JOHNNY SEVEN HEAVEN: TOPPER TOY FACTORY ON FILM

Just found this amazing footage on You Tube of Deluxe Reading Topper's Johnny Seven Rifle being made on a toy factory production line!

Unsure if its in the States or the UK or where?

https://youtu.be/6TtLBPaEKnk?t=40m11s

What do you think readers?

MONSTROUS COINCIDENCES

During the dark nights I've noticed some creepy similarities in the world of monsters. First up is this poster for 80's teen horror flick Fright Night. It starred the great Roddy McDowell of Galen fame in Planet of the Apes.

and just when you thought it was safe to make a poster, along comes another that knocks you off! Return of the Living Dead II.

On the subject of poster art I remember when this promotional image came out for Star Wars: the Phantom Menace....

......it reminded me of the cover photo on the LP Who's Next by The Who!

Which brings me to another menace, the Frankenstein monster. The mod monster to be exact and one of my all time favourite toys. He drops his trousers every Halloween and this year I gave him a hand....

...literally - a plastic hand on a key ring! It's been lying around Moonbase for years, when I suddenly realised that it looks uncannily like Frankie's monstrous mitts!

A spare hand should Frank ever need one! Yay! But what to do with it in the meantime? Well, it struck me that my own Mod Monster is missing his magic medallion pendentm which came with the original.

They can be replaced with reproductions like Toy Tent's but I think I'll simply upcycle my extra hand and hang it round his neck for safe keeping! Well, where else would you keep a spare dexter! I think he looks very dapper [ the shirt,,,,is it a nehru or a neru? Anyone know?]

Continuing the coincidences, this Halloween I had a eureka moment whilst watching one of my traditional movies, Halloween III: Season of the Witch, which I love.

After seeing the film at least ten times over the last 20 years it hit me like a Witch's licking spoon - the Silver Shamrock theme in the adverts throughout the film is the same tune as London Bridge is Falling Down! Doh!

It gives the whole hexed exercise an even creepier feel! As for the calm and enticing voice-over on the Silver Shamrock adverts it turns out its the Director of the film! You know the one - "Its nearly time Kids so Hurry Home. And don't forget the big giveaway at Nine! It's nearly time!"

Speaking of films, here's a strange thing: in the House that Dripped Blood the creepy child-witch is presented with a Spears game called Word Making and Word Taking by her Nanny.

Only a handful of letters appear on the box art of the game but included are: L, D, O, O, B or when re-arranged, BLOOD! Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggh! Do you know any eerie coincidences readers?

GEORGE BARRIS R.I.P.

Saddened to hear that George Barris , the car customizer responsible for the iconic 1966 Batmobile, has passed away aged 89. Our sincere sympathies to his family.

As well as the Batmobile,  Mr Barris worked on many other television custom jobs and modifications  like The Munster Koach, KITT from Knight Rider and the General Lee from the Dukes of Hazzard.

SO WHATS IN THE CRATES WOODSY? OPENING THEM UP PART 1

A few weeks back I loaned a ton of toys from ubercollector SWORDGrasshopper. They arrived at Moonbase in these crates and boxes one Saturday lunchtime in Autumn.

After transporting the boxes into the Moonbase attic - the Loft in Space - I have begun to unpack them! And what glorious treasures! It's like Christmas Day 1969 on a constant loop!

So, for your viewing pleasure readers - and to the sound of Roman Candles zooming across the dark sky [its Bonfire Night here in the UK] - I present the contents of the first boxes I opened: the fabulous vintage range of clockwork Captain Scarlet toy vehicles by Bandai.

Each one came carded on a bubble card beautiful artwork - punched for a small textile string for hanging on shops' racks - along with a coloured card back depicting the range of toys, the Spectrum pendent - signature element of the range - and instructions for use, whereby the pendant was used as a key to wind up the clockwork mechanism.

So, here's the toy range - one by one:

Hope you enjoyed that lot! Here's a snifter of what's to come soon - bottom right - so tune in again for the great unboxing!

ITS BONFIRE NIGHT IN THE UK: DANCING IN THE SMOKE

For the Bonfire lighters, the firework starters, for those that light the blue touch paper;

For the pie and peas makers, the beer servers, for those that hand the sparklers out;

For the anxious Dads, the laughing Mums, the brothers and sisters all aglow;

For the Guy, the bommy, the bangers and the Roman Candles;

This is Argent and Dancing in the Smoke.

[1970] Couretsy of The Runner75 You Tube

What are you doing tonight wherever you are in the world?

THE SPACEX ROCKET TRANSPORTER FOR REAL!

Mr. Iguana has sent me the You Tube link to this amazing 100-ton transporter. I agree, its totally Thunderbirds, either as a pod vehicle or one upon which disaster strikes!

It also completely reminds me of the fabled and unseen Rocket Transporter toy from the Tri-ang SpaceX range as pictured below:

In 2009 our very own Scoop made this excellent line drawing of how he envisaged the SpaceX Transporter:

SAM SLADE: ROBO HUNTER: IS IT A BIG LP ROBOT?

I recently re-read an article about LP spacemen in the excellent One Inch Warrior magazine Issue 9. The article is by Geoff Cooldrey and is called 'Over Here'.

In the article Geoff discusses the history of the oft-copied LP robots, one of whom is our very own Bill's old avatar [above, foreground, in pink]. In passing Geoff happened to mention that similar robots appear on Robo Hunter issues of the UK Sci-Fi comic of the 1970's, 2000AD.

Today I spent a happy 15 minutes tracking down Robo Hunter aka Sam Slade and found two covers with what appear to be gigantic versions of our conical friend! I wonder if the artist [s] had the toy in front of them at the time? The name of the robot in the comic remains unknown to me although ot may be Big Brain. Anyone know?

Originally posted in 2011.

IS THE STAR BIRD A STAR WARS CLONE?

Is the Milton Bradley Star Bird just a hybrid of Kenner Star Wars toys? The Star Wars bandwagon was huge but did respected Milton Bradley leap onto it too with their 1978 mega ship?

I had once considered it to be one of the stand-out space toys of the late Seventies, like the Century 21 Zero X of the late Sixties before it. I didn't have a Star Bird though and my opinion was simply superficial.

On closer inspection of its substantial online gallery, I now cannot help but see Star Wars.

Beyond the obvious similarity of the names, the main Lucasisation comes basically in the following areas:

1. The cockpit window looks like the split window at the front of the Millennium Falcon

2. The rear gun mount looks like R2D2 and other domes on various Kenner Star Wars craft

3. The rear wing fins are reminiscemt of the X-Wing.

Now I may have this completely wrong and the Star Bird is actually a classic design in its own right. 

But at the moment I would have to say that it doesn't come close to THE stand out iconic spaceship of the Seventies, both on the screen and in the toyshop, the Millennium Falcon.

What do you think readers?