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.

Saturday, October 7, 2017

T is for Two - Plastic and Metal Flats

A couple of bits that came to Small Scale World recently, one as photographs the other as a tangible 'sample' for the collection! Yes; I know Stadinger had flats the other day, but A) these have been in the queue for three weeks and B) I don't think I can be accused of competitively following him in quite the same way as he is following me these days, with his recent Leprechauns, 'what's this' British 50mm mounted (fancy not knowing?) and Jaru tank?

Especially as we always have a few flats here from time to time - return to 'Zoo' coming soon!

All shown days after I've posted the same/similar, he's threatening to show us a whole Imperial bag next, which will be nice, the follow-up comments will make for interesting reading too, after the Jaru tank (rack toy tat) you'd think he'd found the crown jewels or a new pose of Swoppet knight with pink caparison!

I can't work out if he's playing "Look - I've got some of those too" which would be tragic in a slightly pathetic sort of way or "I've got some Hugh didn't show" which would be pathetic in a slightly tragic sort of way.

But either - equally childish - way; he's taking the position of sitting in my dust and if that's what he meant by watching my very closely, I've nothing to worry about, as apparently I'm now setting the agenda for what appears over there; responsibility for two blogs . . . I'm not sure I can take the pressure! And the other 700-and-odd of you are the winners - again . . . and every time!

So this came into the fold the other day and what's interesting about it is that it's a strip, and a damaged strip at that, not only has the gazelle lost both a horn and an ear (that's the trouble with poachers using battlefield weaponry!) but an unknown number of other sculpts - well; at least one - seem/s to be missing from one end?

These shots make it easier to see that the runner is broken-off beyond the ape, my question is, were they designed to be broken off, by a retailer, say, and issued one at a time as a premium/prize or token-gift for a purchase of something else; cigarettes, cakes, sweets, or beer even, or was it issued in strip form (as a mini-set or part set) in coffee or similar and has since become damaged?

I think I have a few singles with similar bases in storage, so we may well return to these but if anyone knows more about them, or can put a brand/maker to them; please tell the rest of us!

I know what these are 'cos it says so on the box! Heinrichsen Russian [something - strike?] Infantry Storming or at least I think that's what it says! And they are obviously grenadiers as they are nearly all throwing grenades.

It's funny, as a kid I used to pop-up the Library and devour all the  - now 'old school' - books on toy soldiers and war-gaming and I don't remember detailed rules on Napoleonic grenade throwing? I've since learnt some early ones were glass balls and almost as lethal to the operators as they were to the intended victims . . . fuse technology lacking the finesse and fine-tolerances of the modern era!

Only four poses, and only one each for two of them; devoted to an officer/SNCO and drummer, with 8 each of the two line grenadier poses.

The two line grenadier poses again, showing the distinctive Heinrichsen bases, they weren't the finest of flat makers, but they were prolific. Shot's not up to my usual standards, maybe I borrowed the picture from you know who, straight-swap for one of my ideas on what to post!

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