PW is for Plastic Warrior Show - 3 of 5

Continuing to explore the plunder from Saturday's toy soldier fest with more donations and a few more specific purchases . . .

Brian Carrick (who I haven't seen eye-to-eye with for a while) came up to me at the end of the show and thrust these at me and wouldn't take money for them, which was very kind, although it means another rabbit hole for me to disappear down!

They are Mainz Carnival figurines, I knew of them vaguely from the trumpeter who I have seen before (being slightly military-looking one or two people have them in their unknown or minor-make zones!), but hadn't given them much thought, but had I, I might have realised there's a new one/s every year!

There's a fully-round margerine set as well, hence; 'new rabbit hole'! They used to be simple pin-badges, but health and saftey has lead to the neck-ties in red & white string. Clowns seem to feature heavily as a theme, along with civic dignitaries in historical dress (very useful figures), although one is military - I'm guessig Mainzer Prinzengarde is not the 1890's mayor's robes! And they are a hard 'styrene around 54-60mm

Just an overshot today, I'll do a post on them at some point. The little box contains a convention exclusive 'dog tag' from Airfix, also from Brian, while the purple runner, is the accompaniment to an cheapie action figure, and came via Gareth Morgan at some point in the afternoon, so thanks to both of them, it's all grist to the mill, and more for you to look at!

Peter Evans also had a bag for me, and the contents were very eclectic, the wooden elephant is exquisite. He needs a replacement tusk, and could do with a new pair as the survivor is a bit bulgy in the middle, but I have lots of Ivory off-cuts and bits somewhere, and now you can't trade in it I will have a stab at carving, as there are a few tusks needed around the collection from these 1cm littlies, up to 1½" or more.

The Chaplin caricature is resin and I think the Sponge-Bob's were Disney Stores, but these got put away a bit quick and I didn't take notes! We will return to all of them at least twice, if I live that long; A-Z entry and another article or two, here on the 'home Blog'.

More from Peter's bag I think, the horse is interesting, possibly from a magnetic game, but I think it's one of those jiggling-mat racecourse games, each hoof has a polished steel patch set into it, and as you handle it the legs flick back and forwards, so I suspect it's a race-game piece.

Dolphin is vintage, but slightly demented-looking! Cavalryman was Safari (I think?) while the footballer is a cake decoration, the action figure is small enough to be retained, while they aren't actively sought, still they have a place! Two Phidal's top-out this shot.

And still with the lot from Peter; two Pocahontas, one a Phidal Busy Book figure (right), the other from Disney Stores (or similar, left), a nice Wizard and a footballer sans base; several of these have come in now from Peter, Chris and Charity Shop bags, and I did get an ID from some with bases, but have forgotten it!

Liking the Wizard too, Harry Potter knock-off? Kellogg's Snap (of Crackle and Pop fame) Superhero premium and two more WWF's (Peter sent four from two sources in his last 'red cross' parcel!), the grey chap is a DFC fantasy type I think, but his significance will become clearer in a minute! Thanks to Peter for all.

This was a straight purchase from the hall, and something I've been after for a while, there have been a few on evilBay but always too expensive when you factor-in the postage. Obviously five of them are the same Crescent copies as the Maysun we've looked at here, while, the tiger and ring-mistress were seen in a generic set, not that long ago.

We will however return to these, probably in RTM and look a little more closely at all of them. I think the horse should be slightly more horizontal, but has broken out of his blister and got stuck under the thinner part!

Not cheap, but not that pricey either (i.e. 'fair shout'), Steve Vickers had these three and given what we've already posted here and what was bought in the late autumn, along with stuff from Chris and one of the Poles we will return to them again (with more than has already published here, much more!), but for now, nice artwork (taken - in part - from the Esci big-box diorama sets?) on three larger sets from Spojnia - D-Day, Tunis and Salerno.

Two items on the shopping list were ticked off in one lot, someone had two Lone Star FFL and two ACW in one bag, the confederate is the missing standing firer from that set, which will free-up the FFL substitute who is missing from the lot we looked at the other day! Equally they were blue-trousered, while these two (left) are red, so made a good start on the second set!

The seller of the two forecourt attendants said they were Timpo, but a couple of the old guard said no, someone else, but no one could remember and directed me to Joplin's big book, which is back in storage, so if anyone can help in the meantime, that would be useful, they're from old hollow-cast moulds anyway. Finally; a pair of the larger Gemodels cake-decoration dancers, in near-perfect paint.

Another couple ticked off the shopping list were the missing standing firer from Deetail and the Gatling Gun, both added to the shopping list only the other day! In front is an Ohio Arts (?) rubber bear, behind them the actual Captain Video from Lido, he's a big chap, solid 'styrene, in metallic mauve!

The Hopalong Cassidy is an Argentine copy of a Timpo original, from hollow-cast, I earned the opprobrium of certain members of the old guard by suggesting Hilco on that one! The Crescent Indian Army figure was vaguely on the shopping list, but in fact there were only five I saw in the whole room and paint was poor on all of them, this one was slightly the better of them.

The other four are NOT DFC, or at least I don't think so, but could be mistaken for their output. They are bigger and unmarked (a comparison is in the pipeline - 5th post I think), I suspect they may be from another big-box fantasy play-set maker of the 1980/90's; Toyco, Polotoys, someone like that, but I've got to check them out. I have some more spacy figures in red and white which go with them somewhere.

Three Reisler, I was vaguely aware of the saluting chap I think, from a website or catalogue image, but I wasn't familiar with the surrendering pose? Flamethrower is just nice and clean . . . and complete!

60mm Lone Star swivel-head was going cheap, as were the white-plastic take on the ABC-Britains hollow-cast copies (Chris sent me three different blues the other day and I grabbed a 4th at PW!), which leaves three ancients, the African on the ground has been converted, lost his base and had a shiled added, the charging 'hoplomachus' (?) is from a German book, the brand of which escapes me, but it was in a recent issue of PlasticWarrior magazine, which is a good reason to subscribe!

Leaving the chap at the back. You may remember me getting excited by one a few shows back (5 years ago!), which had had a crappy weapon replaced, that was by Clairet, and I think this is too, and with another replacement weapon, but they need them and now looks almost as good as the other one, but his shield is a bit meah!

While these are four-inches-huge, and two are wooden, the GI is solid polyethylene and could be Hong Kong or US, I don't recognise him off-hand, while the others are obviously skittles! Now I said on the day they were Winmau (who make the pub dart-boards), and assumed pub-skittles, but in fact with an eye-glass they are © 1989 K. Wiman, so my bad . . . I have an unfulfilled prescription for reading-glasses, another conversation on the day!

They look to be French, but could be Spanish, that Foreign Legion uniform colour looks like Spanish Legion, while . . . brown sailors? The cummerbund though is more French.

Many thanks again to Brain, Gareth and Peter for the additional goodies, part 4 in the pipeline!

PW is for Plastic Warrior Show - 2 of 5

Continuing with the rather random way I shot everything this weekend, after the 37th Annual Plastic Warrior toy soldier show, but all the posts have interesting stuff, so getting stuck in . . .

A few vehicular pieces; back left is a space car, it's probably Kleeware (or Tudor Rose) having the circular MADE IN ENGLAND stamp common to both and will need a check in the Blast Off book, a small boat in marbelled plastic which looks to have some age and was probably a bath toy and a rather nice, but unmarked die-cast mazak Mosquito type . . . I know - metal at a plastics show!

The two Airfix motorcycles are a disappointment, they've both been chopped about to the point of almost junk, but I need both riders and four spare wheels will be useful if I get chewed ones in the future, and the pale one is a new colour in the sample.

Tyrolean touristy thing with a weighted base flanked by two 'walkers' of clowns on donkeys, I think the idea is that they are pantomime donkeys worn round the waist, so just two clowns then!

The orange guy - from the amount of silver paint remants - is probably an Argentine copy of a Marx GI, flanked by two late production Starlux; an alpine bugler and a staff officer. The next two are . . . a bit of a mystery, they look quite like the Solido figures, but are slimmer and unmarked, they also look like the Torres Maltas 40mm figures, but are obviously closer to 60mm, so I wonder if maybe Torres from Spain? Help appreciated on them.

The other five are Hong Kong copies of Timpo 8th Army and are marked with the circular HK monogram, we looked at a couple back in 2011 here, but the new ones are a much better sample. Clearly painted to deceive too!

A right old mix from several stalls here, with a Starlux clown who has an uncommon, thin base. I think I've shot the miss-moulded Crescent knight before, but now I have one, behind him is a Jecsan Jap and Kellogg's bust, while in front a new intermediate size of Zang composition pilot about 45mm, however he may not be Zang, having a better finish and neater base - late production, or improved copy?

The Cavendish guardsman was in someone's bag for me I think and to his front is a 54mm HK copy of a 60mm Crescent 'modern army' soldier. Moving back to the left we have a gold (faded) Russian Officer who might be Atlantic or a copy; he seems a bit smaller than typical Atlantic; so licensed Res Plastics (RP) or Gulliver?

Civilian bits; the horses will be from a board game, in polystyrene and sans a couple of tails, I thought the racing colours were well done. A Jecsan circus performer, glow-in-the-dark ghost, two Spot On figures, a Taylor farmer and a Scalextric newspaper seller make up the rest, along with a large bale!

Animals include a rather nice buffalo/bison which may be Spanish, the Hornby O-gauge horse, a Tudor Rose pig, Tiger with a docked tail, Airfix dog (2nd 'missing' pose since lockdown!), probably a Spaniel and a lovely - probably Japanese - celluloid Elephant playing a drum!

Mixed lot here with five Aurora kit figures, not the best and from two sources I think, but they all go together and eventually I'll have a good set! The 'pod-foot' Native American is from the set we looked at here, but what fantastic marbling! We looked at the main sample here.

The other highlight is the Zang Chauffeur, I have him in brown and green, but missed out on a cream one which I think is now headed to a museum, however a blue one is plenty compensation, and you can never have everything!

Space and Sci-Fi; three of the little Torgano figures, two spacemen and a 'costume doll', four Captain Video/Winco Condar figures, three needing a bloody-good clean! A wafer-thin, flat angel, who's actually a short-shot, she should be holding two cymbals. The bear/monkey is from Marx's Noddy set, we weren't allowed Noddy as kids (racism and grammar!), so I haven't the faintest on it, but am slowly building the set, this is number five or six I think?

The big blob is the Cherilea 'Mechanoid' and I believe the Dalek set's version of it with all the top panels open (generic 'space' Mechaniod's have alternate open and filled panels), I think it's missing a flamethrower or something along with the ladder, but is otherwise in damn good nick, and the all important four legs are present and the same colour!

A bunch of small scale, with Marx soft plastic Germans, Jap's and a GI, from the window sets, two copies, a Lone Star piracy Indian and five Zang pilots are also seen along with a lead pilot I was told replaced the Zang, but I think it might actually be visible in some Kay's adverts, or similar publicity from Pixyland-Kew?

Next to him is the missing Tiny Trojan railway staffer! Isn't it typical, the same day the PW 'Special' is officially launched, the next addition is found! I've sent better images to Paul at the mag. A Chinese Kentoys CHiP's motorcyclist and flat sedan chair cereal (or other) premium complete the line-up.

Five Argentinian copies make up a third of this group - two Lone Star modern infantry (grey, left) knock-offs, two 'khaki infantry' (white, centre) clones and a Timpo Foreign legionnaire (back, centre) copy. They are joined by two PZG from Poland; a Native American in 75mm and a 60mm Cold War paratrooper.

A painted Kinder barbarian will need stripping, the tin flat was probably a cigarette-pack premium from Europe, the painted flat cowboy is interesting and might be Eastern European, while the late Britains mounted Indian is actually a polystyrene copy from Hong Kong!

The Morestone Davy Crockett though is a ringer! He has paste-hands with a cut-down HK copy Britains musket buried under the compound! However, the original hands are OK underneath, so I now have two is the same/similar paint-condition, with no musket between them!

PW is for Plastic Warrior Show - 1 of 5 (I think!)

Because Adrian and myself had a bit of a debrief after the show, and a reckoning of what I was buying from him, everything got a bit muddled-up on the bench in the 'Meccano' summer room, so I think the easiest thing to do is deliver them - in lots of ten-images - as I shot them later that night and yesterday. I'll try to credit everyone for any freebies as I go.

And we're starting with a freebie from Graham Apperley, who gave me a tub of bits before the show started,  which was half these and half the next shot. Some of these are marked CHINA, so probably not of great age, and may still be findable in garden centers or gift shops, but they are charming, and continue a tradition from that part of the world which is over a 150 years old. The man in green (who I initially thought was a duck!) is less than 3mm thick and about 5-high!

I have Japanese and Chinese variations in composition, this 'bisque' ceramic, blow-moulded celluloid, harder plastics and lead. The older lead ones often come with long wire-spikes embedded for more permanent placing in plant-pots (Bonsai &etc), those without spikes were for more temporary displays in sand-trays or maybe as cake decorations?

To be honest, I think all the larger people could be from other, older sets (the CHINA set is the very pale, clean material), and some could have some age, even considerable age, the sitting lady in blue for instance? I have the frog in several sizes (in fact didn't Britains or someone do a lead set for their garden range?), while the birds are all new to me and quite exquisite. The larger pieces, including most of the rickshaw are slab-cut and slip-glued.

Also in Graham's tub was a nice Matchbox farmer with his dog still attached, two PVC figurines (which I assume are from the same set of Dark Horse's franchise Hellboy?), a metal horse which I think was Crescent, but might be Charbens or Timpo (for OO railways anyway), we looked at them back at the start of the Blog, along with a buckshee Esci horse and a cake-decoration coach in a lovely toffee & caramel marbling!

These were actually a late-in-the-day purchasing decision, they were on Adrian's stall, and no one had shown much interest in them, and I was chatting with Chris Smith (friend of the Blog!) about something else, and we came round to Eastern European figure-matters and I pointed these out to him suggesting I was tempted, only to promptly talk myself into putting them on the 'settle-up' pile!

The thing is, you should recognise them as it's not long ago we looked at them here, and they are obviously copies of the JSP/Injectapalstic/Culpitt, separate base version, Wild West figures, in a bazaar or rack-toy style. Which could make them French bazaar clones, however they have also the look of some - particularly Hungarian - Eastern European stuff?

They could - of course - also be Injectaplastic late production (or batch, their production was done in Macau), they did move to polyethylene, and there's a nice article (well, I hope it's nice) on that in the queue! So a bit of a mystery, but I've never seen them before?

The archer being absent from my samples of the painted figures, could be the missing 8^th figure, rather than the tee-pee, which [attribution] only raised a question-mark over the fort and other accessories in the carded sets!

These weren't specifically on my 'shopping list', which consisted of things I'd thought of in the last few weeks, but I am always on the lookout for the early version Cherilea swoppets, and Adrian had these on top of a rummage tray which I snaffled as we were setting-up!

I will probably take the webbing from the right-hand figure, and with one of the heads and the rifle, make-up the left-hand figure to 'complete', but there are other bits in their tub, so I may get two whole figures, out of the collected shrapnel?

Theo sent us a nice sample of these a few years ago.

Meanwhile, a day or two before the show, I'd been chatting with Matt Their - who wrote the definitive series of articles on these for Plastic Warrior magazine - and mentioned that if he still had his and was moving them on, I'd be interested, but sadly he'd already sold them.

However, he sold them to Adrian, who found them in his stock later in the day! So they came home with me anyway/after-all! And again I have a few somewhere, the chap with the bayonet and the prone pose complete I think, with some bits, so a session of part-swapping and I should have a decent sample of these, these are the type 1, the type 2 are the previous trio/Theo's and the type 3 were looked at here.

You see, there's a story attached to this card too! Mostly told here at Small Scale World previously . . . I had the choice of this card, or the cows, many years ago, many, more than a decade for sure, and I chose - for reasons I've never really understood - the cows. I had a better stab at an explanation when we looked at them.

Since when I have found a loose silver one of these kneeling-firers, three charging soldiers which I think are (now; must be) Plástico Osul, and now this card, which Adrian thinks he bought from the same dealer . . . probably/almost certainly one of the two I passed-on, on that day, nearly twenty years ago!

A mixed bunch of military hardware, with an Argentinian polystyrene jeep that has a tin-plate screen, on the left, the grey gun at the back is the Star Toys 'German' 25lbr in 'Aussie' jungle configuration, I may have one somewhere, but couldn't remember, so in the pile it went, the full-shield 25lbr in front is another HK rack-toy piece but in a mix of 'ethylene and 'styrene.

Then there's the full Tudor Rose A/T gun train, with the limber lacking a towing hook, but I'm pretty sure I have a good one in the spares box, and enough windscreen parts to fix this otherwise good jeep, while the little jeep in front is lacking wheels, and goes with those diminutive Humber 1-ton's I think?

Adrian Little practically threw this at me, and I could have saved it for a rack-toy month (RTM) post, but seeing as I photographed everything I might as well post it all now! Branded to WH Cornelius's mark Success, they are still going, now under Play Write.

The car is a soft blow-mould with more solid tyres, however the pump looks to be another blow-mould but doesn't give easily, so may be polystyrene,  the age-fogging on the bag (millions of micro-flexings and scratches) make it hard to tell without squeezing it 'till something breaks, which I'm not doing!

Another one Adrian drew to my attention, easily ignored as 'just another Hong Kong copy' of the Britains Herald tee-pee/tipi, I recognised the [French] coats of arms as placing it with the JEM-Norev reissues of RF-René Fisher medievals (which included the Lone Star Richard I copy), there are Flanders and single lion versions of the water-slide transfers too, probably others.

And this is deliberately half-obscured as it will be in a future post and go on the parachute toys page, but is a nice, boxed example of a now-familiar fat chap in a Rocketeer helmet! Comando [sic] is the given Spanish branding, the figure is not offered-up as a military toy specifically either in its sculpting/equipment or colours, but it is - to an extent - on the box-art, with civilian aircraft types dropping khaki troops!

Many thanks to Graham for the tub of goodies and . . . part 2 along shortly!

A is for And so to Bed . . . No! 'London' - A is for And so to London . . .

. . . where we three and thirty, and thirty-three, and more that thirty-more did meet again!

And even some new faces turned-up and a bloody good time was had by all! The weather would have taken some beating (especially after what it gave us today!), the company was fine, the merchandise was piled-high and smelt of old plastic, it had to be the Annual (pandemic's allowing) Plastic Warrior Toy Soldier Show!

Now, I'm not going to bore you with the minutiae; if you were there you know how good it was, if you've been before you have a good idea what you missed, and don't want to be told (it was better - better than ever!), and if you've never been and didn't go, you probably shouldn't be reading this! But one of the features of the show, is the annual release of the latest 'Special Publication'  . . . or even two - in a good year!

Well, this was a vintage year, so we got four! And if you missed them, or the show, or both, I'm here to plug them!

Two volumes on the die-cast accessories that came with or for toy soldiers from the same makers, and the Modern Army Series from Lone Star was one, with all the variations, even the daft blue and chrome ones, a very useful addition to the library.

Crescent was the other maker getting the once over and I must confess I didn't know all the vehicles in the fleet, the M109 for instance, looks excellent, and how many are there in 54mm-compatable, die-cast?

This - however - is essential reading for any British plastics aficionado, it's years since the last black & white version was released, and this all new, all colour edition is a real treat, with lots of new stuff, hard to know where to start, and this is only a quick promo, but yeah . . . if you didn't get one yesterday, you need to get one!

And if the Trojan work is welcome, this in-depth look at BR Moulds is a fantastic volume, some of us suspected it was in the works, the ephemera hinted at in the previous articles we've seen in the magazine clearly pointed at 'more to come' and here it all is, and I mean 'all'; full listings, most known figures, now illustrated with multiple examples, a few unknowns thrown in for good measure, side-by-side comparisons and much conjecture - it is not only a joy of a quick-read, it's genuinely fascinating, and I can't recommend it highly enough.

For all four volumes the contact details are many and available as soon as you've read this;

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

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

eMail  - mailto:pw.editor@ntlworld.com

Tel: 01483 722 778

Address;

The Editor

65 Walton Court

Woking

Surrey,

GU21 5EE

UK

 

And they are on Paypal

 

I'll also plug Matt Thier's White Tower Miniatures, Matt was one of the old faces seen yesterday, and he has two catalogues out at the moment;

Last year's Dark Ages catalogue is still available, but it was announced about now I think, back then, so may be in short supply. A very nice range, I follow the Faceplant page and when he posts a bunch en-mass with all the different shields and weapons, they are stunning. There's over 120 figure-castings now, several horses . . . and a bear!

This is  the new for 2022 listing of the Wild West range, and while I'm not a metal guy, I was tempted by some of the many character figures from TV, the movies and real life (each gets a thumbnail biography and either a still of the movie poster, or a picture of the real person), there are also character figures of named Native Americans, a lovely wagon and all the normal stuff.

 

Matt also showed me footage of a range of slot & peg-together building which are on the way, with removable roofs and interior floors etc.

 

Matt is findable here;

https://whitetowerminiatures.co.uk/

https://www.facebook.com/whitetowerminiatures

 

eMail: matthair7@hotmail.com

 

I also literally ran-into the  proprietor of Soldiers in Silloth as I was taking his flyer from the front table at the show, and promised to plug his toy soldier museum, and as I'm covering everything else (above) here, I'll give you the cover and a bit of blurb and try to do an A-Z entry with a bit more, I'm also going to try and visit this summer as it looks like an excellent day out!

The museum seems to contain all types of toy soldiers including metal and plastic, with cabinets of sample figures alongside vignettes and dioramas, and of course, it's just off the Hadrien's Wall way, so you could include it in a longer walking/camping holiday or make it part of a long-weekend?

Soldiers in Silloth

No.1 Marine Terrace

Criffel Street

Silloth

Cumbria

CA7 4BZ

UK

Tel: 01697 331 246

http://www.soldiersinsilloth.co.uk/

 

**********     ***     *     ***     ********** 

 

And the post's tile? I overslept! Adrian had to ring me from the drive! Doh!