Odds Ends Part Two Updates Kent Sprecher has send two updates to a recent post. I found an old hobby shop in my area. Some figures will round up the post.
I was searching the internet for local hobby stores. The search discovered a Tony’s Hobby Shop in Coplay PA. The store has been there since 1947 started by the father. Laurie and I decided to check it out. The store is very small but it is just like a hobby shop you would walk into as a child. The store is now run by Gerald Stanz, who took over from his father. He told me that one time it was RC not it is trains and model kits.
I looked around and got a box of Imex Confederate cavalry. While his selection of figures is very small, I can order through him from Stevens International. Stevens International has a number of figures sets I plan to add in 2019. I was glad to find we still have shop like this.
Odds Ends Part Two Updates Photos
Fist and above all and i know is not best post x this.Sorry.
But i may be off two days the blog .
I apologize to admi x using this space x it.
WISH ALL YOU GUYS AND COLLECTORS IN THIS HOBBY A” MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS” !!!
Wish my great good friend Paul Stadinger and admin of this awesome blog a great Christmas and better new year soon.
The knights indeed come in that set that come with a mountain first .Kent was very correct .X some reason they were sold in blister card probably recast off that as another collector and me bough then.The one i hav from blister card come with turk poses not used in playset
I got a the playset with quite different items and is cool as they only with true dragon and monster dragon riders ever as far i know (Demon Mountain playset) come with a mountain and dragons to be ride on ,i have all poses and dragon as well the 7 poses wizards,monster creatures figures.The knights coped are in 7 poses from Britain.Will do photo soon.
The spacemen figures above someone,some swap the bases and put then in some of them in TEXAS cowboy or army figures bases.
All space figure come attached in one leg only to rare star planet shape round base .
Will send my collection poses soon.
The 24 poses is one of my favorites space figures sets ever
Best
I have all the Helm Toy Fantasy figures but none of the Knights figures, But I have all the Britains Deetail Knights anyway so i’m not bothered that I dont have these recast Knights. Anyway A Merry Christmas to Admin (Paul) and everyone else who uses this Great site, And i hope next year is a good one for the Toy Soldier hobby.
I bought the top row (Britains Knockoffs) on blister cards some years back. Some had Saracens to battle, others had colorful dragons and each set had a catapult or ballista and a few sets had small half castle towers. Not bad sets for the price. I got them at Big Lots.
Interestingly, some of the knights had similar stand configurations to the original Britains’ but they were all cast in silver, black, or gold depending on the color of the knight/Saracen to which they belonged. Others in other sets had “stands” like those in the pics. I kind of wished I’d kept some of the cards they came on but storage is an issue with my collection. At any rate I cleaned the shelves out – it is rare one can find decent toy soldiers around here so I took advantage of the opportunity. It’s hard to think that was almost twenty years ago and I’ve been back to Big Lots many times – I always breeze through the toys and haven’t seen anything but the 50-51mm stuff since. Oh well…
Like Wayne I bought a bunch of the Britains Detail clones at Big Lots. They were pretty good clones, and better than a skinnier bunch of cloned Detail knights and Turks that began showing up in bagged sets a year or two later. All my Big Lots cloned knights and Turks had plastic versions of the metal bases of the real thing. As Wayne said above, they came with catapults and other stuff on the cards, including spare weapons. Eventually a line of carded fantasy figures appeared to act as their opponents – skeleton warriors etc. Big Lots also had some open-faced box sets mixing the knights, fantasy figures, half castle towers, siege weapons, and so on.
Big Lots used to be a great place to buy plastic figures, but for years now it has been a toy soldier wasteland.
Daniel, I just returned from the local Big Lots with my wife and son, looking for just a few last minute stocking stuffers for the grandkids – not even scrawny deformed undersized toy soldiers to scoff at. I know it’s the day before Christmas but… Wasteland is the word.
I did two farmers markets this month hoping to find something no luck at all.
As been part of OM HQ of Target corp at Distribution level in my work and plenty Meeting recently i been exposed to bad news regarding the toy business.
Generally speaking this year is the first Target purposely reduce the amount (37%) of Toys products from makers/warehouse in orders to be sent to store.
The reason had been a observation and study of huge losses in TRU as main retail toy business globally and the fact for past 10 years of internet direct company orders versus in store purchase.
Toys and electronic been the more affected dpt at store direct hand purchase versus increase in the online order and both dept been the 55% of profit globally at retail level
While clothing ,home accessories else keep been a main store purchase x now .Toys had been reduced considerable.
If notice well Target,Walmart and plenty other retail are reducing the isles,space and diversity of brands vendors in toy level dept .This is a forced ahead implement plan at all Retail company level.
For first time at NYCTF as expose by CEO in our last meeting it was informed that DC to store packing shipping order will not longer cover more than 15% toys and Electronic as well; while complete online packing order dept had been impulse to get a budget increase in hiring all new personal for it in DC (distribution centers) as demand in online had increased 53% versus store purchase by customers .
A huge amount money will be use in these new position in next 6 month to 1 year.
Internet orders or “digital store” as they call it is the future Stores will gradually disappear physical as had been all minor business every year with less diversity and more few monopoly Large company standing still.Digital world had been agesevelly taking over brick and walls stores .
At Target we will implement and invest in next 5 years huge turnover .Include the so controversial and coming delivery drone system that till Fed gov allowed and apps/drone system will be the future that will also eventually eliminate the USPS as main mail/packing service.Retail are looking to create a unique private sector corp specifically dedicated to serving then with drone fleet x it following with Amazon ,ebay and others that will push x it .Still in plan but with plenty machinery already developed it had been delayed because the laws and air control regulation more than ever.
Bst
I really enjoyed Paul’s hobby shop story. And, Paul, thanks for doing this blog and all the time you spend on it; it’s very enjoyable!!
I have some of the Blow molded soldiers, I’ll try to post a photo this weekend. They are different, look like something You might have found many years ago in one of those fishnet Christmas stockings ?