Mystery Radar Car

Cruising Worthpoint I found another mystery amidst the many spaceships -

The white radar tank like vehicle on the left. What is that?

Yellow Mystery Fellow

Seen on Worthpoint,  What's that mystery yellow vehicle at the bottom left?

Any clue?

Hover Bovver

 Checking old auctions it was nice to see these distant cousins of SpaceX and Golden Astronaut, the Hover space range.

Years ago, we saw them boxed on MC.

Bottom is the loose Space Car and mid right is the space glider.

Not often seen, has anyone got any Hover toys like this?

RE-INFORCED! THE STORY OF KENNER'S RECYCLED STAR WARS TOYS

Even if you're not a Star Wars fan this is interesting for toy collectors generally.

Long time Star wars collector and writer Ron Salvatore has torn apart the Falcon to find all the Star Wars toys that Kenner up- and re- cycled. It looks old and I've no idea when it was written but I liked it a lot.

For instance, did you know that the Kenner Gamorrean Guard became their Friar Tuck? Me neither!

Its a fascinating story, so have a shufty.

http://theswca.com/images-speci/recycle/ 

I also found Ron's bio page really quite poignant, talking about his Mom and Dad and those gloriously free days of our childhoods. Even though I'm much older and British, it struck a chord, which I imagine is universal.

http://theswca.com/ron.html

Have you come across Ron Salvatore before?

U N I V E R S E : the 1960 short film that is said to have inspired Stanley Kubrick

This is new to me and a revelation.

https://aeon.co/videos/prelude-to-the-space-age-the-1960-film-that-inspired-2001-a-space-odyssey

Shown on the Aeon website, this was originally on the National Film Board of Canada's website.

To quote Aeon:

Universe also altered the course of cinema’s evolution: the film’s masterful cinematography and groundbreaking animation inspired Stanley Kubrick when he was researching his own space-traversing masterpiece, 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968). Kubrick even borrowed the voice of Universe’s narrator, Douglas Rain, for the iconic role of HAL 9000.

What do you think readers?

Station to Station

 I've always liked the rare three-legged space station by LP or Lik Be seen here top right in Wotan Bill's old collection.

It's composition is described in detail by Bill n MC and our friend Paul V's Triang SpaceX site (link to site in the labels below)

Such a cool and simple thing, I love the two flat circular platforms the most.

Another structure with circles are these futuristic buildings with Saturn-like rings on the old cover of the US Tarheel Project SWORD catalogue.

Here it is in close up. Again, simple but effective.

The busy cover brings to mind a Worlds Fair like this artwork for Seattle in 1962 with it's iconic double-ringed needle.

Or Mike Trim's Car Vu, with those spiral ramps and the saucer tops, seen in the first episode of Captain Scarlet, where an SPV drives to the top!

Another rare toy is the card space-port tower found on the back of the Golden Astronaut gift pack described again on Paul's fabulous Triang SpaceX  site ( the only place I've ever seen it).

In close-up it's a central spike topped with another ring structure and a final smaller ring like the LP station.

Again it recalls the Seattle Century 21 Needle

Or even the Tracy Island roundhouse from Century 21's Thunderbirds, seen here being worked on by Mike Trim back in the day.

Another Century 21 building I like is this yellow Century 21 Toys, where Agent21 gets all his deadly gadgets in TV21.

That huge glass sweeping front could be straight off the pavillion at New Yorks World Fair in 1964.

My final sweeping structure is this excellent building and skyway on the box of Bichi's Carlos V Batmobile released in South America.

There is a black and white sweeping cityscape with FAB1 too but I can't find it.

Can you think of any circular space stations, ringed towers or sweeping future scapes you like readers?

MYSTERY AMPHIBIOUS TRUCK

 This mystery vehicle is in my photo archive. I've no idea what it is.

Have you readers?

THOSE PUPS JUST KEEP ROLLING THEIR EYES

 Years ago my friend Paul V discovered that LP Lik Be re-used their toy puppy eyes as space domes. You can read about this fascinating discovery on his fab SpaceX website.

https://www.triangspacextoys.info/SpGAderv/LPHK/LPhkSmTy/LPdomes/LPdomes.html

Those domes are a mindworm. I just cant help coming across rolling dog dome eyes. I've spoken about blow moulds before and here's another one in the US, a large ball visible underneath that propels the pooch along.

This is a big puppy at 12 inches long, much bigger than the LP Space Dog but the same principle.

Paul V has just found one of these doggies pictured in a French Sitap toy catalogue too!

Can you spot any dome eyes readers? Keep your eyes peeled.

Let me know.

Will's Kitmaster Fireball XL5 Restoration

Hi Woodsy. 

My restoration of the Kitmaster Fireball XL5 is nearly complete. 

The decals are reproduction ones , the observation dome is the cockpit glass from a Yak 15 kit .....

 but I haven't found anything that will do for the glass on fireball junior yet!

 Any suggestions would be welcome. 

Will O

UK

THE JO TEK THUNDERBIRD 3 MYSTERY

 

This is an odd one, the JO TEK Thunderbird 3 toy on a very basic blister card.

 All I know is that I saw it listed in Budapest. Does that mean its a Hungarian Thunderbirds toy?

Anyone know?

IT'S RIGGED!

This CLIM extravaganza is a classic multi-wheeled monster.

Interestingly, the listing on Spain's Todocoleccion suggests that the red driver cab is somehow linked to a Star Wars Mini Rig!

What do you think?

Here's two I saw on Ebay.

Is it the MTV-7?

or ISP-6?

More Home-Made Lincoln Monsters: The Bride of Frankenstein and Dracula's Daughter

 Continuing with my custom Lincoln Victim project, I've had a crack at two more DIY figures.

The Bride of Frankenstein and Dracula's Daughter.

Not the same dolls as the Victim. I can't find my spare Mod Misses.

These are old Rexard Queens I had hanging round. No professional tailor this time though.

I may do a Mummy too.

What do you reckon readers? 

The Phantom

The prototype costumed superhero, Lee Falk's The Phantom debuted in comics in February 1936.

The character fought his baddies from his cave in the fictitious African state of Bangalla and had done for hundreds of years, the first Phantom pre-dating even Christopher Columbus.

The iconography of The Phantom is in some instances ancient. His Skull ring, reserved for villains, was said to be made from the nails that crucified Jesus Christ!

Kit Walker is the 21st Phantom and as a comic character has enjoyed huge comic success, being printed in many parts of the world.

Merchandise is easy to find online and one of my favourites is part of the rack toy boom of the mid-1970's, Larami's The Phantom Jungle Play Set.

You can enjoy many more Phantom toys, some right up to date, online here on this excellent pictorial fan site:

https://thephantom.fan/collectibles/toys/

Have you any?

MYSTERY GLASWEGIAN SCULPTOR PHOTOGRAPH

 An odd one this, even for MC; on one of our summer car boot trips a stallholder was giving away hundreds of random old prints collected over years. This is the one I liked as it seemed interesting, although it is a mystery as to who is on it.

 [It sort of reminded me of an old horror movie, Bucket of Blood, about a beatnik sculptor maniac!].

This mystery print shows a sculptor at work with a man sitting and another man watching.  The sculptor has a distinct Zapata moustache and goatee beard.

The back of the print is what I assume to be the photographer's address in Glasgow.

Can anyone shed any light on this old monochrome print?

Landmaster, Ark II, Hot Lines and the Moon Bus

 I really like all these vehicle designs.

Long and sleek. Which is your favourite?

Damnation Alley's Landmaster

How Wheels Hot Lines

Ark II

2001 Moon Bus [Matte Shot]

THREE COOL TOYS

Arto in Helsinki Base has sent me a few links to three neat vintage toys he's spotted on Ebay this year.

First up is this interesting Space 2001 racing car like the Bluebird record breaker. There were a number of Bluebirds released in the Sixties but this 2001 branded version is new to the blog.

Here's the 1984 JETHRO ZX USAF Space Station Interceptor Rocket Ship by Gata Box Ltd. Arto has pointed out its similarities to the Zero-X nose cone in both shape and name.

Last but not least, the beautiful YT Space Bird, the Japanese version of the Project SWORD Probe Force 3 toy. I initially thought the nose cone was grey but I think I can see small fragments of red paint around it.

What do you think of these toys readers? Would they be nice on Christmas morning under the tree?

KEVIN'S NEW BLAKES 7 TOY SPACESHIP

Got the 3rd one of the 4 Jotastar Cosmic Strikeforce ships.

Kevin

UK

Only one to go now!

RAZORBACK: MISSED AGAIN!

I missed it again! Razorback, the Oz shocker that our very own Looey worked on!

It was showing earlier this month at The Leeds Weird of Oz segment of the Film Festival and I didn't know!

Still on my bucket list!

LINCOLN'S SPARK

 

This space plane design surfaced allover the place back in the day. Most well-known is the Blue Box version and it also emerged as a Blakes 7 space toy seen on MC before.

One of my favourite variations is this Lincoln International rendition. The rear fins are longer and the whole look is sleeker.

The sparking Space Patrol.

Have you got one?