blue box secret missiles base and other space toys from the athos collection

These super pictures were sent in by reader Athos Chrysafis.

Anyone got any of these Blue Box toys?
[not sure what make the bagatelle is]

Athos is keen to part with them.

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Here's a similar loose base station by Imperial Toys from their 1979 Apollo Moon Exploring carded range. Picture from auction site.

Their are actually a lot of differences with the Blue Box missile base pictured top.

and I thought it might be like this by Delamare but nope, wrong again! [pic: Alphadrome]

Following Hugh's suggestion I checked Deluxe Reading's rocket base. There's a nice run down of the figures over on the neat Little Warriors blog

http://littlewarriors-indy.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/rocket-base-usa-pt-2.html

and this cool shot of the base station with missiles [ pic: Little Warriors ]

By Jove, Hugh's got it!

Here's the Blue Box version again

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I Blogged this whilst rock-weeping to the romantic brilliance of Budgie's Young is a World, one of my favourite rock tracks ever. I've been listening to it since 1972! Haling from Wales, Budgie were the best heavy rock trio in the world!

moon buggy puzzle

This caught my eye this Summer.

That looks a lot like a SpaceX Moon Buggy bottom left!

Its a Spanish wooden puzzle with what looks like three different space pictures on each side. Very nice!

The toy is called Rompecabezas by Vermihe.

mystery red space car

This interesting bundle appeared on Vectis.

Among the recognisable rockets is a mystery though.

What is the red space car with the white X I've marked above it?

Anyone know?

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Arto's ID'd it, the Moon Explorer Car!

Whilst I try to find a picture of one here's another car it sort of reminds me of, Big Daddy Ed Roth's Surfite

a day to get my vintage toys out

Yesterday was one of those days when I got some toys out in the garden!

I try to do it at least once or twice each summer.

This time it was Action Man!

I made a coffee, got out some reference books and spread out the toys around the sun lounger!

Bliss!

Whilst I was snoozing Accy Man snuck off to take a sneaky peek at his pecs in the mirror!

origin of the scramble bug: my new video

My latest video, about the origins of the Scramble Bug, is a little different.

Having discovered how to insert third party footage on You Tube into my own You Tube film I thought I'd have a go at a short documentary.

I've chosen not to narrate it. Instead I've used captions like in a silent film. Its set to music too.

Let me know what you think. Maybe I should have narrated it?

CODE 3 AT HARLINGTON - STRAKER

With Shadocon only days away, and looking like a sell out, I couldn't resist a few more UFO related photos, this time placing my Dinky code 3 Ed Straker's car in a model mock up of the reception entrance of Harlington - Straker studio building.

For anyone who's interested the H.S. entrance mock up,which is just the lower facade, is made from some odd bits of MDF making up the box, with some off cuts of clear perspex. The rest is just strips of painted timber, cardboard and white insulation tape. It's obviously not totally accurate as I only wanted it for a few photos, but I suspect I'll probably tinker with it over time.  

a fleet of toy space gliders

From my Freeserve email archive 2009, pictures of Space Gliders courtesy of US reader ZZRobot.

Have you any space gliders?

john noakes, blue peter presenter. rip.

I've been away on holiday but now I'm home I just wanted to say a few words about John Noakes, who sadly passed away this week.

John was a TV presenter on the UK television show Blue Peter. He was part of the classic Sixties trio together with Valerie Singleton and Peter Purves.

Of all the passings this year it's John's which has upset me the most.

At a time when there were only two TV channels in the UK in the Sixties Blue Peter, like Thunderbirds, was a real jewel among the many fine gems found on children's television back then. Its magazine format with regular features and exciting stunts was the perfect antidote to a day at school and Noakesy was at its heart.

His Yorkshire accent was a tonic and his boyish personality really made the show. His trademark stunts like jumping from a plane were always a hoot and his relationship with his dog Shep always a pleasure to see and often hilarious. I can hear him saying Get Down Shep now in his earthy Halifax voice even now.

Probably like most kids at the time I watched Blue Peter every week, got to know the presenters well, could spot anything new on the studio displays, saw it progress from black and white to colour and marveled at the editor's name Biddy Baxter! I even got Blue Peter annuals at Christmas. 

I ate my tea on my knees watching Blue Peter: steak pudding, chips, peas and gravy. Valerie, Peter and John were right there with us all as we lived our Sixties lives.

Childhood seems like a distant shifting shore right now but in those golden black and white to colour days John Noakes was centre-stage, climbing steeples, leaping from boats and walking elephants. He was our big brother, friend and teacher rolled into one.

Millions of us kids took him into our hearts back then, where I'm sure he stayed all this time, a flicker of more innocent times, a happy memory.

Alas, with John's passing a little bit of our own childhood has sadly died too.

God bless John,

We'll miss you

RIP.