remco whirlybird and casper the ghost game: christmas morning

I love these old clips on You Tube!

This toy mayhem is courtesy of spinsandneedles.

Out of the Shadows

The current issues with Vivid Image toys in a crowded market has meant that the latest Thunderbirds toys are appearing at discount outlets around the U.K. Which is great news for collectors like me, as I picked up Virgil and Kayo today at Smyths toy store for a mere £2.00 each and then found the brand new Mechanic figure and Kayos Shadow Bike at Home Bargains for a trifling £2.99. The bike is a bit of a let down though, as at first glance it appears to be scaled to fit the Kayo figure, however it is simply a lump of opaque black plastic with the usual rubbish sound effects inside. Definitely a missed opportunity on the companys part. The Mechanic figure is actually quite good, especially compared to the rather spindly Alan Tracy. But at these prices, its hard to feel down. Just need to get the supersize TB3 now, as I doubt we will see any future releases from the company, unless its fortunes improve.

lp exploring on the moon carded sets

Fellow blogger Geoff's fab site describes three LP carded space sets I haven't seen before called Exploring On The Moon. 

Have a look at Geoff's blog 

https://geoffstoys.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/going-to-moon-going-going-and-gone.html?showComment=1478424363285#c660115144287161668

service continues to be disrupted

I'm still unwell I'm afraid. Please don't be offended if I don't respond to comments or emails. I hope to get back on the saddle soon readers.

Posts you see each day from me I scheduled weeks ago. They appear automatically. There's two months worth scheduled. Good thing really as I'm not up to daily posting duties at the mo.

Have a happy Easter readers.

Woodsy.

blue box space jumper: is it just an ugly space toy?

I just don't know. This maybe very ugly as space toys go.

But the design does have traction.

I've never seen it in action but I assume it jumps like a grasshopper.

I've seen something similar - at least walking - in old NASA experiments as covered in various Sixties publications like LIFE. There's even footage on YouTube of an early walking test in 1961.

(Sorry, can't find the footage at the mo)

So what do you think readers? Ugly? Authentic? What?

life-size aurora monsters

These life-size Aurora monster models are totally amazing!

I actually thought they were going to start moving!

I adore the Wolf Man!

From Monsterpalooza 2015, a great short film by Roger Bernard on You Tube.

Have you seen anything like this before readers?

creature feature

On a recent trip to the crafts mega-store The Range I picked up a PEZ.

Brand new and on its card my PEZ was a minty R2D2, a gift for a family member in need of a new droid.

Buying it reminded me of one of my greatest collectables finds ever, the PEZ Creature from the Black Lagoon.

I found it in a dusty cabinet in a vintage shop in Leeds many years ago. It wasn't alone either because a Lincoln Frankenstein was hiding in a drawer too! Needless to say both monsters made their way home to Moonbase!

Diving further into The Range store I surfaced in the Aquarium aisle. I love fish tank decorations and was thrilled to see my old friends Penn Plax still bubbling along with cool modern Action-Air frogmen and skeletons.

Besides frogmen and spaceships, Monster collectors love Penn Plax too. They released a cracker ... almost a Kraken! Their own version of a fish tank Creature from the Black Lagoon called the Action Aerating Monster. A legend among goldfish everywhere this monster is one of all creature collectors' holy grails.

Checking up on the gill man I was pleased to see that the Lagoon hasn't dried up yet:

Veny's re-issued the Penn Plax monster as recently as 2013.

Have you any creatures at home readers?

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P.S. This is the first new post I've written in a while and posted on the same day. Normally I schedule posts 2 months ahead but its unusual as it's on my new Lenovo laptop. My old trusty Compacq workhorse, known affectionately as The Toaster, which I've had for well over a decade and on which this blog was born nine years ago is sadly giving up the ghost. 

The end of an era.

bootleg information

Here's an interesting take on describing some bootleg toys including James Bond and Voltron.

http://www.reasonablyclever.com/bootlegtoys/index.html

Do you like bootlegs?

Are they the same as knockoffs?