News, Views Etc . . . Forthcoming Events; Saturday 8th-Friday 14th February 2020

Saw my first bumble-bee today, and the mirabell started to flower, god knows what either of them will make of the two day storm they're promising us, but the viewing of them both, was a good sign!

Let's buy toys . . . 

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Toy Fairs

Saturday 8th February 2020

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

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Sunday 9th February 2020

Birmingham - Barry Potter / BP Fairs - 'NEC'

Hall 18, National Exhibition Centre, Birminham, B40 1NT

Web. - www.bpfairs.com

Tel. - 01604 846 688

Mob. - 07966 527 177

Fax. - 01604 771 070

Hours unknown (probably 10:30-15:00hrs)

Admission £7.50, early-bird (from 08:00hrs) £12, OAP's £7, Children £2

Free parking

 [Which also made it into Waitrose magazine this week, which either means BP Fairs are becoming an institution, or the editors were short on event-dates?!!]

Kirkby-in-Ashfield - Townsend Toy & Train Fairs (Malcolm Townsend)

Festival Hall, Kirkby-in-Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, NG17 7DJ

Web. - www.tttf.co.uk

Mob. - 07951 072 790

10:00 - 14:00hrs

Admission fee unknown, aaccompanied under-16's free

Free parking, refreshments

Orpington - SRP Toyfairs

Crofton Halls, Orpington, Kent, BR6 8PR

Web. - www.srptoyfairs1.co.uk

eMail: srptoys1@hotmail.co.uk

Tel. - 07739 998 012 (Paula or Gerry)

10:00 - 14:00hrs

Admission charge unknown

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Tuesday 11th February 2020

Elsecar - Newcomen Fairs Ltd. - 42nd Elsecar Toy & Train Fair (evening fair)

Elsecar Heritage Centre, Elsecar, Nr. Barnsley, South Yorkshire, S74 8HJ

Web. - www.newcomenfairs.co.uk

eMail - sales@newcomenfairs.co.uk

Tel. - 01226 744 425

19:00 - 21:00hrs

Admission £1.50p, children 50p

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Wednesday 12th February 2020

Burton-on-Trent - Townsend Toy & Train Fairs (Malcolm Townsend) - Evening Fair

The Town Hall, Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, DE14 2EB

Web. - www.tttf.co.uk

Mob. - 07951 072 790

18:00 - 20:30hrs

Admission unknown, accompanied under-16's free

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Thursday 13th February 2020

Theydon Bois - Joe Lock Fairs (evening fair)

Village Hall, Coppice Row, Theydon Bois, Essex, CM16 7ER

Internet presence unknown

Mob. - 07866 641 215

19:00-21:00hrs

Admission £1

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Auctions

Saturday 8th February 2020

Bury St. Edmunds - Lacy Scott & Knight

Web. - www.lsk.co.uk

eMail - oleggett@lsk.co.uk

Tel. - 01284 748 600 (general enquires)

Tel. - 01284 748 623 (Oliver Leggett - auction)

Toy and Collectors Models

Poole - Cottees Auctions Limited

Mannings Heath Road, Poole, Dorset, BH12 4NQ

Web. - www.cottees.co.uk

eMail - info@cottees.co.uk

Tel. - 01202 723 177

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Wednesday 12th February 2020

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

Sales commence at 10:30hrs

Toy & model soldiers & figures, kits & AFV's

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Other Events

From Thursday 6th February (yesterday) - until Monday 20th April 2020

Manchester - Nathan Sawaya (Lego builder) - The Art of the Brick

Great Northern Warehouse, Peter Street, Manchester

Web. - www.aotbmanchester.co.uk

[Seems to be a re-hash of the show which actually started 19th Jan and was flagged-up here then - Fri. 10th Jan.?]

Added interaction/participation building?

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Saturday 8th & Sunday 9th February 2020

Exeter - Westpoint - Antique & Vintage Home Show

Web. - www.westpointexeter.co.uk

Antiques, collectables and vintage - 400+ dealers

Sheppton Mallet - Bristol Classic - Great Weastern Classic Car Show

Bath & West Showground, Sheppton mallet, Somerset

Web. - www.bristolclassiccarshows.com

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Saturday 8th - Sunday 23rd February 2020

Norwich - The Forum - Norfolk Makers Festival

The Forum, Millennium Plain, Norwich

Web. - www.norfolkmakersfestival.co.uk

Crafting, spinning & weaving, printing, painting, drawing & sculpting, knitting, crochet & embroidery etc . . . workshops, displays and traders.

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Overseas Events

Saturday 8th February 2020

Schertz (USA) - Attic Antiquity Dolls - Hill Country Doll Show & Sale

Schertz Civic Centre, 1400 Schertz Pkwy, Schertz, TX 78154, Texas USA

Web. - http://www.dolldr.com/5.html

eMail - dmeredith@dolldr.com (Dorothy Meredith)

Tel. - ++8306 065 868

09:00-16:00hrs

Admission $6.00, children $2.00

50 dealers, dolls, bears and miniatures

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Sunday 9th February 2020

Wallingford (USA) - Classic Shows - Model Railroad Show

Zandri's Stillwood Inn, 1074 South Colony Rd, Wallingford, CT 06492, Connecticut, USA

Web. - http://www.classicshowsllc.com/Zandris-Directions.shtml

eMail - LSpinelli49@aol.com

Tel. - ++2039 261 327 (Lud or Tina Spinelli)

09:00-14:00hrs                                                                              

Admission $5, children 12 & under - free with accompanying adult

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If you are an event promoter/show curator/auctioneer and you want your toy, model, collectable, military, historical 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 a link; if the event or your organisation has a web-page.

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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Link

I hate Funko and the horse it came in on, but how can you not like this!

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H is for How They Come In

I found a new old Charity shop, or that is - one which has been closed every time I've been past it, but which was staffed this time, and not just staffed, two ladies were running-out of places to put stuff. They had a drawer of mixed figures for 20p from which I selected this little lot!

The weird insect with a prehensile tail looks to be from that McDonald's set of Smurfs we looked at the other day; I think the two girls are from a board-game (looking at the bases) and possibly Barbie-related, although they look a little younger and more anatomically realistic than Mattel's Miss.

The Sci-fi's are a Hasbro whatsit (seen 'em here before) and a small rubber Cyberman who may be from those advent calendars from which the Philosophical Toad gave a Dalek to the Blog years ago.

A [probably] Kinder kangaroo and an Indian made up the group, I got him because although he's a common enough looking figure (from Timpo Swoppets) in PVC-rubber material, he's not the expected Hong Kong marked offering, but clearly marked 'China'.

Also in the shop was a shelf of what had been someone's fairy collection, of which this one around the 54mm mark joined the growing pocketful.

The Asian importer gave up what I think is another from that Ubisoft lot we looked at a few years ago, although it's unmarked . . . the fact that it involves a mushroom (with a pair of eyes pocking out) and a weird sluggington sitting on it, might have something to do with my assumption!

The evilBay lot arrived, very useful stuff, two or three posts should be the result.

Invicta Plastics for the British Museum (Natural History); I know, I've got one; but I thought it had a slightly chewed tail, so considered this an upgrade! In fact; there was nothing wrong with the last one and I think I might have three, but the others can make for useful swaps.

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This Week I Are Been Mostly Sortin' . . .

. . . Hay! And Straw!

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Other Toy Stuff

Chocolate

Look what I found in my suit-jacket pocket! Another freebie from Toy Fair 2020! A chocolate I shall enjoy (well . . . I already have!) and the Hornby Group posts (three I think) are in the long queue, that's the tardy queue!

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Barbie

I saw a story about the ethnic Barbie's (mentioned here passim), but which added that there will be disabled Barbie's as well, already there is an African-American Barbie with Vitiligo (the contrasting skin-patch thing) and another with a prsthetic, while plans are afoot for wheelchair and hair-loss Barbie's.

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Other Stuff

Spot the 'deliberate' mistake . . .

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No; look properly . . . !

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One of the snowdrops picked up a 'hat' made of a hollowed acorn shell! Skin? What are the chances of that happening? Probably not that great in a snow-drop wood with lot of oaks! Indeed the way they open and then drop the flower may be a mechanism for shedding such collected empty acorns or hazelnuts? I blame the squirrels!

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And finally;

Whaaaaat?!! Sometimes I need a box . . . aaaaand sometimes . . . I don't . . . have you seen it? It's far too big; I could easily fit in it . . .  and now you've emptied it! Where's the fun in that?

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12 is for Army Figures

A bit of a follow-up to the other day'spost even though they've been in Picasa for ages, but I sort of lost track of them, leading to this appearing in a less than timely manner, so soz' for that tardiness!

12 Army Figures from the Anker Group, brand-marked to Home Collection and containing a pretty standard set of twelve 'army men' although when I say 'pretty standard' there is a notable exception, who was hiding under the others.

Five Matchbox US Infantry clones, four poses taken from the old Jaru/Soma (et al!) set and an officer who could be Marshall Zukov, General-Field-Marshall Rommel, or even the elusive Ché Guevara some collectors have been chasing-after like blind tracker-dogs, in recent years!

I'm guessing - from other developments in recent years - that there may be a better version of this chap out there somewhere, possibly in solid metal? King & Country type of thing . . . Figarti or even a Del Prado (K&C also I think?) donor? Although there could be a polymer originator; anyone recognise him? And; there's more to this already rather louche-posed sculpt . . .

. . . he has a top-knot and pony-tail!

So now were looking at the Dutch or Danish army's of the 1980's! If those pleated service-dress pockets fit? For those in Pennsylvania who think I'm being 'racist'; I worked with both, in the 1980's, and they were fine soldiers, they also had an enlightened approach to modern soldiering which allowed for beards, long hair and yes, even pony-tails, however enlightenment can be lost as well as gained and I think, now most have gone over to all-volunteer, the situation has been tightened-up somewhat!

Although if the conscripts of one (I can't remember which) attended a joint-nations special-forces course, they accrued so much 'extra' leave-entitlement, according to their union's rest-&-recuperation schedule, they tended to go home until the end of their National Service, rendering the attending of a multi-national, co-operation training exercise rather a waste of time in the first place

But an excellent wheeze if you never wanted to do National Service in the first place; finish basic training - volunteer for a four week 'jolly' in the Bavarian Alps - bugger-off home for good!

Going back to the figure though, and joking apart, it could be a decorative kerchief/plume type thing (on the original) did the Cossacks who sided with the Axis in WWII have something of that sort hanging from their cap's head-bands? I have looked and I can't find anything, either historical, or in metal figures!

News, Views Etc . . . Vectis Auctions - Figure Sale

Latest news from Vectis is for their toy soldier and model figure sale next Wednesday, which is timely;

"The Military, Civilian Figures, Equipment & Accessories sale to be held on the 12th of February is a small sale of only 217 lots, starting with 19 lots of Civilian Issues from Crescent, Charbens and Britains; Plastic Issues from Britains and Timpo Swoppets, plus Other items from  CBG Mignot series, Timpo, Del Prado/Osprey, military aircraft and vehicles plus large groups of mixed manufacturer figures. Modern Issues include Brtains collectors series, The Collectors showcase, Toy Army workshop, King and country and many more."

Lot 35

Catalogue

https://www.vectis.co.uk/auction/military-civilian-figures-equipment-accessories-786-1

Details

Wednesday 12th February 2020

Military, Civilian Figures, Equipment & Accessories

Auction Commences at 10.30am

Viewing: 8.00am - 10.30am on the day of the sale

Contacts

Main Office -

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

Tel. - (0044) 0-1642 750 616

Fax. - (0044) 0-1642 769 478

eMail - admin@vectis.co.uk

Web. - www.vectis.co.uk

Oxford Office -

Unit 5A, West End Industrial Estate, Witney, Oxon OX28 1UB

Tel. - (0044) 0-1993 709 424

T is for Toy Fair 2020 Reports - WOW Toys - Early Learning Figure Sets

Do you remember the stumpy little astronaut who turned-up in one of the more eclectic bags of stuff from the Charity Shops, about a year or two ago? Well, look who turned-up at Toy Fair 2020 . . .

. . . back, far left in orange. I don't remember him having his thumbs-up, but I'm not going to go looking for him, he's the sort of ephemeral thing which just disappears into the Blog, no specific tag, the likely tags (H, News Views and Space) all having too many results now, I just can't be bothered!

Obviously you're not going to rush out and by a set or two for your own master collection, but they are ideal for little-ones (grandchildren?), as they can be used with all sorts of chunky infant toys, and - from a 'future hobbyists' point of view - will get younger kids used to having toy-figures in the toy-box which aren't TV or movie-related semi-deforms!

While I was photographing the sets, Peter Evans, with whom I was 'doing the rounds' again this year, spotted a 'Lizzy-Bet' and an actual soldier! These were on the WOW Toys stand, apparently 22 year old as a company and not to be confused with Wow Toyz, who are also in the tag-list now I believe!

A nice touch; we all have to get on, and there's really nothing wrong with the concept of tolerance, so start 'em young on the idea that we don't all look the same or have to. I think I have the racing driver (red suit, silver helmet) somewhere as well?

Nothing in this post couldn't have waited 'till March, May or Mo'vember! And some of the forthcoming posts will wait!

T is for Toy Fair 2020 Reports - House of Marbles - 'Eraserheads'

While there were a few parachute toy figures dotted around the Toy fair, all of which have already gone in the folders for that page, the only traditional-looking green 'army men' figures were these, and they were hardly a pack of realistic 'toy soldiers'!

I think both Peter and myself spotted these at the same time, well-trained eyes! But they weren't the toys soldiers they looked liked from ten feet away, not that it mattered much, as you can't balk at a box of patrolling polymer pencil erasers.

Three of the poses are the oft-copied Airfix paratroops (although a Matchbox kneeling firing pose is advertised on the box-art), but the fourth is more original and all four are best described as 'boxy' in the sculpting. Plastic is that soft, crumbly modern material, which has given the three upright figures a weakness at the ankles and play-wear will make short work of the kneeling firer's rifle tip, in the hands of youngsters, I fear?

The 'new' pose has a reasonable rendition of a 'bullpup' designed automatic weapon, but not specifically an SA80, nor any other known make! He's also retained the WWII cross-straps of the Airfix figures, the impression being that once the sculptor had re-done three of the old Airfix poses he felt confident enough (with a few more modern photographs as reference) to have a stab at a piece of his own work?

Nothing in this post couldn't have waited 'till March, May or Mo'vember! And some of the forthcoming posts will wait!