HAPPY BIRTHDAY READERS!

 

It's hard for me to believe that five years ago on this very day in 2008, at the start of the English Autumn, I decided to start this blog. I remember that after about 3 years solid toy selling on Ebay I felt disenchanted with the whole commercial thing and needed something new to allow me to play with my toys!

 

 

Looking for inspiration I remembered that my Nephew had a birdwatching blog called Toad Snatcher on a platform called Blogger. I gave it a go and after a few twiddles Moonbase Central was born. At the start I had very little idea about what I was doing, except that I wanted to talk about Project SWORD and SpaceX toys with fellow fans.

 

 

Armed with a simple philosophy that there should be something new posted everyday, I blogged and blogged, spurred on in those early days by the daily encouragement I received from my good friends Bill, Paul, Toad and Arto. I would like to thank them all. Darth was also the first reader to leave a comment so thank you too.

 

 

Knowing that two heads are better than one, I asked Bill to join me as an author on the blog, which proved to be such a good decision. Without Bill the blog simply wouldn't be what it is and his ability to instantly harness new technology like radio, podcasts, interviewing and storytelling, together with his encyclopeadic knowledge about vintage toys, have taken Moonbase on an exciting journey ever upwards. I would like to thank Bill for all his sheer hard work and cool innovations over the years, calmly pioneering even when I was grumpy, miserable and indifferent! Long may it continue.

 

 

A few years later I asked Toad to write for the blog and she contributed some wonderful posts. Sadly Toad left the 'base' to plough a new furrow and she is greatly missed, especially her fantastic knowledge of toy advertising and extensive comics research. Still, not wanting to get too melancholy, Bill and I asked Mike 'Scoop' Burrows to join the blog and remains today as strong as ever as the third 'head' on the team. Scoop's boundless enthusiasm for vintage toys, as well as his natural talent for diorama-making and film production, have taken the blog even further forward. I would like to thank Scoop for all of this and much much more.

 

 

Last summer the blog excitingly linked up with Radio Celtica under the auspices of Station Manager Bill Everatt. Bill B and I were mere radio novices at the start but with Bill E's constant guidance and support we got there and seem to know what we're doing now! With guests joining us  as well we celebrated a year of SWORDcasts with this August's interview between Scoop and the Iceman, Ed Burg. It goes without saying that without Bill Everatt's passion for radio and ability to infuse it into others like us, the SWORDcasts would not have got off the ground. I would like to wholeheartedly thank him for this and more.

 

 

Five years is a long time in any occupation. I have good days, a few bad days and some days I just can't be bothered with the blog, but it is always you, the readers - Andy, Kevin, Arto, Paul, Ed, Ed, Richard, Will and many more - who keep me going with your positive comments, your limitless fascination for toydom and your frequent messages of encouragement. I hope the blog is of some use to you in this busy crazy world. Here's to the next five years! Keep on SWORDin and enjoy the party!

 

 

Woodsy