F is for Follow-up - Spojnia . . . or Hobby EME

When we looked at those Spojnia Kioskowce small-scale copies, from Maciej Jasinski's Poland, the other day, I mentioned that I still had to post some Napoleonics by the same maker - well that won't happen as you'll see in the next few posts, but I did find that I had a bunch of other Spójnia stuff, so we're going to work through it.

I also said I thought they ended-up being called Hobby EME, and here we see a set in that later (or just alternate?) branding, being copies of Esci-ERTL's WWII US Infantry, and all fifteen poses have been taken; to quite a high standard, albeit; not Ecsi's finest in the first place!

While here we see the Italian Mountain Troops taken from the same company, and again they've re-used all the poses, but this time there is a noticeable drop-off in quality/finish and if you didn't know better you might think them Spanish Sobres or even Hong Kong/China knock-off's . . . now you've seen them - you know better! And one of Esci's nicer sets, of a - then (mid/late 1980's) - unusual subject.

I also reacquainted myself with the fact I have the 'Hindu Brigade' set too, taken from Atalntic's Indian Brigade (as before - they are dressed as Sikhs, not Hindus!), which answered my question last time about the bladed weapons, they seem to have copied two (of the original Atlantic set's three), and while I have one each of the two users (the third figure to have a 'kukri' in the Atlantic set has his holed filled-in, in this clone-set); Maciej's set had pairs of each, in fact he had pairs of everything, I also only have one MG and gunner.

The other point to note (for packaging collectors) is that while mine (left) has the full Spojnia consumer-panel's info-text (in the yellow box, bottom right-hand corner), Mr. Jasinski's has a blank panel there (top right image) and may represent a crossover from Spójnia to Hobby EME, if the latter was actually later!

B is for Box-ticking Boring Board-game!

It's not really boring, it can be quite fun, with the ruthlessness of Monopoly, yet without the drawn-out, slow-deaths which makes the latter so painful if you aren't the 1-in-eight winner!

But it is a real box ticker; there's tons on the internet, about dozens of versions, both current and vintage so I'm  just getting the Parker and Board Game tags up.

Both a bit tatty I held on to one to wait for the other to come out of storage, they are over a month-since gone to recycling, but these are what I consider to be 2nd (upper) and 3rd (lower) standard versions of the box, the 1st version had a game set-up photograph (I think) with the 'snowflake' pieces of the original game.

Contents; I'd forgotten it's a game with a biggly number of dice! Biggly-biggly, that's a Donald-fact! Hey, I haven't properly mined the comedy aspect and he'll be gone on the 20th Jan! Kept the rules pamphlet for scanning into the archive.

Boards, I seem to have picked up the Star Wars board at some point but don't know what I did with the pieces, if I ever had them? I think the 2nd version (top) is the same as the 1st version, while the 3rd has a more 'parchment' look to it and the Star Wars one is rather bland, if you ask me!

Newer on the left, older on the right and anyone over 40 should remember the strange set of asterisks, snowflakes and cheese slices of the original game! Nominally 10mm in scale/size, due to the thickness of the bases I suspect with judicious use some of these could feed into 15mm war-games armies as well? With nappies provided by the 1990's set and AWI/Marlborough covered by the newer figures.

And if you want to do it without paint, there are dozens of 'nations' now, with different main colours and variations between print-runs!

That's them, done!

10 is for 2 to go!

From the sublime of rare or uncommon Polish and Russian plastic to the ridiculous of Poundland's finest, the ridicule though, being reserved for the fact that two such nicely produced models plus packaging can come-in at only a pound!

Having said (last time we looked at these) that I was unlikely to obtain the missing four animals/two pairs, I popped over to Farnborough just before the new 'Lockdown' (which hardly anyone seems to be observing with any seriousness?) and managed to get one of the absent pairs, which I think leaves me looking for a/the giraffe/male lion combo'?

Suicidal Hyena has actually got his snout in the Hippo's mouth, but otherwise two nice sculpts albeit not in the same scale! While I was there I looked to set if 'Series 2' had appeared of the dinosaur pairs from a year or so ago, and while it hasn't (they still carry the Series 01's), they do have larger dino' singles in similar packaging, but they are leery colours and I passed on the only one present; a rainbow-mauve Per'Terry-dactill!

P is for Polish Plastic People-Parcel Plus . . .

. . . a bit of Russian-should-be-Bulgarian stuck on the end of the post!

I received a lovely donation from Grzegorz Maciak the other day, of rare, unusual, new-to-Blog or much needed Polish polymer, which we are to look at right now!

As it arrived; The figure top left is a PZG, from the larger scale sets, probably later production (unpainted) and the officer from the Cold War set, next to him a lovely horse from the PZG set of 'Golden Horde'; those from the era of the Mongol invasions . . . indeed, with both rear feet of the ground, possibly the most dynamic and 'best' horse-pose in the set. Both are believed to be manufactured in Nylon-66.

Next to them is what I think is a home-made modelling-clay/craft clay figure of a medieval warrior with his shield slung on his back, the rest are hard polystyrene flats in two sizes/from two sets and from or based-on the German Schneider's home-casting moulds, some marked ZW.

The figure (which you may remember was in a donation from Chris Smith back at the start of lockdown) is the Hetman from the Golden Horde set, I suspect Hetman gives us, or gave us many centuries ago - the terms 'Headman' in English and Hauptman in German, or that they all share a common-root? His horse was much needed!

I have somewhere a pot of gold ink (from my days as a calligrapher! Pelican Plaka or something?) which is the same dull shade PZG used, so when I find it I'll try giving them both a heavy dry-brushing to get them back to something of their past glory and get them to match; the original set were all-gold, horses and riders.

The larger flats, originally designed as infantry of the Franco-Prussian war, pass just as well for the uniforms of Russian, East European and Balkan forces in the wars with the Ottomans (and each-other!) in the 1870's - link in a minute.

The smaller figures are more WWII/immediate post-war period (if assumed to be Polish Infantry) but are based on the original WWI/Inter-war period German/generics of Schneider's moulds, while the Cavalryman could be Polish, but is wearing a helmet while their 'last ever' cavalry charge was probably conducted with the soft Czapka headdress?

A footnote to the previous paragraph - for years Poland claimed the last ever cavalry charge in 1939, but the Australian Light Horse charged the Japanese later in the war, while Cossacks on both sides in the 'Great Patriotic War' will no doubt also have claims to that record - it's not a debate though as the Poles then charged German positions at Schoenfeld in 1945, cementing their claim!

It's the mounted lancers who carry the only mark on all these, a small 'w' sitting on the tail of a larger 'Z'. It could be something as simple as 'Zakład Warsaw' (Warsaw Plant/Factory), but I have no evidence for that or anything else and there is nothing in Garratt's encyclopaedia?

The new polystyrene figures compared to the two older soft polyethylene figures Paul (from Moonbase) gave me years ago and which were recalled by Yori as being Polish and - what we now know as - 'Kioskowce', the older two are probably also from Schneider moulds.

There is a current Schneider in catering/silicon moulds, but it was only formed in 1977 and has no link to the 1913 Schneider Brothers of flat-mould fame,that I'm aware of. Although - calling all these Schneider is an 'old school' practice, they ceased production before the 2nd World War, and most of the moulds you encounter these days may be/are more likely to be St Louis Lead, Greiner or Agasee to mention the better-known of many inheritors/copyists.

While all the above was going on I managed to pick this up on feebleBay, it's a Russian tourist trinket I think, commemorating the battle of Shipka Pass (which was several battles over some time), where actually the Bulgarians played the greater part in manpower.

It's a large lump of polyethylene with a rubber plug in the breach, as the trunion-bar runs through the barrel and out both sides it's not missing a firing mechanism, so I guess the rubber-plug is original. That bar and three others between the trails are heat-welded closed/shut as are both axle ends so there is a robustness to the chunky thing!

I say Tourist Trinket because while I can't imagine many 'western' tourists asking to visit the sight, it is a curated site, now in Bulgaria, and must be a draw to many in the region or with connections to the Russo-Turkish War (1877–1878). Also its large scale points to an infant's carpet or beach toy, rather than its being part of a larger, or more serious set, or series?

(picture credit - Wikipedia)

Above are the guns upon which the toys seems to have been based.

Another minor connection with this addition and the preceding shots is that it was in the wars surrounding the Russo-Turkish fight, some earlier, some later, which lead to Poland's loss of independence and partition between Russia, Prussia and Austro-Hungary. Sad face.

And thanks again to Chris Smith, Grzegorz Maciak and Paul 'Woodsy' Woods for all the interesting figure donations!

News, Views Etc . . . Late!

All sorts this week (excuses that is!), and forgot Monday's Teddy Bear sale at Vectis, today's is a general toy sale and I'll post something better later but here's a piccy and a link . . . 

Lot 1022

Online catalogue and PDF here;

https://www.vectis.co.uk/auction/general-toy-sale-850-1

News, Views Etc . . . One of our Own!

 It's too perfect!

https://www.itv.com/news/london/2020-11-10/meet-ralph-biden-the-surrey-man-whos-just-realised-hes-related-to-americas-next-president

After a bloody shaky start; 2020 gets better and better!

O is for Oi, Oi, Oi! What's All This Then?

[All in squeaky voice as small firefighter enters stage left] "We'll not be having naked-flames round all that Gunpowder young Guido, take him away gents".

A lesser known moment of history which escaped O-level studies as Micky Mouse carries the day, also courtesy of Brian Berke (see yesterday's post) our roving reporter from New York who was on hand to capture the truly historic occasion.

I can't add a lot, so I won't! It's Micky Mouse, with a hose!

It seems you wait ages for a firefighting Micky Mouse, then two come at once!

Cheers Brian . . . I think!

R is for Remember, Remember . . .

. . . The Fifth of November

Gunpowder, treason and plot

I see no reason why gunpowder treason

Should ever be forgot

Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes, 'twas his intent

To blow up the King and the Parliament

Three score barrels of powder below

Poor old England to overthrow

By God's providence he was catched

With a dark lantern and burning match

Holloa boys, holloa boys

God save the King!

Hip hip hooray!

Hip hip hooray!

A penny loaf to feed ol' Pope

A farthing cheese to choke him

A pint of beer to rinse it down

A faggot of sticks to burn him

Burn him in a tub of tar

Burn him like a blazing star

Burn his body from his head

Then we'll say ol' Pope is dead.

Hip hip hooray!

Hip hip hooray!

 

(Traditional English Rhyme - 17th Century)

Many thanks to Brian Berke for sending us a very seasonal post, figures by Peter Cole's Replicants available here from Steve Weston's website.

Public Service Announcement - On Lockdown

T is for They Were Verh'verh'ry Drunk!

This one took me a while to locate and pin down, but I am now satisfied enough to share it with you, despite the fact that I may be wrong, but given how little we seem to know about some Western manufactures, researching the Eastern ones is no easier!

The following was - I now believe - manufactured by The People's Soviet Socialist Republic of Russia's Medical & Labor Dispensary №.1 Tambov Region, Zelenyi Settlement but I stand to be corrected . . . and may have extended the title somewhat, for comedic effect!

First, however, a rant; a small rant! We have all been lied to, and are continually lied to by those in power, and those who control the media or have other 'vested interests'. There is no difference between 'them' and 'us', which is not to say there aren't differences in funding, or finance, in political will or behavior, in economic model or philosophy, but ultimately the Russians ("the 'Commie' Sov's") and us were far more similar than you might think from what we were told.

Today's toy (below) was basically manufactured by recovering alcoholics, they could just as easily have been disabled people, or ex-servicemen, but that 'meaningful, gainful employment' by way of therapy or as a means to aid convalescence - in the Soviet Union - is (was!) no different to the work being done by the blind at PZG in Poland, by ex-servicemen at Enham Alamein or Linburn (both latterly: Remploy) or (because a lot of the drunks were at Tambov custodially) Prindus (Prison Industries).

Now, there are two points to take away from this, the first is that the Soviets had a rehabilitation system for habitual drunks . . . they didn't send them to Siberia, they didn't 'disappear' them out of helicopters (a trick of US backed/funded/trained regimes in Central and South America), no, like any normal, day-to-day society, they had a rehabilitation program for troubled (or troublesom) citizens; just like ours.

The second point is that the facilities at Tambov (which is how I'll refer to it for the rest of the article, as otherwise their title - any other way you cut-it - is a mouthful!) are now derelict, as PZG seems to have ceased producing toys, as Linburn disappeared, as Enham was swallowed by civilian (state funded) 'charity' bureaucracy and has now lost it's Remploy unit. So the parallels of good programs under social responsibility are mirrored in the later neglect of today's Thatcherite-Raganomic 'free-market' Capitalists . . . everywhere!

All simplistic (and a bit muddle-headed), I'll grant you, but you know what I'm trying to get across and to do the above properly would require a wordy tome on nuanced-parallels of socio-economic conditions in differing political systems, which only academics would read! But, if Tambov, PZG, Linburn and Prindus were still making toys; what a nicer world it would be!

And if Remploy (all units, Britain-wide, closed without warming by the Cameron-Glegg administration) were still going last December, they could have scaled-up and been producing the PPE we needed, before we needed it, negating the need for Boris to give £122m for PPE to a company with no assets formed seven or eight weeks ago . . . by someone he gave a peerage to!

You see, as well as there being no difference between us all at the bottom, there's no real difference between them all at the top!

This is the item in question, a towed field-gun with caterpillar-tractor, all as a one-moulding 'readymade'. Similar to the solid ones we looked at a while ago from Chris (both rockets and large howitzers being towed on that occasion), but hollowed-out to lessen material costs, and the heat shrinkage.

It was in a mixed lot with some other stuff, among which was this chap, who being the same semi-transparent polymer which - after recent conversations with Polish collectors - is probably nylon66 (what in the past I have called a nylon/rayon type or Polypropylene!) and a similar scale, is I suspect part of the same set? They go well together anyway!

Foreshortening from the camera-angle has made him look a lot smaller than the Airfix figure, he's not, but he is only HO-compatible to the Airfix 1:76th scale.

This was the logo, and it wasn't in the list of 160-odd I use as a first point of reference for these things (many thanks to Nazar Marchenko for that heads-up), so I had some days looking, but in the end I think I've called it right . . .

. . . for the Tambov 'clinic' (on the left here), while other contenders were both too circular and the toy-vehicle's mark lacks anything which might be the tree's trunk (Roshal Chemical Plant 'A.A. Kosyakov')* or the lettering of the Mercedes/Pizza Hut-hat (Moscow Factory 'Spetsstanok'), so I think the rather crude mark on the toy (carved with an engineer's chisel straight into the tool?) is the one we're after? But . . . I stand to be corrected!

* Also now derelict (I like the construction guide-board for a noddy-suit respirator, all laid-out like an O-Level lab-rat!) and like Tambov; known for colourful sets of blow-moulded figures; manufactured on an armaments site!

100 is for Monsters . . . Not . . . quite!

With any luck I'll have this up before midnight and we're back where we started, with SCS Direct, this time it's the Horror set, now listed as Horror Set I on the back of the Fantasy box, but still Monsters on the toob.

Having the same contents and carrier as the one which confused me back in 20218 on Shaun's site, but not the same as the ones Peter Evans sent me the same year, missing here are all the zombies bar the one eating an arm! Although between the two I don't think I'm missing any now, but there must have been a Zombie mix at some point?

So a briefer visit than this morning's as we are reprising a previous post - with the packaging as the 'new information' - and Shaun's already there! This time you're getting around seven-boxes equivalent of Airfix for the money, but the contents are a lot shakeir than this morning's with little consistency and another short-count!

I've highlighted the more obvious anomalies in red, the only real pain is the spider; only two and neither of them in light grey, one gets the feeling there should be four? The gravestone also gets an odd mix, while with the Mummy and the man-bat, it's just overload!

It was the 'Mothma' (for Godzilla to play with!) and everything on the bottom row we didn't see last time, although - obviously - apart from the spider, I now have all of them in both colours. Comments last time apply equally here but the moth is not very good, I mean they are all a bit cartoony-harmless, but the moth is too cuddly by half!

From the backs/undersides, really I'm a bit pissed-off with the spider situation and will have words on my Amazon feedback! There's more too it! So, that's Halloween; coming-in over-budget but on time!

H is for Halloween - Odd's and Sod's!

This is a bitty post, with everything else! Some of it came in a few days ago (thank's to Brain), some has been in Picasa since last year (and may have been seen before, some came from Peter, some from Chris (which has all got mixed-up) and I've got so confused waiting for the day I took some duplicate shots, then had to take some more a few minutes ago 'cos I hadn't done the finger puppet, so it's all a bit muddled, anyway, we'll meander through a eclectic collection of Halloween novelties:

The one we may have seen before? A couple of old header cards from the archive and branded to 'Funworld' they seems to have contained something similar to the following . . .

. . . which managed to be forgotten in the pair's post this morning (I'd accidently put them in the 'done' folder with the six images from the three collages . . . doh!) which otherwise would have T is for 8 and Four! New shelfies from Brian Berke and fortuitous I had the cards above as they made me think Where's those screamers Brian sent?! They also look like those bendies we saw a while ago, maybe the same design team?

I think these were all from Peter Evans and we'll look at the outside two in a minute, the other three are interesting, similar to the 4-4½-inch figures from Charbens, but modern and slimmer, they have quite pinched waists which suggest they may have been gripped by something or pick-up-able somehow? Anyone know what they are/where they come from?

And - more Egypt in what is definitely Egypt-year here at Small Scale World! The mummy is obvious for Halloween, the other two are more 'God & Man', and could have been blogged on another occasion, but the three definitely go together.

So, 'Bluey'; I suspect a Macdonald's or similar premium? he's a dense polypropylene and when you press down on his head his arms pop-up and he has limited articulation at the waist . . . another mummy! But still 'unknown' and clues welcome?

The other one which I think was from Peter's mixed lot, he could just be a 'phone or luggage 'dangler' who has been cut-off and knotted-back to the purple swivel, or he may have had a more significant part? He's a modern PVC substitute with articulation at the waist and shoulders only (through the neck, like Galoob Action Fleet figures), but closer to 54mm - otherwise unknown - clues welcome!

Other novelty skeletons who have come-in over the last 12 months, and this is where the order breaks down, as these would have come from all over - Chris, Peter, charity lots, possibly even one from Adrian, and I don't know where the little green skull came from, but it's a flanged-swivel, so probably from an action-figure around 3 or 3½, maybe 4-inches?

The chap with the yellow 'thing', seems to have either been attached to two sticks, or intended for one or two pencils, clearly he is supposed to do tricks, but without an instruction sheet I could only guess at the nature of the missing apparatus and or hint at the mechanism by posing him? However you can see how he should be flick'able in some fashion to maybe catch a bead in the cup or dance between two . . . something's?

Taken in the last hour to make more sense fo the next few images, these were both from the 'Interim Parcel' Chris Smith sent for ITLAPD and today! A ghost and a sort of imp/pixy finger puppet. I suspect there's a pink 'half' missing from the front of the ghost, but it's not clear and it would have needed to locate in his eye holes?

The cut-out in the 'cape' suggests a pencil top, but it's not clear, two other ghosts which I think were both from Chris include the little movie one (Casper?) on the left, and the green one which clips onto a larger toy and swivels/hinges.

A novelty ring and further comparison with some of the previous to give a sense of size across the lot! it all gets archived, it all has a place and hopefully, one day will all be properly itemised and ID'd? If you can help brand or otherwise ID any of the above you'd be helping with that 'one day'!

Brain also sent what little he found in Scully & Scully's window this holiday season and while not a lot, they are both rather nice, this is the 'box-ticker' pumpkin; there's everything in that fine etching except Dracula and a bowl of candies! A Full Moon, bats, owl, crow, good fairy, black cat, spider's web (?), witch/crone, skeleton, living tree/Ent, ghost, evil (Bavarian?) gingerbread-man and a pile of pumpkins!

Finally; another witch and her - rather sweet-looking - cat; a cottage which is probably hers and home to several ghosts; and an absolutely lovely tree, just on the turn to its autumn colours.

Many thanks to Adrian, Brian, Chris, Peter and all who send this stuff to the Blog as actual objects or images, it will all appear here in the end, even if I lose track of it on the way here!