Rob's Bendix Talos Model

Woodsy,

Here is my build of the Atlantis Models’ Bendix Talos, originally a Revell kit from 1959.

The Talos was a supersonic surface-to-air missile primarily used by the U.S. Navy, designed to carry high explosives and/or nuclear warheads.

The Talos could reach speeds of up to Mach 4, and was operational from 1958 to 1979.

Another “straight out of the box” project, as I might have built it as a teen!

Rob C

USA

Rocket Money

 I saw this on auction a while back, a tin and plastic Chinese

Guided Missile Rocket.

I love the card art.

There's something Moonshippish about it too.

It's a new one on me. Probably went for a bit of money.

Do you like it? 

Rob's Atlantis Revell X-17 Research Missile

 Woodsy,

Here is my latest blast from the past, the Atlantis Models reissue of the X-17  test missile, originally produced by Revell in the late 1950s.

The actual X-17 was manufactured by Lockheed, designed to provide information on long-range ballistic missile re-entry issues. A three stage solid propellant hypersonic missile, the X-17 was introduced in 1954 and reached speeds of over 10,000 mph.

In 1958, several X-17s were used for Project Argus, which tested nuclear weapons detonated at high altitudes.

A very cool model from the “Cold War”!

Rob C

USA

BRING SOMETHING BACK

This years holiday in Cyprus was mostly taken up with wedding preparations, but there was still time for a little fun. In one of the big department stores was a huge range of pool toys, such as inflatables, boats and diving aids. 

One such toy was a set of four weighted rockets or torpedoes, which were designed to be thrown in the pool and then retrieved. At only €2, I snapped up a set, not that I would be diving in the deep end to fetch them, but as they were perfect fodder for modelling! 

So after a few dips in the pool by the grandkids, I collected them from the poolside on the last day and popped them in my case to bring home to Blighty. The black and army green ones were very reminiscent of the German V2 rocket, so that informed my idea of what to do with them. 

A good spray of black primer and a little silver dry brushing hid the decals and soon had one of the torpedoes looking nicely rocket like.

Shortly after, I decided to take my spare Airfix Gun Emplacement parts and make a rocket test base. I had already made a start on the base earlier in the year, so I added a gantry and a couple of covers on the trenches, to make it look more like a bunker. 

As I was looking for some figures to put on it, I came across a 00/HO man in a business suit and another figure in pinstripes and a bowler - immediately, I was put in mind of Bernard Quatermass and the ‘man from the ministry’!

So the rocket became Q1, Quatermass original test from the rocket group and the bunker became a British Rocket Group Secret Base, somewhere out on the moors.

Some Corgi garage staff were drafted in as maintenance technicians to ready the launch.

I recalled the Matchbox Volkswagen Camper that Quatermass arrives in at the start of the Quatermass Xperiment with the radio set in the back in lieu of the engine! “Q1, Q1 Caroon, Green, Rechenheim - can you here us, over?”

 

The Airfix Gun Emplacement set as it should be and the 1/72 scale wooden version my dad built for me in the early Seventies.

East German Rocket Truck

 This East German rocket truck caught my eye.

The rocket has a Spacex-Nova-like look to it and appears to be decorated with the zodiac or constellations.

The bed of the truck carries illustrations of Soviet probes.

The long box suggests the truck had containers on its back too.

An impressive toy from the old DDR.

Do you agree?

The Atlantis U.S. Space Missiles Set

I mentioned this Atlantis set, M6871, some time ago. It is a re-issue of an old Monogram U.S. Space Missiles set from the 1960s, which itself was an up-dated version of the U.S. Missile Arsenal set first released in 1958.

Despite the name on the box, these are all military missiles, although a few were adapted for launching space satellites and even manned missions. All are U.S. types, but some were used by other countries.

You get 36 missiles, from small air-to-air and anti-tank types, up to Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, so there is a wide range of sizes. The set is made to 1/128th scale - half of 1/64th - which was once used for larger aircraft types and missiles, but died out many years ago.

Two figures are included for comparison. These are only 14mm tall.

There are 69 missile parts, plus the two figures, in white plastic. A decal sheet is included for the various markings.

The angled display base is blue plastic, and has the name of each missile, its role, and operating service (Army, Navy, or Air Force) in raised lettering. Each of the assembly diagrams includes painting and decal placement instructions.

The base is 320 mm x 143 mm. Height once assembled is nearly 270mm.

Some of the missiles are one-piece mouldings (16); others have two parts (11); three (7); four (1). The most complicated model is the winged Bomarc, which has six parts.

There is a leaflet, reproduced from the Monogram kit, giving details of each missile type. The bottom of the Atlantis box also has a full-colour star field, against which to display the finished models.

Although rather on the expensive side, this is a really nice set, with a pretty full box. Much later, Monogram did a joint U.S. and U.S.S.R. Missile Display set in 1/144th scale, with 9 US and 11 Soviet missiles.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

THE MEREHALL MISSILE CAR

I've always loved this little plastic Missile Car by Merehall [I think] ever since Bill Wotan posted it on the blog years ago.

Its got all the gear a cool Sixties space toy needed; huge front clear window, small radar, slick lines and a gobsmacking missile parched on top.

The box is just ace of spades too and I would have been drawn to it like a bee in a toy shop!

A rare bird, Google Search brought up just one more Missile Car, a green one in an old Saleroom lot.

Have you got anything like this readers?

THE MODELCOLLECT V-1

Sometime ago we mentioned rockets and launch ramps. On a visit to a model shop I spotted this kit - the Modelcollect Fieseler Fi 103 Vergeltungswaffe 1 mit Startrampe. In other words, the WW2 German V-1 Flying Bomb with launch ramp.

The V-1 actually had a pulse jet engine rather than a rocket, but it still looks like a nice model. The kit is 1/72nd scale, giving the V-1 a wingspan of 74 mm. The box contains six sprues in light grey plastic. There are two identical sprues with the V-1 (so you get two in the box - five parts per bomb), with four smaller sprues containing the launch ramp sections. There are no decals with this version of the kit, but it seems decals were previously included.

There is also a Full Size Ver of the kit, with a longer ramp. So this one is presumably a bit under-sized. Assembled, it will still be around 15 inches long.

The instructions do say the V-1 'rockets' can be displayed separately, but there is no transport trolley to carry them, which is a pity.

This version of the kit does not contain any painting instructions, but a different version of the instructions can be downloaded from the Scalemates site, and this does include painting guides for both the V-1 and its launch ramp.

https://www.scalemates.com/products/img/8/4/4/1010844-59-instructions.pdf

There have been a number of other kits of the V-1, or which contain a V-1 as part of an aircraft kit, but these do not usually come with the original launch ramp.

This would certainly be a good addition to any collection of missile models. It would look good in a diorama with some figures, such as the Airfix Luftwaffe Personnel Set, and some vehicles.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

JUNIOR 7

 We wuz over at Junior's place recently, when he'd just turned 7.

As a party favour, I got him some random toy missiles but I've no idea what they're off. Have you?

We visited the local scrap-store, where junk destined for landfill gets stocked and sold to crafters. I bought Junior a black funnel type thingy to make a rocket from! there's a whole stack of them on a shelf in this pic. Just ten pence each!

Junior was seven at the end of September and his folks got him this Playmobil spy station. It's big and complex, with false walls and radar cars and more! We would have loved it in the Sixties and Seventies too!

Did you have a spy station or base?

Bloggiversary Finale: Then and the Art of War: Sea Power

There have been a number of posts recently about ships and boats, but the definitive boat toys for me have to be the Deluxe Reading or Topper Toys range. Topper were responsible for the Johnny Seven gun, the Tiger Joe Tank, Johnny Astro and Johnny Speed toys, but also the wonderful Cape Canaveral Rocket Base and Armoured Battalion sets. All the toys were big, substantial and made to appeal to boys! All the space and army toys bristle with cannons, rockets and missiles and almost all of them launch or fire in some way. The Task Force set is no exception and the stand alone destroyer toy, the U.S.S Battlewagon was the ultimate in boat toys.

 

The Battlewagon is a huge toy, a good three feet of battery powered plastic, which rolled along on wheels, blasting off rockets, planes, shells and torpedoes. You can see it in action on this You Tube link:

https://youtu.be/_7KnQSWB7cw?feature=shared

The downside of this amazing toy is that it is a horror to try and photograph, as it’s massive! You can see it below in my fully featured studio, complete with microwave, that it takes up all the worktop!

But just as the Topper adverts proudly proclaim, “You get all this!” A bank of firing cannons on the front deck, torpedo launchers, jet catapult and anti-aircraft missiles to the stern.

The missiles on the back are the same ‘Nike Hercules’ type that come with the Cape Canaveral Missile bank, discriminated by red nose cones, rather than black.

I was really lucky to find all three ships in a loose lot many years ago on eBay, with almost all the accessories included. I have never tried to start up the Battlewagon, as it takes the really hefty C cell batteries, but all the wiring looks intact. The Anson signal light was missing along with the battery cover, too.

Next we have the Task Force, which consists of a destroyer, motor patrol boat and a target float.

The Destroyer was in good shape overall, even coming with original shells and depth charges. However, the little landing craft was missing, so I had to build one out of an old Aurora ‘Anzio Beach’ model.

The Destroyer has launching depth charges at rear and a large turret on the front, along with a crane to hold the landing craft. All models come with a full crew of figures, each about 1/55 scale, around an inch or so high.

The Patrol Boat has a large red missile on the front and two gun turrets. This was missing part of the central mast, but was otherwise in good order.

Earlier last month, I spotted a pair of Topper boats on eBay, both looking a little weather beaten and forlorn, so I grabbed them and took them home to the shipyards!

As the destroyer was missing quite a bit of the main bodywork, I fashioned a new cabin arrangement and funnel, then replaced the landing craft bay with a new crane and a mini-sub pen. An old Action Man Anson lamp formed a searchlight on the rear. The sub comes direct from Bluebird Zero Hour, which is just a slightly smaller scale at around 1/65.

The patrol boat was again, a bit of a blank canvas, as a lot of the surface detail had gone. I was able to attach a large torpedo bay from an old army playset and reposition the frigates depth charge launcher on the front. Zero Hour accessories in the form of oil tanks made excellent cannisters and some of the small boxes and other parts were used as detail.

The torpedoes were mounted on the sides in classic patrol boat style, but can only be launched from the rear. A few spare radar arrays and aerials completed the outfitting of both vessels and my daughter kindly fashioned some new vinyl decals for both ships, including a new Submarine Hunter designation for the destroyer.

The second boat had slightly different colours too, which made it easier to give it the look of a different model.

And of course, what’s the use of having all these submarine warfare vessels on hand if there’s no enemy vessels to hunt? So I took another playset toy, in the form of a submarine and used that as the quarry!