Action Man Footballer: The Kick Off

 My latest Action Man Project is a bit simpler than the Deep Sea Diver.

It's the Footballer.

I'm pretty sure I had this outfit as a kid but really fancied a crack at making it at home this time round.

My stuff gathered, I set to work.

I cut down some modern AM boots to footy shoe size and made socks from some old white glove fingers. The ball was in my bits box.

The Missus's mobile scrapstore provided some fake grass and an old box became the base.

The bits box supplied parts for a stand.

And Mr. Remington helped out 'mowing' the lawn!

Match ready!

The finished stand slotted nicely into the grass base.

My figure, Lanard, couldn't wait to show off his ball skills!

It's not all over.

Tomorrow, the George Best kit!

The Greatest Catch of All Time

 I saw this fabulous framed print in a Kingsbridge charity shop this week. I wish I'd have got it now! 

I was immediately drawn to it because it reminded me of series of Aurora kits that fascinated me since first seeing them in Rick Polizzi's Classic Plastic book, Great Moments in Sport, the box art of which is simply stunning and includes boxing, football and baseball.

My favourite is Willie Mays

 Famous baseball Catch, a beautiful illustration.

I got to wondering if they they were the same artist of both the print and the box art?

After some digging, sadly they're not but they are both very well-known American artists in their own right.

The top framed print is by the late Frank McCarthy. I found the same image in an old fictional story, the Take-Charge Guy, from a May 1952 Colliers magazine online. Looks like they issued prints of it judging by what I saw in Kingsbridge. I don't know if the play shown is fictitious. Do you?

The Aurora box artist on the other hand was Mort Kunstler, who is still around and creating art. From what I can see online no prints of the Willie Mays painting are available, which is a shame.

https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153593459825036&vanity=mortkunstler

Willie May's incredible move is known simply as The Catch and is widely seen as one of the greatest, if not the greatest, baseball catch of all time.

Here it is in real life, an amazing shot borrowed from Wikipedia, showing The Catch for the New York Giants, New York, 1954.

Have you got any baseball art or collectables or even the Aurora sports kits readers? 

BACHMANN AMERICANA KITS BY PAUL ADAMS

The final range of Paint-by-Number kits from Bachmann was the Americana series, which first appeared in the 1963 Paint-by-Number catalogue.

This was by far the smallest, and shortest-lived, series made by Bachmann. There were just three kits announced, all of which were produced, and no further additions to the range. They were introduced even as the other ranges were beginning to be cut back.

I have not seen a 1964 catalogue, but the line had been dropped by the time the 1965 edition appeared, just leaving the Bird, Dog, and Animal kits. It seems they have never been re-issued.

All depicted humorous human subjects, and featured scenes of life in small-town America, in the style of a Norman Rockwell painting.

They were again snap-together kits in the usual Bachmann style, and were moulded in the same pinkish plastic. These kits had more parts than usual, and the side of the box actually states 'Not Recommended for Pre-school Children'. All had a scenic base appropriate to the subject. Paints, brushes, and a bottle of Bachmann Styrene Painting Fluid and Glue were included, along with Paint-by-Number instructions.

The kits came in boxes with lift-off lids, which carried a photograph of the completed model. All sold for the same price, $1.98, and were numbered in the 6000 series.

6000-198 Fisher Boy

A boy and his dog are returning home from a successful fishing trip, and walking past a NO FISHING sign. There is also a rabbit hiding beneath the tree stump.

6001-198 Bowlers

An elderly gentleman seems perplexed by the bowling style of his female companion.

6002-198 Junior League

Two boys and an adult Umpire are playing baseball - or at least discussing the rules.

The box top describes these as 'Humorous and Exciting Scenes', and 'Scenes in Full Dimension'. The catalogue stating that the kits are intended 'for the whole family'.

Bachmann did not extend their Paint-by-Number line any further, and over the next few years more and more kits were retired, until the line was dropped completely in the late 1960s. 

In the 1970s and 1980s some of the kits were re-issued, mainly the smaller Birds, but the larger and more expensive kits have not been seen since the 1960s.

Six photographs all from Worthpoint.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

Copy of first World Cup sticker album to be auctioned - BBC News

I found this snippet interesting. A 1970 World Cup Panini sticker album coming out of the garage and into auction.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-northamptonshire-67589153 

I never had one of these but I remember the Brazilian team so clearly from watching it on telly at the time. My folks got a colour TV for the occasion, a huge expense at the time. I remember neighbours coming round to watch matches.

That Mexico World Cup was captivating to me and probably a lot of kids. Every game seemed to be bathed in glorious sunshine and the football appeared to be magical, as if played by Supermen.

Brazil were the inspired team of the Cup, the most brilliant footballers any of us had ever seen. Blessed with Olympian grace and speed, Brazil were on another level altogether.

Their fantastic skills were equalled by enthralling names that sounded like their first names and we all felt sure they didn't

have a surname. Supreme beings with a single name: Tostao, Rivelinho and the glorious Jarziniho. Even Gerson sounded

exotic in such company.

Mexico 1970 was a high point in soccer for me. At age 9 it got me interested.

I supported Leeds United after it was all over, another gifted generation. I bought Shoot comic religiously and collected football cards.

It didn't last, my love of football. By age 11 it was all over

Did you see Mexico 1970 readers? Do you follow football or any sport?

Do you have any memorabilia from the 1970s?

American Football Helmet Collectables

MC recently mentioned miniature American Football helmets. Well, I just found a series of videos by Georgia HEX (he is from Georgia), some of which cover this very subject.

We start off with a look at a Bank (money box). The box says Football Helmet Bank, with a small sticker saying Atlanta Falcons. Clearly all the other NFL teams would have their own banks. Pro Sports Marketing, Concord, California.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3Y0RQYW4ds

This one is an electric alarm clock, built in to a Falcons helmet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CqSaOSQl2JI

This is a table lamp version, with a replacement shade.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9tkicQvECE

There is also a radio, which is not shown.

A very interesting collection.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS

I was thinking back to a cartoon I loved as a kid, the Harlem Globetrotters. I remember the bald funny guy called Curly the most. It was a lot of fun even though I'd never played basketball in my life. The theme music has just come to me too, a lot of doo-doo doo-doo's. Did you like it readers? I wonder of there were collectables from it?

I know it was based on the real-life team The Harlem Globetrotters, but I don't recall them that much. They were on the telly and for some reason i think they toured England. Were they a real basketball team, say, in the American NBA?

GAMES BOYS

These guys just aren't playing ball!

KEV'S ZEROID FOOTBALL

Hi,

Managed to get this item from my past recently. Oddly, not from my childhood this time. I had one of these in my early twenties. I used to have it perched on the base of a Coke bottle. 

Now, in my late fifties, I have a studio scale, radio controlled replica perched on an original studio prop! (some small evidence of progress?). Interestingly, the ball is the right size!

Stroll on

Kevin

STAR MAIDENS DOLL GUARD HELMET: TOUCHDOWN

I think I'm in love with the Star Maidens Guard doll.

Here's one I saw on Ebay.

In particular I'm transfixed by her headgear.

I'm pretty sure its a blue American football helmet!

Here's another angle of another doll where you can see the side hole.

Both the face guard and the side hole are typical of American football helmets.

So is this what was worn in the Actual TV show?

Looking at this still I found online it would appear not. The real helmet had a transparent red eye visor all the way round.

So why did the toy makers not go for this?

Maybe it was cost? Maybe there was a supply of cheap blue miniature American football helmets that would do in a hurry?

I hunkered down like a quarterback and set to work.

There have been a few American action figures that came with a football helmet. 

Probably the earliest was Johnny Hero in the 1960's, a favourite of toy guru John Marshall. Johnny was available with many different coloured kits and helmets like this one.

Gumball NFL helmets were also popular like these in the 70's but I assume these were tiny?

In the 80's loads of miniatures were available to collect too. Collector Joe Blitman lists 1:6 scale helmets on his site including this blue one, which looks a lot like the Star Maidens'.

But the 80's is too late. For the Star Maidens it would have to have been around in the early to mid 70's.

So how about Mattel's Big Jim from the early 70's?

We know its about the right size for a doll.

Its close but the Star Maidens' helmet was clearly shorter.

Maybe they did use a smaller Gumball NFL helmet?

Or maybe they just made their own from scratch?

What do you think readers?

Tenth Birthday Special Guest Post: Dressing Up Der Kaiser by Arto

I decided to dress up my vintage find from last summer for the Birthday bash.

Its the Lion Rock Franz Beckenbauer doll. Yes, Der Kaiser himself!

The back & white contraption is for the kicking mechanism. 

Cheers 

Arto

Finland

KIDS DART BOARD

I saw an old dart board in a charity shop at the weekend. I'm not a darts fan but when I was a kid I had a kids board and it was on the back of my bedroom door. 

Me and my mates would chuck darts at it, concentrating with our tongues stuck out. We hit the door mostly!

The board was a smallish one and had a plastic yellow surround like this and it was hung in the charity shop! Memory lane!

Did you play darts as a kid?

Are My Old Tennis Shoes Worth Anything?

I've never been sporty. When I was a kid I was the last one to get picked for football at School. Strange really as my Dad was a sport nut. He loved Preston North End Football club and never missed Grandstand or World of Sport on Saturdays. If the wrestling didn't leave me cold then the pools made me run for the nearest Creepy comic!

 

 

Oddly enough I did enjoy beach football when I was holidaying at the Warren in Abersoch, Wales, with my Sister's family in the sixties. Apparently I had a mean shot and gained the nickname Pele Legs, which has stuck to this day! I even got a shot past Gordon Banks, the England goalkeeper, who had a caravan at the Warren too and kept his hand in playing on the beach! I remember the ball we had, a plastic football patterned with black and white pentagons. The neatest thing about it were the England players' signatures printed on the white bits! I think it was a Mexico World Cup souvenir ball from 1970.

 

 

Now I'm in my early Fifties I realise that certain things that are common currency for other folks are not for me. I've never owned a pair of trainers in my life for one. I imagine they came out in the Seventies and collectors collect early Nikes and Adidas but its all past me by. As a kid I had some Stylo Matchmakers, which were football boots endorsed by soccer God George Best. I also had a pair of greenflash plimsolls but that was it for sportiness. Today I have a pair of white pumps which I wear for the gym I joined this month!

 

 

Despite my non-sports way I can imagine sports memorabila being a passionate area of collecting. Trainers, bikes, cups, weights, footballs, autographs. Is it something that you collect readers?