A bit of a sharpener before lunch

Following on from my Toshiba rocket sharpener post, I recalled a couple of space themed manual sharpeners I have. Most notable is the vintage Thunderbird 1 sharpener, I picked this up at a comic fair in the eighties. Most annoyingly, the seller had the countertop display card with two models attached to it and the lightning bolt running behind, but he wouldnt part with it! Anyway its about 3 " high and plastic with fold out wings. Very delicate too..

Next we have a small west german sharpener in the shape of an aircraft, delta winged with twin props behind. Looks a little like an experimental craft.

And finally one we've seen here before, the Boots Rocket pencil case with mini crayons. About the same size as TB1 with a set of tiny coloured pencils and a sharpener in the rear. Ouch.

We are not alone

 At least thats what it would appear judging by the volume of UFO based goodies available. Rocket Punch kindly sent me these fab shots of 'Chocovader' premiums from Japan. Apparently based on real life sightings and documented experiences, the series of small toys shows a range of classic UFO shapes and types. Very nicely made and painted at such a small scale too!

Hoth Property

To try to make up for the missed Chopper Ace set at last months local Car Boot sale, I bagged a bundle of vintage Star Wars toys on Sunday. When I used to have a stall at toy fairs I occassionally sold a few Star Wars vehicles and figures but tried to stay clear as there were so many dedicated dealers. When I saw this old bin liner full I thought what the hell and agreeing a modest price I walked off with said bag heading for the nearest cantina bar! I have had some fun cleaning and tidying the toys this afternoon and you can see my efforts displayed above. All original 1970's but mostly incomplete, there's a Millennium Falcon, Rebel Transport, Scout Walker, talking R2D2 [sadly mute at the mo!], X-Wing, Hoth Fighter, various figures and one of those pesky Chewbacca Bandolier belts [not pictured], which must be the bane of all collectors, as the soft black foam decays into a sticky mess that gets everywhere, as was the case with this lot!

There were a few bits and bobs that still elude identification, which are pictured below. It also includes a non- Star Wars action figure head, shield, arm and sword. Anyone have any idea what these items are?

Soyuz Wanna Be a Toy Collector?

Like most SWORD and SpaceX fans I'm fascinated by the rarer toys of the two ranges. Ever since the Toadster showed me this 1970 advert for the uber- obscure SpaceX duo of the Photonic Propulsion Space Station and the Soyuz 6 & 7, neither of which I've ever seen in the flesh, I have been on the lookout for them or anything remotely similar.

Equally alluring for me, though less scarce, is the SpaceX Lunar Orbiter seen here looking spiffing on it's original card [picture: Wotan].

Well, certainly not SpaceX originals, there are however, two interesting Russian lookalikes currently on Fleabay. Part of a 1960's construction set, they offer a glimpse of what a vintage plastic Soyuz toy looks like, together with an Orbiter, Russian style.

You can view the complete Russian toy set on Ebay, for the moment, here. Yuri know yuri want to!

Fine Points of Design

 At first glance youd be forgiven for thinking it was just another toy rocket, but closer inspection reveals the name Toshiba, famous electronic giant from the early days of computing. The classic beige plastic hull is very reminiscent of the electronic devices of the seventies and this would appear to be from that period. It is in fact a desktop pencil sharpener and is something i've been after for some time.

 The unit is about 6 inches long and powered by a removable battery pack of 4 aa's slung beneath like a shuttle fuel tank. The whole thing has wonderfully classic rocket proportions and detail, a lot of thought has gone into the look and it doesnt come across as gimmicky and childish. In fact its hard to imagine what the intended audience may have been, as its quite a powerful little mechanism and still manages to chew a very fine point onto a pencil. The rear end sports a fan driven vacuum with small brushes picking up the bits after the draughtsman has finished erasing.

 The nose folds down seamlessly to allow a pencil to slide in and the canopy clips off to empty the shavings. In its classic creamy beige and red finish, a small sword emblem would not be out of place here!

"I am Tetsuo"

Wote's AKIRA blogging reminded me that I once owned the above animation sketches from AKIRA. I got them years ago from the NEC and have sold them off ever since. I just have one sketch left, for my own personal edification. None of them contained the iconic motorbike in Wote's bloglet but there were some great shots, for instance of the Espers and the Colonel and of the tentacles of the Tetsuo monster as it thrashed in the Neo-Tokyo Sea. Now that was animation. Just think how much work went into the whole film! Wish I'd never sold them now! Whenever I see AKIRA I can't help thinking about Marine Boy!

Brutal and Needlessly Sadistic

 I picked up Tron Legacy the other week on blu-ray. An absolute treat for the eyes. Beautifully rendered and with amazing designs throughout. Interesting to see Jeff Bridges as his young self again, synthespians may be the way forward, but there was still a mask like look to the face, cgi cant quite recreate the micro-expressions and tiny facial tics that pass across our face as we move. I watched the original Tron soon after and was absolutely apalled at how badly it had dated. One thing that had stoof the test of time well though was the Lightcycle and it was gratifying to see it reborn in the sequel. I still have the Tomy toy from the first film, one of the few toys to be produced for the film, a ripcord driven vehicle of the same type as Kenner SSP with a large rubber tyred wheel at the back. Needless to say, ive never had the courage to let her rip and risk smashing the bonnet open! The latest series of toys include the obligatory lights and sounds, but the design and manufacture of Flynns new bike are stunning. Made to hold a figure and light up in response to having the pilot installed, its a simple push along toy, but it matches the clean lines of the film exactly.

 Another famous future bike is from the anime epic Akira and is Kanedas motorbike. This ceramic engined beast is about 12 inches long and made by Macfarlane. Given the amount of detail lavished on it, it doesnt do much, steering is static and theres no moving parts except the wheels.

 Bandai on the other hand managed to do a much better job with a small 3 inch diecast some years earlier, including removable engine access, fairing and full steering. It even came with an 00/H0 Kaneda figure reminiscent of the old Britains bike riders.

Fortune and Glory

I'm going through a sort of Indiana Jones craze at the mo, which is largely due to the fact that all four films are on TV every two weeks this month and I seem to be semi-comatose on the sofa. It's driving my Missus up the wall as I seem to be permanently watching Raiders of the Lost Ark or the Temple of Doom, which I disliked when it first came out but it's grown on me a lot. I'm hoping to catch the Last Crusade before the current TV season closes soon. And I've only seen the Crystal Skull once so I'd like to have another viewing. Everyone's uncomfortably older in it, principally Indy and Marion Ravenwood, not to mention me the viewer, and I'm still not too happy with the extra-terrestrial ending for some reason. Anyone else like the Indiana Jones films?

When I used to frequent Toy Fairs at the NEC and Donnington I loved to drool over those fab Kenner toys based on the films. The most exciting for me was the rare Map Room set. Fortune and Glory!

PS. Whilst reading up on Harrison Ford's filmography I was amazed to see he had a bit part, abeit uncredited, as a Nazi guard in the Great Escape! Anyone got a screengrab?