MOONBASE CENTRAL: January 2024

Wednesday, 31 January 2024

ED'S FLASH GORDON

Pics courtesy of Ed B, Las Vegas

LJN Road Stars die-cast Flash Gordon spaceship, 1975

THE MAN WITH THE GOLDEN GAMA

Paul Adams from NZ sent in this snap from Worthpoint of a beautiful golden James Bond Aston Martin DB5 by Gama of Germany. How gorgeous is that! Did you have a big Aston Martin toy?

Tuesday, 30 January 2024

Cas Vegas Crew

I got this ritzy bundle of Superfast and Lesneys in Cas [aka Castleford] with a few thrown in from the Missus too.

The Dinky SPV is a bigger ongoing project - finishing soon as long as the Mysterons leave the postman alone! Some more on this later.

The cars are done though. This time those few finished with my metallic pens resulted in some streaking. They'll do for the cabinet though! See what you think.

Before

After

Draguar has Risen from the Grave

I picked up a beaten bargain Superfast Draguar at the Sunday sale. 60 pence. The dome was cracked open and the chroming faded. The paintwork wasn't too bad though.

I adored the Matchbox Draguar as a kid aged 9. It was so damn cool with that blister and all.

Rummaging in my bits box I found a clear Cornetto topper, which could well make a decent dome.

The cracked original is on the left.

It worked!

The plastic was thin enough for me to squeeze into an oval, which under tension, keeps itself in position!

A little red Sharpie and some fresh chroming and Draguar lives again!

Did you have one readers?

A FAB1 GOOGLEWACK

Years ago a single hit on Google was called a Googlewack. The name stuck with me and now and then I find one.

Here's another; contained within this superb Fab1 article on the ever-informative Dinky Toys TV and Space site is mention of a rare FAB1 custom model car made in 1982.

https://dinkytvspace.com/100-lady-penelopes-fab-1/

Its about two thirds down in the rarities and oddities section talking about two gold hand-made FAB1's. One is shown and another non-gold normal model is also shown on the company box. It looks amazing and a bit like a JR21 toy FAB1 but more detailed.

Anyways I wont say the name of the company, S, or the model maker, DM* and FAB1 in the same sentence as that would explode the Googlewack!

* I have read separately that DM was previously the Marketing Director at Dinky Meccano before setting up his own model company, S.

ED'S TRAINS-FORMERS!

Woodsy and Gang,

Never having been into Transformers much, I still ended up with a couple:

I bought Hubcap because it resembled a '40s era car and was the right size for my train layout. Lockdown was an impulse buy and doesn't actually fold out or transform. It's a cheap version of the Transformer's line.

Do you collect them?

From Vegas Base

Hasbro 2009 #C-3138A Transformers Scout Class - Hubcap

Hasbro 2010 #10961 Transformers - Lockdown

THE LONG AND SHORT OF IT: MATCHBOX BACKING CARDS

It has been difficult to get Matchbox toys in New Zealand for many years, and Hot Wheels are far more common. Only a few shops carry any, and then only a fraction of the range.

Two of my major sources are The Warehouse chain (a lot like Woolworths once was, before the name became attached only to supermarkets); and the Farmers department stores. For some bizarre reason The Warehouse sell their basic Matchbox models on normal blister cards (like Hot Wheels), but the Farmers sell them in little cardboard boxes, with glued-down end flaps.

In some counties Matchbox models can also be found on short cards, which do not seem to have made it to New Zealand. The actual models are the same, only the packaging is different.

The Morris Minor Saloon first appeared in 2023, but this green version is a 2024 model. There is also a 1956 Morris Minor tourer (convertible), which dates back to 2022.

I have no idea why the packaging varies this way. Hot Wheels do not, although you do get long and short card versions of the same models in different shops.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

FERRY INTERESTING! THE LTV CONNECTION

Looking up the aviation designers of the concept behind the above pictured Project SWORD Nuclear Ferry toy, Ling Temco Voight, [first discovered here by Wotan in 2009] I realised that their name can be shortened to LTV.

Looking up LTV brought me to the Scalemates site and I was amazed just how many LTV-based planes there were/are!

https://www.scalemates.com/search.php?fkSECTION%5B%5D=All&q=LTV*

Are LTV a company you're aware of readers?

Monday, 29 January 2024

STAND BY FOR ACTION! STINGRAY RETURNS TO UK TV

Here's a marine heads up.

Talking Pictures TV, here in the UK will be screening Gerry & Sylvia Anderson's Stingray TV series beginning Saturday 2nd March at 15.00 hrs.

Manifestly Lengthy

The missus and me are just a few episodes from the end of the US TV show Manifest. It's been a bumpy but compulsive flight!

There are 62 episodes in total. It's been a big investment of time but hey, it's winter in the UK and evening binge watching is cozy in our warm telly room with our tea.

The longest series we've box-watched was Silent Witness during Lockdown. 22 seasons I think. It was a mammoth auropsy!

Not sure what we'll watch next. Long series are a lot of fun.

The X-Files could be continued and there are over 1200 episodes of Dark Shadows!

Our daughter and hub have just finished Star Trek Next Gen and moved onto Voyager. Unsure where they'll go after that. Deep Space 9?

Are you watching a big box set or long series readers?

Out and About

I saw these bits and bobs on recent trips out.

Anything you like?

Tons of books on diesel and steam trains. And how to scrap them!

Loads of old annuals. I see tons of these in charities and second hand shops. This one had a nice run of Lion from the Sixties. Do you collect annuals?

Don't know this grim fellow among the nursery toys.

And among the soundtrack Laps the Odessa File. I remember the actor. He was in Peeping Tom. Can't think of his name. I think there's an Odessa File board game as well. Do you collect spy soundtracks or games or books?

This Disney collectables display was super impressive in a Malton shop. Disney toys area vast collecting area. Do you collect them?

And only yesterday I snapped up this Gen1 Transformer. Incomplete but lovely. Do you collect Transformers?

Did You Rush Home from School?

My Grandson Junior told me today that he can't wait to get home from school to carry on sorting through his Pokémon cards.

I remember that feeling so well, rushing home after school to do my own stuff and projects. The joy of youth.

Did you wait all day at School readers to get home and do your own thing? WhAt did you do?

A Birthday Card from Tony K ( posted late by Woodsy!)

Tony sent this on time but I was asleep on the job and missed it!

Apols.

BONSAI BOXCAR

Once more the minute work of the Japanese mesmerises me. Look at this gorgeous miniature train layout on top of a wooden box! What do you think?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nwsjx9ndG0

Sunday, 28 January 2024

ED SPACE: DOME SWEET DOME

Woodsy's terrific Moonbase HQ build has re-kindled my long dormant desire to do something with the stuff laying around here. But I digress.

Many years ago, I bought several clear acrylic domes with the intent that I could somehow use them in just such an effort. They are around 10" outside diameter and I did in fact use them in a quickie space toy photo shoot back in 2016.

In that set-up, larger toys were used as my SpaceX/Golden Astronaut collection was still in its fledgling stages. I have been wondering what purpose these could serve in a diorama featuring the smaller 1/72-ish scale figures and accessories. A couple of things came to mind:

-they could house equipment

-as small 'parks' or recreation areas. Moonbaser's would enter the dome through a hatch and there would be plants, walkways, benches. Yeah, I know that sounds a bit Earthy but it's just a wild idea.

-perhaps just a nice viewing area with a little more elbow room than the modules like an atrium?

I'm open for ideas!

From Vegas Base