Kevin's Chigley Bessie Loco Scratchbiuld

Hi,

Made the steam loco from Chigley. 

 The wheels are inaccurate because I've built it to run on 45mm gauge garden railway track. It will, one day, run in our garden. It is battery powered.

Anyway, I should just make the 6 o'clock whistle if I get a move on.

Kevin

Bodies, Bodies, Bodies

A recent search on ebay for space toys brought up something quite unusual, a small friction powered spaceship which looks very like an early Lifting Body.

Ive never seen this particular toy before and at first assumed it was a russian manufacture, but its clearly labelled ‘Made in Hong Kong’ with a small trademark of ‘CM’.

The overall shape is very reminiscent of early NASA concepts for Re-Entry Glider craft, with the blunt snub nose and wide delta body. The only major difference is the odd pill box like canopy, which belies the streamlined shape. Inside is a small pilot figure, glued firmly into a small ring console.

The body popped open quite easily, as the glue had mostly persished and inside, the friction motor had a small spring, running off a cog, which attaches to a plastic tympanum, to make a roaring sound as the toy is pushed along.

 CM is not a maker ive ever heard of, although Hong Kong toys are littered with mysterious trademarks and stamps. Does it mean anything to you?

Will's Mystery Badge

Hi Woodsy, I Found this lapel badge . I think it’s toy or comic related but really no idea.

 Does anyone know what it is?

Will O

Marky Bats' Thunderbird 4 Clip

Hi Woodsy,

Check out my animation created using the NaukNauk app. This TB4 was a promotional vehicle, 15 feet long, used to advertise the Thunderbirds are Go TV series. The photos were from a newspaper article.

 I hope you enjoy it.

MJ

http://youtube.com/post/UgkxxljefGoSoXeXT3M3jFRin6JwfIgzYJap?si=NPTwy36SB_Js83zq

Anyone for Kensington?

 I'm puzzled about this.

The release date of Kensington was 1979 but I could have sworn I saw it one Christmas at home in the mid-1970's.

I must be getting mixed up. I even thought it was an LP until my older Sister said it was a board game. 

It's not one I've ever played.

You?

Ed's Hover Rover

Woodsy,

Here's a Hover Space Explorer that I guess would fit the bill as a Lunar Rover. This is the one I had in mind when commenting on Bob Aucutt's carded Hover Space Adventure Lunar Rover. Anywho, this be the one 🙂

From Vegas Base

Ed

The Last Tree

I was attempting to Find Stephen Lack's painting Boys in the Last Tree, which I couldn't, but I find this amazing sculpture elsewhere by Will Ferreira.

See what you think.

Will O's Wonderful Watches

 Time to Dare!

I Predict a R.I.O.T! I don't know my Acronyms from my Elbow!

In the '90's I had a vintage toy 'shop' in my cellar. It was my toy stock room for my mail oder business and also a 'shop' for a few personal callers.

Two of my nephews came one day and I said (foolishly?) choose whatever you want! 🤣

I remember the older one picking a boxed tank.

Now memory is a funny thing. I could have sworn that tank was from a range called R.A.T.S.

I also recall a die-cast soldier with a beer belly and a beard in the box too.

Looking it up, it ain't R.A.T.S.

Turns out it's R I.O.T!

RIOT verses Strike Force in full.

Released by IDEAL, I thought I'd check in on that bearded portly trooper too.

Turns out he's called Harley and the range was 1981's EAGLE FORCE ... By MEGO!

But hang on a minute! Here's EAGLE FORCE vs. R I O.T by MEGO. I thought R.I.O.T was by IDEAL!

And just when you thought the eagle had finally landed, along came another brand, which I can't even read!

And I'm sure I've seen a Rainbow toys version!

Next 'll be an Eagle Force Vs. Strike Force header too by MEGODEAL! 🤣

Anyone come across any of this stuff? What's going on?

Amazingly my nephew, now grown up, still has his R.I.O.T tank! 

I want it back! Ha ha! 

Cards on the Table

Too young to have collected them at the time, I was recently talking about Civil War News with my older brothers, who did collect them back when they were kids in the Sixties.

My only real experience of these American gum cards was as a collector and toy dealer.

 I first came across them in the early 1990's in a TV ToY Zone catalogue from Andy Foley - I adored those catalogues and they were my springboard - and I went on to buy a complete set in an ABC album for £60 from a fellow collector, Alex B. 

This full set was fabulous and came complete with a superb set of paper bank notes i.e. confederate money (I think it was confederate).

The odd thing is, neither of my brothers could recall these bank notes. I wonder if they were unusual in the UK or maybe even rare? Then again they may well have been mail-ins and only available to kids who sent in whatever. 

Does anyone know about the Civil War News bank notes? Where there any other sidelines to the cards? 

As a footnote, I was amazed to hear one of my brothers mention the gory aliens cards from the same period. He meant Mars Attacks! I was stunned that they were around long enough in the UK to have become known by kids. Then again, I did find a full set at a car boot sale, so they were around here in Blighty. I wonder how far across the globe they went and for how long? 

Did you have any Mars Attacks cards? 

Flying a Kite

It's windy where I am and it got me thinking about kites.

I remember plastic kites shaped like eagles and of course the classic kite shaped ones, but to be honest, kites were incidental in my childhood. Tested on occasion on holiday beaches and often failing watching the things writhe on the wet sand.

I used to buy any TV related kites I found in packets at boot sales. A-Team and Thundercats spring to mind, which I sold on. Not really kite flying though.

A few years back we visited a local kite festival on a hill in Heath and I have to admit it was spectacular. It helped that the people knew what they were doing! Huge Dragons, birds, shapes, streamers, - it revealed a whole new exciting world of kiting.

Have you flown kites readers? Where? Are you still keen on kites? Is Autumn the best time? 

Kevin's Terrahawks Zeroids

 Hi,

At the risk of winding people up, here are my Terrahawks scratchbuilds. Sorry, but they are all of cute robots.

The small Zeroid perch is an original prop. It is from the cockpit of Treehawk.

Stroll on

Kevin

Drop it Down the Chimney

I was fascinated to see the old Haunted House board game I loved as a kid being recycled as a later Ghostbusters game! 

Is it a game you had, in any form? 

Dekkertoys Space Tent Mystery

Hello,

I hope you don't mind me getting in touch. I'm trying to identify a rather obscure Dekkertoys space toy from my childhood, and having found Moonbase Central and your coverage of Dekkertoys space toys, I thought you might be just the person to ask.

I've attached the only photograph I've been able to find of it. I had one of these as a child and believe I received mine for my sixth birthday in 1982.

It was a large silver vinyl space capsule/play structure. It wasn't a conventional framed play tent. The main structural uprights, the tubes/poles around the base and the roof structure were all inflatable, and the rest was made from vinyl. The black horizontal ribbing visible in the photograph was printed decoration rather than part of the inflatable structure.

I'm trying to establish its official Dekkertoys product name, catalogue/model number, when it was manufactured and sold, its original price and, ultimately, whether any examples are known to survive.

I've been unable to find another example online despite quite a bit of searching.

I noticed that you've featured Dekkertoys space toys belonging to Will Osborne. If you don't recognise this yourself, I wondered whether Will might recognise it or know anything about it.

I'd be enormously grateful for any information or leads you can provide. It would be fantastic to finally put a proper name and history to something I remember so well from childhood — and I'd absolutely love to find a surviving one one day.

Many thanks,

Tim R

*

And mine and Bill's research:

Woodsy:

Argos No.20 1983 Autumn/Winter

Published on Oct 18, 2014 By Retromash

*

Bill:

Newspaper archive,

 advert from Argos Stores in 1981, which lists a 'Dekkertoys Play House'.

Pez Wolfman: A Howling Success!

As Halloween crawls towards us ( it should be a national holiday) I've got werewolves on the brain.

I've often wondered if the eye wateringly collectable Pez Wolfman had a bespoke head.

Was it from the Aurora Wolfman kit?

Nope. What about the Sixties monster pencil toppers?

Nope. Looks like Pez made their own.

A modernish Wolfman head was released in 1991. Would it be PeZable?

In fact they'd all look good on Pez cartridges.

Do you have a wolfman's head?

Do you own any monster Pez?

Will's Mate's Badge

 Hi Woodsy. 

My mate Colin Goudie popped in to see me today ( film editor: Rogue One etc) . He was wearing this badge , so I took a picture as it was similar to some that have appeared recently on the blog. 

Will O

UK

Commenting Issues?

Current Stateside model contributor Philip G is unable to leave comments here at all.

Is anyone else experiencing issues leaving comments?

The blog is set to receive all comments, even anonymous ones, without any Captcha filters or anything.

If you once had issues commenting then please let us know how you solved it? Using a different device? Joining Google? 

Thanks,

Woodsy

KRAVEN

I remember Kraven, the big fur-wearing Hunter on old Marvel comics covers.

Not really knowing the Kraven origin story I was intrigued enough to watch the recent Marvel TSG movie of the same name last night in Netflix.

Having been disappointed by other fringe Marvels and DCs - Morbius, Black Adam, Shazam to name three - my hopes weren't high. But, I like B-list heroes and villains getting their day in the sun, whether it be toys, games, series or films.

I recognised the lead in Kraven from the Brian Cranston Godzilla flick - he was the expressionless soldier son - and I wasn't heartened. He'd got himself jacked up for the part, but somehow he didn't seem fierce. He moved like Wolverine yet lacked Wolvie's wildness. He was just too nice. He lacked teeth.

The Rhino was interesting and for me a first in film. I loved the character as a kid watching Spiderman cartoons in the Sixties. We should have seen more of the Rhino and less of the smiling actor.

The other characters - his Dad ( was that Russell Crowe?) and the Niles Frasier-like brother - were incidental fluff really, the main interest being Kraven and Calypso, a character new to me. 

I read Kraven was a huge financial failure and critical disaster, which is a shame for Marvel.

These lesser heroes and villains have a hard time in the cinema.

Let's hope this month's Clayface fares better for DC.

Have you seen Kraven?

The Tensyoudo FAB1

This is the Japanese FAB1 Model by TENSYOUDO, on eBay for almost a cool £2K! I'm not sure of the scale.

I now have something similar, if not better, for a fraction of that. 

To be revealed!

Philip's Luna Spaceship Diorama

Woodsy,

First of all, thanks to everyone who commented on my miniature LP Hong Kong Mercury Capsule diorama. The kind words are appreciated. I am more of a model builder instead of toy collector, but Woodsy has graciously invited me to share some space modelling subjects that some of you may find interesting or entertaining.

Phillip G

Finished Photos of 1/48 Scale Luna Spaceship Diorama From the 1950 Movie Destination Moon

Photos of Masterpiece Models1/48 scale spaceship Luna diorama from the 1950 USA Movie Destination Moon. 

 The movie told the story of mans first attempt to reach the moon by rocket and it was the second major motion picture made about manned space travel. 

 Honestly, the acting in the movie is poor and the story line is weak, but the science behind the space flight is based in fact (for what was known at the time). 

 It is pretty entertaining and won an American Academy Award for Best Special Effects. Most importantly it gave us a very cool rocket design named Luna, which looks pretty much like a glorified German V-2 missile. 

 This is a very large kit with the rocket being 37 tall. This is the same size as the two main miniatures used in the movie. The kit consisted of only six resin pieces, with one of those being the lunar base! The astronaut figures are 3D Printings I purchased from Shapeways.com. 

 All the miscellaneous exploration ground equipment was either scratch-built or came from my spare parts stash. The lunar surface and astronauts were given a multicolor paint finish to match what was seen in the movie. 

 The finished product is simple but still eye-popping due to its size and attractive lines. I am not 100% sure but I believe the French Tin-Tin Spaceship books and products are based on the Destination Moon spacesuits and Luna spaceship design. 

 The last photo shows me kneeling beside the diorama to show how large it is. I hope you enjoyed the photos.

You're Badgering Me! Space Pins and Badges

 Talking about the Project SWORD badge ranks the other day reminded me of the one rank that SWORD shares with SpaceX toys ...

... Commander.

I often wondered if SpaceX meant to release further ranks?

It's not a badge I own - I don't think I had one as a kid either - but I do really like it's simplicity.

Ranked space badges were a kids' staple in the Sixties and Seventies.

I wonder if they reflected reality in NASA, USAF and the RAF?

Tudor Crisps had both a neat Astronaut and a fab Space Captain. Maybe there were more?

There were lots of individual astronauts as a result of the space race like this repurposed agent pin, the Junior Astronaut.

Some badge ranges were even more ambitious than Project SWORD's like these beautiful Lyons Maids, which included every conceivable rank possible!

Perhaps the most accomplished series, not in range but sheer variety of merchandise, was Wall's Sky Ray.

Not only did they release lovely Moon Fleet and Captain badges but they issued a whole gamut of stuff like collectors albums and a super cool space vest, which I know Bill had and has posted about here in the past.

Did you or do you have any space badges readers? 

(All images from auction sites)