MOONBASE CENTRAL

Friday, 13 April 2018

Manta Force Battle Fortress TV Ad: Are You a Fan?

I was way too old for Manta Force.

I did get some as a toy dealer in the early 00's.

I still have some I think.

Anyways, here's a reminder of what Manta Force was like in an original TV ad on You Tube.

Those of you that really know this stiff would you say its better than other contemporary toy ranges like Starcom, MASK or Multimac?

Thursday, 12 April 2018

Ed's Toy Custom Cars

I have quite a few 'customized' vehicles in the collection. Most of them are civilian types meant for toy train layouts but a couple are military.

I like that some youngster (or who knows - maybe it was an adult?) wanted something unique for their toy train layout or whatever. The Ideal Panel Van was probably meant to be placed in front of a mirror making it appear as if there were two separate trucks in a scene.

That was a technique pioneered by John Allen, the so-called Dean of Model Railroading back in the '50s. Do you guys modify off-the-shelf toys to make them your own?

Cheers

Las Vegas

USA

You can see more of Ed's amazing toy collection on his own blog Toys n Stuff. Just look in the right side bar and click on Ed Berg's icon.

DEAGOSTINI FIREFLY

The Firefly, another one of the DeAgostini pod vehicles which comes with the 1/144 Thunderbird 2 build.

I have put a little light weathering on the model as it did look a bit too clean for the photos.

In the TV series it is used for fire fighting and debris clearing.

The protective shield at the front is made from Cahelium Extract X ( according to the 1967 Thunderbirds Annual), and has a view screen and a hole to allow an extendable heavy duty gun to fire nitro-glycerine shells used to snuff out fires.

The rear of the Firefly carries a gantry which raises and directs a high pressure jet of water. There is also a foam dispenser.

The Firefly appears in the episodes, City of Fire, where it’s housed in Pod 3 along with the Mole. It briefly appears in Terror in New York City, this time using Pod 6. It also has a cameo appearance in Cry Wolf in the vehicle hangar on Tracy Island.

Stacey Nelkin Aka Ellie Grimbridge and Brian F

Hi Woodsy,

RE: Your John Carpenter Post

I never knew Stacey Nelkin tried out for the role of Pris in Blade Runner!

I had the pleasure of meeting her about 8 years ago at a Horror convention.

She's quite a charmer and I couldn't resist asking for a picture and some autographs.

Aside from Halloween 3, I also enjoy her in Serial and Mad Magazine's Up the Academy.

Brian

USA

Postscript from Woodsy:

Here's Stacy on You Tube discussing fun things that happened on the set of Halloween 3!

Wednesday, 11 April 2018

PRIMAL RAGE REKINDLED

Been watching the news today. Feels increasingly as if we're on the brink. I just hope that the superpowers see sense and diplomacy wins the day. God help us if any single missile flies.

Being home alone and in order to escape from the hawks I've retreated into monster films, the only way I know how. I don't know what you do.

Earphones in and the crazy world shut out I watched Primal Rage - sort of fitting - from 1988, a classic slice of VHS schlock. And with Rampage starting this week I thought I'd get into the monster monkey vibe.

Primal Rage isn't about monkeys. Its about humans. There was a single infected baboon to be fair, at the very start. Through the usual skulduggery in a laboratory the baboon is infected with something nasty. Not sure if its called Rage, I may be thinking of another film. Whatever, a lab-saboteur is bitten and he goes on... wait for it .... to bite others.

In the end the campus is ravaged by crazed co-eds - the primal rage of the title - and a bloodbath ensues.

I have to say that there was a distinctly seedy undertone to this flick, an unpleasant mix of mysogyny, bullying and worse set against drum machine techno music.

I had thought that it was connected to a range of action figures called Primal Rage released in 1996 - TV commercial below - but they are linked to a video game about dinosaurs and apes.

Coming bang up to date I think a new film of the same name is based on the old video game .... but maybe not. It maybe about Bigfoot!

Have you seen any of the films, played the game or even seen the new Primal Rage movie?

In the meantime the best of luck to everyone tonight.
Hope the doves prevail on all sides.

Desk-Top SpaceX Model: The Astronomic Telescopic Satellite

I was wondering how you might make a quick version of one of my favourite Triang SpaceX toys, the Astronomic Telescopic Satellite or ATS, another toy I don't have.

The real thing, albeit incomplete, is below at the bottom, with the orange parts.

At the top is Bill B's fabulous and detailed model using some original parts!

So how to make a quick one with no need for painting?

Well the body could be a plastic Kaleidoscope like this maybe?

The solar panels could be Dolls' house fly swatters or even home-made miniatures like these lollipop stick and plastic ones on Pinterest:

and the engines at the base?

Maybe modern thimbles?

They'd need a bit of gauze-like covering for the tops.

Maybe two small circles cut out of a plastic red sieve?

Eh voila!

How would you do it?

For a detailed look at the actual ATS toy click on SpaceX Toy Website in the labels below and check out Paul V's truly amazing SpaceX site [search for Toys and then Pippin SpaceX II toys]

Star Trek Galileo Shuttlecraft AMT kit Completed by Kevin D

Hi,

Just finished building the old AMT kit of the Star Trek shuttlecraft.

This kit is seriously inaccurate, the back end needed totally rebuilding and the roof line was all wrong too.

I think the colour is wrong on the decals too, so I changed them!

Take care,

Kevin D

BROTHER MIDNIGHT'S TERRIFIC TOY BLOG AND FORUM

Reader and fellow blogger Brother Midnight has a super cool toy blog called Green Plastic Squirt Gun. It's stuffed with vintage action figures and looks fab!

https://greenplasticsquirtgun.blogspot.co.uk/