Into the Jet Age

Well all this lockdown is giving me loads of time to pursue my interests. One of which is experimental aircraft and in this case, toy ones! I've always loved a good plane and my dad was a keen aero-enthusiast, so I think it rubbed off on me.

I've blogged some of these before, but I wanted to get all my diecast aircraft together to compare, so here goes.

Not a diecast as such and certainly much larger than the rest, with a seven inch wingspan, is the Majorette Squad Forces Jet Fighter.

This neat toy is one of series of larger scale military vehicles, produced by majorette who usually deal in Matchbox and Hot Wheel sized cars. It has folding wings, a dropping bomb, firing missiles and ejectable pilot. I like it as it doen't attempt to be a scale representation of a production aircraft, but is instead a sleek futuristic plane which could easily feature in a video game or near future sci-fi film.

From the same maker, a small future copter from the range of concept cars and vehicles released about five years ago. Its unamed and has opening cockpit.

Back in time now to the very first release of Matchbox Skybusters. A rather vivid MiG 21 and striking Dassault Mirage in brilliant scarlet. Both have seen some action, the MiG being my own from about 1973 and the Mirage was picked up at Doncaster toyfair. 

Skybusters again, but 2017 style, with the sleek Strike Eagle, a concept aircraft following the trend by modern Skybuster models to mostly produce fictional aircraft.

Two versions of the Skybusters Battle Bomber - diecast production model on the left and all plastic giveaway from Subway on the right. Slightly different molding on the plastic, with integral undercarriage. Both have been painted for a stealth camo finish.

When the stealth concept first hit the headlines, the F19 Stealth Fighter was revealed to be the next generation war machine from the United States. The F19 was however, entirely fictional itself and it was several years later that the F117 was revealed to be a radically different design entirely. For me though, the F19 is still a very pleasant looking craft with its curved hull and swept tailplanes. Ertl captured its likeness extremely well in their 6" model, with retractable landing gear and detachable Falcon missile payload.

The Stealth programme generated several pretend aircraft, including these two diecasts, by smaller makers. 

Not diecast and certainly not stealthy, these little planes first came to my attention at th end of the sixties, when I found the X15 (sans wheels) at a beach shop in Wales. The following year, I got the Starfighter and the silver Drakken. hese two both had Canadian Air Force livery, for some reason. More recently, I was delighted to find a new X15 and A Saab Draaken on ebay, in quite good condition. The Star fighter and silver (then pink) Draaken had lost tail fins, so I swiftly repaired them yesterday and gave the magenta Draaken a spray of silver to hide the joints. The little wheels are sprung suspension and run very quickly, so the early models used to sit happily on the old Superfast track - hence the damage as they left the sides!

Back to the present again and the rather slick Hot Wheels 'Sky-Fi' Helijet. Looking like something Daniel Simon might have designed for Oblivion, this little beauty is decked out in a futuristic police livery and accompanied by a slightly to large Mega Rig pilot.

And finally back to 1970 and Mattels very short lived Hot Birds range. Diecast planes which hung from tensioned cords, by a wire hook, so they could race like hot wheels cars. The idea never really took off (pun intended) and after six models and a handful of lovely playsets, the line was abandoned.

SKY SCRAPER

MACHING BIRD

REGAL EAGLE

STAR GRAZER

The Star Grazer has always been my favourite, ever since I saw it on the press ad in an american comic. This one was pretty beat up, but like the Maching Bird above, I managed to repaint it fairly successfully. Just need a good Cloud Hopper and a Ski Gull and ill be a happy man!

CAPTIONS NEEDED!

I saw this little LP alien on Etsy and I had to chuckle.

he looks like he's impressed with his height!

Captions are needed readers!

SECLUSION CONFUSION

My room has become a mess during isolation as stuff is chucked in there:

Old toys that we were planning to sell, bags of provisions, and my Missus' crutches!

Slowly but surely my display cabinet is being submerged!

Have you a messy store room readers?

BILLY BLASTOFF'S CRAWLER WHEEL

Seeing Billy Blastoff's orange Crawler wheel rang a bell.

Was it like the Spacex MEV2's?

Not really.

Was it like the much scarcer Hover LRV as seen here, top left, in Wotan's very old collection.

Hmmm. What about the related Scramble Bug wheels by Hover too?

Well, it just so happens that Wotan still has a wheel from his Hover LRV [nothing else mind].

here it is.

front.

Back.

Can anyone confirm if this was also used on the Billy Blastoff Moon Crawler?

Go and have a look when your'e next playing with your Billy.

MOLTO AND JR21 THUNDERBIRDS TOY SIZES

Having dug around a bit it would appear that the Spanish Molto and Hong Kong JR21 Thunderbirds toy vehicles are similarly sized.

The Molto TB1 is 20cm long according to an old Yahoo Japan auction. It included these two photographs, which help with sizing it visually [for over-literal types like me it took ages for me to work that the measuring tape is in 10cm units, so that the 1 means 10! I thought it was just 2cm long at first! Doh!]

I found the length of the JR21 TB1 [smaller friction version] on Paul Vreede's excellent Triang SpaceX website, which covers so much more! Its 20.5cm in length.

Here's the toy and box. Alas, not mine. Photo from Pinterest.

I assume if the toys are similarly sized then so are the boxes.

I'd still like to see the Molto and JR21 Thunderbirds toys together if anyone can oblige us?

Now, I wonder if the Lincoln toys/ models from down under where similar sizes?

MOLTO BENE: THUNDERBIRDS!

Ever since first seeing this Spanish Thunderbirds toys set by Molto in an old 90's TV Toy Zone sales catalogue [courtesy of mail order toy pioneer Andy Foley] I fell in love with its box art and contents.

The three toys were sold in individual Spanish boxes too but a triple pack like this is such a good idea and I'm surprised JR21 never did one.

I don't have a Molto set but there are lots of pics online and these two are from the Spanish marketplace Todocollecion, so its easy to check them out.

The Molto box set contains the first Three Thunderbirds vehicles, along with a neat TB2 pod landrover.

I'm unsure if these toys are the same size as their similar JR21 counterparts. They are very similar. Judge for yourselves with these random pics of both TB2's off old auctions.

JR21

MOLTO

What do you think of the Molto toys?

Has anyone got the Molto toys? Has anyone got them and the JR21 versions?

RISING FUN

I posted this unusual Japanese Mr. Tomy airport pilot set the other day.

So I had to look twice when I saw this toy!

The box is just so similar. It's a lovely tinplate airport fork lift with a really cute Quality Toys crate bound for New York.

I assume PAA is what I knew as Pan Am.

The old Indiana auction description describes the make as SSS International -  I think.

https://www.sportscards.com/item/vintage-paa-luggage-fork-lift-tin-friction-sss-japan-quality-toys-s-1098-mib/352595086266/

TOWER SUPPLY

We were talking about Wotan's cool post office towers the other day. There's some nice 3D printed towers on the Shapeways shop site. I think these were called Harris but unsure why.

Do you like them?

Have you ever bought anything 3D printed?

A F T E R THE A R R I V A L

Today is the day after Moonbase Junior 2's splashdown in the ocean of life and things have returned to the new 'normal' at Moonbase. We are in isolation again, me and the Missus.

The last two days where a whirlwind of emotions and travelling as we zoomed up and down the M62 to grab Moonbase Junior 1 while his sister was revving up . It was eerie to see an empty motorway on Friday with our car one of the only ones to be seen. Adding to the eeriness were the huge motorway signs, which would normally tell us about congestion near Leeds but now they hold a warning, "Essential Travel Only! Stay at Home! Save Lives!". It was quite literally like driving through the film set of 28 Days Later or the Day of the Triffids.

Yesterday was a massive family milestone for us during this bad global pandemic and for one day we waived the usual social distancing with our kids at their house. We hugged our daughter and son-in-law and held and kissed our new granddaughter. I'm pretty sure we shouldn't have done this, as we commuted between two homes but it couldn't be helped. We hadn't seen anyone the week before and had been sanitising rigorously so I think we were 'clean'.

The journey of life now begins for Junior 2 as it did for all us Moonbase bloggers many years ago. I wonder what she will do with it after such an unusual beginning in a lockdowned world? For the moment she is in the very capable and experienced hands of her young Mum and Dad as they all hunker down at home in seclusion. Parenthood doesn't stop for a viral outbreak.

As for me and the Missus, its isolation time again back on base and I doubt we will see our kids again until Easter in two weeks. Even then it's a huge question mark if we should come together at all given how vulnerable a newborn is to infections and bugs, which we might bring with our Chocolate eggs. Easter may be celebrated on facetime this year.

So, as I try to work out what day it is and gawp at entire families singing in isolation on the telly, the unhurried weeks of furlough stretch before us like Olympus Mons. Crazily I've sold something on Ebay, which I'd forgotten I'd listed, a Dracula board game. A fellow monster nut is clearly in need of the Count during quarantine. The downside is posting Old Vlad will require a trip to the Post Office, which, as is the modern way, is also a grocery shop, which is too small for the two to maintain social gapping very easily. Maybe I should wear the plastic fangs from the game and clear a path!

Expect lots more blogging readers.

I hope you are all well.

THE VISIBLE MAN

I have a handful of collecting books I bought in the 90's/ early 00's that I have never stopped reading really.

One of them is Classic Plastic by Rick Polizzi, who is more well known perhaps as a board games guru and author of Spin Again.

Classic Plastic is a glossy colour softback stuffed with hundreds of pictures of every American model kit from the beginning of kits to modern stuff. Aurora, Monogram, Lindberg, the lot.

I was flicking its sumptuous leaves the other day and read again the chapter about scientific model kits: the human skin, the human eye, the skeleton and the heart to name a few.

And then there's also the Visible Man, which I always found a neat twist on the more familiar Invisible Man.

The Visible Man is what it says, a kit of a man with all his guts visible. Its an impressive thing in the book, alongside his see-through stablemates the Visible Horse and the Visible Pigeon! It was kit masters Renwal who brought their entrails to the masses.

Well, as is only possible in real life, I accidentally came face to face with the Visible Man just this week! 

Having stared at him for 18 years in Rick's book I recognised his innards straight away! He was in a science lab display cupboard and I must say he cut a fine figure of a man behind the glass. He's tall too, at least 18 inches if I remember rightly. 

I only ever had the Airfix skeleton kit as a kid, which I adored, but the Visible Man would have made a gutsy addition to my monster model shelf!

Have you any scientific model kits readers?

MOONBASE JUNIOR 2 HAS LANDED!

Moonbase Junior 2, our new Granddaughter, arrived on Planet Earth at 7.23am UK time this morning.

Baby Junior splashed down happy and well and has been feeding fine all day.

Mum and Junior 2 are now safe at home with Dad and Junior 1.

We got to cuddle for a short while too at their house.

Thanks for everyone's support.

It's been an emotional day.

MOON LIGHT RIFLE MYSTERY

Who on earth is that character on this old Daiya Japanese tinplate space rifle I saw on Ebay?

Moon Light?

KEV'S NEW SCRATCH-MADE MISS. LOVELACE THE TRUMPTON MILLINER

Hi,

Yep, another one!

Trumpton milliner, Miss Lovelace and her dogs, Mitzi, Daphne and Lulu!

What can you say?

Kevin D

UK

A SORT OF P3 HELICOPTER?

Hi Woodsy,

I just came across this Bionic Woman jig-saw puzzle while looking for something else, which reminded me of the P3 SpaceX helicopter you asked me about some time ago. 

It is not exactly the same and does appear to have a large ring around a rear mounted propeller, suggesting it is an autogyro rather than a helicopter, but it is the closest I have found so far. 

No idea if the illustration is based on a TV episode.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

MR. MIND BLOW'S AMAZING GIZMOS

Some cool toys and gizmos here guys. Which do you like the most?

MYSTERY GOLD FAB1

I saw this old auction on Vectis of a varied and rather smart bunch of Thunderbirds vehicles inlcuding a fleet of FAB1's.

One of the FAB1s is a mystery to me. Its the golden metallic brown one between the two pink Dinky's.

There's nothing in the description.

Any ideas?

*

UPDATE

Here it is, boxed, as featured on Ebay!

Thanks guys for the ID!

PS. They're not cheap!

Tony P's Gemini Space Capsule Toy

Hi Woodsy

Further to your blog item a few days ago, attached are a couple of pics of my Gemini space capsules.

I have two of these – one that I've had since I was a boy, which is still in good condition; the other is a fully boxed and unused one that I picked up a couple of years ago. 

It's a great toy – I remember having lots of fun with it when I was little.

Hope you like the pics.

Cheers

Tony P

STRENCO TOYS

Here's a search I did for toys made by German form Gerscha Strenco. They include a version of the large Cricket-like missile launcher we know from the SpaceX toy range.

Strenco search.

Do you like Strenco toys?

MOONBASE FAMILY IS ON ALERT!

Today was eventful.

Moonbase Daughter is in labour and has now gone to hospital, a scary place to be these days for sure.

Moonbase Junior 1 is at now safely at Moonbase after being picked up this afternoon by me and the Missus, social distancing applied with the parents-to-be.

The evening meal has been cooked and eaten.

Moonbase Jr. is now fast asleep.

Grandparents will follow him soon!

We await news of Junior 2 during the night.

God speed baby girl.

A Place in the Country

 Woodsy recent asked our opinion on urban exploration and the ethics of sneaking around abandoned property. Back around 1997, I had the opportunity to check out an abandoned farm in Lancashire, while I was looking after a horse for a friend. I had to collect bales of haylage every couple of days and muck out and feed the horse, who had a large field with a stable nearby. Walking through the village to the field, I noticed a doorway tucked away in the trees at the edge of a small wood. After a little research, I found out that it led onto an old country estate with a large lake nearby and it was apparently completely run down.

 Round about this time, digital cameras were becoming affordable and I had managed to convince my boss at the time, that as a graphic designer, a nice digital camera was an absolute necessity for my work. So, without being too greedy, I suggested a new Sony model might be ideal, a version which saved the images to floppy disk! The Sony Digital Mavica was about the size of half a housebrick and probably weighed as much. It was pretty low resolution too, the images were saved as 640x480 at 72 dpi. But the big draw for me was it was portable and could be loaded onto a pc without any trouble. 

I borrowed the camera, and next day after tending to my equine charge, I set off to explore the hidden doorway. Nearby were the remains of a iron railing and some substantial gateposts across a bridge, leading to a drive. The gates were locked up, but the fence and railings were so dilapidated, it was simple enough to climb over. A few yards in, there was evidence of some maintenance work having been carried out on the grounds, but no sign of occupation, so I pressed on. Just beyond the treeline was the remains of a farmhouse and yard, with stables attached. 

 Pretty much everything was collapsed or falling down and nature had reclaimed most of the brickwork, nettles were chest height and brambles ran through everything.

 The majority of the building had collapsed, but parts of the stables were still recognisable and the stalls with their feed racks still stood.

 Set onto the stable wall was a simple ladder affair, allowing access to a loft, I managed to climb up high enough to get a look into the loft space, but the rafters had collapsed and the slates filled the space.

 It was an eerie place to visit, almost like a museum atmosphere, given the old architecture and rusting metalwork.

 Nothing remained of any fixtures and fittings and almost all the buildings were collapsed beyond recognition, but it was clear that it must have been quite a substantial estate.

 I managed to have a good look around the place, but the sensation of intrusion and being a tresspasser was quite overwhelming. I did hear a land rover go by at one point and had to duck out of site as it passed the edge of the estate, but it was clear the groundsman or gamekeeper was not looking for intruders.

 It was a lovely summer day and the only sound was that of the wind in the woodwork and birdsong, so I took nothing but photographs and and Kevin suggested left nothing but footprints and left after a couple of hours.

 I passed the area recently and it looks like the land has been re-developed and the building sadly demolished, but I have the photographs and the memory of that balmy summer afternoon.