Cuz I'm Bored

Woodsy,

I was bored and going through old files and came across this photo taken some years back: Modern BMC Sherman Tank vs. a Classic Toy Soldiers (CTS) Tiger II with Porsche Designed Turret

From Battleground Vegas

Ed

Spanning the Years: Bridge Building Toy Tanks

Ace toy spotter Terry H sent me a link to an interesting US auction earlier this year for a seemingly rare vintage and boxed Puddle Jumper Mobile Armored Launcher by Multiple Toymakers. What a Christmas present it must have been!

 It's certainly a new one on me. 

See what you think. I wonder which is older?

This Multiple Toymakers tank recalls Century 21 Toys own version, which we've covered before on MC.

Here's a nice one I saw on auction years ago.

Have you got a bridge tank? 

Addendum:

Woodsy,

I was surprised to see this post regarding MPC's Puddle Jumper - aka Armored Vehicle-Launched Bridge (AVLB). 

These are the first photos I've seen of a complete one with an original box. I've had a couple over the years and still retain one in the collection. Mine is missing the gun barrel, but a repo barrel from one of MPC's tanks is a good 'nuff substitute. 

While this mobile bridge works great with MPC's 60mm tanks, Jeeps, personnel carriers, etc., it also came as part of a set which included an oversized tank and halftrack. 

Attached are some photos of my MPC Puddle Jumper as well as my much smaller Boley Armored Vehicle-Launched Bridge (AVLB).

From Vegas Battle Ground

Ed

MANY TANKS

 Its very military but it reminds me of a Gerry Anderson filming set! Check out this RC display on RC RC RC.

See what you think.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl6eE7SvqHk

ED'S MEREHALL ROCKET LAUNCHER

Woodsy and Fellow Moonbaser's,

Not sure if this is a viable tie-in to the recent SWORD celebration but here goes. 

I've known about Merehall for some time but haven't really taken the initiative to buy anything from them aside from this cool rocket launcher. I like it and the size matches up well to my Pyro, Marx, Payton, Auburn, and other Little Green Army Men vehicles. 

One of the photos has a 50mm astronaut posed with the toy. The figure was close at hand, and I thought it a good size comparison. BTW what year(s) were these made?

From Vegas Base

Ed

USA

*Owing to space restrictions I have had to post Ed's photos as a screenshot, sorry.

TANKS A LOT TIMMY TOAD!

Reader Timmy Toad has come to the rescue! Actually, Timmy came to the rescue in 2021, the last time I got my Mobile Bridge tank out but I must have been asleep. Fortunately, three years later and my tank out again, I found Timmy's emails and pictures in my Gmail archive, which I will post here. So a big belated thank you Timmy!

"Woodsy,

the wheel goes on the front as shown in the following pics. As you turn it, the bridge lifts off the tank and onto the floor. I guess you put the tank into reverse to lay the bridge, then remove the rod holding bridge to tank. As you can see my rod is broken. I think its meant to be about twice as long with a stop and ball at one end. I've given the cogs a twirl to turn the motor, and checked continuity with a multimeter. Next job is to put 3V directly to the motor to see if it'll go

Yep that long rod with the ball on the end shown in one of the pics is for attaching the bridge to the tank. I've only got the bottom half of it (so only one side of the bridge is supported by the tank), so need to find something to replace it with (I shall be looking at plastic cocktail swizzle sticks, and other such stirring rods). Alternatively I could cut what I have in half and use a piece at each end (assuming its long enough to go thru both ends with a bit spare to pull back out).

I think once the bridge is in the vertical position you have to manually open it as you continue to turn the wheel to get it horizontal (I'll experiment with that once I get both sides held by the tank).

the wheel goes on the front as shòwn in the following pics. As you turn it, the bridge lifts off the tank and onto the floor. I guess you put the tank into reverse to lay the bridge, then remove the rod holding bridge to tank. As you can see my rod is broken. I think its meant to be about twice as long with a stop and ball at one end. I've given the cogs a twirl to turn the motor, and checked continuity with a multimeter. Next job is to put 3V directly to the motor to see if it'll go.

Regarding yours, you say the motors been taken out. Is that everything including the metal holding structure as well, leaving just the axles?

My fiddling around with the motor in mine has resulted in this short clip...enjoy! Timmy Toad"

ED'S HAULERS: TMT-18420 Flatbed w-Army Tank

I never got around to taking this out of the box and doing a full photo work-up on it. 

'TMT' = 'Taylor Made Trucks' and they made a series of interesting trucks back in the '90s including this flatbed with Sherman tank load. 

They also made transporters with Lionel cabooses, engines, and other cars as loads - none of which I have.

From Camp Vegas

Ed

OVER A BARREL: THE HOVER TANK TURRET

My friend Paul Vreede's fabulous SpaceX Toys website is peppered with gems.

One such gem is the registered design for the Project SWORD Hover Tank toy, which sadly, was never produced.

 https://www.triangspacextoys.info/SpGApapr/rUKdsgns/MA944883.html

Looking at the Tank it struck me that the chrome gun turrets looked familiar, especially with the belled cap and the small trigger near it.

I thought of the SpaceX Cricket.

Bill and Paul wondered about the Hamiltons Invaders Tank

or maybe the Hamiltons Invaders Mosquito Jeep

Do you think its possible that any of these turrets were used in the building of the prototype Hover Tank in Hong Kong?

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

TAMIYA FLYING SALADIN: MANY TANKS

I just love the box art on this 1960s vintage Tamiya 1/35 British Armoured Car Saladin MK-2. Much better than the bland white background on their modern kits.

The vehicle is literally flying through the air, so I guess it belongs to an airborne unit ? The real Saladin was over 11 tons, so this one must have been really travelling to reach take-off speed.

I do not know what the correct order is for the box art styles, but both are likely from the 1960s.

Two photographs from Worthpoint.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

AW SHOOT!

Moonbase once featured a self-propelled gun toy from Spain, the Sanchis Cannon. I thought I should know this vehicle, but I can not find an exact match.

It looks rather like the American M40 155mm Gun Motor Carriage (the American term for a self-propelled gun), but the rear is too open, the gun seems to be mounted on a turntable, and the drive sprocket is at the rear, not the front. Another candidate would be the similar, but smaller, M41 Howitzer Motor Carriage, with a 155mm howitzer. It is still not right, it too has a front drive sprocket, and only five road wheels per side.

The French AMX 13 F3 was another self-propelled 155mm gun from the 1950s, and the hull seems to be the best match, and it has a spare road wheel on the front plate, but it too has a front drive sprocket, and five road wheels per side.

The toy looks to be mounted on an American Patton tank hull from the 1950s. Perhaps they just used an existing tank lower hull, and added a new upper body ?

I have an old Hot Wheels toy which I picked up some time ago at a fair, which is very similar. It was originally called Aw Shoot, later re-named Shell Shocker.

According to the Hot Wheels Wiki page for the model it was released in 1976, although mine as a copyright date of 1974 on the underside. Also marked Hong Kong.

Metal hull, plastic upper body and elevating gun. The tracks are solid, with the model running on four small, concealed, black plastic wheels.

What do you think?

Paul Adams from New Zealand

Tamiya Flying Saladin

  I just love the box art on this 1960s vintage Tamiya 1/35 British Armoured Car Saladin MK-2. Much better than the bland white background on their modern kits.

The vehicle is literally flying through the air, so I guess it belongs to an airborne unit ? The real Saladin was over 11 tons, so this one must have been really travelling to reach take-off speed.

I do not know what the correct order is for the box art styles, but both are likely from the 1960s.

Two photographs from Worthpoint.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

TANKS FOR THE MEMORIES

Here are some photographs of my armour models, which I thought you might like to see. All are either 1/76th or 1/72nd scale tanks and other types of armoured vehicle, built from various plastic kits. All these examples are WW2, photographed against different backgrounds.

Matchbox Humber Mk.II armoured car, in desert sand. The background is autumn brown clump foliage by Woodland Scenics.

Airfix Churchill Crocodile flamethrower tank in action. It took me ages to figure out how to model the flames, I ended up using a hot glue gun. Base is wood, with papier mache for texture, and a little model railway foliage and grass.

Matchbox Sherman Firefly (with the British 17-pounder gun). With added crew figures, and painted as a captured vehicle used by the Germans. Lots of extra crosses to make sure they did not get fired on by their own side. Peco model railway backscene.

The new Airfix Tiger I kit in winter camouflage. The background is scrapbook (photo album) paper, which gives a nice night-sky effect. Textured ground is a sheet of Tamiya diorama paving stones.

Nothing too complicated, but all good fun.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

There's a Tiger in the Tank

This is the modern 2021 Tiger I kit in 1/72nd scale, rather than the old 1964 kit in 1/76th scale.

It is a very good kit, and there is a choice of simple two-piece track units, or more complex tracks with additional wheels, and separate links and lengths of track. Alas, no open hatches with this kit.

I built mine straight from the box, using the two-piece tracks. The colour scheme is Dark Yellow (sand) and Green, with a top coat of white snow camouflage. For a weathered look it is best to use an off-white or very pale grey rather than a pure white.

A very nice model, and more than a match for any Yeti it might encounter!

Paul Adams 

New Zealand

THE AIRFIX TIGER VERSES THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN!

I have finished off my new Airfix Tiger I (this is the modern 2021 kit, rather than the original Airfix Tiger, which dates back to 1964). A very nice kit. I took some photographs of this with my recent Abominable Snowman model - a re-painted CollectA Orangutan. 

Why is a Tiger battling a Yeti ? Well, according to my revised version of WW2, following the fall of Moscow in 1941 the German Army just kept heading East, until they reached the Himalayas. There they encountered the Yeti, which proved no match for the 88mm gun of the Tiger. Which is why the Abominable Snowman is so rare today.

Due to the difference in scale between the Yeti and Tiger, it was difficult to pose them together without looking silly. This may mean another photo session, with a different adversary.

I have also made a start on the Flyhawk flying boat base. I am starting off with the larger parts, such as the dock and warehouse, before moving on to the Sunderlands. A real challenge.

Paul Adams from New Zealand