P is for Princess Polymer's Perfect Pumpkin Pimped for Prince Plastic's Posh Prom!

"And be back before midnight young lady!"

Proving the old adage (we'll it's an old adage here as I keep saying it, it's one of the reasons I have so many 'eemies' (as they call theirs) in the 'old guard'!) that none of this stuff is rare!

I grabbed this the other day, the seller had two left at time of writing, grab-one before they're gone!

And before we go any further it's worth reminding you of these posts;

https://smallscaleworld.blogspot.com/2017/10/l-is-for-little-red-riding-hood-visits.html

Then click 'newer post' or;

https://smallscaleworld.blogspot.com/2017/10/g-is-for-golden-gamete-laying-goose.html

and then click 'older post'

How they arrived, in a little poly-bag like this they could have been aimed at cake decorators, Christmas crackers (so I'll stick Culpitt and Tom Smith in the tags), arcade crane-machines or travelling showground hoopla stalls? The point is, this is the third iteration of the two 'sets' of these, which ten years ago were 'rare' and only visible as a couple of thumbnails on TSHQ, but which are now becoming 'old hat'!

It's so cool! The mice needed some straightening with hot water (and I mean 'hot', this is polyethylene, not PVC, so a boiling kettle poured down the reins/traces for a good 15 or twenty seconds, then pulled taught and pressed against a piece of cold marble (cutting board) or steel (draining board), needed two goes, but right as ninep'nce now!

♫♫♪ "We will pull it, we will drag it, to the party, how, how, how . . .

we will pull it, we will drag it; lets get going, now, now, now" ♫♪♪♪

Obviously with this kind of ex-shop stock, it tends to look like it was made yesterday, and while it probably is later than the stuff we looked at last time, it's clearly marked 'No307 Made in Hong Kong' down both sets of the hard polystyrene suspension, so it must be at least 30 years old?

The three figures; these are unmarked and like the mice, a standard or 'Airfix'-soldier polyethylene, so probably the same ones previously (or subsequently?) supplied to Transogram?

News, Views Etc . . . PW Shocker!

Not them; me! I knew the 178 was overdue, but I seem to have totally forgotten 177, or not tagged it, anyway I can't find it, so we'd better have a quick run-through of all three, just incase you're still not subscribing and can be tempted by some of the contents!

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Plastic Warrior magazine issue No. 177

No-no, no, I've definitely done this one; I remember the stuff about it being an 'archeological issue' , let me have a better look . . . Phew! I hadn't tagged it! Now Tagged, but it begs the question, what else hasn't been tagged? Because if it's not tagged I haven't a clue where it is after a month or two! Do'us a favour - if you happen to find posts without tags, or spot me posting one, could you pop me a link, or say something in the comments? Cheers!

Right, anyhoos . . . onwards and upwards;

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Plastic Warrior magazine issue No. 178

Articles

* The issued get of to an intersting start with a look at some 'code-3' figurines from Bal-Ler courtesy of Andreas Dittmann and Figuren Magazin

* Andreas is back three pages later to debunk something Timpo some of us didn’t fall for!

* Ashley Keedham follows-up on Peter Nussbaum's original/previous article with a further plethora of Ninjas, Samurais and other Medieval Japanese monk-warrior types from a half-dozen-odd makers!

* The revelations on BR continue apace with shots of examples from Tim Baker's collection as the centre-spread this month

* New production from Russia is given an in-depth editorial from Tom Stark, looking at the Crusaders and Saracens from Biplant and Publius

* In one of his -sadly - last 'Converters Corner' Les White takes knife, glue, Greenstuff and paint to some an AIP (Armies in Plastic) WWI German soldier to produce an interwar-period policeman, and the 'after' figure looks better than the 'before' shot!

* The editor delivers on the Lone Star shooting game 'Cork ∙45' and its figures, with a full set of numbered sculpts and more on the background of this interesting source of red and yellow Native Americans

* 'What The !&*$?' is busy as always with an eclectic mix of figures to ID

• Ashley Needham seeks info on his Highland bass-drummer (figure's base says mallable Mouldings?)
• Gian Piero Larizza whould like someone, anyone to explain the Lido WWII Japanese officer pose . . . so would I!
•  Joe Bellis seeks further sighting of a Confederate and information on a Composition Guardsman
•  And has anyone else seen any Tara Toys stuff (from Wales), with or without Tim Mee copies?

* Peter Evans is back with part 4 of his look at the Military sets from Fontanini, throwing a few Regency-fops in for good measure! [Glasses - he's holding glasses!]

* Joe Bellis and the Editorial team join forces to tell the tale of Linburn figures with lots of pictures (I only have the one, an apparent re-issue, in bright yellow, so they won't be likely on the Blog any year now, so subscribe - Back-Issues Available)

Regular Features

* 'NEWS and VIEWS and other stuff ' covers

• Tragic news on the passing of Stuart Asquith
• Editorial thanks to the readers on a number of subjects
• eBay's AK Gifts courtesy of Ashley Needham
• News on Peter William's Airfix book
• Show Dates (sniff . . . sniff!)
• Sale of Paragon Scenics to Hobby Bunker
• Vectis Auctions
• The regular re-sub' details

* 'Readers Letters' include

• A report on the previous Autumn's Chicago Toy Soldier Show from Roger & Jan Garfield (organisers).
• Roger Barnier of Trooper Toy Soldiers has news.
• There's still more on BR Moulds from J. P. Young.
•  Gerrald Edwards shows an interesting Quaker cereal premium.
•  Stepahn Dance has some interesting memories of the Airfix racing figures to share, - and it struck me that the running driver is similar to the running 1st version paratrooper?
• A follow-up to the Replicants Dick Turpin is supplied by Brian Berke (of this parish) with a painted example.
•  Staying with Replicants; Tom Stark pays homage to the dioramas from PW's 34th Show
•  Graham Cooke and this author follow-up on a previous Barney Brown 'What The !&*$?' query.
•  Colin Penn adds to the 'Civilian V. Military' debate
•  While the editor sneaks in a featurette on Britains Hospital 'What Might Have Been's

* 'Book Review' ? No room!

* 'What's New' has six 'sets' from three companies

Replicants

• Texas Rangers firing/sheltering behind dead/prone horses (x2)
• Comance warriors firing/sheltering behind dead/prone horses (x2)

Engineer Basevitch

• 30 - White Guard Commanders 91918-1921
• 29 - leaders of the Ukrainain Revolution 1917-1921

Chintoys

• CHT023 - Italian Warriors
• CHT024 - Spanish Warriors

* Plus all the usual readers small-ads

* Covers -

Front; Kinder Samurai

Back; Bal-Ler Mexican

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Plastic Warrior magazine issue No. 179

The current issue . . . and it's a really good one;

Articles

* Fontanini (part 5) by Peter Evans covers the copies, piracies, licensed stuff and late entries from the military range parts 1-4 have been following

* Peter Nussbaum begins a short (but fascinating) 2 part series on early medieval artillery and other contraptions employing gunpowder, with samples from Elastolin, Zvezda ad others illustrating the evolution of canon

* 'Converters Corner' and other from the sadly lost Les White, who takes a Boxer rebellion Japanese Infantryman from AIP and turns out a series of Naval landing part troops from the rape of Shanghai (1937)

* A two-page spread with no by-line is dedicated to a boxed set by Oklahoma of Argentina and it's a cracker!

* Loads more BR figures are supplied by Chris Smith who compares with Polish figures and raises the possibility of newer production? Colin Penn's Kleeware truck closes the spread

* Andreas Dittmann returns to Bal-Ler with help from Figuren Magazin (link above)

* 'What's New' includes two sets from Chintoys . . .

• CHT021 - Landsknechts
• CHT022 - Swiss Warriors (Swiss mercenaries?)

* Part 2 of Pedro Lopes da Cunha's overview of HaT Indutrie's ancient-figures' production reaches the Cathaginains (and Hannibal's funny little Elephants)

* An editorial with help from Kent Sprecher and Steve Vickers looks at the Crescent sculpt cowboys & Indians, with an interesting revelation (which will be incorporated into the article I pulled to await publication of this!)

* There's a round-up of British consumer-goods/food premium figures from Gerald Edwards with sampls of Nestlē's (as they used to be called!), Peak Freans and Betterware ephemera

* Reader's Letters packs an amazing amount into three pages;

• Eric Keggans throws some wonderful Mettoy space under the bus
• Robert Cullinan calls for newer 'Specials'
• Colin Penn shows the Bisset/Hachette part-work Egyptian Gods
• Peter Evans shows Papo pirates and medievals
• Ashley Needham follows-up on Bal-Ler instruments
• Brian Berke advises on Lido Japanese!
• Nigel Lambourn shows a full set of the Airfix-copy gunners which have been bugging this Blog for years! Still no maker, but possibly a stand-alone artillery toy?
• Chris Smith follows-up on the 'What The !&*$?' highland drummer from PW178, and then shows a bunch of Linburns 

And - speaking of 'What The !&*$?'; it too packs a lot into three pages this issue;

• A James Bond/Space Car from Andreas Dittman needs its FE moniker expanded?
• A 'Could It Be' from Jack Shalatain presents the possible missing Speedwell horse?
• More on Herald Trojans Hong Kong clones and background also from Jack S
• More on the Clairet/Timpo/Trojan et al advancing American with SMG
• James Opie also expands on the highland drummer from PW178 and the hunt set from PW's passim

Editorial Page - News and Views and other stuff

* Obituaries for both Roy Dilly and Les White are a sad start to one of the best issues in a long while.

* Show news is as depressing as anywhere else at the moment, with PW35 hoping to reschedule for the autumn, Herne hoping to open it's doors on the 5th July and Chicago holding their powder dry with time to decide still in the bag? But check with each for further progress - Herne may be over-ambitions, but Germany haven't made the mess of Covid-19 we have, and with a strict distancing and 'up & down' aisle system it could still work, but buyers will have to get a move-on if everyone's 'queuing', if you miss something go back round and look again! PW's hopes for the autumn look more realistic, but it's starting to look like the US are going to have another spike and lose - potentially - another 100,000 souls (because they have an insecure, childish, semi-fascist, illiterate, short-tempered fuckwit for President), so I think they'll see Christmas still stuck with left-over controls, but fingers crossed for Chicago - and for all three - they are the trio of 'headline' plastics events! No news on Birmingham yet?

* The old PW website has gone, really, really, nothing there to see gone.

* Steve Vickers has a new phone-number - 07456 173 178

* Plus all the usual small-ads and the trade-ad flyer with more on sellers.

* Cover images this issue are a shot of Peter Nussbaum's massed guns (front) and some Engineer Basevitch cavalry painted by Fernando Enterprises on the back.

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All - in both issues - continuing to be presented in perfect technicolourfulness!

* PW's contact details;

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PlasticWarrior?fref=ts

Blogger - http://plasticwarrioreditor.blogspot.co.uk/

eMail  - mailto:pw.editor@ntlworld.com

Website's back on the menu but won't be updated (eMail first) deader than a dead-thing that paid Charon, crossed the Styx and went to Hades to have itself declared very dead.

Tel: 01483 722 778
Fax: 01483 722 723

And they are on Paypal

P is for Pyramids

It's aliens in'it? No! It’s the simplest way to build large structures with low technology . . . basically it’s a pile of solidified builder's sand! And; the shape (viewed though half-closed eyes) is the only thing which links the Pyramids of Egypt with the stepped-temples of Mesoamerica, or orgiastic piles of Madhya Pradesh in pre-Mogul India!

I mentioned another parcel from Peter Evans the other day, and I'm not planning it an 'H is for...' as it will mostly get an outing in rack-toy month (RTM - August), although I have taken a birds-eye shot for later, but these two were loose in the parcel, I have no idea where they came from but it must be a play-set toy or activity pack of some kind?

Both a rather bright yellow polyethylene and entirely hollow, posed here with an Atlantic Pharaonic chariot in 1:72nd as the best size guide. Actually Pharaoh has got in the way - they are separate sculpts, not joined at the corners! 16-06-20 - They are from the larger 'Egypt' bucket by K&M under the Wild Republic brand (code 22854).

While I had camera and Egyptians at the same location . . . this one is a polished piece of what I suspect is Portland sandstone, but filled with vegetative detritus rather than the more recognisable fossils you find on Westminster Bridge or the side of the Economist Building; an off-cut in other words, which lent itself to being shaped-up and polished as a pyramidal keepsake!

In comparison with the card one we looked at a while ago, some kids' activity-magazine I picked-up in a charity shop a year or so ago. There is a fourth I could show, but anyone who's seen the Marx Miniature Masterpiece pyramid will know it's too tall, too blunt, too 'square' and too err . . . purple (!) to be included this time, we'll check it out in a MMM-accessory round-up some time!

The figure shots here show the commoner colours of these; from orangey- through tanned- to pale-flesh, but it's worth noting that unless you're a box-completeist, you're always better trying to get your hands on the larger chariot or 'Egyptian Cavalry' sets (1503, 1603 or 2503) as you don't always get all the poses in the smaller box (1803).

And many thanks to Peter for the plastic ones! 

News, Views Etc . . . Press Releases!

This is the latest press release from Barney at Herald Toys & Models, get them before they're gone, as experiance dictates they don't hang-around there for long!

"...this week we have a large collection of farm models by Barrett & Sons and F. G. Taylor, including a number of more interesting colour variants. We will shortly be listing our new collection of other farm models by British makers, including Charbens, Hilco and Speedwell. Stay safe everyone..."

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Also, I've received this top secret public information film from a government department dealing with Covid-19 fallout and it would seem the nation's cats are taking against certain model-figurines and treating them with all the respect they deserve!