THE ORIGIN OF THE CENTURY 21 TOYS TOPO GIGIO CAMPER VAN?

Century 21 Toys [C21] issued three small Topo Gigio plastic vehicles.

They've been featured here many times.

A while ago I established a link between the C21 Ice Cream Van and a Mickey Mouse one released by Multiple Toymakers of the US in at least 2 different boxes.

http://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2017/06/toy-ice-cream-van-two-please.html

Well, this summer I found a further Mickey Mouse link. This time with the 6 inch Multiple Toymakers Micky Mouse Kooky Kamper.

I'd like to see the US box for this if you can help!

So, it would appear that either C21 or MultipleToymakers copied each other and swapped one famous mouse for another. My own gut feeling is that C21 followed Multiple Toymakers, as Mickey Mouse was much more famous than Topo Gigio I would have thought.

I'd now like to find a Multiple Toymakers Mickey Mouse Hot Rod if anyone can help?

VENDING ON NEPTUNE

Saved from the photo-feast that is Ebay I am always chuffed to see a stray Outer Space Man.

Here we have a nice cute rubbery Astro Nautilus knockoff posing under vac-formed plastic in a vending display.

It must be great to be a true OSM completist and stumble across these trifles at the ripoff buffet stretching back to 1967.

Mel Birnkrant, the genius creator of the gorgeous Colourform's Outer Space Men figures, was partly inspired by a 50's B-movie nautiloid when he concocted the Astro Nautilus, the Man from Neptune.

Have you any Outer Space Men, real or otherwise?

IN FACT ITS COLD AS HELL

Just been listening to Elton John's Rocket Man. I like the realistic lines about space in it, especially the line 'In fact its cold as hell." 

I suppose its part of the same pool of space-race pop from which the earlier Space Oddity and Starman sprang. Bowie's line 'Tell my wife I love her very much, she knows' always tugs the heartstrings as I expect space will be a lonely place once we get back up there and yes, cold as hell.

Speaking of cold, I heard one of my favourite lines in all science fiction again this week, "intellects vast and cool and unsympathetic, regarded this Earth with envious eyes, and slowly and surely drew their plans against us."

This is of course the last line of the blood-chilling opening to HG Wells's War of the Worlds. The BBC are airing their new grand Victorian tripod-fest this winter and it strode into view on Sunday night. I myself was blown away. I thought the whole thing was superb and I'm already looking forward to episode 2 next Sunday.

There was another reminder of the cold vast cosmos on TV this week when I caught the re-run of Wonders of the Solar System with the ultra-hip Prof Brian Cox. Infectiously enthusiastic about space, Prof Cox, gave us a fabulous glimpse of what sunrise would be like on Sedna.

Sedna is one of the farthest dwarf planets from our sun, a distant neighbour at the brink of our system where its vast and cool. Exotic, remote and unfathomably far away, Sedna is still in the grip of the sun's gravity, despite our star being just a pin-prick of light rising and setting on its horizon. Sedna will be at Perihelion in 2075 and even though I will not be around to see this mysterious world come its closest to the sun and its inner solar family my Grandson will. He'll be 58, the age I am now! Sedna won't be back for another 11,000 years!

What are your thoughts on being in space or being visited from space readers?

BIG LIFT LOADER

Check out these large toy forklifts.

Superb as they are, they don't half recall the general shape of the Tri-ang SpaceX/ Golden Astronaut forklift!

Here's the US version, the Golden Astronaut Lift Loader [pic: Scoop/ Mike Burrows]

Have you got a forklift?

MORE SPANISH UFO

I like this UFO poster and of particular interest for me are the two large vehicles to the left, which if I'm not mistaken appeared as articulated models in the New York Worlds Fair. Is their a link to UFO or was it simply artistic licence?

I DON'T CARE FOR FANCY MUSIC IF YOUR SHOES CAN'T SHUFFLE AROUND

I'm waiting patiently for War of the Worlds to start on BBC1 at 9pm. I loved the original novel, the 50's movie and the Tom Cruise flick was enjoyable.

But BBC1 takes the action back home to Victorian Surrey where HG Wells originally set it. If Steampunk began anywhere, its War of the Worlds!

In the meantime the Missus is catching up on Doc Martin on iPlayer and I've got headphones on listening to some Southern Hard Rock in the form of the mighty Lynyrd Skynyrd's Nuthin Fancy LP.

I adored the Skynyrd in the early Seventies and went to see them live at Lancaster Uni when they were kings. Me and my rocker mate Pete Dewhurst bought all their albums as they came out and I've still got mine.

To balance things out I also loved Neil Young as a teenager and enjoyed their mutual musical battling!

Alas, Skynyrd as I knew them were totally decimated by a tragic plane crash in October 1977. 

The main man Ronnie Van Zant was among the dead. We couldn't believe it. It was like deicide and we cried. 

Their last album as that band, 1977's Street Survivors, had been prescient. Standing in front of a bonfire, the flames reached high behind the band. Those with the highest flames died in the crash. This original 'flames' cover was swiftly withdrawn.

Anyways, I've listened avidly to that original Skynyrd line-up my whole life and in case you haven't had the pleasure of their swamp music then maybe listen to Nuthin Fancy with me, beginning with Saturday Night Special:

IS EBAY A NANNY STATE?

Are still selling on Ebay?

Me and the Missus have started again this summer selling stuff around the house in a bid to de-clutter.

When I ebayed vintage toys a lot in my spare time in the early to late noughties Ebay was still the Wild West and you had to have your wits about you. To do it right and keep buyers happy you had to work hard at really good descriptions and decent photos. There was also a lot of communication with buyers and lots of planning as to whether unsold stuff got re-listed or not. Disputes had to be settled.

Nowadays I can't believe it. Ebay pre-fill descriptions, suggest pictures and yes, even create entire listings if you let them! 

They also default an awful lot of things which they think are good for your listings, the most common of which is offers.

I was bemused by this. Offers on auctions. I thought you bid on auctions and offers were for fixed price items. They were when Ebay started up.

So if you don't switch off offers then they will appear in your listing at a fairly low level and before you know it someone will offer you £2. Then begins the whole rigmarole of accepting, rejecting etc etc.

Ebay also re-list items 8 times for free. Again, this was completely new and I had to look twice when I saw all our ended unsold stuff back on sale!

Look, I'm human. I like things being simple. But do Ebay really have to nanny sellers so much these days that they'll even create an entire listing for them? Where's the research, the unique facts, the care, the love?

What do you think of all this nannying on Ebay readers? or am I just getting old?

INTRODUCING THE CLIM BEETLE

This is the Spanish Beetle by prolific toy company Clim.

It reminds me of the Project SWORD Beetle or its un-shielded version The Snow Train [see the labels below for pics of these]

What do you think of it?

Have you anything like this?