WW1 mark IV and Churchill Tank with two of my 54mm hollowcast figures for scale.
I notice on the Tank Museum webshop some intriguing wooden tank model kits used in their half term “make and take” activities – a WW1 British Tank (Mark IV) and a WW2 Churchill tank.
I had no real idea from the website of their size but I thought they looked jolly robust, so ordered them in support of the Tank Museum.
Like many museums, galleries and charities, it has a had a tough year of restricted income. It has an incredible collection to support and with its tanks and ‘tanker’ stories is an active part of our national Remembrance.
Two of my 54mm Johilco hollowcast lead WW1 infantry for scale
Tempatation: Comes with 10% offer leaflet for sales between Christmas between Christmas and the 31 January 2020.
Quickly assembling them (they have easy dowel construction) to check scale and size, they seem to suit 54mm – 60 mm figures. They are remarkably only £6 each (plus postage).
Compared to the time, effort and skill required to make these in a workshop at home that I don’t have with tools I don’t have, these seem a very good deal to me. A fun kind of charitable giving!
As they arrived packed and wrapped …
Please note: Last postage dates from the Museum guaranteed in time for Christmas delivery are soon in the next three or four days.
Now these wooden tanks are going back into the family present cupboard for Christmas or a future birthday gift for me.
Strange Carvings Amid the Jungle Ruins … uncovered by my favourite 1970s 54mm Airfix figure, WW2 Australian Officer, produced before the Indiana Jones films.
There is an unusually festive source for these strange and mysterious stone carvings in the South American jungles – a cheap terrain idea, crossposted from my sister blog Pound Store Plastic Warriors:
Six press out characters, Harlequin, Pierrot, Columbine, the Fairy, Toby Dog and sailor Boy
Each year we have a new advent calendar, as part of our recent family Christmas traditions. Other families like Marvin at the Subterranean, sorry Suburban Militarism blog have their Army of Advent Christmas figures. You might have some odd Christmas traditions of your own!
Our 2018 advent calendar from Art Angels designed by the fabulous British illustrator Emily Sutton was a fabulous toy shop.
This year’s advent calendar by Emily Sutton is a fabulous 3D Toy Theatre by Emily Sutton complete with stage and press out cardboard figures. She has previously done a tribute Pantomime print in Benjamin Pollock toy theatre style.
A stage? Victorian figures? I know a few talented toy figures (maybe even ex-soldiers) who seek such a venue.
Lawe and Awder, The Two Singing Bobbies, “Always on The Beat” … (my Prince August Home Casts)
It is an odd saying in our family that if someone has a peculiar or unusual talent or even embarrassing mishap that “if they could do that, they could have made a fortune on the variety stage”.
Alas those speciality acts and Variety stages are largely no more. The music halls have fallen silent, largely killed off by television and radio. Variety theatres, music hall and revues were the origin of many of the comic performers of the 1950s and 1960s that I admired on the radio and television whilst growing up, ranging from The Goons to Danny La Rue and Morecambe and Wise.
My beloved Muppets Show was set in a variety theatre with often desperate old time Vaudeville acts and hecklers. One of my first 45 rpm childhood records was The Muppets, Kermit and Miss Piggy singing Old time music hall – did anyone else find her a little disturbing in an undefined way?
The cheerful comic song of the old flower girl “Who’ll look at my lovely bloomers?”
A more serious tragic recitation by an acclaimed ‘Ac-tor’ of the proper ‘The-a-tre’
I like how Emily Sutton has captured the colourful “tuppence coloured penny plain” style of the old Victorian and Edwardian Toy Theatre sheets. I also notice how well the pink cheek dots of the old toy soldier figures works on the pit orchestra and audiences in the boxes.
This dapper old soldier with ‘tache could be a lively female impersonator like Vesta Tilley
Street Songs of Old London Town:The Musical Muffin Man, Lucky Sweep and Blind Fiddler.
The “Fan Mail” sketch from Fred the Singing Postman and Fanny our Variety Comedienne
William Shaxbeard’s dream of a magnificent theatre of the future …
The ‘skin’ role – Urson Wells our fine dancing & singing ‘bear’, musicians and Fido the singing dog …must be hot in that bear costume (new Tradition of London and old hollowcast figures)
A fine Military Band to lift the spirits! Mostly plastics of various makers Man of TIN salutes and sings a fine patriotic song! (My home cast Prince August ‘avatar’ )Man of TIN with small Guards Marching Band: my shiny painted Lone Star / Harvey plastics“The Relief Of Mafeking” a patriotic song by the “Three Jingo-ling JohnniesA jaunty Scottish musical number from Mac on the PipesWhistling Bob Nobbler, the Genial Gentleman of the Road and his comedy patter
“Aww, My Aching Feet!” A comedy musical number from Tweeny our “Maid of All Work”.
Figures are a mixture of plastic, my home cast Prince August metal, old lead hollowcast from various makers including newer metal figures from Asset Toy Soldiers, Tradition of London, Dorset Toy Soldiers.
Next post – some of the paper cut outs from my Suffra-fiti game tread the boards, with a little more on toy soldiers, early Wargamers and Toy Theatres (Theatres of War?)
RLS – “Penny Plain and Tuppence Coloured” famous essay on Toy Theatre –
Man of Tin blog 