BOOK COMPO WINNER!

BARRY FORDS 'Building Better Dioramas' book compo is now closed and we have a clear winner! Blog reader John Croot can expect a signed copy of Barrys wonderful tome very soon - and heres why:

Hi - I think the answer is the 1970’s movie of “Callan” - a major part of the story is his interest in miniature soldier war gaming and collecting of figures which allows him access to his target for assassination, one Herr Schnieder, a fellow collector . (Adapted from the original “Armchair Theatre” production of this yarn “A Magnum for Schneider” originally published as “A Red File for Callan”). Indeed in the later Callan novel “Russian Roulette” his collection of toy soldiers becomes a potential sale-for-getaway value item that is confiscated by his superiors to prevent him from escaping their plans by liquidating his collection for cash.
So Callan, one of the hardest of hard British characters (in book and film) is well rounded out as a genuine collector of miniature soldiers (actually he would never call them “Toys” !).
The connections - Edward Woodward (Callan) appears in “Babylon 5 - Crusade” as Alwyn. In the Callan movie you’ll see Dave Prowse (Darth Vader in Star Wars) and David Graham (from “Thunderbirds” - more famous as Brains or Parker - your call !).
So - Thunderbirds, Star Wars, Crusade, all have actors who are in “Callan” a 1970’s film that has toy collecting as a major plot point.

Well done John!