SPAIN'S TOY MYSTERY MEN

Spotted these two mystery figures on Spain's Todocollecion site that were unknown to the sellers.

Anyone know who they are?

First, Goatee man.

ADDENDUM

Following reader Lance's suggestion that its a type of Marx Sam Cobra I chased it down to a Mexican version called Billy Villano. Check out the site Stewarts Best of the West, a great site, from which I've borrowed this picture.

However Billy has a solid plastic body whereas our mystery goatee man is a dressed doll. The search goes on!

Second, Long necked man.

I think the facial hair has been drawn on with a pen!

Apparently the trousers are Doctor Acero's?

ADDENDUM:

Not found a Big Jim lookalike or knockoff to fit this but I have found his trousers! They belong to Dr. Acero [Dr. Steel] from the Congost Spanish Big Jim line.

What do you think readers?

Whilst working on it why not listen to Mink DeVille's classic Spanish Stroll including the unforgattable line " Brother Johnny, He caught a Plane and He got on it!"

SOOTY IN BLACKPOOL

Hello Woodsy, 

Further to the Paddington Blog a while back and mention of Sooty 

Last August we visited Blackpool, the origin of Sooty being here where Harry Corbett the creator of the charactor was given his first puppet. 

We took the ferry from Fleetwood, the end of the tram line, across The Wyre to Knott End where I saw the pictured Mercedes. Possibly the car of Corbett's son Matthew who had continued the act?

The blurred shot from a moving tram shows part of the Blackpool Illuminations, Sooty & Sweep. 

Terranova47

USA 

JOHN TOYZILLA MARSHALL ON YOU TUBE

I have a few of John Marshall's toy books. Like Bill Breugman before him, John helped bring vintage toys to the public eye years before the internet at a time when reference books were king.

I have his Schiffer books on Monster Toys, Comic Book Heros and Action Figures of the 60's. I look at them all the time. Superb pictures and John's great sense of humour shines through. He also loves Japanese monsters especially Red King.

You can still pick them up on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=john+marshall+schiffer

So I was pleased to see that John now has a You Tube channel he's started this year. He goes by the name of Toyzilla.

Have a gander readers. This is John's introduction.

He's just started but he has some more videos.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCskYn0UEXxcu3nT0psg0lWw

What do you think?

AND THE TOYTOWN WINNER IS.......

Yep, age before beauty!

Its the 1971 Baja Buggy by Matchbox! 

Yay!

It zoomed out the tunnel like Big Daddy Roth!

Not bad after 47 years!

Were Matchbox Cars built to last?

ON THE DIE-CAST STARTING LINE!

Moonbase Junior's toy cars are all ready for the road race.

Which do you think will travel the furthest as it shoots out of the green sloped tunnel readers?

Schnorkel and Mister Green Hat are today's marshals.

DIE-CAST ROAD RACE! YEAH!

Moonbase Junior and I are currently setting up a die-cast car race.

Junior pushes them into his big plastic cave road and we'll see which comes out the fastest and goes the furthest.

There's Matchbox, Welly, Majorette, Made in China and Corgi.

The race is on!

WHY IS BIG TRAK SO POPULAR?

For some reason I thought I had a BIG TRAK as a kid in the Sixties.

This can't be right, It was only released in 1979. I must be thinking of the Scramble Bug or the Moon Mobile.

BIG TRAK has become a classic toy. Dare I even say cool? It has its own Wikipedia page and was even re-issued in 2010. You can still get a brand new one on Amazon! There's even a miniature version! Now that's longevity!

Why is that? Is it the fact that its programmable or have the Late Seventies/ Eighties generation grown up, got jobs and want some of their old toys?

What do you think?

Trakking across the world Big Trak even made it to Russia and here's one I clocked on Ebay  released in 1991.

Did you have a Big Trak?

VLIX ONCARD: A DROID AT ALL COSTS

Its true, I am a bit of an action figure fan. I've been coveting the plastic guys and dolls for years.

Probably more than most toy lines, rarity is a facet of action figures. And when it comes to figures I am fascinated by rarity,  far more than say, space toys.

Its probably because there are just so many action figures around, so many people collect them, many serious collectors know everything and there are so many action figures at car boot sales and in charity shops. The chance of finding a real gem is a possibility every Sunday. At least it was when I went. I never really found any gems myself but I loved the search. Secret Wars were the figures I was digging for.

So having an interest in rare action figures I am always fascinated by what gets onto rarity lists online. These often differ from each other and change over time as figures wax and wane.

Here's one on You Tube, which you may find interesting. What do you think?

and here's Robot Voice's different list with Vlix top dog. Do you agree with this one?

https://www.therobotsvoice.com/2011/04/10_ridiculously_rare_international_exclusive_actio.php

I've been aware of the Droids Vlix seen above in the video pic for years. It would have been Tomarts Action Figure Digest that brought the Vlixster to my attention. I adored Tomart's publications and regularly got the digest magazine and several of their books. 

I must have consulted their books at least weekly for the past twenty years!

Robot Voice's list above features a Brazilian Vlix on card by Glasslite. Is there an American version?

The net is full of his general biography so I won't labour it here. Are you vlixed readers? 

What do you think of rare action figures lists?

Do you collect figures or action dolls?