Assorted Centres

 Some recent spots and acquisitions in antiques centres, auctions and shops:

The Grouch Couch, bought for the Grandkids. It grumps, growls and eats objects! 

Spotted in an auction, I did Watch with Mother and loved all these BBC shows on this Chad Valley projector, but just who is Joe? He I dunno! 

Two old sixties soccer annuals for my bro in law, who sadly has Altzheimers. It's his 80th on Sunday and he likes to browse the pictures of football books. He was captain and manager of his team in Leyland.

It's hard to imagine just how famous George Best was back then. A superstar. They called him the fifth Beatle he was so famous! 

This set I saw on Amazon so reminded me of a fossil hunting kit I had as a nipper. I've never been able to find the one I had. Mine was boxed. This comes in a colourful sack. Did you have a kit like this?

Something a little different and relics from my past, seen in an antiques shop in Balby, these two Mary's or very similar ones graced our home as I was growing up. My Mum was quite a religious lady and the house reflected it. Her purse too, full of relics like Padre Pio's cloth.

Was your Mum or Dad religious? 

More Balby bounty, this cabinet held a UFO Interceptor and the wondrous Tow Truck, both of which I adored back in the boomer years.

Now in Wath, I was amazed by this huge plastic toy doll's home cinema outside a charity shop. It reminded me of Looey's! I imagined Action Man and Sindy watching a movie. But which one?

Back in Balby, not sure where this toy train was from but I loved the artwork.

And these old kits caught my eye too. I love that Frog Lifeboat box art!

These massive toy trains by LGB reminded me of my Big Big Train from the Sixties. What a top toy that was!

Finally, I was interested to see the Clifford logo on ..... Children's packs of cards! 

Till the next trip ...

Random Rummage Roadtrip

 Some recent snaps of random stuff I've seen on our travels.

In Barnsley, I just wasn't sure at all who this guy was. You?

These new dinosaur cutlery sets caught my eye in Buxton. I know I've seen this T. Rex artwork before. Something in my childhood? Ring any bells?

I love LP records. This Music in the Green shop window in Bakewell was heaven. Nick Drake, Neil Young, David Bowie, Joni Mitchell. Wow!

Which LP sleeves would you want to see there?

and I would have been so disappointed as a kid with this, a WOODEN detective briefcase set clocked in Glossop. OK, its clever and PC, but come on! Give me Secret Sam's plastic attaché any day! What about you readers?

ED'S ONE AND ONLY SCHLEICHS

 Ed at Vegas Base kindly sent these live pictures of an Apatosaurus in Las Vegas!

The Dino was swiftly joined by Ed's one and only Schleich dragon!

Grrrrr!

Have you got a favourite dragon readers? In books, films or toys?

RAPTOR BIRTHDAY

Hi Woodsy,

Thought you might like to see my Lindberg Velociraptor kit built-up.

This was a re- release of the Jurassic park mold, sold around 2010.

-BrianF 

Monster Base

 NJ USA

The Garden of the Terracotta Roof Tiles

 Currently plagued by a trapped sciatic nerve I'm basically seat-bound assisting Junior in his garden pursuits as a budding Indiana Jones.

The dig site garnered a whole tray of finds, mostly terracotta, some fossils (he smelt a rat there!) and a 1936 George V One Penny ( he should have smelt a rat there!).

Junior was most excited about four big pieces of old roof tile he dug up. They were really in situ.

With some help from the Seated One he glued them back together. It says Rowley on it quite clearly.

Using a mix of brick dust and PVA Junior filled in the biggest cracks and set it to dry.

No longer a good roof tile, it'll make a fine display item for Junior somewhere out of the rain in the garden. 

Have you ever dug up anything?

What did you want to be when you were a kid?

Brian F's Amazing Land of the Dinosaurs Play Set

Hi Woodsy.

Im replying to your recent request for pictures of a dinosaur playset.

I received the Marx Prehistoric Times Playset when I was very young,and it started a lifetime of fascination with Prehistoric Life .

After all these years,all I have left of it is a few of the dinosaurs, buried deep in storage.

What I do have is this Land of the Dinosaurs Playset, found at a flea market about 10 years ago.

It contains the rock and cave formations of the Marx Playset, with a selection of dinosaurs in some new, bright colors.

Of particular interest is the large purple T-Rex,which is the original Marx sculpt, later replaced with a slimmer T-Rex in a livelier pose

-Brian F 

Monster Base

 NJ USA

ED'S NEW DINOS

Woodsy and Fellow Moonbasers,

Here's a few shots of new age and golden age dinosaurs. 

Right now, there's so many new dinosaur toys on the market it blows the mind. I am partial to the old stuff but there's no denying the new stuff is terrific! 

The B&W photo was taken by me at Disneyland way back in 1980.

From Jurassic Park Vegas

Ed

USA

Forget Brachiosaurus, Here Comes Dreadnoughtus!

If like me you grew up the Sixties then you were probably mad on dinosaurs. They were everywhere. Extinct but everywhere.

The big three vegesaurs back then were the massive saurapods. You'll be able to name them: Brontosaurus, Brachiosaurus and of course Diplodocus.

Much more recently BBC's Walking with Dinosaurs shows us what the Brachiosaurus might have looked like. I'd have loved this as a kid!

I thought that they were the biggest land animals ever. Wrong!

There are new sauropods on the block and they're even bigger!

With names like Titanosaur, Argentinosaurus and the fabulously named Dreadnoughtus!

Here's some somewhat ponderous but somehow hypnotic 'footage' of Dreadnoughtus in Malta!

Some of the these giants have only been discovered since I was a kid so I wouldn't have known about them in the 1960's.

The 'biggest' seems to shift depending on who's telling you. Theses guys slug it out for the top spot continuously.

You can read more about these vege monsters here on Brittanica 

https://www.britannica.com/list/titanosaurs-8-of-the-worlds-biggest-dinosaurs

Did you/ Do you like dinosaurs?

GIANT PAWPRINTS IN THE PAINT

 I was a dinosaur nut as a kid. I wanted to be a paleontologist.

I'm not one but I am a bit of a fossil now!

My tender years were filled with dinosaur books depicting the fiercest predators that ever lived. I loved them all and read them voraciously and often dreamt about a T. Rex stomping up the street and peering at me through my bedroom window.

Here are a good few of the books I had as a kid.

Besides books I also loved these Polska stamps. Such iconic illustrations! My personal faves were the two giants Brontosaurus and Brachiosaurus stood in water.

I'll sign off this Jurassic jaunt with an auction listing I saw that made me smile. It's as if the dinos know they're being photographed! Ones even walking over the list of names. I love it! Ha ha. What where your favourite dino books and species?

BRONTO SIGHTING IN CONNECTICUT!

Woodsy,

Here is my stab at the Glencoe Brontosaurus skeleton, originally an ITC/Ringo kit from the mid-60s. 

I decided not to paint the bones, as they were molded in a lovely ivory, but tried to have some fun with the base. Bone pieces fit well with just a little whittling. 

50 parts exactly. This beast is over 20” long!

Rob C

USA