Finally got around to rehoming the collectable English plastic figures in a display case where they will be relatively safe from damage. There is no real order to this, more a case of getting stuff out of the boxes they've been shunted around in for the last several years and standing them up so I can see what I've got, it's part of the separation between collectables for research and wargame armies for play. There will be changes, some added to the shelves and others relegated back to the boxes but for now it's a step in the right direction.
The cabinet was one of those rather naff 1920's deco display units that my aunts used to keep their best china in, the stuff that was for show and never got used from one end of the year to the next, I think every house had one in the 1950's and I never liked them. But this one was abandoned in the back of a junk shop in need of a complete overhaul and cost me nothing (someone said they'd pay me to take it away). After stripping the crazed varnish, re-glazing the doors, fixing mirror tiles to the back and adding all new glass shelves (so not such a bargain after all!) it now occupies a suitable niche in the Toy Soldierarium (my wife's term not mine).
I will get around to putting up clearer pics of individual figures at some pint but in the meantime here are a few random closeups:
Hi Brian. Your display case comment brought back memories new and old. I remember my aunties also had them in the 1960s-80s, for holiday souvenirs from Spain, or was it Blackpool? I ended up buying one about ten years ago for £15, and it now stores my 28mm AWI and FRW collections. I was somewhat lucky, mine already had a mirrored back (and the potential to repair internal lighting), and I was able to add some additional glass shelves. To be honest, I like 2nd hand brown furniture. My younger friends were often burnt with modern minimalist shelving that cost quite a bit, and warped within a year or two. Interestingly, they too have embraced 2nd hand brown furniture, particularly art-deco, as the materials are often superior, and in the right setting add character and detail to a room. For my part, I went for an English/Edwardian Club look, rather than the modern trend to recreate a dentist waiting room, lol. Will be viewing this post again to view in detail the figures that form part of your collection..... I'm enjoying this post!
ReplyDeletePS. I am this very minute button polishing my (2nd hand) bedside table.
Michael
Brian.....some very desirable and rare pieces on show there. A splendid sight and collection. Figures on display are the only way forward if space permits. I was particularly taken by the tiger attacking another animal....very unusual! Lovely stuff.
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