JOHNNY LEMON REPLACEMENT MISSILES FOR YOUR TOPPER TOY ONE MAN ARMY

In these austere times I look to hardware shops for cheap replacement vintage toy parts. For example, the Topper Toys Johnny Seven One Man Army is often missing one or two of its missiles. I think I've found a rather citric solution to this, which I call "Johnny Lemon"!

Johnny Lemon replacement missiles come courtesy of your local supermarket in the shape of the humble lemon juice plastic container as modelled below by a particularly handsome bottle I found at Morrison's. Lemon Juice containers [or Jifs as they were known in my youth] are light, have a classic bulbous missile shape and a very useful detachable lid, which allows you to glue a plastic suction dart shaft onto the neck.

Here's one I made earlier. Rather than gluing the shaft I have simply inserted it for photographing. Mrs. Moonbase wanted it back for the lemon juice I'd poured into a cup!

This particular Jif is flat-bottomed. The yellow colour is okay but what we really need is green. So you can imagine my citric excitement when I found these green lime juice bottles. Result! Johnny Lemon now offers green missile replacements too! This particular lime container is stocked by Waitrose, the Lady Penelope of British supermarkets and rather hard to come by in my neck of the woods! For lemon fans they stock the same style in yellow too.

So Johnny Lemon can now replace the rifle's two green missiles. Ignoring the grenade because it's too hard, that just leaves the red rocket. This is where it gets tricky, as we have to leave the citrus world behind and enter the murky world of red plastic containers. Being unfussy about the exact shape I have settled for a replacement, which is both red and cheap - I give you the plain old ketchup bottle!

Johnny Lemon, at a supermarket near you! Keep your eyes peeled! Your replacement hardware stories/ thoughts/ trials always welcomed whether comical or deadly serious!