Long overdue from the blog, two of the best toy aliens ever made, Mattel's Callisto and Scorpio. The first picture is my original 1970 figure, battered and well loved, suffering multiple breaks in the wires and a partial paint touch up. Secondly, the 1981 figure, discovered in an old newsagents in Liverpool, along with all the first series accessories. Naturally, Sod's Law dictated I had only enough cash to buy Callisto and a Sgt. Storm, but subsequent visits after borrowing a few quid, got me one of each of the suits too.
Scorpio is an anomaly, falling between Matt Mason and Captain Lazer size. He has a rubber body inside a hard plastic carapace and a bulb in his head to make his sparkly eyes light up! Scorpio was a gift and arrived about ten years ago, without arm and leg shields or weapon. Ebay came to the rescue with repro shields (hence the greyish paint) and a second hand weapon, covered in silver paint. Having spent a few years tucked safely away in a box, Scorpio and Callisto emerged today sporting a coat of mould and mildew, so after a quick wash, they've been placed in a new dry home!
Like you Bill I loved Callisto. I can feel his plasticy green brain in my fingers even now. I might have even tried to pull his head off! His string bellow technology was just fabulous and I loved pushing in that yellow plastic concertinad pump sending his string flying out into either Major Matt Mason's face or a line of airfix soldiers on a table, Never had a Scorpio but he looks great. Were those spheres hard to send flying? And was there really a Callisto in 1981?
ReplyDeleteNever had ammo for Scorpio. Callisto was old stock that the shopkeeper found in his attic, I just happened on the shop, the weekend he put it out!
ReplyDeleteJust realised that the ammo for Scorpio comes out of the canon at the side. I thought they came out of the big circle in the chest plate. How wide is that canon mouth?
ReplyDeleteCannon is probly about 3mm wide.
ReplyDeleteI had both these fellows, lost them many years ago, and have missed them ever since!
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