Plastic Warrior Show 2023

One of my trusty blog readers Peter (snaves23) has reminded me again this year that this excellent one day show is coming up, one of the last such toy soldier shows around and a visual feast and rummage of plastic figures :

http://plasticwarrioreditor.blogspot.com

Not sure if I will make it to Plastic Warrior this year, as it’s a long way from the deepest darkest West Country, as I found travelling upcountry for the Woking Games Day in March (and possibly the Northern Stockport one in Autumn) on which I have spent much of my hobby budget for the year!

You can get an idea of what a visual feast it is from Brian Carrick’s Collecting Toy Soldiers posts in 2018 and 2019:

https://toysoldiercollecting.blogspot.com/2018/05/plastic-warrior-show-2018.html

https://toysoldiercollecting.blogspot.com/2019/05/well-thats-all-done-for-another-year.html

Blog posted by Mark Man Of TIN April 2023

£1 Charity Shop Cowboys and Indians Gift

This was a welcome recent gift from a family member, a £1 gift bag picked up from a British Heart Foundation charity shop.

Let’s look at the figures and bits in more detail:

There were some interesting 50mm cowboys that I don’t recognise (top row) , alongside China copies of Airfix cowboys. It was thought by the gift giver that they might possibly convert into Boy Scouts?

I would be curious to know which maker made the two top row cowboy poses.

The Indians or Native Americans appear mostly 50mm versions, possibly based on Airfix or Britain’s Deetail Indian poses.

They make fairly good generic tribesmen with swords, rifles, spears and shields. These weapons could be removed or converted as needed.

A small amount of repair is required in places as these figures are a bit bashed and well playworn.

Interesting as the figures were, the best parts of this pound were the accessories.

These are versatile accessories such as a cooking pot on a tripod over a log fire, an animal leather skin stretched out and the slightly more Native American weapons and shield tripod or wooden frame.

Mixed in were a few common plastic bushes and some interesting plastic trees that look like copies of older metal or lead trees.

The log fires are handy, they could be used in any age (or scout camp).

The third pole with a hole near the top is a bit flimsy or easily breakable but works for the weapons stand or pot hanger. A long thin dowel or cocktail stick could stand in for this flimsy pole to make up the spare accessory tripods.

A good find as buying these accessories new or vintage in metal would be reasonably expensive.

Many of the trees, figures and accessories have flimsy or minimal basing, so could do with a suitable mdf sort of base.

As befits the scraps from someone else’s toybox, there is also a stray fence or gate panel and steering part of a wagon. All useful for the bits box!

So there you are, a pound donated to a worthwhile charity, a welcome gift and some helpful recycling of vintage non-SUP (single use plastic).

Blog posted by Mark Man Of TIN, 27 March 2023

More Superheroes by the Pound (Store)

More Superheroes by the Pound (Store)!

I masked up and headed early into town for a rare visit, a few important things to do but once done, a quick recce peep into my local Poundland.

Good to see the usual reliable Shelfie material of bagged ‘penny dreadful’ 100 soldier figures for £1 from a few months back, still in store or available online.

Even better to see a new set of superheroes, a set to grab as these usually appear and vanish quite fast.

This is my third such Superhero set.

Previously on Pound Store Plastic Warriors Superheroes ….

My first 2018 post on pre-named Pound Store Superheroes:

https://poundstoreplasticwarriors.wordpress.com/2018/11/17/rip-stan-lee-and-farewell-from-the-pound-store-superheroes/

At four for a pound, they are not quite The Six Million Dollar Man or as I said in my second 2019 post that foolishly: “Some people may look down on such ”bootlego” budget figures at four Superheroes for a Pound. 25pMan anyone? The QuarterofaQuid  Kid?”

https://poundstoreplasticwarriors.wordpress.com/2019/02/11/the-unincredibles-more-pound-store-superheroes/

Interesting urban nightscape and Japanese writing on the box graphics.

Including a simple minifigure base would be good.

A cape with hole punched head hole can be easily added of cloth or plastic, based on the simple Lego ones.

I like the oddly worded title descriptors as well of this third Set Of superheroes . Branded BUILDX, these are “Superheroes Defend Mighty + Strong” and “Earth Defenders”. Big claims for four small figures for a pound, but with a child’s imagination they might indeed become Mighty Superheroes, Earth Defenders etc.

These are produced by PDLZ (for Poundland). Batch / lot: 30/2021 Ref 26-2833/PL2021 and 497916, for those who like to know these things. As usual, Not suitable for under threes due to small parts.

What I like quite childishly about them is their not quite official hints at proper franchised (far too expensive) Lego minifigure ones.

Left – with Dark hair, an Iron Man / Tony Stark type vibe to this one – light Oddbeard trim – Oddbeard? Stubble?

Second left – a white Power Ranger or even a Stormtrooper body feel if you swap heads around to this one although in this case “I’m not a short Stormtrooper, I’m not Luke Skywalker, I’m not here to rescue you …”

Third – vaguely Spiderman, dark Spider-Man, Deadpool but with that weird wild smile, could be a villain?

Fourth – Sort of Spider-Man / Captain America – Captain Generica perhaps?

I presume some of these figures could be female. They have a trim synched waist, which otherwise accentuates their muscly torso and shoulders.

The hands or fingers are more well modelled or defined than usual.

The head also has a useful Lego dot type top for carrying or attaching further blocks.

Origin Stories or Where do you get them from?

These £1 superhero figures are sadly not available online from Poundland’s Poundshop. Sold out!

Interestingly the poundshop.com website lists the set as “includes 2 superheroes and 2 bad guys” – which is which?

Instead Poundshop.com (the online offer of Poundland) currently have a £5 Superheroes car rocket launcher Hero Rescue with the odd one (or two?) yellow and red hero or henchman.

https://www.poundshop.com/buildx-brix-set-superheroes-defend-mighty-strong-hero-rescue-216pc-6.html

I enjoy the sight of all this bright lively packaging.

*

The shop also had more Lego compatible block figures including these Alien / stylish space figures. As always if you like them, buy (lots of) them when you see them, they are often not there when you return.

You could of course start mixing heads, torsos and legs for an all new quartet of mix and match Pound Store superheroes.

On The Naming of Superheroes …

What I also like about these Pound Store superheroes is how you, the player or child has to do the hard work of naming and back story for each character. None of that easily all done for you Marvel DC Universe stuff.

Alternatively, if inspiration doesn’t strike …

‘The Temporal Lad’ is intriguing for a time traveller perhaps or maybe the name of a racehorse. “Temporal Lad, coming up on the inside …”

There are some fun websites with random superhero name generators, for example: Impossible Girl which came up on:

https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/hero-names.php

Or superhero group / gang / henchman names:

https://www.fantasynamegenerators.com/superhero-team-names.php

These examples above and below are from Name Generator Fun

https://www.namegeneratorfun.com/superhero

The Legendary Shadow, The Silver Hourglass or The Crimson Laser, anyone?

Name Generators – useful tools for uninspired days. Useful as a handy birthday present to a loved one, your own (machine generated) personalised superhero or super villain name, based on your initials …

Just call me Duke…

Type in your favourite Wargames authors or bloggers as your Supervillian opponents. Donald Featherstone becomes …

Donald Featherstone, Commander Of Ice … it has a ring to it.

Try it – What would yours be?

*

There is a some system or logic to naming superheroes, outlined on the Name Generator Fun website superhero page

Summary of their eight points on ‘How to Create Heroic Names’

1.The Sound of Your Name Matters

2.Add Colour to Your Name

3.Focus on the Nouns in Your Hero Names

4.Add an Adjective to Your Name

5.Choose a Title for Retro Superhero Style …. Doctor / Professor …

6.Create Hero Names with Two Word Phrases … Wildfire

7.Just Add “Man” or “Woman” to Your Name

8.Heroes with Normal Names? Clark Kent, Peter Parker, Bruce Banner etc are already taken.

*

Using rules 2, 3, etc I could christen the white figure second left “Yellow Snow”.

Maybe not …

It reminds me a little of The Incredibles films with all the old, retired and never heard of superheroes named or invented for this movie.

They could also be odd masked Britain wrestlers from Saturday TV teatimes in the 1970s, “live from the Fairfield Halls, Croydon”. Sadly there is no battling granny figure included with umbrella accessory for walloping them encouragingly from the side of the ring.

Obviously with such royalty free superheroes, the appropriate soundtrack for them is one of the many royalty free soundtracks or pastiche soundtracks from Youtube. Type in ‘superhero royalty free music’ on YouTube, Musi and you will find an inspiring range of generic superhero movie themes … such as  

For example,  “Courageous Superhero” Superman Style Theme Stock Music Royalty Free at https://youtube.com/watch?v=r1

*

I’m sure there are some suitable wrestling or superhero simple free gaming rules out there as well.

https://forum.rpg.net/index.php?threads/free-superhero-wargame-rules.488788/

https://www.beastsofwar.com/forums/topic/supers-a-generic-superhero-skirmish-rulebook/

Although my definition of ‘simple’ is probably different from others ..

Blog posted by Duke Ultra (Mark Man Of TIN – I squeak the ‘tin cry’ if dropped) on 9th July 2022

Happy Christmas from Man of TIN to my fellow Pound Store Plastic Warriors!

Crossposted from my Man of TIN main blog, 24 December 2021

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2021/12/24/happy-christmas-to-all-my-man-of-tin-blog-readers/

A few old or new recruits …

Some new or old arrivals from the bottom of the toybox have come in from the wider family. Good old Herald Household Cavalry foot figures and a bashed 80s Britain’s Deetail Knight.

I think the white cowboy (sort of a solid swoppet Timpo clone?) originally came from me, from Pound Store bags back c. 2007. It has now returned to me after these many years.

Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN, 11 December 2021

Poundland Shelfie 100 soldiers packs May 2021

**** Delayed post from late May / early June 2021 ***** shelfie photo *****

I had to go into town for a medical appointment on a quiet day at the end of May 2021. With a few minutes to spare, feeling more Covid secure after two jabs, and masked up, I checked out my local poundstores for the first time in over a year.

In Wilko there were no Lego compatible blocks, block ‘pick and mix’ and no toys to be seen. Maybe nothing until Christmas …

However Poundland, wonderful Poundland, had these “penny dreadfuls” (as some unkindly call them) back on sale at a penny each in bags but tubs as before.

Check the shop label: 100PCS – £1 – 1.00p each

That is affordable gaming – and two colours / forces per bag!

I had a closer look at the packaging during March this year (Lockdown 3 Non essential retail closed) https://poundstoreplasticwarriors.wordpress.com/2021/03/22/new-battle-squadron-packaging-for-the-penny-tuppenny-dreadfuls-100-toy-soldiers/

Only two colours available in each pack (ready made opponents) green and silver grey, Union Jack versus German flag and flag mound. This, I suppose, is what makes it a ‘Soldiers playset‘?

The packaging had the same type of green and white star generic flag, which I rather like.

Unlike the packaging suggestions, there are no free helicopters, greenery or walls inside, just two colours of troops and two flags and two flag mounds.

Poundland, still the home of affordable budget wargaming!

Blog drafted by Mark, Man of TIN 30 May 2021, finally posted 2nd September 2021.

Spot the odd one out Pound Store figure in these version 1 Airfix US Marines from 1963?

Spot the odd pound store figure out amongst the 1960s OOHO Airfix version 1 US Marines featured on my Man of TIN blog post:

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2021/06/07/from-the-halls-of-montezuma-airfix-version-1-us-marines-1963/

It’s a bit like “Where’s Wally?”

Look carefully.

Did you spot him?

Well done!

The only Airfix Version 1 US Marines figure that I didn’t find in my scratch invasion force was the Bazooka man. Standing Bazooka loader yes, Bazooka man no.

Bazooka man as seen here in Plastic Soldier Review Airfix US Marines version 1 review http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/Review.aspx?id=355

***The kneeling loader figure is a damaged US Version 1 Marine, too fragile to repair the rifle, so a few scalpel cuts left him with a Bazooka round instead, kneeling to avoid enemy fire.***

However I knew I had multiple US Infantry Bazooka men from an early 2020 recent pound store purchase.

Just a few dozen Bazooka men, then!

See my July 2020 post here for different ImagiNations ways of painting these Airfix copies

https://poundstoreplasticwarriors.wordpress.com/2020/07/13/tell-that-to-the-pound-store-plastic-marines/

These pound store figures are either small copies of the Airfix 1/32 US Infantry or those familiar poses which were scaled down by Airfix themselves to make up part of the newer version mid to late 1970s Version 2 US Marines (still available at Airfix.com or stockists)

Airfix Version 2 US Marines https://uk.airfix.com/products/wwii-us-marines-a00716v

And finally, a strange Bazooka name ‘fact’ …

The Bazooka got its name from a strange jazz instrument invented or played by US comedian Bob Burns.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bazooka_(instrument)

Robbie Burn’s Bazooka” in The Evening World, New York, September 3, 1919. Wikipedia source

The resemblance of the M1 anti-tank weapon to this odd wind instrument probably led to its Bazooka nickname.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bazooka

Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN, 8/9 June 2021

Fifth Blogaversary of my Man of TIN blog (and Happy Geek Pride Day 2021)

Pound Store Wars was the first post I wrote on my Man of TIN blog, a theme that would later become this separate Pound Store Plastic Wars blog by September 2016.

Blogaversary reflections over on my sister blog Man of TIN …

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2021/05/25/may-25th-geek-pride-days-and-my-fifth-man-of-tin-blogaversary-2021/

The fifth Blogaversary for this Pound Store Plastic Warriors blog is in September.

Happy Geek Pride Day.

Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN, 25 May 2021

The Hex Files – Things are Getting Strange…

“Things are getting strange, I’m Starting To Worry, This could be a Case for Mulder and Scully …” (Catatonia)

Heroscape Krav Maga figures 32mm could double up for the FBI … extreme hourglass corseting by Agent Scully here?

What series or TV programmes distract from or inspire your gaming scenarios?

Painting has slowed considerably in the Man of TIN Towers and Pound Store Plastic Warriors thanks to the Disney+ subscription channel now hosting all seasons of the X Files from the early 1990s.

Part of the steady Lockdown year has been spent binge watching box sets of series and episodes in order such as Star Wars spin off series The Mandalorion, Stranger Things, Buffy the Vampire Slayer …

I have been waiting years for the X Files to be available but the cost of video and DVD box sets has been off-putting.

These Heroscape suitably besuited characters could make FBI figures

I remember watching this series as it came out in the early 1990s. Watching them through again from Episode 1 and seeing the series and main characters develop, I remember some storylines and character monsters very well but I obviously missed quite a few episodes too – I was hard at work in my first job.

I enjoyed the stand alone one-off “monster episodes” in the early series far more than the tangled plot and subplots of conspiracy within conspiracy. Trust No One etc.

The series cleverly combined a US cop show and crime drama with every Arthur C. Clarke’s Mysterious World case and conspiracy theory you can think of, exploiting the public mistrust of “government within government”, all recently dealing with the recent end of the Cold War and the shadowy activities of the CIA.

I like the small town America where anything weird can happen. It’s perfect Forgotten Georgia territory, although I think lots of the X Files was filmed in Vancouver, Canada.

It reminds me strongly of the old 90s high school horror teen comedy drama series Buffy the Vampire Slayer (recently rewatched – free on All4) or the more recent retro 80s Stranger Things series on Netflix with its cast of young teenage kids, another of the binge-watching delights of this last unusual year.

Somehow I don’t think such series could have been made in Britain, despite the weird West Country cryptozoology and other dark regional folklore. To be fair, we had Doctor Who grounded on Earth (or 70s Britain) fighting off monsters in the Jon Pertwee Third Doctor series (arguably the best Doctor?) with its fabulous Brigadier and and UNIT episodes. I have seen several such UNIT games on people’s blogs.

Obviously time spent enjoying watching the X Files is time spent not painting figures. I should be painting my ArmaDads Army figures and repairing hollowcasts but …

Sometimes X Files plots seem like possible gaming scenarios.

Who needs new figures?

In my boxes of figures I have these handy ready painted FBI figures which came with the useful boxes of plastic Heroscape hex terrain.

https://poundstoreplasticwarriors.wordpress.com/2017/06/21/heroscape-duelling-figures/

And some weird looking alien crew from a downed space craft, avoiding the blue hats and awaiting rescue from above?

I can see a way in future to reuse the bodged hexagon (whoops octagon tiles) from recreating the old OOP Games Workshop Lost Patrol game:

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2021/02/12/octagons-are-not-hexagons-or-my-diy-games-workshop-lost-patrol-tiles/

Pound Store Plastic stores stock lots of the 1990s and post Gulf War American troops that could be easily paint converted into the brutally efficient (fictional?) Blue Berets or Blue Hats US Army UFO Retrieval Team or the various SWAT teams.

Usually these plastic modern figures range in size from 30-32 mm to 40/45 – often 54mm plastic clones and copies, steadily downsizing as they become more distorted.

Even these distortions can be used as aliens as the Wargaming Pastor does with his alien Selanoids in his Death Zapp game. https://thedeathzap.wordpress.com/2019/05/25/battle-squadron/

Other sources of figures to hand:

These two metal Fantastic Beasts figures with a repainted brown trench coat almost make a Mulder and a Scully, if I repainted the hair – investigating wizardly goings amongst the young at a secret castle (somewhere in the north of Britain?)

https://manoftinblog.wordpress.com/2019/07/14/a-quick-trip-to-the-works/

Size comparison of metal nano figures from The Works with my pound store plastic penny dreadfuls, Phoenix SD and STS Little Britons Boy Scouts 42mm range

Anyway I look forward to more adventures with clean cut boyish Agent Mulder, and “Gutsy Girl” intelligent, sceptical agent Dana Scully … it’s a great way to wind down from a busy working day!

What series or TV programmes distract from or inspire your gaming scenarios?

TO BE CONTINUED …

Blog posted by Mark Man of TIN, 24 March 2021

New Battle Squadron packaging for the penny tuppenny dreadfuls 100 toy soldiers

As a pound store trash puppy (not a trash panda – that’s a raccoon), I keep an eye out for the changing packaging of the sort of pocket money cheap toy soldiers I collect and convert on this – the Pound Store Plastic Warriors blog.

With non essential retail closed during Lockdown, I keep an eye out online.

Shelfie screenshot EBay March 2021 – Battle Squadron – 100 PCS for £4.50 to £6.

Battle Squadron were the branding c. 2016-2019 before Poundland stocked the same figures repackaged as ” Cyber Combat Alien Defence Force”.

Late 2019 _ same figures, different packaging. Cyber Combat Alien Defence Force takes over in Poundland from Battle Squadron tubs – less and less figures for a Pound.

https://poundstoreplasticwarriors.wordpress.com/2019/11/16/defence-cuts-affect-poundlands-xta-alien-defence-force-now-50-figures-for-1/

These pouches or bags might be from old boxes of such stock that eBay sellers are selling off, rather than anything brand new.

https://poundstoreplasticwarriors.wordpress.com/2017/10/31/pound-store-plastic-warriors-poundland-artwork/

This battle sandpit illustration seems to have been redone from the Poundland runs or buckets of such troops, ones that I bought in early 2017 before the old pound coins were called in. Poundland cleverly continuing to take the old coins for longer than most.

A useful generic national flag

I like the green flag with white line outline star. Each pack inside through appears to have one or two flags of the WW2 and postwar super powers – usually Germany, America, Britain, sometimes Russia. Oddly not China!

As a child I would have been a bit miffed with the depiction of typical plastic playset helicopters, tanks, walls etc on the packaging but then finding only figures and a flag inside.

Toy Buyer beware – not quite requiring the Trades Descriptions Act but always a little annoying. Was there ever a “Serving Suggestions” type get-out clause – “does not contain sand, walls or helicopter or nuts”?

On a practical play note the figure tub or stiff plastic ziplock pouch is a handy container for a child to keep these figures safe in, not as leaky as the old Airfix cardboard boxes.

A simpler header card version can also be found online (screenshot from EBay March 2021), packaged in the easily tearable plastic bag. Usual “elite forces” type illustration in an otherwise quite plain harder card. 100 such figures now

Available online on eBay but also for £2 plus P&P from Bovington Tank Museum

https://tankmuseumshop.org/products/combat-mission-100-piece-soldier-set

I like the Bovington Tank Museum online shop description of these figures which adds value to what others might see as disposable plastic: ” A classic toy … A timeless collection of figurines perfect for playtime. Each soldier comes equipped with his own battlefield kit and is moulded onto a solid base to stop them falling over in the middle of all the action.”

A reassuringly complete description that is, “classic … timeless … “each with his own battlefield kit”, like buying 100 tiny Action Men for £2, who don’t fall over and lose their “kit”.

Why I like toy soldier packaging

The 1960s and 1970s colourful cardboard header and Hong Kong contents are becoming more collectible and kitsch – eBay and Etsy are good place to go window shopping and take digital “shelfies” screenshots for reference. *

These header illustrations are the poor cousins of the Airfix kit or figure box illustrations but with a certain rough excitement to them, promising to show you the inside contents of your head and your play world to which these clone Hong Kong copies are a cheap portal.

After Blue Planet II on TV, plastic is becomingly increasingly demonised from an environmental point of view as cheap and therefore throwaway disposable. We are rightly told that we now need to reduce, recycle and revalue our use of plastic.

We had no such public awareness about SUP (Single Use Plastic) when I was a child, although it all had to pass the non ‘single use plastic’ throwaway / ignorable, easily breakable, five second wonder toy test. Toys had to have proper “Play Value!”, as my Mum and Dad would say to guide me away from the more transient, flimsy, seasonal topical breakable trash of the toy shop.

These cherished plastics from the 1970s are still on display at home and sometimes appear in battle on my Tabletop, handled carefully now as some of the plastics are getting a little brittle. Indeed this makes them MUP Multiple Use Plastic or LUP Use Plastic.

At least for now, this brittleness is not such a worry with the freshly moulded, rough and tumble ‘play tough’ pound store plastics of today’s sandpit and Floor Games.

Cinematic excitement in colourful cardboard form. Once 15P, now it is vintage, mint and bagged, collectible, worth much more on line. Tempted? Track it down and find it on eBay March 2021.

Maybe this is a side effect of growing up in the late Sixties or Early Seventies without colour TV and few colour picture books in infancy?

I had (and still have) one of these Britain’s copy cannons as a child in our family toy box. (Image: Ebay source March 2021)

* “Shelfies” are reference pictures you take in a store if you are not buying everything you see.

I am amateurishly straying into the more organised serious plastic collecting, packaging and referencing territory of Hugh Walter’s Small Scale World and the Plastic Warrior magazine team. Writ the collection larger, you become Robert Opie of the Packaging Museum and his wonderful Scrapbooks, showcasing by decade and era his fascinating collection of ephemera. Robert Opie is the brother of the toy soldier collector and author James Opie, son of the folklore and playground rhyme collectors Iona and Peter Opie.

Me? I just find the colourful packaging and hyperbolic language and illustrations of passing interest.

blog posted by Mark Man of TIN 24 / 25 March 2021