American Knockoff: MEV2

 Checking old auctions I came across this neat SpaceX knockoff MEV2.

Like it's distant parent, it's a lovely little thing in a blister card.

I always loved the NEV2, the green and orange combo of skeletal parts, the dome and science arm finishing it off perfectly. And it rolled so well!

I like the backing art on this card too, the LEM on the lunar surface. Is that a Cricket at the lower left?

You can read much more about the S S Kresge SPACE series of knockoffs, including this very same example, on my friend Paul V's marvellous SpaceX website.

 https://share.google/YGpQFo9KXyD5FeE2e

Have you any SpaceX knockoffs or clones?

Were You in the Scouts?

 My Granddaughter just gone to an evening dance class.

I was never one for clubs and classes. No cubs, scouts, adventure scouts, football, band practice, Sunday school for me. Nothing.

Until the early 1970's kung fu craze and then I joined a Wing Chun club, a Judo Club and an Aikido club, which I had to drop. Too many clubs! 

I did A-Level English at evening class and later on Woodwork.

We're you in any clubs or evening classes readers? 

Are you now? 

Rocket Lunch

Excited about my new Corgi Rockets today and a wrecker truck I picked up offa eBay, thanks to a tip from Bill, I decided to waste no time in touching them up a little with a dab of Sharpie and paint pen over lunch.

Here's before and after. Not perfect but they'll do for now.

Spring Fling

 The local boot sale is in full Spring now.

I was chuffed to extend my Corgi Rockets haul by four this morning, including a golden electric one, which is all new to me.

I recognized Old MacDonalds chuck wagon from Paul A's recent haul post, altho Paul's was the Juniors version. 

The Juniors skiddoo I've yet to ID properly. 

The Wearem Scarem badge at the end was only known to me through Tony Ks marvellous post on the subject here on MC a few years ago. I was pleased to find one with its little paper and baggy.

The Shuttle is an early Transformer or similar.

There were toy collection books galore too. I passed on so many including a Kitahara Japanese tin toys guide but I enjoyed getting a Model and Toys annual a la the great Bill Breugman and a 1995 Collecting Toys, both from the US.

The middle book is an old unpunched Disney press out book.

The small plate is Arabesque. It has a small chip but I can convert it I to a Corgi Rocket I'll be pleased. 

What do you think?

Two Estrella TV Robots with SpaceX graphics

Years ago I posted what I nick-named the SpaceX Robot. By Estrella, it's appeared many times since on MC on account of the fabulous Ed Valigursky artwork on the TV screen and the box, besides the bots general good looks.

Here's an interesting short from Ozzie's Robots about this Estrella Robot, where he has not one but two to talk about and explain.

https://youtube.com/@ozziesrobots?si=-i9hfd6OyP3NjieZ 

Do you have one too?

Hardly Heartthrobs

Spotting young obscure horror film actors in other flicks often sends me down rabbit holes of curiosity. Here are three of them, hardly heartthrobs, which you may or may not know:

Cabin Fever: not the modern one, the Eli Roth original, in which a young Sheriff visits the cabin and extolls the virtues of hard pardying, even when all around are rotting away from a flesh-eating disease. Yep, he's the pardying lawman on the lookout for campfire fun. 

Enter Independence Day with Will Smith, in which the same actor appears as a young kid. Turns out he's been acting a while and most curious of all, went on to write, direct and produce 50 independent flicks of his own, so much so that a documentary was made of his film-making, in which he's labelled a genius auteur! You would think that such praise would have got him noticed but quite the opposite. He disappeared entirely from public view in 2015! His name: Giuseppe Andrews.

Fright Night: again the original starring Roddy McDowell ably assisted among others by one Evil Ed, a memorable young boy with a very infectious laugh. Alas Ed succumbs to the nefarious whims of the undead and ends up with a crucifix brand on his, well, 'ed. 

Again, in a complete change of tack, Evil Ed then goes on to get very busy starting in countless pornos for his sins and we horror buffs are left with nothing but his hyena chuckle. His name: Stephen Geoffreys.

Scary Movie: the first of the sinister satires, this original included a young actor who's character's particular schtick, was, well, having a small d*ck, much to the amusement of his pals in the college changing rooms. Naturally annoyed, he goes on to be abruptly dispatched by the film's killer and I abruptly forgot about him.

Until recently, when fully-grown, he popped up in Arrow (2014) and did a very good job of a Police Captain. A very busy actor indeed, he's reprising his Scary Movie role in this year's remake, 26 years later! His name: Lochlyn Munro.

Do you know of any acting obscurities, sudden departures or bizarre changes in direction in the worlds of sci-fi and horror films and TV?

Telly Talk

Some recent telly I've seen.

Sphere: an underwater sci-fi flick from donkeys years ago, I saw it back then and I'm pretty sure I read the novel on holiday. The film was produced by Michael Crichton, so I assume he wrote the novel. It's not one of his theme parks but it is a destination. 

The film reminds me a lot of ALIEN. I don't know if that was intentional. The crew mess scenes where they sit around drinking coffee could be from Ridley's Nostromo. 

I like the central conceit, that whatever the main protagonist dreams actually happens. It's made clear that the dreams are heavily influenced by his reading of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, including a giant squid attack no less!

There's echoes of Event Horizon too, but I guess any film about first contact with an alien intelligence will touch on gradual human madness. 

Arrow: my personal quest to watch all 180 episodes of this DC series about the Green Arrow goes on unabated. I'm about half-way. Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman) has just become Ra's Al Gul, after being handed the title by the Green Arrow himself. You'll recall that in the Dark Knight films Liam Neeson played Ra's, a curiously compelling character with a passion for levelling cities.

The Flash has made another appearance and it's all building up to a DC Arrow/ Flash crossover, Crisis on Infinite Earths I think it's called, which itself spawns an adjacent 180 episodes of the Flash! I'm unsure yet if I can keep up with the Speedster. I'll stick with the Bowman for now. 

Anyone else seen Arrow?

What are you watching or have you watched of late?

Mo 90

Hi Woodsy,

In response to the post about Joe's case, here are the bits I've got.

Cheers

Kevin

The Imai kit of the car.

A scratchbuild of the hover van seen in one episode

A scratchbuild of his radio.