JETGARRY! WOW!

 Further Japanese brilliance! 

Sheer genius!

Betamax Lives!

Being a fan of old film tech I was sorely tempted by this vintage Sony Betamax VCR I saw in Shipley. 

Looking like something out of a space station it was huge too. The price of £100 was more than I could justify as well. I have very few Betamax tapes.

A gorgeous thing.

Do you like it? Have you any old tech like this?

S T A R C O N D O R

 I've been browsing Japanese language toy sites. The sheer breadth of incredible vehicle design is staggering.

I'll post a few that caught my eye, like this fabulous thing with Skyship 1 wheels. 

I think the name says Starcondor.

What do you think?

A World Before VHS - 8mm Movies

Hi Woodsy,

Here is a look at the world of 8mm home movies, from the days before videotape. Mostly silent, black and white, and heavily cut down.

It does mention the more risque side of the 8mm world, including the 'under the counter' titles. However, most are regular movies, shorts, and cartoons, in various lengths.

Often a single film would be cut up, and made in to several different 8mm releases, each under a different title. Lots of great old artwork from the box tops.

The prices are impressive – collecting these films was only for the dedicated. As I have said before, I did not even know this world existed in the 1960s and 1970s, and never saw any of these 8mm movies in New Zealand.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DOpbDNOYgY

Paul Adams from New Zealand

*

Do you collect 8mm, Super 8 or Cinefilms readers?

Elementary TV

 I caught The Hound of the Baskerville's on TV last night. It's one of my favourite Victorian gothic tales and a stroke of genius by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

It's mix of science, moorland, tors, murk and the supernatural is simply fantastic and I watch at least one version every Christmas.

Last night's was the modernish Roxburgh Hart one from 2002 and second only to the Cushing Hammer horror version in my mind. 

Having said that there are 20 odd versions of the Hound's tale on film and TV, most of which have eluded me, including the early Basil Rathbone film, which I've never seen either. That's something I need to sort out this new year.

For me, the Watson character, that Ian Hart plays in the 2002 flick, holds real allure. He's an unattached man of action - unlike me! - and will turn his hand to anything. He also wears fabulous Tweedy trousers and jackets, eats posh nosh constantly and carries all sorts of gear a bit like Batman! Telescope, binoculars and even a revolver, which is always unusual, seeing a British man with a gun! Yes, I can see myself being Watson in another life! 

How about you? Holmes, Watson, Mortimer or Stapleton?

Checking the Radio Times I see that the Christopher Plummer Sherlock vehicle, Murder by Decree, is on tonight here in Blighty. 9pm Legend Xtra, sadly a channel, Freeview 69, which I cannot get, despite re-tuning the telly. Doh!

I'll see if it's on Prime. 

Do you like Sherlock Holmes films readers?

More Unidentified Toys!

Unidentified! Help!

 Another batch from my big Christmas rummage pile, these are all unidentified.

Any ideas readers? 

Identity Parade

 My daughter and Grandkids got me a big bundle of vintage toy parts for Christmas., "cos they know I just love to rummage and ID stuff.

I've started to identify a few.

Top: Baby Godzilla, Multimac, Tomy Hammerhead

Middle: TMNT bombs, Graded Grains Airfix, Hercules Lance, Japanese tin hovercraft

Bottom: GI Joe radio, Fisher Price castle boulder, STAR Force skidoo, Gobots A1, Tomy Zoid, Z Bot.

There's tons I can't ID already so I'll post them soon.

Bill's Christmas Sack!

Mish's Christmas Haul!

Glimpses of Christmas

 

Hope you're all enjoying the Christmas holidays readers.

Send us pics of what you got from Santa.

Morinaga of Japan

This beautiful set of Morinaga premiums was on auction recently. It was dear, too dear for me, but it is a gorgeous and pristine group.

I've owned the little blue Zero-X for about 15 years now. It came in a small Morinaga candy carton. Mine's built up and I did enjoy photographing it at the time, probably the most detailed of all the Zero-X miniatures available.

As with most vintage bits of Andersonalia like this I first came across it in Dennis Nicholson's brilliant book on collecting Gerry Anderson toys back in 1996, in which the Morinagas feature and included small, albeit black and white, photos but photos of these treasures nonetheless.

Do you own any Morinagas readers? 

This Year's Ghost

 Whilst overnighting in Shipley Travelodge on Christmas Eve night we caught this year's BBC Ghost Story for Christmas, The Room in the Tower.

Horror connoisseur Mark Gatiss, who attended the former Bretton College up the road in Wakefield, has for years done a stirling job keeping this treasured old BBC staple alive and despite me falling asleep half way through on account of manifold festive drinks earlier, I saw enough of The Room in the Tower to appreciate the effort put in and thought the final moment truly horrific!

With the loss of the brilliant series Inside No.9 starring fellow Brettonians Reece Sheersmith and Steve Pemberton, there's only really Gatiss's Ghost Stories flying the flag for new BBC horror. It's slim pickins these days, so I'll have to reacquaint myself with those old BBC Christmas spirits from previous years, as I'm sure there's an omnibus on the TV one night this Christmas. If not, I've got them all on DVD.

In the meantime, there's this fabulous BFI post about the locations of the original BBC Ghost Stories, mostly based on the tales of the superb M.R. James:

Ghost Stories for Christmas: how TV’s most haunting locations look today | BFI https://share.google/0BGTnezq1EgOKBsRD

So mesmerizing were and are the BBC Ghost Stories for Christmas that I've done the very same thing myself and visited at least one location in the past and blogged about it at the time: 

MOONBASE CENTRAL: A MORNING FOR THE CURIOUS https://share.google/9MSGSbsLjWhFkvBTi

Do you like these BBC TV films readers?

I truly hope Mark Gatiss and company keep this old thing alive and kicking.

For now though, newness will have its wicked way, as we settle down with a plate of Christmas leftovers and appreciate the latest offering from the global American phenomenon that is Stranger Things.

Having really enjoyed all the Stranger Things series a few years back, the Missus and me were excited about the new series shown this November after the shows long hiatus.

Despite having all the very familiar elements - Eleven, the Upside Down etc - we came away having watched those four latest episodes feeling underwhelmed.

It seemed a bit of a mess to us. 

Still, there's this Christmas's installment so maybe all will be redeemed when the Demigorgon visits again!

From Under The Christmas Tree

 Father Christmas's sack was full again this year.

Santa, my family and friends pulled out all the festive stops and treated me handsomely on my birthday and Christmas. 

Tons of ace books; Vipco VHS, a pulp horror digest and three tomes missing from my 1970's martial arts collection ( thanks Bill!) 

Paperbacks from Missus Moonbase; Chernobyl, Ghormenghast, The Vardi and more. Christmas shirt stories from my older brother too. 

My daughter and son in law got me this spiffing Scalextric FAB1 in its superb case. 

The Grandkids got me these cool Supertoys spaceships.

My daughter and her kids got me a huge box full of old toy parts and small toys, which I've yet to fully explore. Great fun to come!

And last but not least, some if my fave drinky poos from family and friends: Marsala, Port, Frangelico and Amarula.

I also received some Old Jamaica chocolate from my old friend Evil Ed, who kindly sends me the wonderful sweet fave of mine every year.

What did you get for Christmas readers? 

The Day After Christmas

 Well this is Boxing Day and what are you doing?

Always an odd one, like Sunday after a Saturday and despite the ecclesiastical Yuletide season lasting until Candlemass, for many now Christmas is over by Boxing Day.

It's still festive but true Christmas has been and gone I feel.

This year, for the Missus and me, Boxing Day is a day of rest after a particularly jolly family Christmas Eve and Day at our daughter's house in Thackley, eating, singing, opening prezzies and playing games. 

It wasn't always a day of rest though.

As a kid in the Sixties, Boxing Day was a much bigger family affair than Christmas itself, as all the various branches of the clan, the five families, descended on my parents' house in Preston to eat, play, dance, talk and grown-up drink. Lots of drink! 

Looking back I don't know how my Mum pulled it off. She must have been knackered already after getting everything ready for 5 children on Christmas Eve, cooking for 10 on Christmas Day and knocking up a buffet for 30+ on Boxing Day. I'd like to think my Dad helped her. He will have certainly sorted out all the booze at least. I bet Mum couldn't wait for the 27th, when she could put her feet up and watch the Onedin Line again like normal for a few days, before further graft to make New Year happen! That too required further food and drink for neighbours this time, the war generation at last at ease, dancing to Frank Sinatra in the lounge and kissing each other's husbands and wives at midnight, sometimes rather too much as in my Dad's case!

For me the end of the Christmas Season was the mournful sounding of the ships' horns on Preston Docks as the clock struck twelve on News Years Eve, a sound from the past recorded clearly in my child's mind. 

My two older brothers and one older Sister still living in Lancashire do still convene at her house on Boxing Day and probably have continuously since our parents died decades ago, a truly valiant effort to keep the spirit of our Sixties home alive. 

Having moved away young and living abroad, then ultimately settling in Yorkshire a good few hours drive away from Lancashire's coast, I haven't been able to keep up really. 

Seeing my siblings throughout the year anyway,  nowadays I focus on enjoying the season with my wife and our own family here, which in itself requires quite a bit of travel to Shipley or the Dales.

This year, as we are at home slowly getting ready for friends staying for a week as of tomorrow, to celebrate Boxing Day 2025 and the spirit of what it once was for me, I shall be watching Carry on Screaming on the telly soon, it's crazy monster antics so reminding me of my happy monster-filled childhood in the 1960's and early 70's.

We'll be frying tonight! 

What are you doing today readers? Was Boxing Day a big day as a kid for you? 

The Leftovers

It's Boxing Day!

What are you up to readers?

Playing with your new stuff?

Eating another dinner from the Christmas leftovers?

Cold turkey sarnies?

Hope You're Having A Great Xmas!

 Happy Christmas Readers!

All Through The House

Ed's Belated Birthday Card

Auction and Eve

Vectis UK have some great Christmas auctions on. Check these out!

Project SWORD!

Gerry Anderson! Love those Spectrum wellies!

Space vehicles:

Big thumbs up if you can name them all! 

Ed's Christmas Train

Woodsy,

I almost didn't do a train layout for Christmas this year, but the granddaughter insisted. 

I have a 4'x6' platform that I use for these things and sometimes it's raised up on sawhorses with a small 4' tree sitting on top and sometimes - like this year - it's on the floor with the 7' tree sitting on top. 

As the granddaughter insisted that the presents go underneath the tree, that limited the space available for any little village. But no biggie - I have plenty of options for villages. 

This year the large houses were pulled out. I don't have many but when grouped together they form a nice little village square. In addition, I assembled Schreiber bastelbogen paper kit that has been sitting here since we came back from Good Ol' Deutschland back in '91.

Here's a link to my Y'allTube video: 

Our 2025 Christmas Layout featuring RMT's 'North Pole and Snowflake Express" - Pt 2 Out of The Dark

Merry Christmas From Vegas North Pole

Ed