UNITED NATIONS EXPLORATORY FORCE

 

«Then some bright lad in the General Assembly decided that we ought to field an army of footsoldiers to guard the portal planets of the nearer collapsars.

This led to the Elite Conscription Act of 1996 and the most cutely conscripted army in the history of warfare.»

                           

Scene no 35: The elite force (Cherilea Toys, 6 different space figures - plastic astronauts) ready to establish a base in a distant planet beyond the borders of the galaxy. Behind them, their round starship (Modern Toys, Space Patrol X-17, lithographed tinplate, battery operated with bump and go action and flashing lights) in front of an alien landscape (Editions Touret, the plain from the paper cutting kit Apollo sur la Lune)

The text: From the military science fiction novel The Forever War by Joe Haldeman.

RIGADOON

 When men dance, 

women should not smile.

«They glided past, the glided fast,

Like travellers through a mist:

They mocked the moon in a rigadoon

Of delicate turn and twist,

And with formal pace and loathsome grace

The phantoms kept their tryst.»

 

 

 

Scene no 34: Corto Maltese dancing with Rasputin (Leblon-Delienne hand painted resin statuette. Limited edition No 423 of 777) in front of smiling Bettie Page (Dark Horse Comics, Dress-Up Magnet Set, Bettie Page by Dave Stevens).

The dance: From the graphic novel The Golden House of Samarkand by Hugo Pratt. Corto dance with Rasputin shortly after they witnessed the death of Enver Pasha in Samarkand. 

The lyrics: From The Ballad of Reading Gaol by Oscar Wilde.

GUILTY OF HATRED AGAINST MANKIND

«...Consequently, to get rid of the report, Nero fastened the guilt and inflicted the most exquisite tortures on a class hated for their abominations, called “Chrestians” by the populace…»

«...Accordingly, an arrest was first made of all who pleaded guilty; then, upon their information, an immense multitude was convicted, not so much of the crime of firing the city, as of hatred against mankind. 

Mockery of every sort was added to their deaths…» 

                             

                                                            

Scene no 33: In the Roman arena. Punished Christians (Linde and W. Germany, Nativity figurines) among hungry lions (Preiser/Elastolin). Behind them a majestic gladiator (Elastolin modification) in front of a mural representing a similar scene (Cover of Atlantic HO scale box, The Romans, 1517, Gladiators and Christians).

The text: From the Annals, by Tacitus.

BLACK KNIGHT

       Protection from white, first strike  

Battle doesn’t need a purpose; the

battle is its own purpose. You don’t

ask why a plague spreads or a field

burns. Don’t ask why I fight.

 

 

                                    

                                                     

Scene no 32: The Black Knight rides alone (Timpo toys, White Tower coat of arms, one of the 8 different figures from the mounted Knights of the Middle Ages, No. 925 series).

The text: From the card Black Knight. A single individual card from the collectible card game Magic: The Gathering.

GERMAN KNIGHTS

Upon a deep green Achmardi

She bore the pride of Paradise,

Root and branch, beyond all price.

That was a thing men call the Grail,

Which makes all earthly glory pale.

           

 

 

 

Scene no 31: German Knights (Del Prado toy soldiers) in front of the ruins of a Church (Noch HO Scale toys, 58606). Wolfram von Eschenbach in the middle. Schenk von Limburg in the left. In the right, a knight who bears the arms of a member of the von Mallinckrodt family of Westphalia.

The Text: Verses from PARZIVAL, a Knightly Epic, by Wolfram von Eschenbach. The greatest work of Germany's greatest medieval poet.

SNOW GLOBES

For the selective remembrance of all the carefree days gone by.

For the mystical places which evoke our childhood memories.

For the sacred melancholy of the lost wonderland.

 

 

Scene no 30: Winter glass balls (unknown manufacturer) with running wolves, old train, and a peaceful cottage. In the snowy forest.

WELLS FARGO OVERLAND STAGE

The Stagecoach Wars.

The safety of the passengers traveling through Indian country could not be vouchsafed by anyone but God. Raiding warriors attacked stagecoaches in every state of territory from the Great Plains west.

…The driver spun the coach around and the Indians stabbed their lances through the windows. The coach careened along, with passengers leaning out to shoot at their pursuers…

                                              

 

 

 

 

 

Scene no 29: Wells Fargo Overland Stage with driver and attacking Indians trying to climb onto the roof of the coach (Alps Toys, battery operated tin toy, made in Japan). Three impressive cowboys (Lafredo copies, plastic figures made in Hong Kong) have taken over the defense.