Ronin round the Boards

 Backpacking isn't conducive to toy collecting unless it's tiny stuff.

I did manage to shove a gorgeous 1960's Pippi Longstocking jigsaw in my rucksack, a bargain at 3 Euro.

I wanted to get an old board game called Shogun but the Japanese Emperor was way too big.

The Missus recognized it immediately and played it a lot on the floor as a teenager.

I actually had it mixed up with another board game I used to find at car boots in Blighty called Samurai.

I remember it because it contained really neat plastic mini Samurai Warriors as the playing pieces. Better than those boring magnetic squares in Shogun 😂

Did you have either of these or any other Samurai collectables?

O Ráio Laser: The Rays in Spain

I love the box art on this Estrela made board game, o raio Laser, which I guess means Laser Beam.

The game itself looks pretty basic but the art is where it's happening. A space jet, a Gemini and a flower pot laser canon.

Do you like?

Thunderingballs!

Hello Moonbasers, my pal Arnum is always mooching around Auction Halls and he's picked up some bargains over the years..

A case in point is this vintage James Bond board game. It's actually a very clever game, as it requires deductive reasoning as well as the element of chance.

As an agent, you have to collect clues that can reveal where the stolen atomic bombs are hidden.

The only thing missing from the game is booze and dames -so I set about fixing that!

I've added girl and drugged Martini hazard spaces and modified the rules accordingly.

I also reprinted the original Secret 007 Notebook page, to more closely resemble the paperwork seen in the film!

" Oh, the things I do for England! "

Looey

Oz Base

Black Hole Invaders

Another game new to me is this Black Hole Invaders.

I like the box art but they missed a trick with simple tiddlywink playing parts.

Anyone know this game?

Pony Space Race

I like the look of this Dutch space game, Space Race.

Beautiful graphics and little rocket playing pieces. 

Looks like the maker is Pony. You like?

Big Jim's Board

I've seen Action Man board games but not Big Jim's. This looks Italian or Spanish, SOS Emergenza.

Do any of you know Big Jim?

Z-Cars, Bottle tops and Höfner

Wandering round Oakham Museum in Rutland I spotted these old games.

Z-Cars was a great TV show. Don't think I had the game but I had the annual.

Did you?

They also had milk bottle tops! Remember those!

Out and about last night there I spotted a gorgeous electric guitar, another area I'd collect if I was rich.

A Höfner Colorama from 1961.

This is what it would it would look like in daylight! (Seen online in another shop).

Wow!

Italian Space Board Games

 Awhile back Looey reminisced about an Italian tin moon surface board game he had as a kid and couldn't find online. I've looked too and no luck yet, but I did find a whole flotilla of other vintage space games from L'Italia. See what you think.

Streets Ahead

Another news item today was the erection of a blue plaque on the house of the chap that invented Cluedo, one Anthony Pratt.

Interestingly the clip explained that Mr. Pratt was inspired to develop something by a neighbour who had invented the Buccaneer board game ten years earlier!

Small world! 

Do you or did you play either of these games readers?

Flight at the Museum

There is an interesting old board 

game called Sputnik I saw on a Museum's superb site about German space board games. I love its plastic rockets! They remind me of a project SWORD Probe Force 3! 

Is it a game you know readers?

You can check out the games site here

 https://www.wirtschaftswundermuseum.de/weltraumspiele.html

What do you think?

Invasores!

 This space game looks

 interesting!

The box art space gun is fantastic!

The plastic canons themselves are less so, but it's an interesting idea.

It comes with a neat grid board.

Not sure of the rules. You?

Game On!

Seeing this German board game, ÖL,  on one of my Kleinanzeigen searches reminded me how I used to collect vintage board games for the beautiful box art like this.

Always arresting and high quality, board game box art was fabulous in the Sixties and Seventies, standards which took these games around the globe. I guess you could call it boomer box art, when everything was still an adventure.

Here's the UK and Finnish versions, OIL and ÖLJY.

Other fantastic boxes I've found over the years include these Waddingtons beauties, all good enough to hang on a wall:

Do you have some favourite board game box art readers?

Six Million Dollar Three Dimensional

 

On a recent mooch round Pontefract these two oldies caught my vintage eye.

Above is Three Dimensional Noughts and Crosses. How space age is that! 

Now I've got it in my head that Spock played this in Star Trek. Is that right?

My older brothers played a similar tiered game called Space Lines when I was a kid. Remember that?

Below is Steve Austin in his special chamber. Not a toy I had - I was too old by then - but one I like. The best feature on the figure is the see-through eye. Ha e you looked through one?

Space Board Games from Germany

 I've always loved board games.

It's the box art and contents that do it for me. Not the playing. I get bored!

Here's a fantastischen gallery of German space themed board games I've found. 

You may have your own versions of these games. 

Here's the link to the Brettspiel Museum

 https://share.google/pUpwQB891aTeM0UXK

See anything you have or like? 

Battle in a Box! The Triang Battle Game

Attracted by the fantastic box art, I noticed a very battered boxed example of this huge game in York this weekend,

The Battle Game by Triang. 

This gorgeous example I found on Board Game Geek.

As big as a small suitcase, the beautiful box art continues on the box sides. I love those colour panels.

The game contents include card backgrounds, plastic soldiers and gun emplacements. 

Not a game I ever saw as a young 'un, the box art reminds me of old war comic covers like Commando, Battle annuals and even Battle trading cards.

Is it a game you know readers? Do you have any war comics, annuals or cards?

The Magnificent Race

 Paul's ace book Monte Carlo or Bust reminds of this vintage board game I once picked ked up at a sale, The Magnificent Race.

Not sure who did the box art. It may still be in the loft!

Very Wacky Races cum Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

You got one or anything like it!

Pics: Ebay

I'M SEEING TRANSOGRAM!

 This solar lamp was outside our rural caravan in Spring.

As soon as I saw it I thought of that old US Transogram board Game with the big orb, Ka-Bala! 

Not a game I e ever seen in the flesh but it spoke to a whole generation of Sixtie's American kids. Literally! 

Such a cool game. Have you got one? 

Similarly, this little fellow reminded me of that other big spooky Transogram game ... 

..... Green Ghost! 

Another fantastic looking game! 

Did you have any Transogram games or toys readers?

Amazingly you can get a miniature of the Green Ghost game, among many others, on Etsy. 

How have they done that? It's so darn coooool!