IS THIS A TOMMY BUSTER?

 

Is this the famous TV21 Tommy Buster?

This toy, the Super Mira, is from Brazil.

STAR COMMAND BAGATELLE

 

We've seen a few Star Command toys over the last 13 years but I think this bagatelle is a new one for us. Like all of the range it features an uncredited Thunderbirds craft, in this case TB2 and 4.

Is this a toy you had/ have and a range you have come across?

For more about Star Command click the label below. We have hundreds of labels on Moonbase, all linking to other similar posts.

ETERNITY IS NOW JOHN NEEDHAM'S FRONTIER

I've blogged about a few You Tube clips called Gerry Anderson's Eternity many times on MC over the decade. Here's one of them.

I've always loved the sweeping space vistas and the epic music in these clips. 

I had thought that was it. There would be nothing more.

Well someone kindly commented recently that Eternity is now called Frontier and is a project of the well-known film and TV creative John Needham.

John has his own website https://www.peculiarpictures.co.uk/about and Frontier is there too https://www.peculiarpictures.co.uk/tv-series-drama-and-feature-films

What do you think readers?

BLAKES 7 HOMING BEACON FROM SCRATCH

Hi,

Continuing my cunning plan to recreate all the obscure Blakes 7 props, here is my scratchbuild of the homing beacon that Blake uses in 'Trial'.

He goes off to contemplate his future after our heroes get things disastrously wrong, resulting in one of them dying. The beacon is so that he can find his way back if that is what he decides he wants.

Now where did I put it?....

Kevin D

UK

Mystery TV21 Badge

Hi.
Found this button badge in a box the other day . It doesn't look like the proper tv21 logo. Anybody got any idea what it is?
Will O.

Matchbox National Parks Police Car

This is the Matchbox '59 Dodge Coronet Police Car. I know this is a long way from space toys, or anything else you normally cover, but I thought the finish might be of interest to you, given your interest in parks and the outdoors.

Initially released in 2019 (copyright date on the base is 2018), this is a 2021 version. The model is a four-door sedan, with a single roof light. Being part of the main window moulding this is in clear plastic. The interesting thing about this version is the light green colour scheme.

It depicts a National Parks vehicle, with Superintendent Park Operations just ahead of the doors. The base and bumpers are black plastic, with a light grey interior.

Matchbox models are not as widely available in NZ as Hot Wheels models, so it is harder to get all the models you want. They are also a little more expensive, usually $4 each, rather than $3, which is the usual price for a Hot Wheels.

The latest card design includes the Dodge badge in the upper left corner. The artwork is rather odd, as it has the Parks vehicle driving through a brightly lit city, rather than a forest track.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DEVIL

I caught How to Train Your Dragon with Moonbase Junior a few weeks back. 

The dragon has a peculiar flat face.

I knew I'd seen it before!

THE MEG

OK. I've seen the Meg again. Being a big monster nut I'll give any old mega beast a whirl and the Meg is mega.

Like Rampage the lead actor, in this case Jason Stathan, tries to out-muscle the monster for screen presence but its not possible is it really when the monster is a Megalodon.

The story is as schmalzy as a melting sweet but that aside I loved the giant shark footage. Meg really is a gigantic fish and because of its size the camera can perform those wonderfully long pass-by's as the creature glides past.

The stand-out scenes for me are where the shark is pitted against frogman Stathan as they face-off underwater. It reminds me of those beautiful illustrations of skin divers encountering sharks in old comics like Look and Learn and those fabulous encyclopedias we all used to have.

The scene where the Meg stares at the kid through the marine base window is pretty cool too and hints at older flicks like Jaws 3 and The Abyss. I have to say there's a lot of Jaws in the Meg generally including lots of chum.

I couldn't see any specific Meg toys online but there are schoals of big plastic Megalodons out there. 

The sheer size of the Meg recalled the vast presence in an old TV series I caught one year called Surface. It too had a giant undersea beast and I thought it was great. Sadly the show was cut for some reason. Do you remember Surface?

T.H.E CAT: A GALLERY OF TOYS

 Some of the toys I've seen online for the US TV show T.H.E Cat.

I'm pretty sure I never saw it here in the UK.

Have you seen it?

BOB McCALL'S MASTER STROKES

Here's a great and lush gallery of Bob McCall's terrific space paintings and sketches. What's your favourite?

https://www.flickriver.com/photos/x-ray_delta_one/sets/72157622015473454/

SURF'S UP

Hi all

Here is the Hot Wheels Ghost Olympics model number 1 of 10, called Surf's Up. Naturally, the sport depicted is surfing. Only the baseplate is metal, the rest is plastic. 

Sitting on top of the baseplate is a white surfboard, with a band comprising three shades of blue. This is surrounded by translucent blue waves. The rider is gunmetal grey, with the Games insignia on his back in white. 

The wheels are also translucent blue, with silver spokes. The lower sides have TOKYO 2020 and the Hot Wheels logo in white, and the surfboard has the surfing symbol in silver. 

The cards show the differences between the long and short versions. Due to a lack of space the artwork is almost hidden behind the model on the short card, and the Hot Wheels ribbon is much smaller.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

OG ON THE BOG!

A sort of update on the old plastic Hong Kong Out house peeing novelty toys, here's the modern version, Og on the Bog! I bought this from a charity shop and it is hilarious to play. Think of Shrek's privvy and you've got it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKXWjVidvf4

THE SNOW CRUISER

I always enjoy watching old reels showing fabulous vehicles. There were more amazing vehicles produced than I ever imagined and sometimes bring the visions of the TV21 artists to life.

I watched this clip on You Tube of the 1939 Snow Cruiser and immediately thought of the Snow Train, which featured prominently in the Project SWORD Annual.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUXq8NWh5vg&feature=emb_logo

I'm sure it will remind you of other fictional vehicles. I wonder what happened to the Snow Cruiser?

Did you have any snow toy vehicles?

Hubble Bubble

 

Donkeys years ago, Woodsy gave me an odd display frame, aluminium with perspex bubbles and a glass screen beneath. For ages ive been wanting to use it, but A not had any space and B couldnt decide what to fill it with. Finally, I got it out and dusted it down, and filled it with nine variations of my favourite rubber alien! Perfect!

SICK BAY REPORT

The Missus has had Covid 8 or 9 days now we think judging by when she started to feel ill. Like many folks we thought it was just a cold, the cold I 'd had a week before. Alas it wasn't but things are looking up a bit.

The NHS dropped off an Oxygen finger monitor which has really helped measure daily oxygen levels, an important symptom of Covid. A senior Nurse has also phoned her and spent valuable time discussing all her symptoms and taking her through the different stages of the illness, how it might get worse even after 10 days and how it might recede. Fingers crossed its the latter. The NHS have been amazing all round.

Keeping going, we have lots of windows open here at the Base. Its Spring and the breeze is fresh and warm and lifts our spirits blowing through the airlocks. It hopefully sweeps away any nasties too!

We wear masks all the time, except to eat and drink and sleep, which we do with lots of distance. Separate towels, hand washing and alcohol wiping are mandatory for both base personnel. Last night we had a delivery of food from Morrisons so the base fridge is full again.

We did get a shock yesterday though, as a close elderly friend rang to say she thought she had also been by infected ... by the Missus, during her asymptomatic period! Given that our friend is nearly 80 and lives alone I felt duty bound to get her tested, so I took a home lateral flow kit round and took her through it. I waited in my car for half an hour praying she would be negative as did she. Sadly it was positive. So another person in our small chain has succumbed to Corona as well. Needless to say she is very scared and will need help from her scattered family.

Over at our Daughter's, where her young family, the fantastic four, are all isolating, as she's positive, they seem to be coping OK but it can't be easy keeping everyone happy and healthy cooped in one house for 10 days. Its Moonbase Miss Junior's first birthday tomorrow as well. She was born in lockdown and will be one in lockdown! Still he's a joyous soul and will get lots of fuss from Mum, Dad and big brother.

Finally, my own good news is that I did a home test on myself this morning and I'm pleased to report that it was negative.

One day this war's going to end.

How are you all readers? Safe, healthy and negative too I hope!

ON THE RAMPAGE

Whilst on Covid care duty in the Moonbase Sick Bay I've been watching monster movies during downtime, usually late at night, when the Missus is tucked up dreaming of going out. Monsters calm me before hitting the sack myself.

So far I've seen Sputnik, Rampage and have just started The Meg.

Sputnik I've spoken about - one to watch! - so I'll make a few field notes about the creatures in Rampage.

As a lover of massive monsters Rampage does have a huge plus, it has three colossal beasts and despite The Rock's best efforts to steal the show, the real stars are the Kaiju [can I say that when the film isn't Japanese?]

Rampage's monsters are a huge albino Gorilla called George - the King Kong/ Mighty Joe Young element of the picture; a giant timber wolf, which can fly over short distances and flick huge spikes from its tail and last but not least, the biggest of the trio, a magnificently gigantic crocodile, which is truly impressive.

As is traditional for large critters, they first choose a city to completely flatten. In this case its Chicago, which will need a whole team of town planners afterwards.

For me the standout scene is when the three beasts climb a skyscraper - yes, a sort of Empire State Building sort of moment - destroying large parts of it as they go. The footage of the giant croc tearing through entire floors and re-emerging to clamber up the sheer walls is stunning and I loved it.

OK, it was never going to win any oscars for its acting but for a big creature fan like me Rampage really does deliver.

I'd seen Rampage before but I'm pleased to say there's enough carnage to make it worthwhile again.

I'm off to meet the Meg. Tonight.

Have you been Rampaged?

THE MARTIAN POST BOX

Hi Woodsy,

I found these stamp images online - very Moonbase-y I thought!

Andy B

UK

KEVIN'S SCRATCHBUILT BLAKE'S 7 TERMINAL FINDER

Hi,

Just finished another scratchbuild of a random Blakes 7 prop. This is a device that Avon uses in the episode 'Terminal'. It guides him to a base where he believes he'll find Blake.

It doesn't end well,

Kevin D
UK

SIXTEEN 12 'WARGAMES' VIDEO

I've just seen a YouTube video put together by a company called Astromodels, not one I've heard of to be honest, but using my Wargames photos taken from the Sixteen 12 website, and I must say its looks pretty good.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlCKfhHM6VA

Unfortunately, its been disabled by the owner, so you can only watch it on YouTube, itself. 

Anyway,  I took the photos last April, just as the UK was going into its first Covid 19 lockdown, and not long after Steve at Sixteen 12 had sent me a box full of prototypes to photograph. As I was on a partial furlough it worked out well as I had plenty of free time to fill.

The actual set should be in stock around May, Covid 19 restrictions permitted, of course!

                                         Here's one of the 'behind the scenes' photos

Chopper Strike Game 1976

Hi all,

Here is an interesting looking board game from Milton Bradley called Chopper Strike, from 1976. It is for two players, ages 8 to adult. Each side gets six choppers (Bell UH-1 Iroquois, or Hueys); and six Jeeps with anti-aircraft guns. 

The commentary incorrectly describes these as armoured vehicles. The playing pieces are plastic, in either tan or dark green. The first side to knock out all the opposing choppers or Jeeps is the winner.

In addition to a normal printed game board, divided in squares, there is a transparent upper level for the choppers. 

These can go anywhere over the board, but the Jeeps are limited by the terrain printed on the board. Did you ever come across this game ?

How To Play Chopper Strike Board Game #4612, 1976 Milton Bradley - YouTube

Paul Adams from New Zealand

THE CENTURY 21 DUCK WHO COULD NOT SWIM

Front book cover scan courtesy of Bernard Dunne

Brian's Frankenstein Flivver Flies Again!

Hi Woodsy. Last Summer I found a box of old model kits that had fallen into disrepair. I vowed to restore them when I had the chance. Thanks to ample down time due to Pandemic and lack of work, I have rescued one of them. The Polar Lights Frankenstein's Flivver was built during a nasty Winter in 1997,when my jobsite was closed due to a Blizzard. I was horrified to find it in so many pieces, but in a little while, I had pieced it back together. It is missing Frank's yo-yo and a decoration that went on the back of the vehicle. I remember not liking the plumes of smoke coming out of the engine, so they are deliberately left off.

Brian F

Monster Base

New Jersey USA

THE US ROCKET

I was fascinated by the detail of this online gallery for one boxed toy, the US Rocket. A battery-fired plastic rocket with parachute, each component is lovingly photographed. The most interesting item is the box of engines and wires, which we don't see, just the box, the contents of which were made in Macau. Having never had anything like it I have no idea really how this worked.

Its a strange title, US Rocket. Bland, non-specific, but overall the toy recalls the JR21 Quercetti Tor and Fireball XL5 rocketry missiles seen on the blog.

What do you think of the US Rocket? Were you a rocketeer? 

https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/rocket-flying-model--us-rocket/nasm_A19930629000

SKULL'S OUT: ROB C's JAPANESE 1982 MODEL

Hey Woodsy,

Here is another “Super Fantastic” model from Japan. It’s something called a Skull Baggy, from a 1982 Japanese anime program called Gyakuten! Ippatsuman. Pretty unusual, yes?

Rob C
USA