Wednesday, 31 August 2022
SIXTEEN 12 PHOTOS
I've been putting a few of my Sixteen 12 Space:1999 photos up on social media lately which have gone down reasonably well, so I thought it might be nice to share them here, as I know some of you don't have a social platform.
Toy Island Monsters Talking Figures by Paul Adams
The Toy Island line of talking action figures came up recently -
here is a bit more information on their Talking Monsters line, which contained just three figures.
All depicted classic monsters, but they were generic enough to avoid any licencing problems.
The name of each creature appears on the front of the card, with the Monsters name only appearing on the back of the card, along with a photograph of the whole range. The copyright date is 1992. Card size 10.25 x 7 x 2 inches according to what appears to be a trade catalogue for the range.
The figures did not have buttons, the talking mechanism was activated by just touching them. 'Their voices are complete with echoes and sound effects', according to the advertising. It seems each figure had only one phrase.
A screwdriver was required to open the battery compartment, so the batteries, a trio of LR-44 button batteries, could be replaced.
The Assortment Number was Asst. No. 34210.
- Stock No. 34201 The Vampire Talks - resembles Nosferatu rather than Dracula. Phrase 'I want to bite you'. Studded belt with bat.
- Stock No. 34202 The Howler Howls - a very dog-like werewolf. Phrase 'Aaaooooo'. Chain and padlock belt.
- Stock No. 34203 The Zombie Talks - could be Frankenstein's Monster. Phrase 'Help me' - which does not seem very scary. Rope belt with rat.
The figures were 7 inches tall, and came with removeable clothing, a weird plastic belt, and two different weapons. A sword with a bat between the hilt and blade; an axe topped with a skull; and a mace with a spiked head. None are wearing shoes, which shows off their clawed feet.
The address of the Toy Island Manufacturing Company Limited, was 33 Canton Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong, but the toys are marked Made in China. These seem to be rare figures, and there are few listings or photographs of them on Worthpoint or Ebay. The Plaid Stallions site says they are most common in England. Universal Monster Army actually says they were exclusive to the UK.
There are a few sites which give further details, and photographs.
Universal Monster Army, an excellent site.
Plaid Stallions, including catalogue pages.
The Toy Box
1993 Toy Island catalogue from Worthpoint
Just three photographs, all from Worthpoint.
Here is a shot of the card rear for the line, showing the full range of three figures. There are very few listings for these figures, and few photographs.
From what Plaid Stallions and Universal Monster Army say these figures are mainly found in Britain, so you probably stand the best chance of finding some examples. I had never even heard of them before your recent post on the Toy Island Talking police figures. But then, I know next to nothing about action figures!
Hope this is useful. Anyone got any?
Paul Adams from New Zealand
CLIPPED WINGS
I was interested to see how the wings were fastened together on this NASA Probe Force 3 I saw on auction.
I have this particular toy at Moonbase but I haven't seen the stapled paper fastener before. I assume the simple clip is what a mint packaged example would have like this one.
Have you got one of these toy readers?
Tuesday, 30 August 2022
THE LOST PLATOON
One more platoon I found in my junk drawer!
Back left are two modern Lanard CORPS! from 2005. The larger group are Chap Mei troops with three unknowns at the back near the pole.
The seated group on the left are odd - five fully articulated softish soldiers by what looks like a firm in Heyuan in China. The lettering on their feet is tiny!
Do you know them?
ODDs 'N' SODS
The final shots of the toy weekend.
Three plastic action figures found in the nearby street freebie table. Any idea who the spider robot thingy is?
A Hulk buster van from a charity shop and a Robocop plane found again on the freebie table on our street.
Both have great sound and light effects!
Additions to my 1970's Hot Wheels fleet, the white Spoiler Sport van and the yellow Bubble Gunner.
The car boot at York where I got my old Star Wars figures was brimming with die-casts too.
and a few emergency vehicles.
Well worth a visit if you're near York Racecourse on a Saturday!
Have you been to a car boot or flea market this summer readers?
CHAP MEI/ LANARD/ HASBRO TOOLBOX: YOUR HELP NEEDED!
Here are some plastic tools and equipment from the Lanard/ Hasbro/ Chap Mei swap Wotan and I haven't managed to ID yet.
Any idea what these are? From the black case forwards. So, the black case, the various coloured backpacks, the black binoculars and the blue bits from a frogman. There's a small blue axe tool too.
and here's a much bigger group of what we think are Lanard or maybe Chap Mei bits. Do you know which figures they're from readers?
Any help gratefully received!
THERE'S A GOOD CHAP ... MEI
More of Wotan's toy figures from our marvellous swap.
These guys are mostly Chap Mei.
Anyone know the five at the back. Wotan knows but do you readers?
Anyone know the two small helmets shown here at the front behind the grey tools?
Turns out I had company lining up my chaps!
Are Chap Mei toys collectable?
THE GREAT PRETENDERS ON THE STREET
As luck would have it a free street table of old plastic toys appeared a week or so ago further up the road from Moonbase, the sort of thing that used to happen all the time during lockdown.
When it first appeared I was chuffed to find a nice boxed ELC construction set, Ground Control, for Junior, along with a Darth Vader cup and a Skateboarding action figure track set.
After being topped-up this weekend, it brought greater table riches in the form of a Robocop patrol plane, a rhino transformer, a Human Torch, an Ice Age 3 cup and a few other modernish Star Wars bits, all destined for Junior's room.
But the true gems were two plastic Pretender figures from Gen1 of the Transformers line. I had seen these before in my trusty loose action figures book but have never seen them in the flesh, but there they were, on the street and eager to come back to the Base!
The big moustached fella is complete with his back half too but the skeletal fella is just the front. Neither have their little inner robots but hey, its free booty and I'm thrilled they've joined my gang of Transformers.
Have you got the Pretenders?
Do your neighbours leave free stuff outside?
A GREAT DISTURBANCE IN MY CABINET
My beginner's vintage Kenner-Palitoy Star Wars collection trebled in size as well this weekend!
A chance meeting with a bag of car boot goodness for £20 brought me lots more figures from the first three films.
I can't name them all off hand. I know Wotan can. Can you?
Have you got all 98 old Kenner-Palitoy figures at all?
Moonbase Junior will really feel the force too on his Sixth birthday in October. Thanks to friends Paul Vreede and Wotan for helping me out hugely with that - more to follow on the subject in October!
LOOKING FOR LANARD!
It was a great week for fantastic plastic last week.
My Lanard Corps! collection trebled in size and a fab new GI Joe enlisted.
Two things happened to bring me sunshine.
A car boot sale generated three old Lanards.
Much more significant, fellow blogger and friend Wotan swapped me a load of Lanards, old and new, for some old space books he collects. A fine trade I must say!
The old Lanards were given a bath before the official parade.
Those Star Force fellows weren't keen on getting washed at all! In space no-one can hear you clean!
But here they are on parade along with my new old Corps!, the best of which is the grey Star Force Invader at the far right, along with his wings unit.
However, Wotan also supplied me with an amazing GI Joe, my first complete figure, the gorgeous and purple Technoviper, front left on his own Hasbro stand. How cool is that!
Two more recent Corps! have joined the ranks too on account of their great looks: a car boot lady Puma on the far left next to my beloved Baroness and the Sea Squad's blue Carlos Gills Perez complete with his flippers and rifle donated by the Wotan.
A whole brigade of Wotan's newish Lanard Corps! have yet to be hosed down before going public as they were billeted in his garage until recently. I'm going to need a bigger bucket!
One final note, I now reckon that finding old Lanard Corps! figures is easier than finding old Hasbro GI Joe figures round here in Yorkshire. I say this because I have found 7 old Corps! myself in antigue shops and car boot sales in the last two weeks. Any Joes I have I got on Ebay. It seems that the Corps! will be easier to collect.
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Eagle-eyed readers may have clocked some old Kenner Star Wars figs in the top picture next to the toast rack. More on these bad boys to come.
8.8 MILLION POUNDS
That's the amount of thrust needed to lift NASA's new Artemis from the grasp of the Earth's atmosphere. Despite the flight scrub being a a disappointment yesterday a few more days wait for the biggest rocket ever made is no great shakes. After all, it is rocket science.
Godspeed Artemis.
Will you be watching again?
I HAD MY EYE ON IT
I have this in my picture archive but |I'm unsure why apart from it being fantastic artwork. I've labelled it Hakes so at some point it was auctioned in America.
What, with the cyclops and the dinosaur, is it Aurora box art?
Monday, 29 August 2022
THE MOVING BUFFOON
This old Moving Buffoon seen on Ebay rings a a lot of bells.
I'm certain we had some as kids in the Sixties, although what I'm thinking of got hung up. Not sure what this Buffoon actually does.
Do you know readers?
Sunday, 28 August 2022
WE HAVE ASSUMED CONTROL
These two 2001 Space Glider boxes showcase the two types of controls they had.
Here's the Radio Control decal on the box front in yellow. The control itself was a plastic rectangular unit with an aerial.
Here's the Sound Control decal in red. You can see the egg-shaped controller.
Have you anything like this readers?
Saturday, 27 August 2022
TAMIYA LOTUS SUPER 7 SII KIT
Here's a few photos of my Tamiya Lotus Super 7 Series II 1:25 scale kit which I've painted in similar colours as seen in The Prisoner TV series.
Although some elements of the kit are slightly different to the cars that were driven by Patrick McGoohan (and Nigel Stock) during the series, in particular the rear lights, generally speaking it's close enough for me.
Three Lotus Super 7 Series II cars were used for filming, the first we see in the opening titles, speeding towards the camera at Poddington Raceway in Northampton, a quick film cut to see it driving across Westminster Bridge, and passing The Houses of Parliament, before turning right into Abington Street underground car park. The soon-to-be- prisoner slams a resignation letter on the desk of presumably his boss (in actuality Prisoner script editor George Markstein)
The car then speeds off across London, and pulls up at No 1 Buckingham Place; Following short distance behind is a mysterious Princess 4-litre hearse.
We see the same Lotus Super 7 SII, now apparently owned by Mrs Butterworth in the episode, Many Happy Returns.
The car, the original KAR 120C was actually a demonstrator, and powered by a Ford 1.5 litre Cosworth-tuned engine.
The second Lotus Super 7 SII appeared in the episode, Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling.
As the original KAR 120C had been sold to a customer in Australia, another Lotus Super 7 SII, reg. LCK 88D belonging to Borehamwood resident, Frank Rycroft, was used in the episode, Do Not Forsake Me Oh My Darling, and driven in the episode by actor, Nigel Stock. The car was slightly altered to look like KAR 120C.
A third Lotus Super 7 appears in the final episode, Fall Out, and again is altered to look like the original KAR 120C.
I think it's fairly obvious that the Lotus Super 7 SII is very much an individuals car, perfect for someone like No. 6. But although it looks a pretty cool motor, I'm not sure I'd want to own one, myself.
The original Lotus Super 7's had no indicators, as is apparent when Patrick McGoohan uses a right hand signal when turning into Abington Street car park.
Early cars had no speedometer, although later versions had one added in front of the passenger seat!
There was no petrol gauge, and the petrol cap is hidden beneath the rear luggage rack. (The Lotus Super 7 series III added indicators and an external petrol cap)
The kit itself is fiddly, but nonetheless an enjoyable build. I'd recommend painting most of the components prior to assembly.
As the engine compartment is a feature of the kit, I added some extra cabling and wiring detail.
I used Tamiya Racing Green and Chrome Yellow for the body colours , and finished it off with a couple of coats of gloss sealer.
Orange alert!THE COLOUR OF SPACE
I remember space being everywhere when I was a kid. It was the go-to feature for all our stuff.
Here's the type of paint box I would have had.
This is one on the Spanish auction site and has beautiful graphics, which capture the hope and dreams of space travel we all shared back then.
Did you have a paint box like this?
Friday, 26 August 2022
STOP OR I'LL TALK
I handled a loose talking policeman the other week.
It was one of the Voice Squad/ Patrol toys from Toy Island 1991.
After handling I put it back on the car boot tarp.
I bought a couple of mint carded examples in the early Nineties for my old toy stall but wish I'd kept a couple for myself now, 'cos I like them!
Looking at the range two questions spring to mind. Are these toys inspired by Hasbro's GI Joe small figure line and are the Voice Squad actually action figures?
Do you recall the Voice Squad?
pic: Dallas Vintage Toys