News, Views Etc . . . Forthcoming Events - Saturday 12th-Friday 18th October 2019

Well Mr. Trump's economic genius is starting to look good now he's used-up the boost he inherited from Obama isn't it, toy prices going through the roof just before Christmas, blue collar lay-offs . . . meanwhile the people of Northern Syria are loving his military genius!

There really is a pee-pee video, somewhere, isn't there? He is slowly surrendering American influence in the Middle East to Russia, while slowly falling-out with Europe, yet his genius as a statesman is coming along much faster elsewhere, he's falling out with China very quickly!

Both him and Boris refusing to co-operate with their own parliaments or their own courts, and while the cats misbehave, the mice are out of control; Brazil, Hungary, Poland and Turkey, sliding into gentile fascism as fast as they can learn what to get away with, from the two blond-buffoons and their coteries!

It's tragic, but as the planets dying anyway, I suppose it's all a bit academic; something for historians to argue over before the end - I watch with bemusement and buy old toys . . .

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Toy Fairs

Saturday 12th October 2019

Chester - Tony Oaks Toy Fairs

The Cheshire Country Club Sports Club, Plas Newton Lane, Upton, Cheshire, CH2 1PR

Internet presence unknown

Tel. - 01270 652 773

Mob. - 07825 631 323

10:30 - 14:30hrs

Admission £2.00

Free Parking

Hawkinge - SRP Toy Fairs

Hawkinge Community Centre, Heron Forstal Avenue, Hawkinge, Kent, CT18 7FT

Web. - http://srptoyfairs1.co.uk/

eMail - srptoys1@hotmail.co.uk

Mob. - 07739 998 012 (Paula or Gerry)

10:00 - 14:00hrs

Admission charge unknown

Nottingham - Townsend Toy & Train Fairs (Malcolm Townsend) - Nottingham Toy Fair

Bluecoat Academy, Nottingham, NG8 5GY

Web. - www.tttf.co.uk

Mob. - 07951 072 790

10:00 - 14:00hrs

Admission unknown, accompanied under-16's free

Light refreshments

Free Parking

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Sunday 13th October 2019

Kempton Park - RM Toys Ltd.

Kempton Park Racecourse, Staines Road East, Sunbury-on-Thames, Middlesex, TW16 5AQ

Internet presence unknown

Tel. - 02392 381 529

Mob. - 07957 823 507 (Russell Martin)

10:00 - 15:00hrs

Admission - £4.00, seniors £3.50p, children £1.00, early bird (from 08:30hrs) £10.00

Plymouth - Events Frontier - 'Devcon' Sci-fi and Comics Convention

Plymouth Guildhall, Guildhall Square, Plymouth, Devon, PL1 2BJ

Web. - www.eventsfrontier.com

eMail - eventsfrontier@hotmail.com

Mob. - 07508 548 938

Hours unknown

Admission fee unknown

Rayleigh - SRP Toyfairs

Sweyne Park School, Rayleigh, Essex, SS6 9BZ

Web. - www.srptoyfairs1.co.uk

eMail: srptoys1@hotmail.co.uk

Tel. - 07739 998 012 (Paula or Gerry)

10:00 - 14:00hrs

Admission charge unknown

Stafford - Barry Potter / BP Fairs - 'Stafford Showground'

The Preston & Argyle Suites, Stafford County Showground, Weston Road, Stafford, ST18 0BD

Web. - www.bpfairs.com

Tel. - 01604 846 688

Mob. - 07966 527 177

10:30-15:00hrs

Admission £4.00 (early-bird £8), OAP's £3.50, Children £1,

Free parking

Wincanton - Toy Trac - Model Farming Show

Wincanton Racecourse, Wincanton, Somerset, BA9 8BJ

Web. - https://toytrac.xyz

Tel. - 01278 785 925

10:30-15:00hrs

Admission charge unknown

Licensed bar, Disability friendly

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Auctions

Saturday 12th October 2019

[Runcorn] On-line Auction - British Toy Auctions

The Auction Centre, 9 Berkeley Court, Runcorn, Cheshire, WA7 1TQ

Web. - www.britishtoyauctions.co.uk

eMail - enquiries@britishtoyauctions.co.uk

Tel. - 01928 579 032

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Monday 14th October 2019

Lewis - Wallis and Wallis

West Street Galleries, Lewis, Sussex, BN7 2NJ

Web. - wallisandwallis.co.uk

eMail - toys@wallisandwallis.co.uk

Tel. - 01273 480 208

Fax. - 01273 476 562

General Toy Sale

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Tuesday 15th October 2019

Newbury - Special Auction Services (SAS)

Originally there was a ' Collector' sale pencilled-in for the 15th, it seems this sale is not now going ahead, replaced by a 2-day event on Tue-Wed. 29th/30th October 2019

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Friday 18th October 2019

Ledbury - John Goodwin

Bromsberrow Village Hall, Albright Lane, Bromsberrow, Ledbury, HR8 1RT (venue)

3-7 New Street, Ledbury, Herefordshire, HR8 2DX (office)

eMail - rupert@johngoodwin.co.uk

Tel. - 01684 593 125 (office)

Tel. - 07968 694 746 (18th October only)

Viewing - Thursday 17th October 15:00-19:00hrs and morning of sale from 08:00hrs

Sale starts 10:00hrs - finish.

'Toy & Transport' sale, trains, ephemera and advertising goods

Stockton-on-Tees - Vectis Auctions

Fleck Way, Thornaby, Stockton-on-Tees, TS17 9JZ

Web. - www.vectis.co.uk

eMail - admin@vectis.co.uk

Tel. - 01642 750 616

Toy & model railways & trains

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Other Events

From Yesterday 'till Sunday 13th October 2019

Ironbridge - Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) - Brick Bridge World Record Attempt

Ironbridge Gorge Museum, Ironbridge, Coalbrookdale, Shropshire

Web. - www.ironbridge.org.uk

hands-on building with 'a market leading brand' of brick-block to create the world's longest model-bridge . . . hopfully!

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Saturday 12th October & Sunday 13th October 2019

Harrogate - Yorkshire Event Center - The Great Yorkshire Antiques Fair

Yorkshire Event Center, Great Yorkshire Showground, Harrowgate, North Yorkshire

Web. - www.eventcentre.co.uk

Antiques, vintage and collectables

Swansea - Swansea Museums - Book Swap

National Waterfront Museum, Oystermouth Road, Maritime Quarter, Swansea

Web. - www.museum.wales

1-for-1 book swap

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Saturday 12th - Sunday 20th October 2019

Hastings - Local Authority + - Hastings Week

Various locations

Web. - www.hastingsweek.com

Classic car show, town crier competition, re-enactments, parade, stalls, other events

Celebrating the anniversary of 1066's crown-change

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Sunday 13th October 2019

Theydon Bois - North London & Essex Transport Events (NLETE) - Transport Bazaar & Vintage Bus Displays

Theydon Bois Village Hall, Coppice Row, Essex, CMI6 7ER

eMail - nleevents@outlook.com

11:00 - 15:30hrs

Admission £3.00, accompanied children free

Free rides around Epping Forest.

No public car parking, refreshments, stalls etc . . .

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Overseas Events

Saturday 12th October 2019

Houten (Netherlands) - R. Hobma - Train & Rail Fair

Euretco, Houten, Netherlands

Tel. - ++0481 353 288

Toledo (USA) - John Carlisle - Ohio Collectors' Toy & Model Fair
Sylvania Exibition Center at Tam-O-Shanter, 7060 Sylvania Ave, Sylvania, Great Lakes (Toledo), OH 43560, Ohio, USA (venue location)

Old Toyland Shows, 6996 Chestnut Ridge Road, Lockport, NY 14094, New York, USA (organizer)

Web. - http://www.oldtoylandshows.com/

09:00-14:00hrs

Admission $7.00

Valthermond (Netherlands) - Martin Klein - Die Cast Fair

eMail - mailto:martin.klein@planet.nl

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Saturday 12th & Sunday 13th October 2019

Ohrdruf (Germany) - Leokadia Wolfers - Doll & Bear Show

Schloss Ehrenstein, Ohrdruf, Germnany

Tel. - ++01785 335 668

Paris (France) - Automedan - Die Cast & Tin-plate Fair

Parc Exposition Le Bourget, Paris, France

Tel. - ++++0164 465 222

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Sunday 13th October 2019

Bergheim (Germany) - J Hörner - Toy Fair

Tel. - ++0210 351 133

Dublin (Republic of Ireland) - Brian Collins Enterprises - 'Collectables Toy Fair'

Collinstown Suite, The Carlton Hotel, Dublin Airport, Old Airport Road, Cloghran, County Dublin, Republic of Ireland (Eire)

Web. - www.briancollinsenterprises.ie

Tel. - ++00353  879 827 712

[Findable on Facebook - Brian Collins]

Admission "Small charge"?

Nanterre (France) - Philippe Albaret - Eurofigurines

Espace Cheverul, 97-109 Avenue de la Liberté, 92000 Nanterre, France

Web. - www.eurofigurines.com

eMail - albaretphilippe@orange.fr

Tel. I - ++0614 611 618

Tel. II - ++0148 033 343

08:30-13:00hrs

Admission free . . . yes; FREE

The biggest show for little figures in France?

Olten (Switzerland) - Oltnerboerse - Toy Fair

Stadthetre / Konzerthsaal, Olten SO, Switzerland

Tel. - ++0627 914 289

Tournefeuille (France) - CCAM Toulouse - 'Retrojouets (Old Toys) 2019'

Salle 'La Phare', Tournefeuille, France

Web. - http://www.retrojouets.com/

Tel. - ++0561 765 607

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If you are an event promoter/show curator/auctioneer and you want your toy, model, collectable or popular-/youth-culture type sale/exhibition/event listed here -  FOR FREE  - or linked to; please eMail me -

maverickatlarge[at]hotmail[dot]com

- stating the date/s of the event, address of event, contact details, opening/viewing times, admission pricing and any other relevant facts/details or features - parking, travel notes, disability access, availability of refreshments, event subject matter &etc.

And please mention any flyer-art or poster-/leaflet-scans but send by separate eMail, in case they go to the 'junk' folder, from where they can be recovered and marked safe, but only if I know they're there!

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Toys in the Media

Two action figures, almost certainly enhanced by CGI (beyond the obvious sparks) and being used to illustrate a story about sports clothing store chains and their incestuous scraps!

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Other Toy News

No real toy news this week, something about recycling Lego, in Germany I think, but I wasn't paying attention!

Missed

A toy show in Lisbon, Portugal, another in the 'States last weekend and Bertoia Auctions (today, if you're near it; Vineland, New Jersey, but a bit late now); blame the promoters!

And Birmingham . . . again! AND Phil reminded me with plenty of time But I only found his mail just now . . . blame the promoters . . . Cheers Phil, thanks for trying and sorry I missed the eMail, I hope the three of you found 'stuff'!

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Links

One hates to denigrate anything for a good cause, but I'm nothing if not constant,and have no sacred-cows, so  . . . I think the UN funded something pretty similar a few years ago, linked to here (and elsewhere at the time) so while worthy; not quite as original as made out

https://musebycl.io/advertising/mccann-made-40000-toy-soldiers-based-real-wounded-veterans

and

https://www.keyc.tv/40000-toy-soldiers-emphasize-conflicts-of-veterans-transitioning-to-civilian-life/

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H is for How They Come In

For most of the week this was it! 50p each, totally unrelated to each-other and I'm not sure if the realistic one is LotR or GoT? Or whether or not he's had his head repainted, I suspect it's something-omire, the bad one who dies coming good, saving the little 'Blooody' Hobbits from the Forlorn Hope!

While the fox may be Phidal, is marked Disney but isn't the one from Peter Rabbit, isn't the one from the cartoon Robin Hood, isn't the one at war with a bird ('cos he was a coyote anyway and not Disney), looks far too laid-back to be trying to eat three little pigs and isn't the other one so must be another one?

Then I had a bit of luck today (Thursday); another LotR figurine, this one an elf, via McDonald's and a resin Teddy Bear playing cricket . . . why not! Legolas hasn't got a bow so he may have been part of a larger 'interactive' firing-toy/premium/freebee thing?

Giant knights marked China also came in at the last minute, they have certain similarities with some of the past output of Pioneer, Soma or Supreme, and are probably from some big-box generic thing shoved through TKMaxx or one of the Department Store chains at Christmas, maybe with a slot-together card fort or wooden thing?

23rd April 2020 - Now known to be Red Box from a castle playset 

In addition to the above bits, a bag of stuff for a future post was purloined (or sorted out from the large rubber knights) and a little thing was put to one side against a specific job!

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Other Stuff

The staff behaved herself this week, only because there weren't any boxes involved in the week's blogging activities, she did sit on Thursday's bag! But I caught a couple of insects with stories attached.

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I noticed this creeping very slowly across the bedroom ceiling the other morning and managed to get it to drop into a jar. I suspect it's more of a maggot than a caterpillar (they're all larvae), flies tend to find bodies in the eves (bats, tit-birds or pigeons), and the odd maggot finds a way into the house (we once had them raining-down on the patio at the place in Berkshire!), so, as the weather has turned now, I put it in the compost heap as I figured it would be warmer, and it would find something to eat as it must have used too much energy getting to where it was to successfully pupate? I just hope I haven't saved a clothes moth!

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This was caught in a spider's web outside the bedroom window on Wednesday, and with the sun behind it I could only make-out a stripy belly and couldn't work out what it was. I got the high steps and the longest cane I could find and managed to get it free, whereupon it fell on the sill, bounced and fell on the bay-window, bounced and fell on that sill, bounced and fell again, onto the paving, bounced and finally ended up in the undergrowth next to the drive, still wrapped in a few strands of the web!

It quickly freed itself though, once it had terra-firma to brace against, and clearly wasn't something a spider would normally tackle; The garden spiders set up these big sail-webs at this time of year and the various Atlantic squalls rip them to shreds every few days, but so do large insects like this, bumble-bees or hornets, who just fly through them with what sounds like threats if they get temporarily caught.

The problem was that in part breaking-free it'd been left hanging on a few threads with nothing to brace-against to break the last few strands as it'd fallen in-line with the brickwork, leaving a gap to the glass pane, so it was just swinging there waving its legs about!

It's not in the book, but I suspect a capsid of some kind, or mirid-bug relative, having some features of them and some shared with the related shield-bugs, but it has an elongated head and was big, well-over an inch in the main, more than two at full leg stretch. Possibly blown-in by this string of weather-fronts we've been having . . . Europe or North America?

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K is for Küstenstellung

While I was over in Alderney earlier in the year I managed to get round to a few old childhood haunts and get some photography and filming done before they get any more derelict, although the German concrete is still pretty solid stuff, not apparently suffering from the concrete-cancer 60-year rule. From time-to-time I'll post bits up here as they may have interest to war gamers, and are militaria - of a sort?

There are lots of military structures on Alderney, and - indeed - all the Channel Islands, and many of them are German from the World War Two period, part of the Atlantic Wall, although, acre-for-acre (hectare-for-hectare) the amount of concrete poured on Alderney by the Nazis exceeds the other islands, and - according to the plans, were far from finished, against the near completed, planned-works on the other islands, leading to the rumor Alderney was one of the possible Hitler 'bolt-holes'.

More likely that as the northern-most island, and de-populated for the duration, it was expected to break any invasion force steaming down the channel and/or as the least easy to invade, provide support for the other islands if they came under attack?

Nobody knows, and the nature of totalitarian regimes and the inherent paranoia that comes with illegitimacy, is that all sorts of shenanigans goes on which can't be properly explained . . . ever! Suffice to say it bristled with armaments and would have been a cushy-post for the fat-knackers of the 'lame, late & lazy', sorry; 'second line' troops!

This is a small infantry squad position on the southern shore of the eastern tip of the island and seems to be for the watching of a small inlet with a sandy beach that would have been an ideal commando-landing point - the entire German crew of the nearby Casquettes lighthouse having been captured by commando's earlier in the war!

It has - in part - been dug in the wind-blown sand captured in a hollow of the granite outcrop, but would have been part-blasted out of the granite too, the rubble (and sand) being useful for the concrete mixer! While there were slave labourers on Alderney, there were also OT (Organization Todt) workers, and soldiers would have been expected to labour, certainly in the early days of the occupation.

In recent years the States of Alderney (local government - Alderney is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey) have been putting these signs up for tourists, the drawing is credited to someone I don't recognise, but obviously not copyrighted as it's public, but kudos to TGD. Colin Partridge did a lot of the early work on Alderney's fortifications, but I was told there are now two 'camps' and they squabble, so least said; soonest mended!

Note the guy (Fallschrimjager?) firing the 5cm mortar, and how the mortar seems to be self-supporting, on a very small base-plate? Note also how the rounds are piling-up next to the SF machine-gun, and no-doubt; rolling off the wall? Both are points we will return to in a minute. Why are the gunners tolerating a giant hedgehog in the way?

There is a small concrete sign which I assume is Position Funfzehn? An iron barbed-wire picket was set in it originally, but, despite being galvanised, its proximity to the rocks has resulted in salt spray sending it back to the molecule gods as rust dust!

Stairs lead into the prepared trench and you can see immediately the parallels between this post's subject and the old Airfix 'Costal Defence Post' toy, and indeed; you could use this post to convert that inaccurate plaything to something more realistic. The following video starts at this flight and moves down the left-hand branch of the trench - toward the viewpoint here.

I won't waffle-on about the video, it's to get the geography set in your mind's eye, and then we'll look at it section by section below, I came to a grinding halt when I found the connecting trench between the MG post and the fire-trench had filled with a few inches of what was probably half-rainwater and half sea-spray, leading to an interesting, bubbling, brackish, green micro-biome! But I was wearing my new dessert-wellies so I couldn't go paddling in it! I was also wearing my Indie' hat - thanks Shane!

So; we go back to the stairs, and moving toward the camera in the left-hand picture, and round the corner away from the camera in the right-hand picture, to get to the shelter-bay.

The lines in the walls don't line-up, or meet over the whole position, so will be part of the shuttering for the concrete-pour, rather than any structural feature, but could prove to have practical uses, the lower ones would hold duck-boards if the system temporarily-flooded at the time (but with slave-labour available, bailing out would not take long), while they could carry cables for comm's, lights or pre-laid demolition charges?

The little holes in the walls, of which there are three, are probably for grenades or ammunition, hot-food would have been brought out to the position, cold-food or emergency rations; carried by the soldiers, while bedding - if there was any - would have been shared on a hot-mattress system.

But the shelter will only take three lying down, while the curve of the roof would make sitting uncomfortable, it is really for protection under bombardment, and is definitely one of the features partially cut-out of the granite outcrop.

The recess seen in the video (to the right/opposite the shelter-bay) which looks like a blocked-door would probably have held either a rifle-rack or a notice-board?

The Machine-gun post; the mounting plate for the sustained-fire medium-MG has now been obscured by illustrated nature and viewpoint tourist-information boards! Again there are two small recesses at either end of the crescent-trench . . . ammo and/or grenades seem obvious, maybe signal flares? Landline radio-telephone's would make some sense, but two in the same trench?

The other hollow is described as a shelter, and it would be useful as such if you saw the enemy firing a bazooka in your general direction, but it's quite shallow (under the water!) so I suspect it was for the crew to shove, shovel or kick the empty cases as they built-up, so they weren't trying to stand on the equivalent of elongated marbles! Indeed - it looks like it may have had a removable wooden tray/liner?

Note also the texturing on the large concrete glacis at the front of the MG-position, you see this a lot in the fortifications on Alderney, where the last pour was mixed with broken granite chunks, and then washed or brushed before it had set, leaving an uneven surface, which - from a ship's binoculars - would have matched the stony cliff in front of it.

The right-hand (left hand shot) corner of the fire-trench has a little nook with a raised floor, as it’s the point of the position closest to the little cliff (you can scramble up and down it), it would have had a good view of the frontage and the inlets to either side and could be seen by positions further along the cost in both directions, although the MG gunners were actually higher.

While over on the left (right-hand shot) we have the other nook, with a plate in front of it which takes us back to that photo' of the chap with a mortar. We find a smaller indentation, about an inch/inch and a bit (40mm) deep, which seems to have held the base-plate through a combination of gravity and tight fit; as there's no sign of fixings - on site, or in the photograph of the chap holding it?

Cropped, turned up the other way and re-annotated, to give you an impression of how it was set to face attacking forces, the unit is spread out in line, the main communication trenches are presenting a minimal profile bring almost straight and it then curves round the back of the granite outcrop to a near impregnable shelter, a battleship could take it out, but nothing else, and that would be a lot of effort for a platoon or sub-platoon of maybe six-to-eight men?

I've 'emplaced' a modern section of ten men, but with the flooding it was hard to tell if the front trench could be fired-over, along it's whole length, if only the two nooks are usable, then a garrison of six-to-eight is sensible, if the whole front trench is a fire trench you could easily find un-crowded work for about twelve? The other trenches are too deep for fighting/firing from.

Returning to the Airfix play set; if you remove the hexagonal pill-box (and use it as a pill-pox) and fill-in the gap, remove the old corvette's gun and convert its pit to match the MG-post here, and pile some rocks on the smaller, oblong shelter, you'll have a very similar position! Of course; it would be easier to scratch-build something in an expanded polystyrene tile!

Given the size and cheapness of my camera, and the vibration of the Fokker I happened to be in (and it WAS a Fokker, Mr. Brown) on the way out, not a bad shot. You can see the small sandy beach which might have appealed to a handful of 'cockleshell heroes' on the left and how close to the cliff the position is; you can see - briefly - the gray-stone edge in the video at one point.

The light was poorer on the way in! You can see the larger beach is well covered by the garrison at Fort Houmet Herbé. The lighthouse in the background is not the one involved in the commando raid.

A final point - while this is the only one of its type on Alderney, there are similar constructions and - more widely - these positions will be typical of the kind of stuff constructed in Russia for the winter defence-lines, or around the Stalingrad salient - then - pocket's perimeter; in the Western dessert during the lulls between pushes; in Italy (Monte Casino) and which would have been peppered across Northern France and on the line into Germany after the Rhine-crossing.

Forty laborers, five carpenters and a cement-mixer could build this in a day, two if the floors are a separate, first pour - not perhaps; when you're digging granite though! And tanks can't crush these like they crush earthworks by turning on/over them.

V is for Variations on a Theme

As per yesterday's third post, when I first sorted these out for last Friday's  'Jiggle-O-Chrome' shots, I ended-up with three piles, they have now all been re-united in one bag. Unlike the Wild West figures, these are all marked on the base, but in common with yesterday's set share an eclectic mix of donor-paths.

So, the first pile was 'Armymen'; dark green, and included some figures taken from the old Arco set of Rambo figures, a Matchbox radio operator, Airfix running German infantryman and three prone figures of more original design, the left hand one is closer to the Atlantic Marine than the Airfix one, the middle guy might have a bit of Airfix Russian grenade-thrower about him, and the right-hand one looks vaguely European . . . Atlantic, Layla? I've seen those crossed ankles somewhere . . . Reisler? It is isn't it? The Reisler wire-cutting guy?

The second pile was paler 'Armymen', and had the variant of the Airfix running guy who seems to have originated in a set of Hong Kong figures sent to France, I know mine come from Samewise (link), there's another Rambo pose and I'm not sure about the grenade thrower, the prone are again interesting with a BAR-gunner and another Reisler-like figure, while the two standing figures look familiar but I can't place them right this moment - coastguards?

It was looking like they probably belonged together with the first lot, but I try to be diligent in these matters and was at the same time building a third, smaller pile of . . .

. . . bog-standard, Airfix umpty-something-generation copies in a third shade of green! Because they have been copied from already appalling figures, they do look a little different to the other two lots with a flashy join-line and lumpier detailing, but the base edge matches . . .

. . . and they all have the same mark? So as with the Wild West set, I think they do all go together, and further, the CHINA is the same as yesterday's set so I'm guessing they are from the same source.

All together and - again - from behind; is the grenade thrower from a WWII Japanese figure; BMC or AIP . . . Rado? And the Rambo rocket Launcher now looks a bit Cherilea modern/NATO 54mm swoppet!

I have heard several anecdotal (and not so anecdotal - from the horse's mouth) stories of rich Singaporean, Malaysian and Hong Kong collectors [or businessmen claiming to be collectors?] offering European collectors big-bucks for whole collections. Could that have anything to do with this sudden flowering of variety in army men pose-counts in sets which had been getting a tad tired through the turn of the century? Or are those Russians working with Chinese producers feeding their spare figures to the awoken very awake dragon?

More thanks to Peter E for another interesting and eclectic set of modern-production figures.

PS - I think all five prone figures are ex-Reisler sculpts? Brilliant . . . unless you're Reisler!

Q is for Quite Uncommon?

Chris Smith sent these, which I would normally consider a mere box-ticker, but actually I've only ever managed to find the one, and Chris who has a fine sample of the Germans (which I also find turn-up quite frequently) says he has trouble finding these in the same quantities, so a bit of a treat!

The Lido Japanese, all eight poses, Chris thinks most of his might be Hong Kong copies, but I'm not so sure . . . I thought all my Germans were HK until I studied Kent's Toy Soldier HQ page and realised the quality of Lido was simply at an HK level, and that I had a few Lido originals in my sample, obviously if they are marked Hong Kong they must be HK!

Also we've seen how they turned to HK with the mini-vehicles, having their own production copied and sold in Lido headers, so maybe they are all a little closer to each other anyway? And I notice Kent credits his picture to someone else, and had few in stock last time I looked so it's not just the UK they are apparently hard to track-down?

Banzai! They definitely look better en-masse! Thanks Chris, box-of-hard-to-find-ticked!

Q is for Question Time - W is for Who Knows?

We’ve looked at these before, years ago and garnered no clue, so we'll chuck them up here again in the forlorn hope that someone knows something about them, because, not to put to fine a point on it; they're not terribly rare, and turn up quite often.

The first five images are from Chris Smith and I hope he won't mind me saying they weren't the best, but I've done what I can to embiggen them, and brighten them up a bit . . .

. . . and these are they, you should recognise them if you collect ceremonial, early British plastic, or 54mm. They are similar to both, and almost the cross-pollinated offspring-of; Britains Herald and Gemodels, being (I seem to recall - they're not in front of me) between the two in both size and sculpting and are manufactured in a non-chalky polyethylene.

Moving arms on shoulder-pegs (as opposed to arm-spigots) and their similarity to the slightly smaller Gem's might suggest a second version from Gem, or contracted by Culpitt from Gem (I don't think I've ever seen them with icing-remains?) or someone else?

Now I was going to stick my neck out here, put my neck on the block and get a bit necky, necking-it with the suggestion that the connection with Musgrave at Gem Models might lead us to the door of the Kenway Cycle Shop and Kentoys, but, apart from the fact that there was a flaw in that suspicion, namely; Kentoys already had a Household Cavalryman, with a swappable arm, as we've seen here, previously at Small Scale World, who was handed-on to Cavendish, and produced in both colours (red and blue), There is a third option, as 'obvious' as Gem or Kentoys . . .

. . . Airfix! The only other figures commonly appearing with this dead-centre, front-of-base, mould-release pin mark, are the early Airfix 'eight' later issued by Featherlight in Australia and an unknown New Zealand firm, both of whom issued the figures with the same marks, as it's a 'signature' of the tool (and possibly the tool-manufacturer), not the sculptor, although - a caveat - they may have started 'down' there and come 'up' here, no one's sure?

[I think the one with a dark-green base (asterisked) has been repainted by an owner?]

The arguments for each are good, lots of companies produce two versions of some of their figures, so both Gem/Culpitt and Kentoys/Cavendish could be in the frame, while those base marks are very Airfix (and are now my favored option), however, the bases are painted the same colours as all those minor make offshoots - Speedwell, Trojan, Una and VP we tend to associate with Kentoys - though the khaki infantry.

Seen here previously but I couldn't be arsed to dig them out and re-shoot them!

Also the horse is more of a Britains' piracy (mounted highland officer?), so while it would be nice if they were Gemodels, nicer-still if they were Kentoy and really-nice if they were Airfix, I suspect we have to also look to the four pirates for our answer, and recent developments in Plastic Warrior?

And the obvious one there is Speedwell, as they turned to un-chalked, glossy polyethylene for their later khaki infantry and Cowboys & Indians?

They (the figures) only seem to have had Lifeguard iteration (no blue ones) and may well have been produced for a third-party supplying the tourist-novelty/keepsake market . . . even Cavendish!

The mark is not reproduced on the [what I believe are] Trojan versions of the Airfix paratrooper which now looks to be from the recently discovered (by Colin Penn) BR 'plastic machine' moulds, which would leave Trojan (if they had some or a set of those moulds) as a second front-runner in a five horse race! And; might point to these being from BR tools, but re-fitted for commercial operation in a bigger multi-cycle machine, as they are far more common than most of the stuff it now looks like came from there?

However, there's no sign of a release-pin on those moulds for which the front is shown in PW's 176 (current) and 174 (back-issues and subscriptions available), so they would need to have been Airfix first, to have had the mark reproduced, if they were BR, and if so for these; why not for the paratrooper?

What do you think . . . or know? Have you found dodgy, crumbly or polystyrene versions of these, with odd paint or no paint? Colin? I hate to point the finger, but you've got the BR mould list . . . any Lifeguards or 'Household cavalry' listed?

I favour Airfix, from the commercial aspect and numerousness of them AND the base mark, but they may-well have made them exclusively for a third party contract, and Airfix had had a Household Guardsman of their own in the 'Bergan/Beton' set? Is that plastic the same colour as the late, post-chalk, slightly flashy, HO-OO Guards?

Also Airfix seem to have indulged in a bit of piracy over the years and mightn't have wanted their name associated with these Britains knock-offs? But that only means they must have (or 'probably') had another branding, if only a phantom?

Chris - many-thanks for the images; 'probably maybe might be' Airfix . . . for . . . someone else? And . . . can you set me an easier one next-time!!