Prime Stripes

 I saw this neat Tonka truck and I immediately thought of the Gen1 Optimus Prime cab and trailer. 

Here's an Optimus trailer I made last year to go with my transformer cab.

The livery is similar.

Is it an American icon that striping? And the cab too?

BRINGING BACK SOME TRIK-TRAK

 The Missus and me have been on our first post-Easter rummage ramble today.

There were some highs and some lows.

The lows were waiting an hour for our ordered lunch in a cafe, after which we cancelled and left; the cost of parking going up to 90p for two hours and some stuff in one antiques joint way overpriced, namely a Galaxy Warriors Lion figure at £40 loose and 2 loose Tonka Supernaturals with a pile of accessories at £30. No chance.

The highs: we got the last 60p car parking slot and picked up a few nice bits, namely some cute vintage matchboxes [still full of matches!] and a tin the Missus loved for £4 the lot.

Some cheapo Timpo-style Western figs and a couple of dinos for a Squid.

4 loose Hot wheels for £2 at a craft/ second hand market; pink Double Demon 1988, yellow Megadestroyer 1982, 2002 Super Chromes Dodge Van reissue and to make up the 4, Wild Thing 2002.

Catch of the day had to be this 1960's Triang/ Transogram Dare Devil Trik-Trak boxed set for £8. It looks complete and the box is huge. Maybe a few rips, scuffs and biffs to the box and parts but it looks great. To be road tested later this week. Is this a toy you had readers?

I did walk past life-size kids' 2003 Jakks WWF Wrestling belts in a charity shop, two of them for £4. Maybe I should have got them. Oh, and I passed a huge black RC Dodge Charger monster car from Fast and Furious [no remote] at £3.

All in all, a decent West Yorkshire stroll.

Have you picked up anything of late? Pictures welcomed!

I SHOULD HAVE GOT ONE FROM THE CLEARANCE SHELVES

They were selling these toys off cheap at Toys R Us back in the early 1990's. The big boxed Tower was tight there in front of me but my arms were full!

Did you or have you got any Supernaturals?

how long can tonka toys last?

Whenever I visit a junk shop there's always a Tonka truck.

Usually they are rusty but still very solid.

Often its the big tipper wagon for some reason.

The bulldozers and cranes seem to be languishing in sandpits.

Just how long can these toys last? A few hundred years?

Maybe one day they'll be the only toys left on the surface if they can survive a nuclear blast.

Postscript:

New Jersey reader Brian has supplied me with this atmospheric Tonka shot!

This one has been sitting in an abandoned lot since I moved in next door 15 years ago. These newer ones are only metal frame with plastic body.

Brian.