Jyesa's Ovni

 I love this box art.

It's the Espacial Ovni toy pistol by Jyesaof Spain.

The box art has a Bonestell feel to it and I'd have made a B-line for it in a shop.

The toy pistol is a stunning metallic example of a classic design seen many times on MC including a stunt as a Dr.Who toy.

Did you have anything like this? 

Chips with Everything

Currently enjoying my favourite type of chip whenever I order them, pommes aka the French fry, that deliciously thin and crispy potato chip perfected by McDonalds, I've been pondering it's many cut potato rivals.

Chipshop or chippy chips. I grew up with these, a portion on my lap at least once a week. Once wrapped in newspaper, now served in huge sheets of off-white paper or polystyrene trays, they're not my favourite anymore. Often soggy and overly thick.  Even nostalgia doesn't make them better.

Steak chips. I would order these last of all and only if I had to. Way too thick and just short of a wedge, which I really can't stand. Just as bad are chips with the skin left on. Yuk. No, steak needs fries. 

Oven chips. A freezer convenience food for at home. The frozen fry is okay but nowhere near as good as it's fast food cousin. Often burnt or dried to fossil hardness, the oven chips progress must be watched if it's to come out tolerable. Thicker frozen oven chips like steak or thick cut are the pits.

Curly fries. A school invention I imagine. Often powdered like an armpit with paprika. Enough said.

Cheesy chips. Similar school innovation. Difficult to say what the chips are like given all the melted cheddar.

Crinkle cut chips. Now we're talking. A leftover from those glorious baby boomer teas we enjoyed in the Sixties, crinkle cut chips done well are second only to French fries in my book. Alas, a rarity these days, possibly endangered, I would go crinkle a lot more if I could.

Croquettes. I love them but they're not chips.

Whate are fave and least fave chips readers?

🍟

Grimmsville Sights

 After a hearty continental frühstuck

We hit the half-timbered splendour of Marburg's town centre.

This Creepshow digest interested, as I thought the films were inspired by EC comics and not comics called Creepshow. Having said that the films contain a fictitious comic called Creepshow.aybe this is a retail copy of it. Have you got this or any EC comics?

As for the monster book Den, I don't know that but I recognize the style of Richard Corben. Do you like his work? 

It was fun to see two old pals among the ancient streets, Spidey and Bats! 

Turns out the Brothers Grimm studied here too. Marburg adores their tales. Do you?

Known the world over, brand new Erzgebirge wooden figures were on offer too. We've a few old ones. Have you? 

We don't have any of these though, skeletons carved from horn (not ivory). They remind me of Ray Harryhausen's finest moment, the battling skeletons in Jason and the Argonauts, my favourite of all his creations. What's yours?

More Grimm. The whole trail map seen at the Frog Prince stop.

I'm a sticker fan but I don't know who Arniko is. You?

I had to chuckle at this. Seems as if when Waverley's boys and girls retired from thrush busting they became The Optician from UNKEL! 

And back at St.Elizabeth's imposing twin spires.

Siesta now.

😴

St.Elizabeth's, Marburg

Off the toy trail and maybe of interest to Moonbasers, for ancient and modern pilgrims alike, the 12th Century Saint Elizabeth Church in Marburg, Hessen, is a wonder.

Breathtakingly old and vast, the site is where Elizabeth secretly fed a thousand poor and is revered for many miracles including that of the basket of roses.

Saint Elizabeth's remains were in the reliquary, but we're removed in the 16th Century before being completely plundered. The gold vessel reminded me of the similar Magi's in Cologne. 

Nearby is Michael's Chapel on the pilgrimage trail. Some were buried here, their journey done.

For now, we ourselves journey on.

Climb Every Mountain?

I love this illustration I saw online of Olympus Mons. The reds and browns really convey an alien mountain, the highest in our system. With that flat top, there's a bit of Devil's Tower in there too a la Close Encounters. 

I wonder if any human will ever actually climb it?

Unidentified Space Object

I came across this nifty diecast spaceship on ebay the other day, with 30 mins to go, no bids and an opener of £1. I didn’t recognise it, but it was clearly reminiscent of the cool Popy models of the late 80’s and very similar to the UFO Power line.

Needless to say, I bought it and found it was missing something off the back end, a bit scuffed and the cockpit was loose. So I quickly unscrewed the body, popped out the chrome parts and the cockpit, took off the peeling stickers and resprayed the body in a nice Spacex lime green, I had to hand.

The chrome parts were touched up and I knocked up a pair of engine bells from the parts box.

It’s a lovely thing, probably five inches long, but does anyone recognise it? Google Lens said Britains Stargard or Thunderbird 4!
 

Ali nel Cielo! Wings in the Sky!

 I love this Italian box art!

The rear's not quite so fab.

Inside It looks like fairly standard model plane. 

Anyone recognize it?

What a box!

Das Hot Rod: Revell's Red Baron

 Some recent acquisitions include this Red Baron model I picked up at a boot sale. 

Rough and ready with fading chroming, the front wheels are missing and the Helmet's spike gone, otherwise it sort of looks the part.

No idea of it's age or make. The original Revell kit was reissued a few times.

Anyone got the Red Baron?