The Capgun Plane.

Woodsy. 

This turned up the other day. It's a capgun in the shape of a P47 Thunderbolt. Only 8 shillings and 11 pence! A Bargain! 

Will O

Captions Needed!

 So what exactly is this bot saying down the phone? 

Your fools day quips please!

Ocelot Steering Wheel Glove

Hi Woodsy

To promote their various products – Meccano engineering sets, Hornby model railways, and Dinky Toys - Meccano Limited published their own monthly magazine. Called Meccano Magazine, it ran from 1916 until 1981, although in later years it was published by other concerns, and turned in to a more general hobbies magazine for boys.

Apart from its main job of promoting Meccano, it also carried advertising for other companies. Some of these had nothing to do with toys or hobbies.

Copies of Meccano Magazine can be found on a site called the Internet Archive, which is a great source of reference material. While not all years are complete, there is plenty of interest in the issues from the 1950s and 1960s.

I was recently going through some of the back numbers, and found this vintage Father's Day ad in the June 1965 issue. Do you think your Father would have been happy to receive an Ocelot Steering Wheel Glove for Father's Day one year ?

Good grief !

Paul Adams from New Zealand

Plum Daft

This double plum was nestling in our fruit bowl.

What a .... Hmmm. Not sure!

It reminds me of several movie thingies, the alien child in ALIEN Resurrection, the bear monster baby in Prophecy, a Wookieling.

What does it remind you of?

NASA Artemis Launch Live

NASA https://share.google/iDMipGhSdKTPieGgO 

What a Spectacle!

 Is that my head under the table?

No, just my knee! 

😆

Two Heads Are Better Than One!

It's been reported in The Growth Journal that a motorbike rider has begun to grow a second head from his rear end.

The rider explained wryly:

"I'm going to have to buy another helmet now!"

Lost Doctor Who episodes to be released on BBC iPlayer this week - BBC News

Lost Doctor Who episodes to be released on BBC iPlayer this week - BBC News https://share.google/iHZLqr4c4vvXQVKJS

Will you be watching these lost episodes?   

Doom with a View

 On a mosey round the Pontefract area today I saw a few bits of interest.

I picked up this complete Star Wars police vehicle for four squid.

This Mattel Hot Shots sadly had a front plastic fender missing. 

A Tank Commander and parachute. 

This Dr.Doom in a glass cabinet was priced really high. Is there something special about him? Thor was a bit less at £15. I thought these figures were two a penny?

Have you seen anything of not lately? 

Cereal Packet PC

 I was thinking about making stuff with card as a kid. One thing was a cereal box computer.

I remember it involved wooden skewers and hole-punched cards. A card would fall into the he at the bottom of it was the right answer.

But how on earth did it work? I've forgotten.

Do you know readers?

Draw Back, Robin and Release

 Did you have a toy bow and arrow?

Easter in Blighty was a good time to test them out in the garden as a kid.

Watching DC's The Arrow brought it all back, how much I liked bows back then, simple wooden lats with tight string and sucker arrows. 

I had a look to see what was out there today.

Marvel's Hawkeye gets a neat set. No sign of one for DC's Green Arrow tho! 

And I'd have adored this Ninja toy as a buffing Samurai in the early Seventies.

This is a King, although I don't recognise the characters. There's a toy pistol that's completely out of place.

And to the simpler stuff. Like I had.

Robin Hood.

Wild West.

I think they're both plastic bows. It must be uncommon to find a wooden toy now.

JLA 77 Rocket Card

I love this rocket art card I saw online.

By Shiraki Design SYA. Does that mean anything to you?

Mystery Century 21 Productions T Shirt

Woodsy

Another loft find. No idea of its date. Is it a TV21 comic giveaway or prize ? Or is it later , possibly 1980's ? Does anyone know?

Will O

Oz Base Film Update: HP Sources

Hey Moonbasers! 

How are you faring with the Brave New World of AI?

I hate generative art with a passion, because the systems have been trained with everything on the web, including artworks -regardless of copyright.

I searched "Have you been Scraped?" and sure enough, some of my work is already included.

I've decided I will not use Generative AI imagery in my puppet film, but it is almost impossible to use any system, without some form of AI lurking in the workings,

So I'm making background models and I looked at the new systems that create a 3 Dimensional model from a single photo.

I wanted BG models of the Houses of Parliament and King Charles' Gate - could the new systems come up with a basic shape I could work on in the real world?

It turns out the answer is yes. But as with all things AI, the spectre of "Hallucinations" are ever present.

I bet you never knew that Parliament had two Big Bens, or that they had rows of trumpeting angels on the roof!

Here are some screen grabs of the 3D meshes I'm working with, Good enough for background work, but still not a reliable substitute for reality!

Looey

Oz Base

Blog Comments

Owing to a particularly concerning comment on MC yesterday I will be now moderating comments before publication. Apologies to my normal readers, your comments maybe slightly delayed before appearing. 

There'll be Blue Birds

 I had a gorgeous Comet speed boat as a kid, so I would have loved this Japanese Blue Bird. Not sure if it's a lot or a toy.

Do you know it? 

Hens Teeth in Outer Space

There are Outer Space Men and there are Bullmarks.

This is the Bullmark Orbitron as seen on auction. A Japanese beauty! 

Have you a Bullmark?

When Monsters Form a Mob!

Just when you thought it was safe to go into the castle there's even more monsters! 

Brian's Monster Base is overrun! 

New Jersey will never be the same! 

Anyone got any monsters too?

🦇

Quality Street Every Time

Choosing a small hospital gift for my poorly sister I was faced with that age old dilemma of fruit or chocolates.

I opted for chocs and hit the aisles. Wanting to travel light I needed a pocket sized box and the choice was: Quality Street, Celebrations, Heroes and some me toos.

It took about a nano-second to choose Quality Street. The vintage graphics alone draw you in and then there's the assortment. I mean, wow!

My personal favourite is the long chewy choc-covered caramel in the gold wrapper, followed closely by the purple paper hazelnut soft caramel. Scrumptious! 

I was amazed to see really big versions of a few of these chocs on the aisle too. The Big Purple One and the Green Triangle of solid chocolate, which maybe the nations favourite, I dunno. I may have to treat myself to a big Quality Street one-off this Easter!

My choice of hospital chocolates was vindicated by 1. Passing the Nestlé factory on the train in Halifax (the home of Quality Street!) and 2. My sister's smile when I handed them over.

Would you have chosen Celebrations readers?

Holy Talk!

I've had a couple of talking Batmobiles so I was intrigued when I saw this auction shot. I'm pretty sure the big blistered one is a talker. Not so sure about the front one.

Have you a talking batmobile? 

*

Will's Boxed Talking Batmobile 🦇

Hi Woodsy, 

My palitoy Batmobile. The voice box is a bit slow so it sounds like Bruce is drunk ! Must be the Batbeer! Had the dynamic duo been on a Batbender?

 

Will O

*

And here's a clip from MidasToys on YT with the various Bat sayings on the car's little record.

https://youtube.com/clip/UgkxFVVeH9kVB-R3yfdXOpicyj3JK_omeYDu?si=_JJYsbVekz6A1L0i

Float On!

Hi Woodsy,

I came across this multi wheeler on Buyee the other day and as the tyres are closed cell foam it can paddle it's way over water!

Terry

Anyone got one or similar?

Radar Love

Another Japanese Glico mini Thunderbirds premium.

The wonderful Radar Car.

Glico. Like Kinder Toys, just cooler! 

What do you think?

Ollie's Models

Hello Woodsy,

Recently you had on the blog the Indian Chief Figure Kit, I mentioned Ollie's as it's source.

Here is a link so you can see what Ollie's has to offer.

Terranova47

USA

Hobby Model Kits

Hobby Model Kits Hobby Model KitsJust a few examples of what you may find: Native American Big Chief USS Bainbridge Cobra II Thom...

Brian's Mego Mad Monsters!

Monster Base, New Jersey is just packed with monsters.

And what do you do when you've this many Megos?

Get more! 

Yes!

Brian certainly has his hands full at Monster Base!

😂

Ed's Moonbase Diorama

Good Day Woodsy!

The diorama. I can't believe this has been sitting here since May of last year!! At the time, the base was built and basic Styrofoam landforms had all been glued to the base but then it started getting hot outside (where all the work was being done) and my intent was to give it 'a couple of weeks' to start up again.

 Well, Vegas weather got in the way of good intentions and here we are in March 2026 and I finally got around to working on it again. Two things got in my way this year: ill health, and the weather.

I should elaborate on the weather. You see, here in Vegas we don't have the traditional four seasons: Summer, Autumn, Winter, and Spring. Here it's like: Summer, 2-4 days of Autumn, Winter, 2-4 days of Spring. We had Spring last week Thursday, Friday, and Saturday!

Okay, so I chanced getting out the diorama base and started my first round of carving. To compare, the third image was sent to you last May. 

There's still a lot to do of course, but I think I can pull it off by doing most of the work in the early morning hours when the temps are still tolerable.

From Vegas Base

Ed

Captain Scarlet Wallpaper Spotted!

Hi Woodsy,

 Just watching an episode of Homes under the Hammer when I saw this in a cupboard!

 

Any visitors to the blog have this Captain Scarlet wallpaper?

Regards

MJ

Tony's Thunderbirds Hover Bike

Hi Woodsy,

Another great toy. Not sure if you've had it before.

The Takara microman 3.75 Scott Tracy on Hover Bike.

Regards

Tony E.

Yabadabadoo! Ed's Hot Wheels Flintmobile

 Woodsy,

I know from time-to-time Hot Wheels appear on the blog, and while I'm not a Hot Wheels collector per se, I do have a bunch in the collection. 

Since February I've re-started my Flintstones posts and to that end have recently acquired this Hot Wheels Flintmobile from 2013 still mint on card (until I got a hold of it LOL). 

At only 2" long, it is diminutive but I do have some Mexican cereal premium Flintstones figures which might go well with this.

From Vegasrock

Ed

Did you, do you like the Flintstones? 

Academy King Moguras

Hi Woodsy,

I first saw this on Ebay, and then via research, elsewhere on the web. At the End of February, Acadamy models in South Korea did a reissue release of the King Moguras Space Tank from earlier decades. 

The model kit is motorized and comes with led lighting.

I also derived from exploring Instagram, YouTube, and other internet posts and blogs (translated from Korean). Acadamy's kits of even older Japan design space vehicle models (Beetle and Vanguard) are planned for reissue as well in the coming year. I'm excited!

I do not know how many of these kits will be directed to shops in Europe or the states, or if this is a "Korea only" type of release. I'm buying mine through a seller in S. Korea. When contacted, The US distributor knew nothing of the release.

Regards,

Bob Aucutt

USA