Ausini: The Most Attractive Space Toys?

These Ausini toys are new to me, as seen on auction, a small boxed set of space exploration toys promoted as the most attractive. 

There's a tracked contraption of sorts

And a gizmo, which is so familiar to me, but where from?

There's a lot of detail here and puts echoes of Marx in my mind, especially the astronaut and Marx's small Major Matt Masonesque Hap Hazard carded set, courtesy of Joe K/ Alphadrome.

Even bigger Marx stuff like Johnny Apollo, especially that gold plastic hand-held gizmo.

The listing described the bigger tracked contraption as a rover but I'm unsure what it is. Do you?

Here's another Ausini boxed set. Do you like them? I can't find examples of the other two. 

Small And Hexcellent!

 It always amazes me what's out there to get. 

As a young teenager I was mad about Witches Tales comics and the related titles like Horror Tales, much to my Dad's 'horror'. I guess the covers were pretty gross!

Anyway searching for miniature bibles I came across tiny versions of Witches Tales ... For dolls houses! Now that's the kind of dolls house I'd like! 

I guess you can miniaturize anything! 

What would you make small readers?

Miniature Monster Sets of Grandmother Stovers

 Seeing bundles of plastic Spooky charms always gives me a Halloween buzz.

I adored little plastic nic-nacs and accessories when I was a kid, especially anything monsterized.

Favourite accessories included all the little parts that came with Aurora monsters.

The Witch's bats, cap, scissors and bottle. The circular cauldron contents too!

Jekyll and Hyde's flasks and phials 

And the Bride's bottles and electrodes.

They would have looked great in spare parts baggies with headers.

The Sixties Queen of miniature sets in the States, which sadly didn't make it to the UK, was Grandmother Stover of Ohio.

From basic dolls house miniatures to themed gag sets like these,

Grandmother Stover showed their true genius with these horror packs as part of the Sixties monster craze.

For those who like a little horror, yep, I would have loved them!

Like plastic pastiches of the equally colourful You'll Die Laughing gum cards of the time, my favourite of all the Stovers I've seen has got to be the Frankenstein Repair Kit!

There's even a mini Robby Robot charm thrown in for the hell of it!

Masterful!

I suppose a modern version of these sets would be something like the Victorian Gravedigger Set given away with Horrible Histories magazine.

Did you have any Stovers sets or any small spooky miniatures?

Manzo Minus: Tiny Shogun Godzillas and More!

This Etsy toy seller is an incredible miniaturist. I don't know how he does it. I thought it was an April fool but it all seems proper. Not just tiny boxes but tiny toys too. Amazing!

My fave has to be the little Strange Change box but there's so many. Shogun Godzillas are pretty darn neat too.

Anyone got any of these titchy repros? 

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/ManzoMinis 

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!

BILLY BLASTOFF AND LUNAR SCOUT: WHATS ON THEIR TV'S?

I love miniature toy TV's.

I always have and had lots of different types as a nipper in the Sixties: viewmaster types, which you clicked for a new piccy through the tiny eyepiece; the little TV in the Corgi Lincoln Continental and of course Billy Blastoff's TV. 

In the Billy Blastoff  knockoff Lunar Scout set the picture used as its mini TV screen is a neat looking and familiar Thunderbird 2.

Ringing bells I found its source. Here it is courtesy of Arto, the boxed and wondrous box art on the Ray Guided X-2 Space Ship..

Taking a look at the real Billy Blastoff's TV by Eldon/ Scalecraft, pictured below, it has a completely different screen picture, though in order to identify it I really need it to be illuminated by Billy's backpack. Can anyone oblige?

Other miniature toy TV pictures welcomed!

"To carry a man, a larger edition is required...": an art box is born!

Hello Woodsy, my Missus has been getting up to all sorts of hijinks...

As Cliff Richard sang "I met a girl and she told me she loved me

I said you love me then love means you must like what I like"

Well, that's come home to roost with her latest 1/12 scale room box. 

It features a friend of ours in his studio (for the BlueMountainsPortrait Prize)

.

There are lots of lovely details like the broom made out of a toothbrush and the mandatory hidden mouse, but the crown jewel is a hand made miniature of George Pal's Time Machine, reimagined as a pull toy!

The disc at the rear and the cushions on the chair are made of Sculpey poly clay. The base is balsawood and aluminium wire. The carved timber details on the chair are cut out of plastic sheet and the flourishes built up with modelling paste and PVA glue (how does she do it?)

The whole thing is hand painted with chrome metallic paints for the details. I'd just bought a new box set of Green Stuff World metallics and it looks like it's left me already and gone to live in her paint drawer!

Hmmm, those wheels on the pull toy look awfully familiar... Ring any bells, Moonbasers?

Looey

Oz Base

Your Favorite TV Shows and Movies Go Mini with Basic Fun's Tiny TVs - The Toy Insider

These are super cute cool! What do you think? Which show would you miniaturise readers?

https://thetoyinsider.com/basic-fun-tiny-tv-launch/ 

Matchbox Mayhem: Tank Battle in Miniature

Here is a mini diorama, built on the top of a matchbox, and featuring a pair of WW2 tanks - a German King Tiger, and a Soviet T-34/85. The scale is 1/700th, which is normally used for model ships.

What do you think?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DcjyHdDnQ44

Paul Adams from New Zealand

BONSAI BOXCAR

 Once more the minute work of the Japanese mesmerises me. Look at this gorgeous miniature train layout on top of a wooden box! What do you think?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nwsjx9ndG0

MADE IN JAPAN

Japanese Glico toys always amaze me. Just look at this lot I saw on a Japanese auction. See anything you like?

TURNING JAPANESE

 For sheer locomotive creativity I think You Tube's 8atelier get's my top vote.

Perfection on tracks!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmaE1pn-lKE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRtBsVoXVoE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tf0h4afDxN4

ITS BEGINNING TO LOOK A LOT LIKE CHRISTMAS!

This is the perfect Christmas sunday afternoon for me.

The tree, the telly [minus the footy] and the chair. Its empty 'cos I've gone to get another sherry!

 What would make it complete for you?

Hot Wheels: Little and Large!

Character Options have recently done mini versions of some classic toys. 

Regards,

Will O.

UK

MINIATURE SID

I really like this miniature UFO SID.

The red and blue SID is a Japanese miniature or omake, likely makers would be Glico or Morinaga I would say.

I haven't seen any other miniature UFO toys but I have seen a similar SPC and MSV from Captain Scarlet.

I shall keep my eye out for little UFO's though.

NATO STRIKE FORCE PLASTIC MINIATURE TOY JETS

I bought this Dare-Devil parachute set years ago on Ebay.

I just loved the little planes

I've often wondered if they came from a larger set.

Well, I may have found it.

This carded rack toy was on Ebay this year and I saved the image.

The NATO Strike Force by TF of Hong Kong.

It looks like my two types of jet are the Phantom [ long and thin] and the Vulcan [deltoid shape].

Have you got anything like this?

DO YOU REMEMBER A SMALL PLASTIC FOIL FISH THAT WRIGGLED IN YOUR HAND?

The small plastic toys that shot out of this Christmas's crackers reminded me of those wonderful miniature knick knacks we had as a kid. Here are a few I remember. Do you?

Magic Fish - these small plastic film fish would squirm and flip in your palm. Not sure of the science. I imagine its static.

Chain Mail Fish - an articulated metal fish usually at the end of a key chain. It was very floppy and golden. 

Plastic Book Viewer: a small plastic book that you looked into to see something, which I can't remember. It could have been a picture or even a magnifying glass. Often the book was a Bible and again a key chain.

Metal Concertina Book - another key chain special, this was a small golden metal book, that when unhinged a concertina of paper pictures would flop out as a single many folded strip. Often pictures of Spain or Ilfracombe.

Desiccated Worm - this was a squished up paper worm ball that when placed in water would expand into a much bigger worm. A sort of joke for bathtime.

Restless Skeleton - my joint fave knick knack of all time, this was a small plastic magnetised Skeleton, which just would't lie down on its coffin. Also came as a restless pharaoh called King Tut. Typical of the treasures on offer mail order from the mighty Ellisdons of Liverpool.

Do you remember these and more mini toys?

Pictures welcome!

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE UFO MINIATURE TOY SETS: NAZCAS INLUDED

This series of little carded plastic UFO sets have always interested me.

I saw them again on Ebay with martian-eye-watering prices!

There were 3 sets by Uni-King Toys from 1996.

They were called UFO Mysteries of the Universe.

They have a Polly Pocket/ Mighty Max vibe going on.

Whats particularly interesting for me is how they include small 'slabs' of the Nazca lines, which I loved as a kid. One of the world's greatest ancient mysteries - Von Daniken thought they were UFO runways! Superb!

Along with the Nazca lines there's a smart green spacecraft.

There are 3 different sets.

The 3 sets are based on 3 different UFO shapes.

The Nazca lines feature on the card back as well. Extra info! What fun!

I see Peterkin are the importer. Who are they?

What do you think of these toys readers?

Do you know about the Nazca lines?