Re-licensed to Thrill..

As a kid, I was lucky enough to own a Corgi 007 DB5. Sadly it didn't last the years and is not one of my still existing toys.

Almost ten years ago, I was visiting a small toy shop in Torquay and saw an original example for a reasonable price.

Now I have one again, and I hear Corgi is reissuing a newly manufactured "original" version.

It seems very close to the original, but I'm somewhat mystified by the lack of a Road Tax disc in this new issue.

However, a bit of internet research suggests this detail on my car, may be an after- market addition.

What do you Moonbasers think?

Looey

Oz Base

James Bezos Bond?

I've read that Amazon have bought James Bond. 

The Brocollis are done. Jeff Bezos now has a licence to thrill and Alexa wants to be a Bond girl.

I'm unsure what to make of it all yet. Will it mean lots of Bond TV series rather than films in the way Disney have gone with Star Wars?

I thought Daniel Craig was just ace as a modern Bond. Tough, suave, gritty, no messing. I'll miss him.

No more Craig or Broccoli. It's the end of the Bond era in more ways than one. 

What do you think readers? 

MOON MAKER: MY CUSTOM LONE STAR MOONRAKER TOY GUN DONE!

Coupla weeks ago I found this neat water pistol in a Charity shop

I had an idea!..... so, I set about re-shaping it .....

..... into this, my version of the Lone Star Moontaker toy gun.

 

Here's the original for comparison.

Mine's a clunky re-interpretation of this classic 

It was fun.

The grip is made of card.

Everything else is out of my bits box.

Not perfect but OK for the cabinet.

Hope you like it.

Next on the bench, Mr. Rock!

MOON MAKER

 I picked up this cheap water pistol from a charity shop last week and it gave me an idea.

The Lone Star James Bond Moonraker toy gun.

It needs a lick of paint now.

Harpooned! The Woodsy Wotan Lone Star James Bond Custom Toy Harpoon

 To me this is Wotan Bill's best card graphics so far, the Lone Star James Bond Harpoon toy.

The long picture, taken from auction images, is just superb and is easily three feet in length.

My attempt at a toy harpoon gun I made last month doesn't look half bad on such a fantastic backing card.

The original Lone Star toy came in a box but we've opted for a backing card so my toy version could be attached.

A joint effort and tons of fun.

Hope you like it readers.

THUNDERBALL WEAPONS SET FROM JAPAN

This is an interesting set I saw online from Japan. It appears to be a gadget set inspired by the 1961 James Bond movie Thunderball.

The gadgets seem to a small cigarette lighter, a wristwatch and a penknife, all weaponised.

Its a basic looking set but I like it. You?

SKEWERED! MY DIY 007 TOY HARPOON

 In 1965 James Bond made a big splash with Thunderball.

To cash-in on the underwater action Lone Star dived in at the deep end and released this fabulous plastic toy harpoon, which we've featured before on MC.

I never had one and ever since seeing one in TV Toy Zone's catalogue in the 1990's I've wanted one.

So, when I saw this litter grabber in Tedi, a discount chain in Germany, I snapped it up for 3 Euro and thought ..... James Bond!

After some serious spelunking with the grabber yesterday and today I came up with this, my DIY version of the Lone Star 007 Harpoon toy. More of an impression than a replica.

See what you think.

James Bond, Johnstown Castle, Wexford

After my last blogworthy post featuring Dinky Prisoner mokes, here's a visit to a Dinky exhibition at Johnstown Castle Wexford Ireland. 

The Maurice Bryan model vehicle collection features over 600 items, but only a fraction are on display in a converted garage in the Castle grounds.

The exhibition signage is very nice with modified catalogue art. What is that red twin bubbled vehicle, Moonbasers? 

The James Bond car is a first run gold paint number, although it doesn't feature the road tax disc on the windscreen that my example does. 

Also, it's displayed in the full glare of daylight, so I don't expect it to last another 50 years!

Looey

On tour

THE TARHEEL JAMES BOND SPY BATH: THE DOSSIER

One of the stranger things in my old toy picture archive is this plastic Lotus Esprit James Bond 'Spy Bath' from 1977.

I posted it on MC years ago in 2015 and haven't really thought about it since.

Till now.

Looking at the box art the wheels of the car actually turn!

Intriguingly I recall that this was released by one Tarheel. Is that the Tarheel from the US who released American Project SWORD toys? I thought I'd have another look for further pics using the new-fangled Google lens I didn't have back in 2009.

And here's the new googles from 007 collectors online.

Further googling throws up the fact that the bubble bath was released in Australia!

Many sales sites describe this as a kit!

Incredibly I've seen one sold online for £440!

Still no evidence of the Tarheel brand yet, so I went back to source and that very first image. The Worthpoint sale gave up two further pictures.

And there it is .... on the label on the cars undercarraige are the words TARHEEL HOLDINGS.

I had originally thought that the T logo on the left-hand side of the box edge was the Tarheel logo we know from the Tarheel toy company as was in Tarboro, USA, pictured here ....

... but I now think its this old 1970's United Artists logo ....

So, taking all this into account I'm now sure that this Tarheel Holdings of Australia are a completely different firm to the old Tarheel plastics company from Tarboro, USA, who released Project SWORD toys in the US.

So, who are/ were Tarheel Holdings of Australia?

TANKS A LOT: THE JAMES BOND JET PACK

Jet-packs come up on MC and someone mentioned Gilbert having made the James Bond version. A little digging turned up some photos, and it seems the Jet-pack used the same set of tanks as the Scuba diving set, but with different fittings.

https://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2023/08/it-is-rocket-science.html#comment-form

I do not know anything about Action Figures, so these notes are all based on photographs. There may well be other variations.

The Jet-pack seems to have been moulded in light blue, and have a silver bar across the top for the exhausts. 

The Scuba tanks were either light blue or yellow, and had a gauge on the back of the tanks, with an air-hose.

Four photographs from Worthpoint.

have you got anything like this readers?

Paul Adams from New Zealand

60ldfinger Anniversary Car

We have not had any James Bond models from Hot Wheels for some time, but the 2024 Screen Time sub-series has a new version of the Aston Martin DB5. 

This is on a special 60ldfinger Sixty Years anniversary backing card.

Note the spelling of Goldfinger, which includes the number 60. The number is also printed in gold, rather than white.

The model is silver, with a grey interior and grille, and chromed base and bumpers. There is very fine tampo printing for the front and rear lights, Aston Martin logos, and rear number plate - BMT 216A.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

HOT WHEELS AND JAMES BOND TOYS: THE BIG AND BIGGEST COLLECTIONS

My friend and blog reader Paul V kindly sent me this interesting BBC link to a 25,000 strong Hot Wheels collection. Wow! Check it out.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-us-canada-68486307

On the same page is a link to an amazing James Bond toy collection that was selling in 2023, the biggest in the world!

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-manchester-66799280

Do you see anything you have or had?

LICENCE TO SPILL

 This Otley scrapper James Bond 007 Moon Buggy seemed a good Easter treat for Junior.

Half way through the restoration I'd patched the hole in the yellow ball with a silver stud and made a DIY radar. Some groundwork for the white paint too. I spilled a bit.

The finished article. Everything re-painted, a driver in the cockpit, a cockpit grip, wheels cleaned with lighter fluid and an F on the body, Junior's initial.

On the advice of Wotan I added some lego arms to complete the look. Its been fun James.

Hope you like it. Hope Junior likes it!