2 is for Almost Tomorrow! But Not Quite!

Best show in the calendar is less than 48-hours away, but you need to get there to be there! Sort of dealt with the roads yesterday, but for those not driving, there are all the benefits of Public Transport . . . groan!

Train Travel

Well served by stations, but Whitton is the one to aim for as it's only a couple of minutes walk away from the venue. SouthWestern Railways' site is here for updates and double checking. Since taking over the franchise they have had some minor industrial action, but there's nothing ongoing at the moment, although two other rail companies had strikes today (Wed. 9th) so best to check the link.

Directions from PW's page -

From Central London and the South of England

By overground train (South Western Railways) from Waterloo or Clapham Junction to Whitton Station.  There are 8 trains an hour and the journey time is approx. 30 minutes, this is a loop line so 4 trains an hour run from two different platforms at Waterloo Station. 

From the North of England

By train to London arriving at Kings Cross St. Pancras or Euston. take the London Underground Victoria line just 6 stops to Vauxhall and change for South Western Railways to Whitton Station as above.   Whitton Station is just 3 minutes walk from the Winning Post - turn left out of the station past Jubilee Avenue and Pauline Crescent, the next turning on your left is the entrance to the Winning Post.

The Near-Clapham Omnibus and Other Charabancs

This is the National Rail bus-plan/local amenities poster for Whitton which you can download as a .pdf file and print-out.

While local bus details are available here, and give the following buses as local click on each for timetable); PW recommends the H22 from Richmond if you use the Tube (Metro, U-Bahn, Underground) for the rest of your journey out of the city.

110 - Hounslow - Twickenham - West Middlesex Hospital

111 - Kingston - Hounslow - Heathrow Airport

281 - Hounslow - Kingston - Tolworth

481 - Kingston - Twickenham - West Middlesex Hospital

681 - Hounslow - Twickenham - Teddington School

 969 - Whitton - Barnes - Roehampton Vale

H22 - Hounslow, Bell Corner - Whitton - Twickenham - Richmond, Manor Circus

Viewpoint pulled-out a bit. I am reliably informed you can also get a taxi-cab from anywhere within the European Union, direct to the door of the Winning Post! Hire cars are available, try car-share . . . bicycle . . . Run!

3 is for . . . Err . . . Less Than a Week? Bargain!

As you can't have missed if you're on the internet, the 33rd Plastic Warrior show for collectable toy soldiers and model figures is this coming Saturday in the Harlequin Suite, at the Winning Post public house (Fayre Square) and Motel (Premier Inn), in Whitton on the edge of Twickenham, south-east London.

The Map! Actually I think I've cropped it better in the past, but hey-ho! The venue is less than 2-minutes walk from Whitton railway station, well served with buses and can be approached by road from anywhere in the UK! Seriously though - It's on the A316 main-drag into London from the M3, with connections to Hounslow/Heathrow just to the North.

Google Earth - There's plenty of parking (looked at last year) but remember if you are driving, the 316 has a permanent, solid, central reservation for that whole section effectively making it one way in both directions from the Hospital Bridge Road roundabout (bottom left) to the Twickenham High Street roundabout (off the top right-hand corner), so if you are coming out of London you will need to go round and come back up, if you miss it you will have to do the whole loop down to 'Twickers' National Rugby Stadium and back up past The Stoop - home of the Harlequins.

The pub is open from eight, so you can wait in comfort if you get there early, and they serve breakfast 'till 11am, coffee all day and alcohol from eleven  'till late.

PW's page noted there is a cash-machine on site, with more facilities in Whitton village.

This is the sight that you're looking for to turn left, or at least - it is if you're in the wrong lane and bringing a lorry, otherwise look-out for the rendered, white-painted, low, brick-wall!

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4 is for days away!

Five forgot it was a bank holiday!

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Funny isn't it . . . if I respond - members of the 'old guard' get off the fence on his side; if I don't - he's encouraged to have four pops at me in three weeks? After whining I should leave him alone!! So it seems I'm damned if I defend myself, and damned if I don't? We will see what happens in the next few days, but I am preparing a rebuttal, it will be 12,000 words and x all else +! And I suspect my forecast of damage to the hobby - made in October 2016 - may prove to have been an underestimate of what I thought at the time!

6 is for Less Than a Week!

It's less than a week away!!!!!

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7 is for Days - 33rd Plastic Warrior Toy Soldier Show!

It's only Seven Days!

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W is for Who Knew!

Still fighting grime on the streets of Hampshire . . .

♫♩♫ "Call-hall-ling International Rescue!" ♫♩♫

F is for Follow-up - Minions

As an eraser follow-up, Terranova sent me the first two images of these the other day, and while having a big putting-away session at the weekend I took the opportunity to take the third image to show the size difference I mentioned the other day.

These are different to the eraser sets we've seen here in the UK (and on the Blog) twice now, having a join mid-way down the face, and larger feet, so I suspect they are a tad larger than the previous sets. Also; I don't remember a lady-Minion, or a Minion in a piny?

All that ninja-action and martial arts crime-fighting has left the mutant turtles looking pretty ropey these days! Cheers Brain.

I'd forgotten the large 'piratical' one; who came in with one of these mixed bags of vinyl/cartoon crud from a charity shop I think, but - as I guessed - the two new key-rings from the other day and the three 'probably Phidal' are sized either side of the earlier erasers.

The films/DVD releases have proven popular over the last five or so years, and as a consequence there is quite a bit of Minion-related stuff out there, figurines - in all sizes - to the fore.

F is for Follow-up - Rubber Capsule Toys

When I popped into that party shop up at Clapham Junction back at the end of January, among the Henbrandt and other bits I grabbed were these two, who are useful only for showing how this stuff 'does the rounds'.

Silicon'rubber 'streatchimal' reptiles, one - a snake - in Henbrandt pack, the other - a lizard - in Giftworks packing, both animals were in both packs in the dispensing tub, but no other sculpts were to be found, although I suspect there is a larger selection in the whole 'set' somewhere?

They are both in that clammy, cold silicon which feels wet; but isn't, and both have the same metallic finish as the Henbrandt and/or Tobar/Hawkin's Bazaar stretchy robots and dinosaurs previously seen here at Small Scale World.

Below them is a spare Henbrandt alien I found in a box of something else for 50p the other day. The second time (previous was a blue egg-head with a squished hand) it's happened; but different venue - I suspect there was a bit of horseplay going on in a warehouse somewhere, and the aliens found their way into other stock boxes as 'incoming' in a surreptitious war between the 'Days' and 'Back-shift' or just between two packing-lines!

This has been sitting around for ages, and isn't all of them - as the other Henbrandt's are missing - the Tobar (top four) differ from the Henbrandt offering in having no paint, all four came from Hawkin's Bazaar.

Paint differences also show with the various smilies out there, some having only eyes - previously tested to destruction! There are also size differences, as these are all from 20p capsule dispensers, clearly some are slightly more value for money than others!

The image also shows how they are stored - with notes where similar figures are in the same bag - and it indicates how the capsule-toy stretchy-aliens and smilies are gathering for the invasion!

F is for Follow-up - Rubbersaurs

I think we've had Dinorasers & Erasersaurs; so that's three now! They're not new words - they're Small Scale Worłds! I said I would; so I did . . .

. . . and now I have a herd of Tobar Styracosaurus'siziz!

I went back and got another quid's-worth of Iwako dinorasers from Hawkin's Bazaar, swapped the ridge-plates and set them to grazing with the first pair!

Putting away the various odds and sods that have come-in over the last three or four weeks I found another pencil pecking, polymer, paleo-critter. It's one of the kerthunkersaur family, but not the full-on Ankylosaurus, a Nonkylosaurus perhaps!

This one marked with a small 'China' but possibly from an older moulding/mould-tool. The rubber is similar to those cute woodland animals, dinosaurs and Baba the Elephant family given away by petrol stations in the early 1970's.

It's a form of silicon I think and makes for shite graphite-removal, preferring instead to smear it round the page!

M is for Monkey Business!

It's serious stuff, these are big monkeys; they tip-up tanks and swat bi-planes like gnats! It was going to be a 'T is for Two . . . ' but then I remembered the last image, which is a plethora of great apes!

This came in a few weeks ago now (feeBay I think?), branded to Imperial, but not one of their 1970's King Kong knock-offs, this is a modern issue (can't remember if it had a mid-to-late 90's date or a 2000's), although with a near constant stream of remakes, it's still probably a Kong knock-off!

Also it's that weird sort of clammy silicon rubber with what feels like a mixture of plastic pellets and slime inside, meaning it can be distorted by stretching or squeezing. Also; unlike the Works rhino we looked at a couple of years ago, the pose means you can change his stance quite a bit within the bounds of realism - have him straining forward, holding back, or arched opposite to the taken shots.

03-05-18 - I've checked them both and the monkey is 2009 (Imperial) the rhino from The Works was Toy Major (2005), all other consumer data on both bodies was identical, so they came from the same place!

Also interesting in its own way - as a minor curiosity - this came in a couple of weeks ago (Charity shop biscuit tin, I think - there have been several bulk farm and zoo come-in recently!), and while it looks like a bog standard counter-box generic from the 1970's; dense polyethylene, burst of spray-paint (silver tummy!), red mouth and dotted blue eyes, it's actually clearly marked 'CHINA'.

I would imagine the counter-top dispenser and generic bits are about right, but it must date from around the time of the handover (1997), or just before and may well be from older moulds, maybe a HK version will turn-up? You may remember Terranova sent us shelfies of dinosaurs I recognised from the 70's, but in pretty current packaging (were they dated to 2007?) for a Rack Toy Month, so there are still some old mould-tools soldiering-on in production banks.

Speaking of Terranova, Brian sent this to the Blog ages ago, and it was waiting for this post to materialise out of thin air! Lucky it did then! No, if the other two hadn't come in, I would have used it elsewhere, he sent some interesting celebrity statuettes in the same image-set; one of whom may soon be sharing the Nobel peace prize with Kim Jong Un (who will have succeeded in peacefully splitting the two Korea's for ever and guaranteed his dynasty's continuation before he's even had kids!); you can't make it up . . . the world really is going mad!

The main man; King Kong, bothering the Empire State building! It's interesting to see the different takes on realism and finish, although it would be better if the apes were in 'movie scale' clinging to the top, rather that oversized as these all are.

There's a couple of Crysler's too (New York tourist shop!), and I vaguely recognise the multicoloured cartoony one but can't place it . . .Nicolodeon? Comedy Central? MTV? Opening credits or brand mark for something I'm sure, but previously without a giant ape!

I'm guessing they are all poured resin, but the Chrysler on the right looks good enough to be die-cast alloy? Thanks Brian - they'll all get used in the end

News, Views Etc . . . Lazy days!

The second half of the week sort of fell apart, so I've put a few bits up here-and-there, caught-up with some eMailing and stuff like that!

I've added a couple of bits to the Galoob page if you follow 'plastic smalls'; the #25 figure has been updated to reflect a new (to me) base-code type with new text-graphic screen-grab and an additional image, while a comparison shot has been added to the #66 figure.

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I also added the 2018 catalogue stuff to the six relevant HO/OO posts on the Airfix blog a while ago, but nothing exciting.

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A useful general toy link was published in the Metro on Wednesday; Orchard Toys who are an up-and-coming name in games and puzzles have a free replacement service, whereby you can obtain up to three components or game pieces per household per year, details and conditions are at;

https://www.orchardtoys.com/index/im-missing-piece_68.htm

or at the bottom of page;- 

http://www.orchardtoys.com/index/free-parts-replacement-service

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And of course . . . Two weeks today . . . .

I'll do my usual detailed countdown-post or two, closer to the event, but there are full directions now on the Editor'sBlog and Brian C's Blog, there's also an announcement thread on the plastics section of Treefrog Treasures' forum if you go there more regularly than I do!

T is for Thanks

'Jim' - who you may remember gave me a nice load of stuff awhile ago - sent me a box of bits the other day - literally; out of a clear blue sky . . . well, maybe not literally as no aircraft were involved in the final delivery, but it was a lovely morning and made all the finer by a polymer-based surprise package!

Mid sort; my assistant (knowing what I'd said re replacement) immediately took a nap in the packing and played no further part in the proceedings!

It's basically a junk lot, but they are always useful, for instance the - quite common - Hong Kong copies of Jean's Wild West figures which are normally polyethylene, came here in Blue PVC/vinyl which was new to me and will add colour to the common cream/brown sample!

The little yellow 'plane is interesting, unmarked and fitted with an eye/loop possibly for one of those 'take-off & landing' games with a long arm? There were a few more of those 'Euro-flat' Wild West with the little 'chad' bases (not in shot) and the five-inch'ish Mountie seems to be one of the HK copies of Reliable-type originals? He'll need a horse.

The parcel, being 'ordinary post' must have already been in the system when the Gem footballer's posted the other day, but there was a nice early (large based), unmarked (Cullpitt?) goalie with his jumper in the same puce green paint as the two I mentioned the other day. A paint-less, semi-flat Tirrailier would seem to be French, a Hong Kong paratrooper, Marx Warrior of the World Federal Officer, 2 'crazy clown' horses and a blue sea-dragon are other highlights!

Some of the stuff was a bit grubby, so the ear-buds are for cleaning as I go, and there were lots of other useful things in the lot including another of the Cherilea mounted 60mm knights with that dragon-decorated lance - he needs a base, and I now believe (I got quite excited when I got a whole one) that they were in the late (1970's) fort [play-] sets issued/branded under Cherilea-Sharna Ware - the one with the tall hexagonal towers?

Also publishing on the Blog while I think this parcel was in transit was the pencil tops 'top up', so as it will be a year or a few before we look at them again, I'll chuck these two up here quickly - the Worzel Gummidge is marked Hong Kong (and suggests an Aunt Sally is probably out there somewhere - have you got one?), while we saw The Flash when I first visited pencil tops in a multi-post 'round-up' a few years ago, from a set with various super-peeps and man-bats.

This was a nice find; Cherilea bass drummer - I think we've looked at the figure sans drum with alternate aprons, but this one has a drum and nice paint! There was a lot more and I had no idea it was on its way!

It's very hard to thank people properly for these kinds of gift lots, as they will re-appear one or two figures at a time for years to come, as they 'make-up' sets - added to my own purchases, or contribute to comparisons in posts not even dreamt of yet, but I am always very grateful for 'junk' lots! They all add to the whole.

Jim was careful not to include his surname or a return address, so I will thank him in person when I see him next as he obviously wishes to remain otherwise anonymous - as quite a few contributors do; some more so - no publicity - but Jim's known to a couple of the Sandown Park 'crew' and for them, to Jim, many thanks for a lovely surprise; hopefully I'll see you at PW, if not - the next Sandown?

I is for I hate to admit it . . . but . . .

. . . the Marvel figures are just as luscious as the DC ones!

It's funny how these things come together, first we had a random shelfie (TV Batman) in the autumn from Terranova, then a Toy Fair '18 report (there's still a few in the queue!) with a couple more shelfies from Terra', which was a sort of gradual ramping-up, then the other day we had the more synergeous sending of more shelfies by Brian the very same day I bought the Supergirl from a dying Toysaurus, and today (Wed. 26th) we had coincidence strike, twice; first when I found some more being cleared for a bargain price and then minutes later when I popped into the Asda (Walmart) next door.

A third coincidence could be said to be the fact that I was only in Smyths to gauge the impact of the nearest two Toys w'Я Them closing earlier in the week - it hadn't had any noticeable effect on the relative emptiness of the aircraft-hanger that is Farnborough's Smyths; almost equidistant between the Woking and Basingrad carcases of the recently deceased behemoth that predates Smyths and set the model of business Smyths follows.

I wouldn't give you eight quid for five 40-mil-anythings, but at a fiver they are pretty-much the same as any run-of the mill single figure at a show! And they do have that luscious, deep lacquered finish that renders them a small joy to handle.

Also - as the gods clearly want them on the blog - it's nice to have a closer look at a slightly larger sample and the first thing we find is that bases vary with no, slight or marked-step undersides. The second thing is they are bloody hard to get out of their vac-formed tray!

But, to the other coincidence; you see - on the card-back - the two 'exclusive' figures? Three minutes after paying for these, I saw both Guardians of the Galaxy exclusives, in exactly the same paint, single-packed in Asda for . . . hummmm . . . should have shelfied them . . . £1.87p, I think? It may have been eighty-nine pee? The point is - there's nothing exclusive about them whatsoever!

It's the same fake news, marketing hype & lies we get from everywhere we turn these days, the media, the internet, politicians, local authorities, charities, web-giants, corporations, the orange Brillo-pad, TJF, no-one's being straight with anyone any-more!

In passing, the importer Jaz Toys is the same as had supplied the DC figure to the Toysaurus, but I didn't check the Asda card-backs.

The rears of the figures against their own liner-card, I don't know if Spider Gore is a 'Goodie' or a 'Baddie', but I suspect the later with a name like that, and is a Black Costume Spider Man a not-a-good-thing?

Still prefer DC - Supergirl will sort this lot out before breakfast!

PA is for Position Available!

My personal assistant is providing no assistance whatsoever; her mind wanders from the job, she insists on playing with the exhibits, growls at the merest sign of forthcoming admonition, takes endless extended breaks far in excess of the European Working Time Regulation guidelines and wanders off without so much as a 'by your leave'?

 Case the joint

 Check flanks

 Aaaaannnnd . . . . . . we're in!

 Oh! What's this?

 Ooops, spotted! Close your eyes and he'll go away!

 More room needed in this otherwise bijou residence!

 That's better!

 It's that dragon again?

Are these things edible?

Anybody wishing to apply for the post should do so through the usual channels.

C is for Card Castle Comes Cut but Collapsed!

Part II

Continuing with Meri Meri and their not-a-toy centre piece, which seem to be a toy castle! It goes together very well, because I got a second-hand one I wonder if the purchaser of a new one might have to punch sections out of sheets, but suspect not because of A) the number of different sized bags in matching cellophane and B) the fact that the whole gatehouse section seems to be a factory-assembled 'sub-assembly'.

Four outer walls; four pairs of slots, easy! Towers are a bit distorted by the way they wrap-around themselves, but are held square (hexagonal!) by the towers once they are fitted over the ends.

The gatehouse - as stated above - seems to be pre-constructed and just needs unfolding (like a pop-up book) and slotting into place, however it took me a minute to sort out the chains so that the portcullis would fall as the drawbridge was raised! And - I never got to fully prevent the inner wall from showing at an angle.

Finally the two inner living-quarter sections with walkways are slotted into the towers; holding everything square, while a separate sheet makes the walkway behind the gatehouse, which is set slightly higher - like Airfix's 'Sherwood'.

A few closer shots, you can see that the fort (not a toy, oh no, no, no, no, no!) whould look better with 54- or even 70mm figres that the 90's supplied, and the battlement walkways are wide enough for fights to be arranged with smaller figures.

Even 25- or 30mm figures woiuld look OK with most of the details (look at the tower doors!), while cavalry in 54-mil would manage two-abreast through the gates, and at wargaming-scales three- or four-abreast would be achievable.

Although, while the collapsible nature of the fort make travel to gaming sights/nights easy, I'd probably tone-down the scarlet battlements with a dry-brush of something a bit grimmer!

The effort of setting up something like this on the lawn for a photo-shoot means that there's no way you're going to stop at the odd two or three shots you actually need, so here a few more! It needs a moat!

Remember, it's NOT a toy and Dragons are for a thousand years - not just Christmas! Look at 'im; 'e only wants to play - but those 'orrid tin monkeys, with their stabby, pointy sticks . . .