matchbox mix from the 1990's here  while the rest of the figures below are labelled for known sources, where known.

The ones labeled 'USA' came from Brian Berke as a loose sample, but seem to be the same figures as the Funtastic for Poundland ones this side of the pond. The lower insets show how Ocean Desert Sales tampo-marked the base of one of their figures, and a swirly-marbled one.

The grey one is interesting, but his origins remain unknown to me, I'd guess either a small quantity issued as accessories with die-cast toys, or a modern'ish 20¢ price-range capsule/gum-ball prize. The small scale Wing Lung's we looked at yesterday are a tad smaller then the Red Box PVC-rubber chap.

On the left we see the Ocean Desert Sales figures compared to a better sample (both from Brian) in a dense PVC. The sandy coloured ones have a wider pose range and are pretty good copies, the Ocean sculpts being manufactured in a tinny-ethylene and skinnier. Note the guy being shot; the sandy one has a descent Tommy-gun sculpt to let go of; the Ocean guy is dropping a flipper!

To the right are the (known) poses/colours of the smaller figures, except Red Box's Motormax, who I know carried five poses (issued paired in tens) but they are in storage. They also come in various paint styles and I think another 'brand' source is ID'd in the archive.

The Ocean Desert Sales in their bag - Federal German 8th Army! And the full set of Wilkinson's ['Wilco'] figures which I think we've looked at before? We've also looked at the Funtasic and 99p/Poundland stuff quite recently so check the tag list if you missed them first time round.

Brian's sample of loose figures from NY, NY, and two compared to the Chinatroop cheapies which came from Peter Evans and are a slightly smaller copy/sculpt.

The sample from Peter Evans, I'm not 100% sure the two trucks were in the same set, but I seem to have photographed them in sequence and then included them in the collage without paying attention!
The little boats would paint-up well for war gaming, but the drivers/pilots (? Captains!) are a bit wooden. The map is fascinating, trying to tie-in to the Afghanistan 'adventure'.

There are a few non-Matchbox poses in this sample including an ex-Galoob Space Marine and some ex-Airfix chaps. The helicopter too is not that shabby, and a paint-job would bring it to life.

Finally, this came from Toysmith-via-Brian the other day and shows some quite good versions of Matchbox US Infantry clones, the window-box is very similar to the box the Funtastic smallies came-in over here. The figures are clearly marked MADE IN CHINA in the bases, and I find the need for a storage bag a bit ironic . . . "rip that box to bits and get it to landfill ASP kid, stuff the environment!"

Monday, August 8, 2016

W is for Wing Lung

So, the day Rack Toy Month started (I haven't heard back from Kofi or Teresa yet, but I'm sure it's only a matter of time before it's properly recognised!) I got an eMail from Tom Clague, along with three images that were very useful (I also got 7 eMails from Brian Berke - the same day! A lot of which will be featuring in RTM - there; now I've abbreviated it, it's part of the social fabric!), he (Tom) also posed a couple of questions, so this post is half Tom's and half whatever I can give in answer to those questions . . . which is not much really!

Tom's contribution: Wing Lung; Pirates of Matchbox (and Airfix) to the gentry of the West. This is actually a set of Matchbox British Infantry clones, in around 40mm (or about 1:45th scale). Tom points out that one of them (bottom right-hand image) is a clever conversion of a Matchbox 8th Army figure, with the addition of fully trousered legs, and of note is that they seem to have done the work themselves, it kinda' shows round the gaiters, but it's not a cut-n-shut from another pose as no other pose has legs/feet in quite the same position.

Sold on the runner, as most (but not all) their sets were, there are 12 poses for a twelve-figure count. Missing are the 'alternate' prone crawler, the stabbing-down pose (clearly replaced by the conversion - which actually makes a better figure), radio-operator and AFV crewman in coveralls. Also missing are the No.2 for the Vicker's MG and the sten-gunner.

I suspect that it's pronounced Wing 'Loong'. They only seem to have produced a basic five sets of figures/moulds, but with packaging variations and a green set of British clones issued with US header-cards there are a dozen or so to collect, although if they were dedicated toy-manufacturers they will be responsible for all sorts of stuff hidden as generics or under the made-up or actual brands of European importers/chains.

They must have flourished after 1971 (when the Matchbox started issuing these figures), so reasonably recent in historical terms, and possibly still out there contract-manufacturing for the Toysaurus or Wallmart, or making kitchen-bowls for onward shipping to Peru or South Africa, such is the fate of makers who don't stick to toys!

I had actually posted Wing Lung a couple of few weeks ago over on the Hong Kong Blog, and having only one old scan of a photograph of four figures for the post had enhanced it somewhat with a bit of home-made graphical content! The above are those which are best carried-over to this post.

The three header cards are consistent across the 'range' with the US getting a greyish-white card surround (blued on later sets), the British; yellow and the Germans an orange-tan. And base marking in all scales and types was the same neat HONG KONG either lengthwise on longer/thinner bases, or up-and-under on shorter fatter bases, and all bases have 'rectangle roundness' settings of around 100%, that is to say perfect half-circles at each end with parallel sides between, whatever the length/width, a few have flat tips, but perfect 45% radius' on all four corners . . . in fact very easy to ID as loose figures in your 'unknowns' box!

One of Tom's questions was "Does anyone know if they ever did this set in 1:76...", well, no I don't think so. I have a load of these loose, in storage and it's a funny thing, but the above shots (taken from feeBay back in 2006) show all the poses I've found. Being: five US Marines, four German stormtroopers off to Belgium, in all their early-war finery and three Fallschrimjager, all also ex-Airfix.

I have them in green, brown and a silver-grey . . . basically the same colours as the larger figures. Yet while the larger figures are Matchbox copies, each equating to one of the three nations depicted, in the smaller scale you get the same Airfix copies for all three sets, nation being set by colour! And - They are tiny, about 17/18mm, smaller than the Airfix HO-OO figures, but look how many you got - 3 or 4 frames to a stack and three stacks, that's 108 figures minimum, 144 maximum.

Here being sold as an unbranded 'generic' imported by N. Davison and Co. of Sheffield (sometime in the mid-1980's from the 'CE' mark on the sticker), and off-the-runner, but still following the colour rule for the header-cards (except the US, who have gone blue), the plastic colour rule for the figures, the base rules and showing the other sets, badly; I photographed these on Adrian's stall at the Plastic Warrior show a couple of years ago, but the lighting/flash was all wrong.

You will also have clocked by now that they also stole the artwork of the original Matchbox sets as well!

This isn't much better, but helps to show that the Germans are also Matchbox sculpts!

Related to his other question, Tom was hoping the prone figure/s may have been in the small scale as they weren't produced by Matchbox in their 1:76th scale set, at all, either of them? As we've seen, they weren’t I'm afraid, but here they are in the full 1:32 of the originals. One of life's little mysteries!

Listing
Known Sets

HO-Gauge compatible (18mm, mix of Airfix piracies)
- American Soldiers
- British Soldiers
- German Soldiers
30/35mm (ex-Airfix 1:32nd scale figures)
Cowboys and Indians
40mm (ex-Matchbox)
Single Runner Sets
- American Soldiers (ex-Matchbox US Infantry)
- American Soldiers (ex-Matchbox British Infantry in green plastic)
- British Soldiers
- German Soldiers
Large Bags of Loose Figures
- American Soldiers (ex-Matchbox US Infantry)
- American Soldiers (ex-Matchbox British Infantry in green plastic)
- British Soldiers
- German Soldiers
Small Generic Bags on Larger Backing Card (loose figures)
- American Soldiers (ex-Matchbox US Infantry)
- American Soldiers (ex-Matchbox British Infantry in green plastic)
- British Soldiers
- German Soldiers


There is also a Wing Mau Trading Co., who carried/exported the same spacemen as Hing Fat and a set of factory-painted 60mm PVC/rubber S.W.A.T Team figures. But going on the number of Chinese restaurants with 'Wing' in the title, I'm guessing it's a common enough name and that there's no connection between the two.

Finally you may have recognised Tom's name, I've plugged his two previous albums and an EP, well, he has another out, it's free, downloadable now, and good. I would describe it as chill-out psychedelia and it comes with CD-scaled cover art, give it a go . . .http://theloveexplosion.blogspot.com

Sunday, August 7, 2016

F is for Follow-up to the Follow-up!

Very brief one, thanks to fellow blogger The Good Soldier Svjek and Tim Peterson who both got in touch to ID the figures Brian Berke bought and painted which we looked at the other day.

I know little about metal, and less about the whole Marlborough, French & Indian Wars and Revolution period and next to nothing about home-casts so any help is gratefully received!

My rule when the figures come in, in mixed lots (which they do tend to, being on the smaller side) is to check an old B&W copy of an Agasee (spell?) catalogue I have, if the figure is in there I call it that, on its index card, if not it goes in the unknown flats/home-casts 40-50mm box! A system that works until you get three cats in different sizes . . . knowing one must might be Agasee but at least two must be imposters! Hell is ID'ing home-casts!

Anyway, both correspondents said they were Nuernberger Meisterzinn and supplied links, I've pinched borrowed the 'commercial advertising' images and included the links:


http://www.bauer-spielwaren.de/de/marken-produkte/nuernberger-meisterzinn/giessformen-und-zubehoer/kuerassiere-zu-pferd-1322/


http://www.bauer-spielwaren.de/de/marken-produkte/nuernberger-meisterzinn/giessformen-und-zubehoer/reiter-mit-degen-1002/

While this should take you to the whole page:

http://www.bauer-spielwaren.de/de/marken-produkte/nuernberger-meisterzinn/giessformen-und-zubehoer/