SIGNS OF CHRISTMAS

Well its my last day off work and I'm sorting through stuff lying around after Christmas, signs that it really did happen!

I thought I'd share a few of the things I got over the festive season. Some were gifts and some were purchased on days out.

I love books and in this new Xmas bundle are: Stephen King's Pet Semetary, The Twelve Fingered Boy, Titus Groan - the first in the Gormenghast trilogy - and a new reference book called Paperbacks from Hell, a US look at collecting horror novels. Now that's my kind of book!

I was also fortunate to receive this wonderful gift from Tony K [thanks very much!]. Its a Space vintage Action Astronaut like the one I had as a kid! These figures came in triangular window boxes with a side-header.

I'll blog more about this figure when I take him out of the box the next time.

If you have any figures like this I'll blog them too if you want.

More Xmas gifts to follow soon.

HELP ME OBI WAN, ITS OUR ONLY CAKE!

Browsing through some old Kids Parties books I came across an old friend,

Yes, gracing the Rocket Cake picture was an old Kenner C3P0, no doubt waiting for an oil bath by Luke!

Like the golden C3P0, I suppose Kenner figures were and are ideal for cake decorating. Have you ever used them on cakes or even received a space-themed cake ?

Also in the same Eighties party book was this chocolate train cake staffed by Fisher Price Little People no less! How I'd like to have those figures as I'm trying to track down some for my Grandson's old Fisher Price aeroplane, which is grounded as it hasn't got a Captain or enough crew!

Have you got any old Fisher Price toys?

What's the best cake you ever got or made?

WILLIS O'BRIAN'S CREATIONS

I was mesmerised by this You Tube test footage by Willis O'Brien of his unfinished 1931 stop-motion film 'Creation'.

Featuring somewhat unpleasant dinosaur hunting, I assume that Willis would have made sure the hunter got his comeuppance had he finished!

I hadn't seen this clip before and You Tube has a whole raft of O'Brian related stuff including material on the lost spider pit sequence of King Kong and clips from my beloved Mighty Joe Young movie, where a young Ray Harryhausen gets stuck into the clay.

I first came across Willis O'Brian, the godfather of stop motion, in the pages of Famous Monsters of Filmland and I may still have the very copy from my youth. It featured his original King Kong and dinosaur frame and clay models, which I seem to recall going to Forry Ackerman himself as part of his Ackermansion collection.

I wonder where they are now?

A trip to the loft is required methinks!

PUZZLE OF THE SPACE PYRAMIDS TOY ASTRONAUT?

I saw this old book cover on Amazon:

Puzzle of the Space Pyramids.

Its not a very high res picture sorry but the space chappie on the front looks like my old Action Man astronaut.

Or it could be a Blue Box or Redbox clone [more on these later!].

What do you think?

BACK TO NORMAL SHELF LIFE

Well, alas, the Xmas decorations have been packed away for another year.

Our normal ornaments and small personal toys are back on the shelves once again till next December.

Small toys, pots and nik naks the Missus and me have collected over the years, some, like the womble and the pony candle-holder, going way back to our childhoods.

Have you got a shelf like this?

RAY HARRYHAUSEN IS IN THE HOUSE!

Just enjoying a late Christmas TV special of the 7th Voyage of Sinbad and Clash of the Titans. Yep, its a Harryhausen bonanza!

I love these old stop motion effects movies. Like the great Willis O'Brien before him, Ray Harryhausen's genius was to bring lumps of clay to life almost golem-like.

His distinctive chained cave dragon in the 7th Voyage was utterly fabulous.

Gwangipedia

It reminds me of other lizard monsters in films like 

The Giant Behemoth

Giphy

The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms

Giphy

and the Danish-American Reptilicus

Wikipedia

I shall have to check any Harryhausen links to these other films. 

I never had any Harryhausen-based toys I don't think. I was too old for Clash of the Titan toys and never found any as a collector later on. never saw a one at any UK car boot sales. I did see mint boxed Krakens and carded figures at larger toy fairs like Memorabilia. 

Were there any other toys based on Harryhausen films? Do you like stop motion effects?

Arto's Nomura Cosmic Ray Machine Gun and H.G.Wells

Hello Woodsy

Took those piccies of the Nomura Cosmic-Ray Machine Gun (Just hope Bill won't blow his fuse - TINPLATE AGAIN!) 

The octopi-like aliens found on the barrel feature also on this Japanese sonosheet by Morinag on Ebay.

Arto

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Woodsy adds: here's the entry for the toy gun on Alphadrome, where the alien motif is mentioned but unidentified

http://www.danefield.com/data/displayimage-23-3070.html

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Woodsy also adds: the octopus alien looks just like the ones Bill posted a while back too!

https://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2018/10/life-off-mars.html

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As for its identity, all these are based on this original French illustration by M. Dudouyt, an engraving from a 1917 edition of War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells [thanks Bill.]

The Grinch Cometh!

Hello Woodsy

I feel like a total Grinch but I took all day yesterday taking down the Christmas decos.

Here's the before and after pics.

Oh well,let the new year proceed!

Brian

NJ Base