The Lone Star Custom Armoury

 Before they all go into storage, here's a final group shot of our five custom Lone Star swords. 

Which is your favourite?

Operation Lone Star Customs - The Five Toy Swords: 5. Dick Turpin

 Our final Lone Star custom, Dick Turpin's sword released between 1979 and 1982.

Again, with reference material kindly supplied by John Buss of Murdersville, Bill was able to create a really fabulous backing card and I was able to get the sword guard gold colour right.

So here goes, the latest of Lone Star's swords and the last of our customs:

Hope you like it.

In the catalogue picture provided by John there was an image of the sword along with a neckerchief and what I assume to be Dick Turpin's black cap. I think they came with the sword sold in toy shops.

Here's my rather shoddy imitation of it.

That's it, we're done with Lone Star's swords.

Hope you enjoyed the journey.

Next up, Secret Sam!

Operation Lone Star Customs - The Five Toy Swords: 4. Sir Francis Drake

 This is our fourth custom 1960's UK TV toy sword and special thanks must go to Murdersville's John Buss for supplying us with a very rare catalogue image* of it, along with an old TV Times cover:

The Lone Star Sir Francis Drake sword and matchlock.

Lone Star issued the sword on its own, the gun on its own and both together, which is the set we've gone for.

It's unclear if any real examples have survived.

Our constituent toys were via eBay: the sword is a modern basic toy rapier from the Rubberplantation and the pistol is a genuine vintage Lone Star, albeit a Captain Cutlass/ Buccaneers matchlock, but the same design nonetheless

Colours were taken from the catalogue text.

Again, star billing goes to Bill for the card art. Having pulled out all the stops and sprinkled some magic dust I'm sure you'll agree it looks fabulous! Believe me, he didn't have that much to go on! 

So, here goes. Hope you like it.

*

* The catalogue image that John provided is from his new book on Robin Hood and ITC Swashbuckling Collectables, which I have just ordered ( John has written lots of collectables books such as The Saint and The Avengers)

Operation Lone Star Customs - The Five Toy Swords: 3. Adam Adamant

This is our third custom toy in this series, Adam Adamant's Sword Stick.

Based on the 1966 UK TV show Adam Adamant Lives, about a Victorian gent transported to the Sixties, this sword stick was always by Adam's side.

Our custom stick comes complete with scabbard, sword, ammo baggy, AA signet ring and backing card.

Of our three home-made versions so far, this one has proven the most difficult, both the sword and the card, simply because of the unusual shaped handle and 3D packaging.

The white handle was courtesy of a remodelled cosplay shepherd's crook: the ring I made from an old toy and some custom letters: the scabbard was a thinned shepherd's crook too and the blade came from the Rubberplantation on eBay.

As always, Bills marvellous backing card proves to be the star of the show and emulating Lone Star's original it has a cut-out 3D section at the bottom, where the scabbard is held.

During this project the scabbard took a battering. I sat on it by mistake and then removed all the black paint I painted on whilst inserting into the backing card holes, which I'd cut too small! 

Still, overall it gives the impression of the original and I was pleased with my ring and the curved handle and Bill's backing card especially. Happy Victoriana!

.Here it is off the card

For fun, here's the original, rare toy as released in the sixties.

Top and card courtesy of the always-helpful John Bass of Murdersville, our reference material.

And two Facebook screenshots (I'm not a subscriber) showing the whole thing.

Interestingly here you can see what is presumably the actual toy ring, which is black and looks nothing like the image on the card, upon which I based my DIY version! I imagine that ring is one scarce thing! Has anyone got one?

And here the sword stick out of the card.

Hope you like what we're doing so far and this third sword too.

Next up at MoonBase International toys,  things get rarer still, with the Sir Francis Drake sword and matchlock. No known examples appear to exist, at least not online!

Till then.

Lone Star Phaser Rocket Gun

Hello Woodsy

I just saw this on ebay, it's new to me and possibly to MC?

Seen one before?

Terranova47

USA

Operation Lone Star Customs - The Five Toy Swords: 2. Steed

 The second of our Lone Star sword customs, Steed's Sword Stick.

Steed, a la The Avengers, always carried a cane or a brolly on TV, both hiding a lethal rapier blade. In Germany it even got a mention in its TV title, Schirm, Scharm und Melone: Brolly, Charm and Bowler!

Like all Lone Star's toy swords Steed's sword stick was inserted through the card header. They must have been quite difficult to display in shops.

Our cane has a bamboo handle from China (incredibly fast shipping!), a plastic eBay fancy dress 'shepherd's crook' scabbard (very long, in sections and enough for three scabbards! Result) and various bits from the moonbase bits drawer.

The blade, like Zorro and the three to come, were all supplied by an ever-reliable eBay cosplay stockist called RubberPlantation. Their plastic rapier is just the job and could be straight out of Lone Star!

As always, it's Bill's fabulous card art that once again properly animates these home-made creations and this one's another terrific backing card from Bill International! 

As a final flourish I've added a small baggy of red plastic balls to simulate the ammo bag on the original. Ours is a dummy though.

We hope you like this latest effort, our second in Operation Lone Star!

Three to go!

For fun, here's the original toy and reference courtesy of the ever-helpful John B of the fabulously comprehensive cult TV Murdersville Little Storping Museum website.

.

The sword-stick is just one of hundreds of Avengers collectables, which John has painstakingly listed and described, not to mention every other UK and US vintage cult TV show and their merchandise. Well worth a gander! Click on Sword-Stick above.

More original toy shots from Hakes.

We've completed our sword but it's interesting to see the one part we didn't make, simply because I've only just seen it, a tiny instruction card inside the ammo baggy. I can't read it personally. Seen on Vectis.

Taking my cue from Looey's carnation comment here's the intro to The Avengers from You Tube showing Steed and his sword stick! 

∆

Till the next toy, one Adam Adamant.

He lives!

Operation Lone Star Customs - The Five Toy Swords: 1. Zorro

Propelled by our Tarzan, this is Operation Lone Star Swords!

This Spring Bill and myself aim to re-create Lone Star's three TV toy swords from the 1960's: Zorro, Steed and Adam Adamant.

  We will then attempt two far less well-known TV swords from the company, details of which were kindly supplied by the incredibly helpful John B of Murdersville: Sir Francis Drake and Dick Turpin.

So, that's Five in total. It'll be emotional!

So, with a big Z flourish, here's the first Lone Star sword custom:

Zorro's Sword.

Like all Lone Star's toy swords the toy was simply inserted into the header card. They must have been quite difficult to display in shops.

The sword, which I re-painted black, was provided by an ever-reliable eBay cosplay stockist called RubberPlantation, who supplied all my five swords.

As always, it's the stunning card art that once again properly finishes these home-made productions and this first one's another beautiful backing card from Mister Bill! 

As a final touch I've added the flocked mask that came with the sword and a rubber tip containing white chalk to emulate the original, so budding Zorro's could sign their three-stroke initial on the neighbours wall! 

We hope you like our debut for Operation Lone Star Swords!

For fun, here's an original toy ( showing the lovely patterned hand-guard but missing the chalky tip) along with more lovely Zorro-full stuff on an old auction site.

And as a final 3 flicks of the blade, you can see Zorro's Sword here, bottom left in this Lone Star products page I found online.

Of note is it's neighbour, bottom right: the fabled Lone Star Captain Scarlet Anti- Mysteron Rifle, featured a few times in MC. Rocking horses and poo poo spring to mind! You haven't got one so I won't ask! 

And as if that isn't enough, top centre is our next project: Steed's Sword Stick! 

Footnote:

For completeness, here's a later Lone Star Zorro sword backing card I saw this week on an old auction. I prefer the original design. You?

Our 'Lone Star' Tarzan Custom: Painted, Carded and Blistered

Here's our ' home made' version of the fabled Lone Star Tarzan set, the rare original a blog legend now.

From first seeing this set in black and white on a magazine cover nearly twenty years ago to making a custom, it's swung through the jungle and come full circle.

 Diarised here since starting this project, my re-modelled figures look better than I expected all painted up and Bill' terrific backing card really brings the whole thing to life.  

The sushi lunch box blister was the icing on the vines!

Not perfect but a decent go.

Happy days at Moonbase International Toys!

See what you think readers.

For fun, here's the the reference material, an original toy as seen on auction online.

Lone Star's 'White Hunter' Figure

Woodsy

Referring back to the 'White Hunter' figure by Lone Star in your Tarzan post last month, here is the figure as it first appeared as part of the ANZAC set of figures.

These have stood the test of time better than the paratroopers many of whom are now brittle and shatter easily.

The Lone Star diecasts as you see are in good form.

Terranova47

USA

Waiting for Tarzan

As I reported here last month, my current toy project is a mock knock-off of the rare Lone Star Tarzan set.

I missed out on this similar Hong Kong Jungle Set in Germany going for a song, which contained a whole four - that's most! - of the necessary parts and is a set I would be willing to open up.

[a Larami Phantom Jungle Play Set would do as well, but you wouldn't want to break into such a gorgeous and similarly rare set]

So, not wishing to wait for another Jungle Set to turn up, I've begun to try to get hold of individual parts, replacements and lookalikes.

I've bought an old Hong Kong Tarzan - the linchpin of the set in terms of character and sizing - and he's en route from Germany. He was the cheapest one on Ebay at the time but as is always the way a much cheaper one swung by in the UK a week later! The law of the jungle! ha ha

I've a plastic Hong Kong Zulu Warrior en route to Moonbase too, but he will need remodelling.

Safe arrivals already are a Lego seated monkey, which I fear will be far too small and two cheap Hong Kong Lions, which may need remodelling and repainting to look right.

Still missing is the elusive running Jungle boy [who is he?], which I will have to think out of the box about as its the hardest replacement to find anything similar for. He does look like a little Wonder Woman though!

I've currently spent more dosh on this project than any other I've made so far, but its nothing to what you could spend on the actual items itself or indeed the individual parts, either original plastic or metal like these truly gorgeous and original cast metal Lone Star pieces from the amazing Herald Toys and Models [images borrowed from their site]:

an fabulous and original Lone Star cast lion

and an original and terrific Lone Star cast running boy, here a native American Indian.

or there are modern recasts of the lion and lioness to be had for a tenner each like these beautiful examples from Ebay seller Winchesterdave23.

Anyhows, I'm waiting for Tarzan, the yardstick for the project and I'll keep you posted when he swings by!

In the meantime, have you any Lone Star toys readers?

SWINGING FOR TARZANS

 Passing the village of Greystoke last week as we wended across Cumbria to Keswick, I had yet to settle on my latest project.

Having decided, its to try to recreate a blog legend I first saw years ago on the cover of a Plastic Warrior Magazine, the fabled Lone Star Tarzan set, with its waving Tarzan figure.

I'll update the blog about this specific project as it swings into action.

Meanwhile here are some further sightings of vintage waving and other Tarzans hiding in the cyber jungle, all of which I would have loved as a young chimp back in the 60's!

*

Jungle Set

Dschungel

Zoo animal set

Wentoys Safaratiere

Dulcop Tarzan

Dulcop Zoo

Fleetwood Tarzan Safari

Blue Box Safari Set - is that the same as the Fleetwood Landrover above?

Tarzan in the Valley of the Dinosaurs [image: Plaidstallions.com]

Original Tarzan Figuren with monkey alphabets by Bildschriftenverlag or BSV.

see also https://www.bsv-archiv.de/pages/sonstige-publikationen/tarzan-figurenset-blister.php

Ador Arte Tarzan bag from Argentina

Primitivos by JC of Spain

African Hunting for Wild Animals bags

The waving Tarzan repainted as The Phantom in his Jungle Play Set by Larami

and finally, a 12 inch Tarzan cheapo, which may well be a future knockoff chest beater of mine.

Which set do you like?

Do you like Tarzan in any of his media?

Has Tarzan had his day?

Have you any collectables?