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.

Tuesday, February 14, 2012

O is for Over-sexed, Over-paid and Over Here!

A common wartime refrain in 'Blighty'! Referring to our erstwhile allies and their apparent lack of want for anything, pouring into a country three years into 'Total War' and the associated deprivations.

For some reason forgotten to me now, the American swoppets aren't in with the GI's but are in the everybody else (except the Germans) box? So here they are...including some of the better Hong Kong copies - and I use the word 'better' in its loosest form!

The first version Timpo figures, I don't remember an eighth pose but suspect there aught to be one? These are the ones I mentioned the other night with the moulded on weapons, the German infantry were the same but in grey plastic and with darker helmets.

Second version, again without my check-lists I can't off-hand remember what's what, but the two on the right-hand ends of the row are taken from the AT vignette while - I suspect - the chap top left is from the assault-boat, along with two firers; that seems to leave one missing pose?

In the case of the Americans, Timpo themselves used the American Indian head with the brown-handed figures, but not always, it seems. Note also how the AT/Bazooka No.2 is a variant of the waving guy bottom left but with the ring in the other hand.

The bazooka vignette from above with the US version of the parachutist we looked at the other night, the three little figures above are the Speedwell copies/attempts and seem to draw on both the Timpo figures (above the waist) and the legs of the 54mm Cherilea swoppets...a bit!

Various Hong Kong versions; some are straight 'lifts' others have gone with a bit of variety, such as the squatting figure in the bottom row, or the top-right figure who seems to be more based on the Britains Swoppet British Infantry. The top row are from three different sources, the bottom row are all from the same source.

By comparing the bases with the ACW ones we looked at here 'G est pour la Guerre Civile' you are able to start putting makers together, but you need the boxed or carded examples to do the job properly and I don't collect packaging for the large scales!

27th March 201- The pale green officer (top middle) is known to be M-Toy (May Moon, Maysun - possibly Marty Toy) and most of the bottom row are probably theirs as well. 

Dec. 28th 2023 - While the guy with the twin-ring base (far-right, top and bottom)is now known to be produced by Merehall who use an MH mark on their packaging.

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