Cheap Sea Diver

 My mate Mark had one of these, so it's a diver I know. 

Blow-moulded and simple, the helmet comes off to reveal a head not hugely dissimilar to Action Man.

I seem to recall it being weighted in the legs.

Is this a diver you know too readers?

Automan Anyone?

 

Now obscure TV shows came and went. For instance I remember Street Hawk and Manimal but this Automan passed me completely by.

He did get his own action figure though. Maybe there's more!

Made by Acamas Toys, it's new to me.

How about you readers? 

Spacextras Not

 More old online auction lots but not sure there's extras here.

I love those big box sets! Anyone got them?

And this caught my eye, a neat article about our favourite miniature space toys in America's Playset magazine. Have you got this readers?

Buck's Invader

 This Buck Rogers Invader is new to me. It's a saucer with a motor and the box claims it can spin hundreds of feet into space! 

A mix of toy and rocketry! 

Anyone ever had one?

WASP SPEARHEAD BOMBER

 Some photos of my WASP ‘Spearhead’ bomber, as seen in Gerry & Sylvia Anderson’s TV series, Stingray.

The model is a fairly simple build and uses a 1:72 scale Italeri Convair B-58 Hustler kit, which needs little alteration. Of course, the most obvious change is 3 of it’s 4 turbojet engines are attached to the tail fin rather than the wings, along with the addition of a couple of forward canards made from plastic card. There are a couple of subtle changes; The fins on the under fuselage weapons pod needed to be repositioned, and I left the plastic glass out of the rear cockpit windows. When the landing gear is fitted, the fold down doors are left off.

The position of the engines, often a point of debate for the more pedantic aircraft enthusiasts who forget it’s fictional, means the model needs to be weighted towards the front, otherwise it will just tip back.

I added a large ‘W’ under the starboard wing. I can’t say for sure whether the filming props had that, as my screen captures of the aircraft viewed from below showed something that could be a ‘w’, but wasn’t at all clear. Nevertheless, I like the look. I’ve noted some modellers have also added a large’ W’ on top of the port wing, but I decided against that.

The model is painted in Hycote gunmetal, and Revell matt yellow, followed by some light weathering. After applying the Letraset lettering and some of the supplied decals, the model was finally sprayed with a matt sealer.

I did make a Spearhead bomber using a similar kit, some 35 years ago, when my reference material was a bit thin on the ground. I sprayed that one silver, and for the yellow detailing I used pale matt yellow enamel paint.

The original studio models were made from Aurora 1:76 scale Hustler kits. As these are long out of production, the Italeri kit is a cheaper and much easier to find alternative.

I'm told that they may have also used Revell and Lindberg kits, too. 

Around a dozen Spearhead models were produced for Stingray, some in flying mode and some with landing gear fitted.

The models were built by studio model makers, Richard “Eric” Backman, and Ezra Dearing (born William Jones). Both worked on several of the Anderson’s productions. Eric had already worked on the Anderson’s previous puppet series, Fireball XL5. Ezra was in his mid fifties when he worked on Stingray, making him one of the oldest people to have worked for the studio.

In the series the Spearhead jet squadrons are used as multi-task aircraft. Apart from their main role as a vertical take-off jet bombers, they can double as V.I.P. passenger transporters, as well as able to participate in search and rescue operations.

As they are seen in the opening titles, the Spearhead jet squadron appear in every episode of Stingray. They feature in the opening episode story as aerial search aircraft.

In ‘Emergency Marineville’ two Spearhead aircraft bomb Baul Island, a base used by undersea aliens, Nucella and Chidora, who have launched several surprise missile attacks on Marineville.

In ‘Pink Ice’, a Spearhead bomber, complete with a WASP Arrowhead fighter escort is used to transport Comr. Shore from WASP HQ in Washington back to Marineville.

In ‘A Nut for Marineville’, the eccentric Professor Burgoyne is tasked to develop a new nosecone for Stingray’s sting-missiles, and is flown to Marineville aboard an executive Spearhead bomber.

Using the Convair B-58 Hustler, as a basis for the WASP Bomber was arguably, a good choice. It was without doubt, a sleek, and capable looking aircraft, very advanced and had not long entered operational service as a state-of-the-art Nuclear bomber when Stingray was being produced.

The B-58 was the fastest bomber at that time, capable of Mach 2 (1375 mph) at high altitude, and had a range of 5115 miles, combining fuel from it’s internal and it’s under-fuselage fuel pod.

It could fly for up to 18 hours carrying a payload of up to six nuclear weapons to any target on the globe.

B-58 Hustlers appear as fictitious ‘Vindicator’ bombers in the 1964 Cold War thriller, Fail Safe, and later, the 2000 made-for-TV remake.

It was, however a difficult aircraft to fly, and cost a fortune to maintain. It entered service during March, 1960, and was retired just ten years later, in January, 1970.

https://mikeburrowsphotography.co.uk/

SpaceXtras

 It's always fascinating what extras you get with boxed toys.  SpaceX is a good example. 

Here's two boxes I saw on auction with extras.

Can you spot the extra bits readers? 

I once got a SpaceX Nuclear Ferry in a boxed set of Apollo Moon Exploring toys. I was so thrilled!

Have you ever got any extras readers?

Japanese Odyssey

We've seen Japanese 2001 toys on MC before including the striped carded spacecraft, but I'm unsure if we've seen this one (seen on auction).

It looks fabulous and the Zero-X blue plastic is awesome.

Anyone got one or anything like it? 

Junior's Lego

 The Grandson Junior loves making Lego Minecraft models.

Here are four of his latest creations.

See what you think.

This sword is from small beads rather than Lego.

PLANES

I picked these up last month, a bundle of old metal planes and copters.

The green jet is Japanese tinplate, the rest are cast metal.

The small headless plane at the bottom is a cap banger I think.

Most of the cast models have the names of the planes on the undercarriage.

An interesting bunch.

A Look of Total Terra

 I'm not a Terrahawks fan - I simply didn't see it as I lived abroad at the time - but I appreciate the effort that went into designing the neat fleet.

So distinct are they and so orange, that its easy spotting the Bandai Popy toys from the show when on a car boot stall.

Bingo!

I picked these two up for a pound each. Not complete, they've since made two proper Terrahawks fans happy via eBay! 

Are they vehicles and toys you like readers? 

New Bullycan SpaceX Aircraft Carrier Labelling

 Recently seen on a Spanish auction, this bagged Bullycan plastic aircraft carrier has headers not seen on MC before.

Of interest to SpaceX and Golden Astronaut fans, the red planes are copies of the Hawk.

Oddly enough, the label shows a different more elaborate Aircraft Carrier, #3162, with various SpaceX copies on deck.

It's this one, which has appeared on MC before on this 1970 catalogue page.

It's one I have myself in plain white.

The rear of the new label shows the rest of the Bullycan boat range.

Have you anything like this readers?

Kevin's Nuclear Freighter Traffic Light

Hi,

When going through my box of scrap Spacex toys all very battered, I found enough bits to put together a couple of Nuclear Freighters.

 I decided to swap parts over to create a complete yellow one and a green one. 

To complete the traffic lights, I included my red one from the 2005 and Beyond toys.

Cheers,

Kevin

UK

Arto's "Strato Bank" at the Fleamarket

The best find was the metallic savings bank akin to the US Strato Bank. They made those money banks with Finnish bank logos printed on. I have a couple of them from before, but this one was the first with the red plastic ring around the planet still intact.

Hope you like it

Arto 

Helsinki Base

Mystery Train Set

 

I see this plastic train set all over. Usually it's loose and in bits.

This one in a charity shop appears complete.

Anyone recognise it? 

Berwick, Yesteryear and the Mystery Oriental Archer

A recent ramble round the old Roman town of Castleford taught us a lot about Roman life in Northern England but there wasn't much in the charity shops.

I did see this jigsaw puzzle of a car I'm pretty sure I had as a Yesteryear as s kid. But what was it?

I also clocked this boxed draughts set by Berwick, who were a popular toy company when I was a kid. Did you have any Berwick toys? 

The box art screams the 1960's, a graphics style I love. Do you?

And I'm still trying to ID this action dolls dressed in oriental garb, complete with plastic long bow and quiver. He's about 12 inches tall, like an Action Man

 I've a female red ninja too. 

As per usual I should have bought all 8 or so figures the boot sale seller had but I just got the two. Returning to the same stall last week all the other figures had gone. Serves me right! 

There are no makers marks at all in the visible areas.

Any ideas who he is readers?

I Saw Three Flicks

I've seen three flicks this week.

Shazam: Fury of the Gods. A new one for me, number two in the Shazam franchise. I like the look of Shazam more than I like the back story, a red suited Superman with a lightning symbol and an alias to swoon for, one Captain Marvel. What's not to like? For me the adolescent message is too ... Adolescent now I'm 64. Shazam is for younger super hero fans and I bet they love it. The daughters of Atlas give this movie some adult swoosh but I'll leave Billy Batson for the kids.

Flash: mired in his personal complications, Ezra Miller did a decent job of his own movie despite the unpleasantness. I like the Flash character and his desire to fix things I can relate to. The true spark of the film is Michael Keaton though, his reprisal of Batman an injection of genius. It recalled his acclaimed Bird Man too and seeing him again as the Dark Knight is a reminder of just how important Batman the movie was in 1989. I enjoyed the Flash, even Gorgeous George's cameo at the end! 

Seventh Son: I've seen this sword and sorcery flick before and I'm half way through this time. Despite being a box office bomb I like it. Monsters, wizards, witches. It's got the lot. I even like Jeff Bridges' gobstopper voice and Julianne Moore as arch witch...well, enough said!

What are you watching readers?

Brian H's Tudor Rose Find

Woodsy

Here's an interesting carded set of Tudor Rose spacemen. It's the Space Cadet Boy Adventurers set dating from around 1953. It contains three figures, one 72mm figure and two smaller 47mm figures.

I've seen the larger figure before, it's one of the regular Tudor Rose spacemen as shown at the top of the picture, but in forty years of collecting I've never seen or even heard of the existence of the small scale ones. 

The large figure is marked though the smaller ones have no marks. Once they become separated from the card they would be impossible to identify.

You'll find a variation of this card in Blast Off! but it was used as the base of a blister packed set of figures. 

The figures are standing on the card with the blister dome rising over them. 

Most unusual!

All the best

Brian H

Ed's Lionel Butterfinger Boxcar

Woodsy,

Here's a 'sweet' car from Lionel made during their MPC era - an era known for its wide variety of colorful, licensed rolling stock. It's one of many candy-related pieces of rolling stock out in The Cave.

From Candy Land Vegas

Ed

VTech Monster

Another recent one pound special at the local cricket club sale was this VTech beast.

It's massive and heavy.

The fun comes in trying to get it to work. The battery compartment is a mess and filing and scraping are the order of the day.

 

Watch this space! 

Paul's Hot Wheels Butterfingers

Woodsy, you recently mentioned the American Butterfinger chocolate bar, although apparently it is not officially 'chocolate'. The bar was originally made by the Curtiss Candy Company, but is now made by Nestle; and dates back to 1923

.

Hot Wheels have produced several die-cast models based on the Butterfinger bar (and lots of other yummy goodies). So I thought these were worth a quick look.

1996 Mustang GT convertible, from 1998. This one was part of the four-model Sugar Rush series within the Mainline, depicting various US candy bars.

'70 Chevelle SS coupe, from 2002. Part of the four-model Sweet Rides series within the Mainline.

'51 GMC C.O.E. (Cab Over Engine) truck, from 2016. This was part of a six-model Nestle set, within the Pop Culture line - premium models with metal bodies, metal baseplates, and Real Rider Wheels.

'71 Plymouth Satellite station wagon from 2018. Another Pop Culture line devoted to Nestle, but this time containing only five models

Four photographs from Worthpoint.

Paul Adams from New Zealand