Meissen Around

Picked up this little plastic Copter for a few cents in an old shop in the porcelain town of Meissen. I'm assuming it's a Kinder toy but I'm unsure.

After a climb up the steps in Meissen you reach the beautiful Cathedral square. At the top, besides the baroque splendour all around, we were treated to the massed motorbikes, many of which were classics, of the Easy [or Early?] Riders of Antwerp!

Slime Time

We're all familiar with the brilliant SpaceX Lunar Transporter LT10 and the larger Midori kit version pictured above. The same ship appeared in the Japanese movie The Green Slime in 1969 along with a whole flotilla of cool spacecraft. Have a gander below. And remember, you've been slimed!

Empire Biulding 2

Further to WOTE's fab Empire Biulding post, Andy B has sent me a pic from cyberspace and some info about Cherilea Daleks. Andy says The daleks were available in a variety of colours, including gold. Usually from Woolworths, probably available around 1965. The pink globe is a Mechanoid.

There was something very pleasing as a kid pulling small toys like these apart. Clever toy makers knew this. Britains cowboys and soldiers were favourites of mine with their little detachable hands and heads and fabulously fiddley tiny revolvers! Later when I started selling at toy fairs and still 'learning' about vintage toys, I mis-labelled some Mechanoids [which I'd never seen before either] as 'Swoppets' [a Britains range!] on my stall and only later realised how much I'd lost on that sale as Mechanoids are highly sought after! Drat! Double drat!

If Only: a Custom Tarheel Roll Out Set

As a collector I often ruminate over as yet untapped seams of box variations. Inevitably this leads to a great deal of ruminating and the need to 'create' my own! Here's one I regularly consider, a Tarheel version of the Cape Kennedy Set. If only! Which SWORD or SpaceX would you re-box?

Late August Caption Comp

What are these two underpaid and overworked Moon Ranger pilots saying to each other on their intercom?

Cakes and Favours

Recently I picked up this set of cake decorations in the form of our friends Apollo Moon Exploring. The seller was a cake decorater. When I got the items I saw that they all had 'Made in China' stickers on their undersides as you can see below. The items looked brand new and the stickers added to this newness. Is it possible that they are still being made in China?

Extending the decorative function of these toys, I was fascinated to see these carded '6 Party Favors' pictured below appear on Ebay this month. Quite clearly the rockets and capsules from Apollo Moon Exploring, these were packaged and sold under the name Unique for 99c. Are there any more combinations out there?

One further incarnation of Apollo Moon are these carded sets of LP spacemen re-branded as Flash Gordon 8 Space Warriors, If your'e feeling flush you can bag a set on Ebay - 3 sets available by the looks of things. Marketed by King Features Syndicate. Anyone know? And just what is that tall purple thing pictured to the right of the card?

Happy Late Summer!

Just wanted to wish all the blog's readers a happy sunny late Summer [or decent Winter in Oz/NZ] and if your'e in the UK a fine bright August Bank Holiday weekend. Thanks for all your continued support. Keep on Swordin'

Woodsy

It's Mint Man!

Reader Arto and avid space collector sent me these great pics of part of his collection. I'll let Arto explain:  To continue with my favourite subject, heres a piccy of my two Rocket Banks. The red and yellow one is a U.S. Fosta (Foster Grant Co.), the grey one is a Tudor Rose Made in England. They both measure 24 cm, and are very likely from the same mould. There exists also a more colourful variant of the Tudor Rose version, perhaps several.

The next two pictures [below] are of a surprise find, also Made in England by Kelrack Ltd. in the beginning of 80's. Originally called Mint Man, this toy with robot likeness is really a puzzle which you have to solve in order to get the mints sealed in a bag behind the teeth. Educational, funny, and very motivating! What's more interesting, the Mint Man has made it into an all-Finnish version called Minttu-Pekka (akin to Mint-Peter), with instructions & ingredient info embossed on the back. The puzzle measures 9 x 7 x 2 cm, and bears a copyright year 1982.

Pertaining to Wote's Tri-ang zone thread, the last picture is of my find from Gothenburg in last April, a Tri-ang catalogue 33 (1934/35). Just could not resist the cheerfulness of the catalogue, not to speak of its rarity. The stamp on the cover reveals that the Danish agent, situated in Copenhagen, also supplied to Sweden and Finland as well!