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.

Monday, August 21, 2017

T is for THAT Horse . . . again!

Well . . . it's getting silly, the old Bergan-Beton horse rides again, this time yanking a chariot which is equally stolen; but from Thomas not Bergan!

I have been resisting opening this for a while now, but the damage being done to the bag by the sticky-out axle, along with the fact that someone back in the 1960's thought it would be a good idea to fill a warehouse with these - leaving them less than rare - meant that there was no good reason for not getting it out and having a play!

The central pole or drawbar is taken from Crescent's Wild West wagons, the chariot from Thomas Toys along with the driver (who's not doing much driving as he's had a shield added!) and the aforementioned Bergan Toys provide the horses (although to be fair I think these are taken from the Tudor Rose versions going on the saddle decoration).

Assembled, I love the colours of this toy, all metallic with a fine aluminium-silver for the horses, a gold spar, deep bronze for chariot and wheels and a metallic maroon plastic toy soldier!

Various close-ups; the toy figure has a locating stud to fix him in the chariot floor unlike the Thomas one which relied on flat-feet and/or hooking his arm over the side of the chariot.

Speaking of the Thomas one, I shot this on Adrian's stall at Sandown Park nearly three years ago (December '14), but never got round to this post! I would have bought it but I think I have both in storage (another reason why I was wont to unpack the above example!) and although not really what RTM is all about, they were - as Thomas - a 'dime-store' toy which is the same basic principle and - as a 'weekly-shop' or pocket-money item - was replaced by Hong Kong rack toys.

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