IN PRAISE OF TUPPERWARE AND STAR WARS BLUE MILK

There's something simply futuristic about Tupperware.  Oft mocked as useless Sixties kirsch, I find it iconic and I don't think I'm alone.

One particular Tupperware jug I find very appealing. It popped up in Star Wars no less, back in '77 as part of the 'blue milk' meal enjoyed by Luke, his Uncle and Aunt down on the moisture farm on Tattooine. The jug is a simple tall canister with concave sides for easy gripping. Blue milk looks especially delicious in it [was it blueberry milkshake or simply milk with blue food dye I wonder?]. This would prove to be Luke's final meal with his family.

Similarly Last Supper-like, the final meal Kane enjoys, in 1979's ALIEN with his fellow crew on board the Nostromo, is a veritable old-school Tupperware party! Pictured is the same or very similar canister to that in Star Wars. This time its clear and comes with a lid for storing what looks like breakfast cereals. It's helpful to keep dry foodstuffs safe when a baby Xenomorph is about to burst through someones chest!

Do you know of any more Tupperware moments in Sci-Fi cinema or TV readers? Maybe UFO, 2001 Space Odyssey or Barbarella?

More Photos From Corey LeChat

THE DIORAMAS OF JOSEPH SVEC

Greetings Woodsy,

I thought you might be interested in pictures of my Moonbase Monorail Diorama. It uses the Marx moonbase Playset with a Disney monorail set! and space figures from at least 10 different companies.

Joseph Svec

Here are photos of my war of the worlds diorama. The martian tripods are based on the book rather than the 1950's or 2005 movie versions. The buildings in the diorama are from 21st century. The river was made by Pegasus Hobbies. The martian tripods are homemade. The martian red weed plants are from an aquarium supply store.

I really enjoy creating miniature dioramas, and while most have been based in the medieval era, (see second photo, The Battle of Grunwald ) my next favorite era is space themed.

I have written and published a book on toy castles and knights from around the world, so I understand the level of research that you have put into your blog. It was very enjoyable. The book is titled Toy Castles and Knights from Around the World.

It covers 60 years of toy castles from 10 different countries, and 35 manufacturers, looking at over 100 toy castles. The main focus is those castles made for toy knights in the 40mm to 90 mm scales. The website is www.toyknights.com

Thanks

Joseph Svec

SCOUTING FOR SPACEX

The Kev Davies shipyards have revealed the latest in the 'real world' Spacex, the SR-71 inspired Reconnaisance 2. Kev has used an off the shelf Blackbird kit for a conversion, rather than a total scratchbuild, proving that the R2 is indeed based on a skunk works classified plane!

MISSING THE TOY SHOP NEWSPAPER

I used to get the Toy Shop newspaper, the American vintage toys newspaper. I first got it from Thunderbooks in Blackpool, UK, by post and then I got a few from Millennium, a Sci-Fi and Comic shop in Leeds sadly now long gone.

Toy Shop was a revelation to me. Way before the net and Ebay came along, Toy Shop offered collectors a glimpse at hundreds of different old toys from the States and loads of deals. I discovered the brilliant Toy Scouts Inc. in its pages. They published their own magazine and their founder, Bill Bruegman, is the author of the first and best old toy book I ever bought, Toys of the Sixties.

Alas, with the onset of the net I stopped getting Toy Shop. I believe it reduced in size at some point, from broadsheet to tabloid. Is that true? Did it remain essential reading and is it still going readers?

 

 

I do miss it.

MORE UGLY SPACE TOYS

Like super villains, the evil foes of comic heroes, ugly space toys exist to remind us what good space toys should look like! And there are plenty of them to choose from! Here are a few more plastic nasties....

Space Monster

Alien? Gorilla? spider? A monstrous mess.

Gay Toys Laser Force spaceship

Sticking a big fat finger up at good toy design!

Space Tank CL1907

A Knight-driven travel iron?

Send your pictures or links of more ugly space toys to the Moonbase mailbox

MORE STAR COPS PROPS FROM KEVIN DAVIES

 

 

Hi,

Not as exciting as my other Star Cops costumes but here are two more originals from the series. Both are background character technicians, one from Moonbase, the central Lunar colony where admin, research and commercial activity takes place.

 

 

The Star Cops HQ is on the moon too (because the hero keeps getting sick in zero G!) The other from the main American space station, The Ronald Reagan, which is so impressive it has a spinning section to create 'artificial gravity'.

 

 

There are no Star Cops on the US station because the State Department doesn't like the idea of them!

 

take care,

Kevin

DALEKS SPOTTED ON THE WIRRAL

 

Hi All,

 

Just thought I'd let you know that the 'Time Travellers' exhibition in Spaceport [ on the Wirral in England] is still running (we've been extended yet again). I went today to help move some props around and install some new ones. Here's a couple of pictures of my Dalek in his new area of the display!

 

 

Take care,

Kevin