Kevin's Full Displays: Scratchbuilt Blakes 7 and Space 1999 Props

Hi,

Here are my 2 helmet displays.

Keep your head,

Kevin

Top: Blakes 7, Bottom: Space 1999

Kevin's Scratchbuilt Space 1999 Helmet

 Hi,

Always wanted to make myself one of these and finally got around to it.

Cheers, 

Kevin

Sunshine Family's Alien Friend

 I've always like toy recycling. Both my own and especially by toy companies.

One obscure bit of recycling you can see online in places like Plaid Stallions is the Sunshine/ Zython body.

Zython is this little-known and even less-seen green alien plastic figure, which Mattel released as part of their Space: 1999 range.

The Sunshine Family was an early generic wholesome doll line, also by Mattel, in the early to late Seventies.

It was a whole new world of sunshine! 

When Mattel came to garnish their TV line-up of Space: 1999 action dolls with another alien they thought, hmmm, what about the Sunshine Family! 

Here's the basic body they had.

And from behind.

Nothing alien about that, unless of course, we colour it green! Bob a strange head on and voila! Sunshine super being!

I give you Zython!

Have you any good recycling examples readers? 

Replace: 1999

After a couple of glasses of rum I was looking online at the waste tanks on the Dinky eagle and thought .... Hmmm .... What about possible DIY substitutes.

These are excellent repros available on eBay, which could prove expensive if you needed all four.

But they do remind me of cotton reels!

Like these plastic ones....

They even have a sort of radiation pattern on top! 

Or maybe party poppers? Most certainly too big.

Any ideas?

And what about those exhaust bells? 

There's a few possible DIY replacements.

Maybe tyre valve stops?

Not that good.

What would you choose if you had to?

I know, a decent complete Eagle! 

Ha ha!

Breakaway with Space: 1999 Knockoff Figures

With Scoop championing Breakaway Day on MC I thought I'd mention a couple of Space: 1999 Knockoff figures I've seen of late,  knockoffs being one of my fave things ever.

First up is this German 12"  fashion doll, Marien, I saw on the mighty Plaidstallions. 

It's described as wearing surplus stock. 

So, quiz questions: Can you name where the doll's jumper's from? 

Another cool 99'er is this figure on auction, Starmen 1999, a Palitoy Alan Carter pilot clone I think.  Commanding an almost millennial sum now, it cost just £1.49 in the cheapo aisle of Pramland of Leigh (where's that?) back in the day.

I actually think this looks to be a decent Knockoff. The quality isn't bad at all for a Palitoy clone (Mattel didn't release a Carter figure I don't think).

I've read that the original Palitoy figure had a helmet which resurfaced on other Mego lines like Action Jackson and Dinah Mite. Official toy recycling! 

The header is great!

Those silver boots really do look like they're from Palitoy's biggest brand, Action Man!

So wanting to delve deeper into Alan Carter's baggy I googled and found, yes, a video about this very subject from none other than Brian Heiler of Plaid Stallions (aka Brick Mantooth!). Yep, back where I started this post! 

It answered all my questions and more. It even discusses Pramland of Leigh! Small world! 

The final reveal of further knockoffery was, well, a revolution!

I hope, like I did, you enjoy!

https://youtu.be/JZybayeHQNY?si=JafGY8Ytf5C-E3Nt

Kevin's MPC Space 1999 Moonbuggy

Hi,

Just finished this MPC kit of the Moonbase alpha moonbuggy.

Cheers,

Kevin

Readers' Andersons: 1. Kevin's Model Space 1999 Hawk

Just finished building the 10 inch kit of the MPC kit of the Space 1999 Hawk (bought recently in my local model shop can you believe?).

Took longer to apply the 100 decals than to build and paint the thing!

Cheers,

Kevin

UK

SOAK 1999

I had to look twice at this! That yellow handle says Space 1999 to me!

and here's a proper 99 knockoff, the Force!

THE SPACE-SHAPE OF THINGS TO COME 1979

Between Christmas and New Year during that sleepy hollow when the fairy lights and the TV send you off to sleep mid-afternoon I caught part of a flick released in 1979 called The Shape of Things to Come.

Half-asleep I had thought at first it was an episode of Space 1999 as Barry Morse was in it wearing a white jumpsuit and the whole thing I half-saw had that series' feel to it.

It had nothing to do with Space 1999, nor HG Wells's Shape of Things to Come for that matter. It appeared to me to have been influenced by many different Sci Fi shows and films.

Here are a few glimpses culled from around the web.

Shades of UFO?

Hues of Robby the Robot and the Lost in Space Robot?

Hints of Star Trek?

Glimpses of Star Maidens?

You may know much more about this movie filmed in Canada. Please let us know. 

Have you seen it readers?

LOCAL CUSTOMS: THE NEW MOONBASE DIY FIGURES: ZYTHON, MR. ROCK AND CO.

I've been having fun finishing off some "Moonbase International" custom figures.

With the arrival of my new baguette plastic blisters and Bill's fabulous backing graphics I was able to complete my custom Zython.

With the card art glued down and trimmed and the figure placed behind its blister, Zython has come out looking great I if I say so myself.

Like the Star Maiden Guard last Autumn, Zython is one of the larger figures we've had a crack at. Its 12 inches tall so need a big blister and a large backing card.

Bill also worked up this superb backing card rear, the first one that we've needed. Interestingly Mattel added Zython to the Space 1999 illustration. Its a shame it only ever saw the light of day in very limited numbers, through a West German comic competition

A smaller figure, at about 9 inches, our version of Lincoln International's Mr. Rock has proven difficult to find a nice blister for. Impatient to mount him on Bill's fantastic backing art, I glued down the graphics on card and deployed an oversize blister for the time being. A WIP. You get the idea. Fascinating!

With those two figures sorted and with more small dolls at the ready, I moved onto a new custom project, inspired once more by odd rare figures I've seen online.

I finagled a headpiece from Fimo and some old PC ribbon cable.

Recognise it? 

Its one of three aliens from the obscure Martian Chronicles figurer range released by Larami. Mine's smaller than an original, at just 6 inches.

Here's my custom Martian placed next to a picture of the original Larami toy as seen in the wonderful Rack Toys book by Brian Heiler.

To get an idea of how it might look on a backing card here's mine on top of the original in the above picture [ original picture credit: Brian Heiler].

So here's this weekend's work together in a huddle showing my latest custom dolls and Bill's really terrific backing cards. A toy tag team effort.

Hope you like them.

Zython Sunshine

I love a good recycled toy story and the Zython's another one.

Mattel used an existing line of dolls they had to make Zython, the Space 1999 alien. At least the body.

It was the Sunshine Family pictured above, the adults. Mattel just made it green.

If your'e considering recreating Zython why not try and get hold of an original Sunshine Family doll! I cheated and bought a green Monster High.

What do you think?

MY CUSTOM MATTEL SPACE 1999 ZYTHON FIGURE

 Continuing my project making my own custom versions of rare sci-fi toy figures, here's another one I've finished.

Zython.

To make Mattel's elusive Space 1999 alien I bought a cheap loose and green Monster High doll.

I then shrank her head but I'm unsure it worked. All her hair was removed and her tippy-toes clipped. I adjusted the head a little with some hot pinching and fimo, added long ears and a beard and painted it a similar lime. Finally the eyes and brows were drawn on.

The costume is from the Missus's felt stash with gold braid, all glued together. The cap is a plastic spoon. Shoes are trimmed Barbies. The trident is a marshmallow stick with Cootie legs on top.

Here it is complete.

Hope you like it.

Here's Mattel's original doll for comparison

Not perfect, by a long chalk, more of an impression really, my Zython - Mython! ha ha - will look even better once mounted on a recreation of the original Mattel backing blister card.

That particular piece of graphics wizardry is in the hands of Billy the Boxer!

Watch this Space .... 1999!

[you can read more about the original figure on the ever-informative Plaid Stallions https://plaidstallions.com/reboot/toy-ventures-zython-from-mattels/]