THE THREE TARHEEL-STYLE BOXES OF THE PROJECT SWORD MOON RANGER

These are the three different Tarheel-style Moon Ranger boxes.

The differences are not huge.

All these pictures are from old auctions.

Here's the US box with the small red globe within the black curving capital T. It also says Project SWORD.

 Here's the second type of US box with the less curved T inscribed with the name Tarheel. The T is also held by two illustrated kids. Interestingly any reference to Project SWORD was removed from the box and the red arrowhead decal on the photo of the toy.

The third style of box is this one for the Italian market. |There is no reference to Tarheel and the upper portion of the title panel has been blacked out as is the case along the sides too. Interestingly the word SWORD does appear on red arrowhead decal on the Ranger in the photo, as it does on the toy itself.

An Italian import decal is virtually always stuck onto these boxes as seen here top right. Click on the labels below for more info.

Have you got any of these or anything different?

SINBAD SEQUEL SANK

I saw two Sinbad films again this Christmas, the Seventh Voyage from 1958 and the Golden Voyage from 1973.

Seeing them so close together I realised that of the two the earlier 1958 film was much much better in my opinion. 

The Seventh Voyage was a really excellent movie, entertaining and exciting with a great storyline and fantastic effects. The necromancer villain was very convincing and the Island cyclops and the green dragon really great monsters. I just loved the whole thing. It had that classic zap and zing found later in Jason and the Argonauts.

Fifteen years later the Golden Voyage of Sinbad seemed to have lost so so much. The story was weak, the villain despite being Tom Baker was lukewarm and the monsters and effects somehow half-hearted. I admit that the fencing Shiva was good but the continual use of the miniature flying Ymir creature  throughout the film was just lazy. It just felt to me as if the wind had dropped from Sinbad's sagging sails.

I now need to see Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger from 1977 to see if the rot had set in for good. Is it better than the Golden Voyage would you say?

What do you think readers? Am I being overly harsh?

OLD TOYS I PASSED UP THIS NEW YEAR

During our recent New Year trip away I had to walk by a few nice Charity Shop items that 20 years ago I wouldn't have hesitated snaffling for my old toy stall and Ebay business. I've already too much clutter and we are meant to be downsizing at some point so I have to pass on many temptations.

This was one, the Star Wars Electronic Galactic Battle game. It was nicely boxed but had a Y-Wing missing. £8. I passed for reasons explained.

Similarly this plastic box light with an R2D2 design was neat. £5.

Most expensive of all in one of the Charities was this loose  plastic battery-operated 1994 OCP Interceptor from the Robocop TV series, along with the action figure. £10.

I regret not getting them all but that's the insatiable magpie in me.

Would you have taken a punt on any or all of them readers?

As an aside I recall vividly seeing the Robocop TV series plastic vehicles way back in 1994 when they were brand new in the shops. I was in Karstadt, a German department store and I held the above toy in its box, along with the Tactical Field Ambulance below. I didn't get them because we didn't have enough room in the suitcase and I thought I'd pick them up in a UK toy store. I never did!

SPANISH BILLY

This is the small jack-plug TV from the Spanish Nacoral version of Billy Blastoff.

Is that the same image on the TV screen as the Eldon original?

CHRISTMAS IS OVER!

Well, the Christmas decorations have once more been taken down and are piled up on the breakfast table. Although in the ecclesiastical year is doesn't end until Candlemas, Christmas is well and truly over at Moonbase for another year.

These glistening trinkets will be boxed up and stored once more in the attic keeping their magic safe for another twelve months. Attics have no greater function than guarding Christmas just as they did when we were kids.

We saw out the season in one of our favourite spots, Buxton in the Peak District, about an hours drive away.

On the way we called in again at a most atmospheric book shop called Scarthin Books. Its bristling with old tomes and volumes in rooms tumbling over each other on three floors. Seemingly from another age I could imagine Gandalf browsing its paper treasures.

Have you a fave second hand or new book shop?

Our trip was sprinkled with charity shop finds as always. For example I found this old Star Wars single quilt cover and pillowcase, which I've yet to date. I used to sell a few of these on my old toy stall in the Nineties and Noughties.

There were some items I had to pass up on as I've so much old stock as it is, although its very hard. I'm tempted to buy everything I take a fancy to but these days I can't. A further blog post will reveal what I left behind.

We ended our trip and Christmas break with a new item, which is very unusual for us. My Missus took a shine to this beautiful ceramic house. It can be lit up and carried round. It sort of represents all the fresh hopes and dreams we carry with us into the new year.

Is your Christmas completely over too readers?

CABINET RE-SHUFFLE

My new toy cabinet.

With lights!

HARROP ZERO-X 50

I'm sure you will have seen this but here's the old Harrop 50 Years Thunderbirds Anniversary Zero-X statuette.

Picture saved from online.

What do you think of this statuette?

What's happened to Harrop? I can't find them online.

DRACULA: THE LATEST BBC INCARNATION

I imagine those who enjoy a bit of Gothic horror have been tuning into the BBC's latest offering, Dracula starring Danish actor, Claes Bang as the infamous Count.

Written by Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat, this latest adaptation has the usual BBC diversity traits - Dracula is bi-sexual and Van Helsing is now a woman.

To be honest I find most modern horror films a bit of a gore bore, but on this occasion  I'm finding Dracula very enjoyable, with some genuinely scary elements. It has nods to classic Hammer, and other little Easter eggs tucked away in the narrative. There's a gory bit involving Zombies which takes its inspiration from John Carpenter's 'The Thing', and the Count's Transylvanian castle is very reminiscent of imaginary in  Francis Ford Coppola's 1992 version of Bram Stoker's Dracula.

A highlight for me (and other Space:1999 fans) last night was the brief appearance of Catherine Schell as Grand Duchess Valeria, who, in conversation with the Count talks about a mysterious author who wants to document her life - Doctor Watson perhaps? Dracula had already mentioned knowing a famous detective in London during his first encounter with Sister Agatha , A Dutch nun who has a fascination with the legend of Dracula...

The final instalment airs tonight on BBC 1 at 9.00 pm.