About Me

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No Fixed Abode, Home Counties, United Kingdom
I’m a 60-year-old Aspergic gardening CAD-Monkey. Sardonic, cynical and with the political leanings of a social reformer, I’m also a toy and model figure collector, particularly interested in the history of plastics and plastic toys. Other interests are history, current affairs, modern art, and architecture, gardening and natural history. I love plain chocolate, fireworks and trees, but I don’t hug them, I do hug kittens. I hate ignorance, when it can be avoided, so I hate the 'educational' establishment and pity the millions they’ve failed with teaching-to-test and rote 'learning' and I hate the short-sighted stupidity of the entire ruling/industrial elite, with their planet destroying fascism and added “buy-one-get-one-free”. Likewise, I also have no time for fools and little time for the false crap we're all supposed to pretend we haven't noticed, or the games we're supposed to play. I will 'bite the hand that feeds', to remind it why it feeds.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

U is for Unknown Flats

Well there were a shed-load of unknown trees in the last post, so we will stick with unknowns for a few days, looking first at Flats. If you think you can identify any, you can comment here or email me.

These are very similar to the standard European flat of the 1950's and 60's, but are near full-round rather than FLAT flats, if that makes sense. I suspect they may be early British cereal premiums, any ideas? 40mm, polystyrene hard plastic in a faux ivory colour, they may be Salvation army band, but I think they are more of a civilian concert orchestra type set-up, or part of a circus.

These are a good 20mm, semi-flat, soft green plastic with Airfix hunter for scale comparison. All four marching figures are slightly different and they seem to be Garibaldi types OR Spanish Civil War? I have another similar sized sample, but with two vignettes, one of which - I'm sure - is different, however - yes! you guessed it - I can't find them!! [Update - I found them, they are by the same company, but are Wild West, they contain several vignettes, and come both in the same green and in blue, I will therefore post them separately another day][Second update - both these and the wild west set are by Serjanboys, a Spanish 'sobre' manufacturer similar to Montaplex]

The real reason the Hunter was dug out; this set is again similar to European margarine or tobacco premiums, but are in white plastic, not cream/ivory, also they seem to be in a phenolic resin or Bakelite type material and came in a very large sample, suggesting old factory/out-painters/shop stock from here in the UK. A vague memory prompts the thought they were given away with biscuits in the early 70's. [Coke-Cola copies or reissues with thinner bases, a world-wide series of promotions, quite common, except a Springbok added to the South-African promotion...I'll come back to them one day]

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