F is for Follow-up, R is for Return - Glow-in-the-Dark Aliens

Oh, we love a glow-in-the-dark Alien here! This post was originally a shot of the Toy Major's which had been kicking around for some time, along with a comparison we may have seen here already, but then I snaffled a Soma set, and it was 'Aliens are Go'!

That hanging-around image - I DID have notes on them somewhere - see glowing alien posts passim! It's not very good, and I've reshot them below, so it's just to get us started, Toy Major, glow-in-the dark 'UFO *Glow Power* Aliens', six poses and large'ish at around 70mm, a rigid polyethylene or polypropylene, which glows in the dark!

 

We saw a set of three figures when I ID'd a previously unknown group, and I was well chuffed to find a six-figure version, which obviously had more poses as I knew I'd only shown four or five in total, previously!

 

So I grabbed it while it was available, but have had to use the sales image on the left, as the shot I took was out of focus, and as you can tell from the scan on the right, I committed the mortal sin of opening the set, so I can't re-shoot it!

When I first showed these, I said I loved them, and that hasn't changed, I guess they date from the late 1980's or 1990's, possibly even closer to now, but they have an indefinable quality to them which reeks of the 1970's despite them not resembling anything from that time? I think it's the colour palette used, they are all sort of dirty, off-pastel shades of fruit-jelly or something!

 

We've seen these poses before, but glove-guy and three-fingers are new colourways, and I think even the grey is a different shade to the previous, paler one?

 

Here, the twin-armed one is a new, sixth sculpt, which will probably prove to be the extent of the sculpting, while the reaching-guy is a new colour, I think the other glove-guy is a duplicate of my original loose sample.

 

And the reason I committed the mortal sin of de-carding them is simply that I have a nice mint threesome, and the card was a bit tatty, while I will probably obtain more of these in the future, as I like them so much, and there are so many variations, a larger sample, whether carded or loose won't hurt!

Two colourways of the same pose, one I had here loose, the other from the set, so I now have five of this sculpt, in four different colours, and re. my previous comments on that, it looks like they will all eventually turn-up in all . . . ten (?) shades - light-glow, dark glow, greenish-glow, blue, light pink, dark pink, orangey-pink, orange, light grey and dark grey . . . that's eleven? We'll see, there may be more!

 

The upper-shot, which we did see a while ago, I've found it, but I think this was another from the sequence, shows the Toy Major, the modern/current pencil-top (yeah, even I think he's had too much publicity!), then a Soma, Imperial, US Toy (Brenner) and an unknown Chian-type novelty, not that they aren't all 'novelties'!

 

The lower shot shows the two sizes of Imperial, the Toy Major and the Soma, with one (also Toy Major - ID post forthcoming) who looks like he should glow in the dark, but is just screaming green!

Re-shot! You still can't really make out the faces, that's just the polymer-material/lighting/flash combining to thwart my efforts! They have large almond eyes orientated at about 45º, giving them a more sinister look than Manga-babes, whose almond-eyes are deliberately puppyish! The aliens' facial features/heads are also quite insectoid, a bit praying-mantis like?

An earlier shot of the Soma figurines was not so successful, I think my camera is starting to die, it will be the third or forth, this Blog has killed, but nothing lasts forever, and there are two to fall back-on, however they are both in storage, so I hope this one will go awhile yet, but it is starting to lose its edge, and it's not the constant reusing of the SD card, as there's a new 32GB one, put in there recently!

 

I should add that the two Nikon Coolpix have performed immeasurably better than the earlier pair of Fuji Finepix, there may have been a fifth, between the two pairs? While the two in storage are a cheap generic, and a minor make (Sony or AGFA?), so we'll see how they do, but they are all the same generation ('ish) and may see the Blog out . . . Although I do keep promising myself a digital SLR type, which can go on a stand and do the heavy-lifting, once I have a dedicated photo-bay/station?

It's an invasion!

Triple set - https://smallscaleworld.blogspot.com/2022/02/f-is-for-follow-up-glow-in-dark-bug.html

Loose sample - https://smallscaleworld.blogspot.com/2018/10/b-is-for-bug-eyed-aliens.html

Q is for Question Time - Space Play Mat

You'll either know this 'cos you've got it, or you won't have a clue, the only clue I had was that it might have been from one of the larger Hing Fat sets, but a bit of googling/EvilBay serching revealed that the only plastic mat they seem to have had, in one of the NASA sets, was a sort of sandy/desert scene?

Hard to photograph without reflections, when it's been scrunched-up and your landlord's put 18 downlighter spots in your ceiling, but i soaked it in hot water and then used kitchen roll to streatch it flat against the wood-floor. The only actual clue is a small PART NO .0031, located in the large crater against the long side, in black print? Anyone recognise it?

Haha! See comments; Marx/Mego - 4206 Galaxy Command, 1979, or the previous year's Star Station Seven, two of the very last play sets;

https://2warpstoneptune.com/2013/01/25/marx-toys-galaxy-command-play-set/

B is for Britains' Big Book of . . . !

I have this book, but I think I got my copy cheap from the wonderful second-hand book cooperative in Wantage a decade, or more ago, without the slip-case /box and freebie of a set of reproduction hollow-cast toy soldiers, manufactured by Britains themselves, for the mighty-tome, which is authored by the inimitable James Opie, so it was nice to be able to shoot it elsewhere the other day.

 

There's very little left to say or show from Britains, and while there was a little more history to them, I believe James has updated the story in a smaller work, with the final death and shenanigans surrounding it. The box is not in the best condition!

The all important (to completists) set of figures, being colonial era ceremonial troops in their parade finest, foot guards and lancers. There were 2500 copies of this version issued and each is numbered, if not also signed by the author? I didn't check.

With the equally (to the history of toy soldiers) important cavalry horse, much copied, first by other lead and hollow-cast makers, then in plastic by the likes of Bergan/Beton, Frazier & Glass, Airfix, Tudor Rose, Reamsa and Reisler as 2/3rd generation, then by Hong Kong and various French/Spanish/Italian producers as bazaar/'Sobre'/rack-toy's and premiums (Bonux) in smaller sizes, often much smaller/thinner, often pulling horse-drawn equipment/transport.

W is for Will Nobody Rid Me of This Turdulent Prick!

Oh, bless his little cotton-socks, Paul ‘The Jabbering Fuck’ Stadinger has found time in his busy schedule of dying noisily to have another pop at me! Let’s read what pearls of wisdom he managed to pull from that cesspit of a creative mind of his, and then I deal with it in my usual inimitable fashion . . .

“The sad egotist fool is on a rage rampage. He is upset that people are supposedly copying his material. Naturally, Erwin and I are at the top of his hate list. Erwin and I just laugh at his vitriol attacks. I look at his website for laughs. Occasionally, he makes such an egregious error I have to make a comment. One such error was when he listed a Remco Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea as a 20,000 Leagues figure. It took him several weeks to respond. He admitted he was wrong and blamed it on a brain freeze.

He then talked about the Remco Lost in Space Board Game. He had another brain freeze not noting the game pieces were pantographed down copies of the figure on the left. Another brain freeze when he listed a lead Johillco Roman as a Greek warrior. I wish his “loyal followers ” would send him corrections so I would not have to waste time posting them on my site. Oh, he has a third brain freeze which I will let him find. If he does not find it I will give him a hint at the Plastic Warrior Show.”

I would like to thank Kent Sprecher for the use of the above photo.”

So, we’ll do it again, line be line;

“The sad egotist fool is on a rage rampage. The word he is struggling to find is - of course - 'egotistic' or ‘egotistical’ (illiteracy, always was his strong-point!), and he’d be better with a mirror to spot one of those, he oozes self-importance like an overripe mango! He is upset that people are supposedly copying his material. I wouldn’t say I’m upset, I’m annoyed, wouldn’t you be if a retail magazine was using you for its main editorial ideas, if a blog you’d been friendly with for 15-years began parking it’s tanks on your lawn, because they’ve run out of ideas, and they have, seen what they’ve posted recently? Naturally, Erwin and I are at the top of his hate list. Errr, no they aint! I barely mention them these days, except in passing, or - like the other day - as part of a list of miscreants in the hobby of whom he and his self-abusing monkey are a small part now, almost an irrelevance! Erwin and I just laugh at his vitriol attacks. 'vitriolic’ Christ! Don’t use words you don’t understand! I look at his website for laughs. I’m glad to be providing them with some light-relief; they seem to have so little of it in their lives. Occasionally, he makes such an egregious error I have to make a comment. “Egregious”, ladies and gentlemen (Outstandingly bad; shocking), my crime is so severe he’s got the thesaurus out! One such error was when he listed a Remco Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea as a 20,000 Leagues figure. It took him several weeks to respond. He admitted he was wrong and blamed it on a brain freeze.

Now, this one’s interesting, I posted my ‘criminal error’ on the 28^th May 2021, I believe the turd-like entity responded within the hour “The skin diver is from the Remco Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea. Photo is from Kent Sprecher's site.” And I replied within a few minutes “Whatever!” and it’s still there, on the Faceplant group, so no admittance of anything, and it didn’t take several weeks! That’s a Trump trick, to pronounce a complete lie (or two) as complete fact/s! The little liar!

He then talked about the Remco Lost in Space Board Game. He had another brain freeze not noting the game pieces were pantographed down copies of the figure on the left.

Well, where does egregiousness come into it? Here’s the post, last image down the article;

https://smallscaleworld.blogspot.com/2023/12/f-is-for-follow-ups-various-recent.html

Are you struggling to notice that the fifth figure from the left (second from the right, yellow) is considerably smaller, and less detailed than the metallic blue one to its right? No, neither was I, and I didn’t think, I couldn't imagine, that you might/would need to be spoon-fed such an obvious detail?

What I said was "...a slightly damaged Lost in Space original, also Remco, in yellow" a wholly accurate description of the figure? He's calling me 'egregious' because I didn't say something? But, as I’ve pointed out before, these critics of mine hold me to a higher standard, than they hold themselves or each-other, And if you can’t get me for something I’ve genuinely got wrong, get me for something I omitted!

What an egregious sinner I am, what a fucking criminal mastermind I must be, to so deliberately withhold data from you, in the hope you will all remain wallowing in your pitiful ignorance, a pitiful ignorance, entirely of my own nefarious design, because I didn't tell you something! Bwahahaha!

And here's the thing, this is his only 'victory' in seven years, I got the name of a movie wrong? On another contry's production, of what I call 'diecast accessories'. I.E., not part of a recognised range or line of toy soldiers or model figures, but a couple of play set enhancers, from an importer/jobber, I just can't get that excited about periferal figures of a rip-off movie! AND, having corrected me he 'failed' to mention the board game so I had to 'discover' that, for us! It's all very childish, isn't it?

Another brain freeze when he listed a lead Johillco Roman as a Greek warrior.

Again, here’s the post;

https://smallscaleworld.blogspot.com/2024/01/v-is-for-vikings.html

Now, it won’t escape you notice it’s a post about fucking Vikings, not John Hill’s output! Further, I didn’t tell you about the scarecrows, or the anvil, does that make me more egregious, or does it, according to the rules he’s establishing as he goes, vomiting words uncontrollably, actually make TJF egregious, for not explaining them all to us?!!! The man’s the fucking cock-sucking, arse-bubbles of a tick-turds wet underpants!

I have explained, in several show reports, that I’m buying this cheap (50p/£1 rummage tray) lead stuff, against future posting, there’s all sorts in there, Crescent, Charbens, Britains cheap lines, Reka . . . whoever (one of the scarecrows is Wend-Al), and I’m sure that when, or, if . . . IF I ever post the Johillco Romans I will point out the anomalous figure who, wearing a smooth cuirass and greaves , while carrying - an admittedly small - round ‘Hoplon’ shield, looks more Greek to me, and I didn’t ‘list’ it, I mentioned it conversationally, on my way to introducing the fucking Vikings! And again, holding me to a higher account because I couldn’t be arsed to peruse Joplin’s tome, for an hour or two, to correctly ID everything!??

Understand this;

In December I posted a hundred articles, with fifty this month already, so, as these ‘egregious’ sins have been committed within that time, that’s a theoretical fail-rate of . . . 2-point-something%, not quite 3%? Right?

Mr. I’m-as-thick-as-pig-shit-if-not-thicker-Stadinger, has managed two posts in January (4% of my output), and got to the heady total of nine ‘articles’ in December (less than 10% of my output), a month which he bookended, by being corrected on;

•        December 2nd  - by Steve Zobel after he misidentifies Helmet spares as Historex!
•        December 26th - by Deadleaf Hairband on misidentification of Torgano as Manurba!

Are these not - in his eyes - 'Egregious' sins? They seem worse ‘brain freezes’ than mine? The man is a semi-literate, bullshitting, self-important, arsehole. Period. He is an increasing irrelevance to the hobby, and his contribution was always over-inflated, by him, as much as by anyone else. And a fail-rate of nearly 20% . . . to my less than 3%?

When this turd of a man stops making basic errors, every few posts (some howlers in October/November, I think he was corrected by his mates three times in one post) he can start telling me what I omitted to add!

And when I say ‘articles’, he re-posts new-production from the companies websites and gives us the odd loose figure., usually from a narrow band of 54-60mm. Those blue Arab things, he's shown us them twice in less than a month, they're on the company's own website, it's pointless drivel.

I wish his “loyal followers ” would send him corrections so I would not have to waste time posting them on my site. Hahahahahahahaha, that’s the sound of pomposity, ladies and gentlemen, there’s your ‘egotist’! Oh, he has a third brain freeze which I will let him find. If he does not find it I will give him a hint at the Plastic Warrior Show.”

Oh will he? Yawn! If it's as 'egregious' as the other (he's not sure on his counting either, is he?) three, it'll be a flea-bite on the arse of an elephant. At the last show, he sat in the corner, near me, looking rather tragic, like a melting turd, and I was far too busy with all the comings & goings, meetings & calling’s away, catching-up’s  and helping my mate, to be remotely bothered by that husk of a former man!

He had tried to have a pop when I walked past him a few years earlier, before Covid, but I ignored him. he emailed me later and accused me of 'running scared'!! It is the best show on earth, and I won’t let his tiny-little mind, spoil it for anyone else, including myself.

If he wants to start something, I’ll meet him in the car-park and he’ll probably die before I lay a finger on him, because he’s a walking heart-attack waiting to happen, and he’s walking in a circle because he’s already got one foot in the grave. Fuckwit, don’t talk the talk, if you can’t walk the walk!

I would like to thank Kent Sprecher for the use of the above photo.”

Yeah, because it’s the third time he’s used it, I’ve shown you seven of the ten possible figures, new images every time, and he can’t even show us one of his, it’s almost like he hasn’t got any and has to go cap-in-hand to get Kent to help him fight his war, which went remarkably well for Kent back in the Summer/Autumn of last year didn’t it . . . Hee! Hee! Hee! I notice the much vaunted, hopefully stunning article of great correction, hasn’t appeared yet?

A 'rage rampage' . . . yeah, they heard me in Edinburgh, the earthquake alarms went off in Rome, Commisioner Gordon turned on the Bat-signal, women gave-birth a week early in Caracas! The hyperbole of an over-excited fuckwit.

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

Here’s a classic piece of Stadinger, the lecturer, lecturing us, about lecturers, it’s priceless . . . while starting another war, and with someone else . . . it’s his only MO!

“He also earned a spot on my Ebay banned bidders. The reason is I do not like lecturers. I am not upset about legitimate criticisms. People who are lecturers are so full of themselves. They think they know what they are talking about.

He is a sad figure, he cuts a sad path, and his railing against me is pointless while he’s not actually delivering better himself? Which is not to say I don’t post some shite, but if you’re publishing as much as me, the odd duff one is of no consequence? When you’re posting fuck-all, and you still get figures wrong every few posts, people are entitled to ask why you bother at all?

It took me nearly a week to even see the garbage, as I just don’t go to Shitestuff anymore, you know? Two posts in the whole of January? Nothing of interest [to me], in either of them? I’ve done forty-odd whilst working nights and learning a new role!

All he has to do is sit on his arse, and take the weight off his heart, a bit of typing would be the only exercise he gets all day! Instead he’s sitting in a slough of hate, a miasma of envy, a cloud  of self-aggrandizement, unable to properly articulate his nastiness, but doing a good job of it anyway.

And again, I make no claims for my own sainthood, I’m an intolerant, intransigent git, especially when I’m dealing with cretins like that fuckwitted moron.

A is for Apparently . . . .

 . . . it's national thesaurus day, somewhere!

 

"I successfully predict that upon which you cogitate; did I empty the ammunition storage chambers, or only partially expend their contents? And - should you wish to be appraised of the facts - in all the preceding, heated kerfuffle, I appear to have purely failed to register that data? Therefore, the quandary with which you have to present yourself, is thusly - Do you feel blessed with good fortune, juvenile delinquent? Verily, comment upon that?"

"The pinnacle of the planetary sphere, mother, the pinnacle of the planetary sphere!"

 "The advancing object is in no way a Luna body!" . . . "It's a moment of captive deceit!"

"It's a form of existence, Jim, but in a manner we would not comprehend it as, in the normal course of events."  

"May the measure of nonequilibrium accompany you, adolescent Skywalker!" 

T is for Transatlantic Transport

Further to the card/paper bus and tram posts before Christmas, or over Christmas, I think a couple were posted after the big day, Brian Berke sent the bulk of this post, and I found one more when I checked the letter-N and O folders, has I said I would.

 

I don't know if the bad-luck accrued from singing carols out of season applies to card bus models in the same way, nor if it will be Brian or me, who accrues it, but I'm guessing - with the editors hat on - and given he sent them in plenty of time, it will be me! I'm also guessing that MTA is Metropolitan Transit Authority, not much of a guess; it's in plenty of movies! "The perp's taken the Metro downtown, Danno' lost him at 5th and something!"

Brian suspects the black & white aspect has more to do with them getting the Christmas cards out before the colour schemes had been decided upon, for these - then - new, Hybrid fuel/power buses. Brian thinks they might have been free, often these museum (or library) things are?

This is a simple slot together model of a New York subway car, from the Transit Museum, it would make a useful container for hiding stuff from inquisitive siblings, I think? I bet this was free as well, for school-parties and the like?

 

While this is the No. 74 London omnibus, by Best Impressions, one of the best known routes through the heart of London, and known to tourists, from its sliding past Harrods! Brian reports he used to ride it when he was a Londoner! I may have been on it once or twice, but my big one was the 77, riding-up from Clapham to the South Bank, or back again!

 

Close to his heart, so I'll let Brian tell this one . . .

 

" . . . back when Northern Heights, my OO layout was in my head for future building, it was always planned to be the layout I wanted when 10 years old. Back then in the 50's scenic stuff was paper wrapped, cardboard or balsa wood. Plastic kits were a new innovation and since it was always going to be London Transport, I wanted my favourite bus, the Q4 Leyland six wheeled trolleybus. No suitable diecasts back then, but there was a card model by NIMBUS that continued in production into the 90's."

 

These are nice, and also from the Old Country, two craft-museum/group type models, but in a similar style and by the same artist, one Bernard King, and both subjects are trams/trolleybuses, it may be one of these I think we've seen on the Blog in the past made up, there's certainly a few somewhere, and I think I posted them, but we'll look at them again one day, I'm sure!

 

 

This is actually a part of a set, with sides and ends of railway coachs, designed to be made-up over a balsa or boxwood frame, and placed on more substantial 'off-the-shelf' chassis, printed for Hambling's, but probably by a third party as already discussed in the recent railway figure posts.

 

When we were kids (1960's), and we'd occasionally get a train from Winchfield Station, they were usually the new BR blue, but sometimes you'd get a replacement/temporary spare from the Brighton or Guildford-Sussex services which came up from Portsmouth via Basingrad, in this 'old' green, and they were so posh! You sank into the seats, or could trampoline yourself up and down the compartment, shuffle-bum fashion, while all the details were heavy wood, and the compartment doors opened rather than slid, it was a step back in time, for us 'Central South-East' service kids to get proper Southern stock!

 

This shot also reminds me I have a coach-interior card kit somewhere, but it's not Hambling's, I just looked, I'd gone past it looking for the buses, so we'll have that another day whoever it was!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

Finally, from the folders, is this Birmingham Corporation tramcar from Novus in a nice blue and cream.

 

I went and found it! It was Peco! And specifically for/to fit the old Kitmaster model kit range, which were bought by Airfix and sold-on to Dapol, I haven't looked to check if they (the kits) or these card interiors are still in production, but they'll be on the secondary market!

Q is for Question Time - Ceremonial

Another question mark, this could be Commerical or homemade, it's hard to tell, as it may have been repainted, if the former, but seems to be a single [white 'styrene] moulding with glued arm, which would be unlike the normal/expected basis of the latter?

I think he's Danish and possibly from a while back, the Oslo Royal Guards can be found wearing these helmets, but only with white trousers as a summer uniform, while with the blue trousers they are usually to be found these days in bearskins, so maybe mid-20th Century 'colonial' style?

P is for Police Department

Just a quickie tonight, it's a Hasbro dime store type, which is unusual in itself, but more so for having a folding roof, with no apparent purpose, by which I mean the internal compartment won't accept figures, there are no holes for torsos, and it may have had a small bag of candies, but it would have been very small?

What do you make of it? I took too many shots of the underside, and not enough of the top, but it's in storage now, I think? The hinged roof only invites damage? Marked POLICE DEPT., lengthways on the bonnet (hood), readable one way only, and HASBRO 1 MADE IN USA on the underside, it's a lovely shade of ultramarine!

K is for ♪♫♫♪ Keep on Rocking in the Free World . . . ♪♪♫♪

From the nostalgia files comes . . . 

 

. . . the smallest transistor radio of it's age, Japanese of course!

 

Believed to date from 1966 ('ish) and, while badged to Sharp Electonics, possibly have been made in the subsidiary Hayakawa Electric Co.Ltd. plant? It takes one AA-battery along the bottom, to leave room for all seven transistors! Yours for thirty-quid on feebleBay if you can get any sound out of it, I can get static out of this, so it's still alive, but I'm not sure if it's got it's hearing-aid switched-on!

 

This stuff used to be on Tommorrow's World, now it's yesterday's gimmick.

T is for Two - K's and A.B.S.

Mostly Jon's Attwood's blurb and imagery tonight, so I'll load the images and then divide his potted history between them (with my italics), as a potted history, more than something more specific, I have a K's three-wheeled wagon in HO injection-moulded plastic, which makes a great Boer War 'gun wagon', which I keep meaning to Blog one day!

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

 

Firstly, a pic of ABS packaging, as far as I know packaging is the only way of telling these from the K's versions, I suspect that they may have been cast by Mr Swain for K's anyway.

Then a few K's (I think) loose castings and a page from their catalogue showing their range.

N. & K.C. Keyser ltd. is an iconic company in model railway history, they are generally credited with producing the first whitemetal loco kit (a GWR 0-4-2 t in 1957).

 

N. Keyser, often known as Pop was a German immigrant who had a tobacconist shop in Uxbridge Road, London. His son Ken made scratchbuilt model locos, which were displayed in their shop window from 1946.

Ken saw a jewellers centrifugal casting machine and was quick to exploit it's potential for making small components for his locos, these component packs were sold from the family shop by mail order, and quickly were picked up by model railway retailers such as W. & H. (Walkers and Holtzpfaffel) and Hamblings. He soon moved on to wagon kits and in '57 the aforementioned loco. Apparently Bob Wills (Wills' kits) was at an advanced stage in introducing his loco kit, but K's just beat him to release the kit at the Model Railway club show. K's kits were a complete package with wheels, motor wiring and all included, Wills (and most other railway kit manufacturers since) expected the modeller to source these bits separately.

As the range grew the company moved to a purpose built factory near Willesden Junction station, where they remained for 12 years Pop Keyser passed away in 1966, leaving the company in the hands of Ken and his two sons, Melvyn and Graham. Further expansion saw them move to Banbury, where they started producing injection moulded plastic parts and kits, and subcontracting some of the metal production to outside agents. The first plastic releases I am aware of were wheel centres in 1970. Although manufacturing in many scales, they sold off their entire TT scale (3mm ft) range in 1977, to ABS. After 1983 many of their products appeared under different brand names, though I don't know if these were sold or subcontracted.

 

Ken died in 1989, and most of the range was sold to HMC Group, marketed under Autocom and Nu-cast brands.

I don't know what the early packaging was like, but in their heyday K's castings were shrink-wrapped onto a backing card, sometimes so tightly that it bent the models, not really an issue with the soft whitemetal castings, but it did sometimes bend the shafts on the motors, a problem exacerbated by the effects of heat and light on the packaging. Eventually the motors were put in a cardboard tube section before wrapping, and some of the smaller components in a plastic box to prevent the problem.

 

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

 

In addition to Jon's images, I scanned this from one of the earlier catalogues, and it would appear that a certain amount of artistic licence has been employed in the rendering of the figures! Many thanks to Jon for all that!