I like a nice steam fair, not just for the shiny, steamy and clanky vintage transport, but also for the stalls and auto jumble.
This year at long last I saw a steam waggon amongst the usual and commoner traction engines and steam rollers. This was of great personal interest as my Great Uncle, killed in France as an 18 year old in the last months of the Great War, was in civilian life back in Home Front Britain a steam waggon stoker. Now at last I have seen up close the sort of conditions where he would have worked.
This machine was a 1921 Foden steam lorry – 25 mile range, one and a half hours to steam up, top speed 14mph. Loads of many tons could be carried by this wonder
Several times over the last few years I have taken a gamble over a tightly packed bag of vintage plastic glimpsed amid the jumble of a steam fair stall that you couldn’t quite make out what was inside. Another vintage plastic owl pellet …
I spotted amongst the plastic farm animals some interesting 30 to 40mm old policemen. These were made by Lledo for their ‘Days Gone By’ vintage vehicle Range. http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/ShowFeature.aspx?id=5Plastic
There were some useful Hong Kong made plastic civilian farm worker copies of Herald (or tiny Lilliput) figures.
Amongst a jumble of bashed toy cars in a bucket on a charity stall, I spotted the plump form of Sir Topham Hatt The Fat Controller (70mm) from Thomas the Tank Engine – Mine for one pound. He will make a suitable civic dignitary to rescue. He has a slightly Churchill look or a mini Mussolini.
Later on in a craft tent I spotted this new large 95mm Guards Officer made by GG. I think he might be painted resin – only £2. Other similar ceremonial figures were for sale.
The first thing I spotted was a tiny selection of not so common Britain’s Deetail figures. Afrika Korps. French Foreign Legion. Waterloo French. Complete ones were £1.50, armless ones for repair 50p. I did not have either of these two Afrika Korps figures which are well animated.
Oddly the French Foreign Legion, Sons Of the Desert, get grass green bases. The Afrika Korps get sandy ones – why?
The very last thing I bought was a £1 bag of 50 figures of flimsy and thin plastic.
These Henbrandt figures (£1 a bag for 50 figures) are generally pretty poor quality. They are remarkably thin, almost semi-flat. I did not examine them well on the stall, buying them at the end of my steam fair trip. If I had, I would probably have bought the other few bags as there were a few interesting poses amongst them. These standing guardsmen for one, shown next to 54mm Airfix and Matchbox originals.
My favourite figures were these thin spacemarine type figures and their officer figure, that you may recognise big and small from my other pound store purchases. This set have the head turned to the side.
I’m sure that they were there last year, so they may be there at next year’s steam fair!
So another successful haul of cheap convertible plastic and some happy stall holders.
Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN, 22 August 2019
Previous Posts
Back in 2018 my steam fair haul was just skeletons https://poundstoreplasticwarriors.wordpress.com/2018/09/08/pound-bag-skeleton-warriors-1-a-bag/
Pound Store Plastic Warriors 
Excellent haul there. I particularly like the policemen and children figures which l have not seen before. Some years ago in Whitby l saw a steam bus/ lorry working which was most impressive in terms of size and general steaminess,if you know what I mean.
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Lledo did some interesting civilian figures – seen on their Plastic Soldier Review web Page.
The noisy steaminess, oily, coaly smelliness was all part of the fun!
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