MYSTERY MAN TOY

Had a sort-out recently and this little hairy fella popped up.

Anyone recognise him?

He's about 1.5 inches tall and is made of soft rubbery plastic.

I THINK I LOVE HIGH RISERS!

Do you?

COOT: THE REAL-LIFE SCRAMBLE BUG

Above is the Coot, the real life Scramble Bug going for a swim on You Tube. It looks quite hairy crossing that lake on an ATV! Would you have a go?

Anyone got an ATV, a real or toy one?

Seeing it made me wonder if the Century 21 Scramble Bug toy would actually float and 'swim' as the wheels turn. What do you think?

here's some short footage of the toy on dry land in Japan on You Tube.

MICRO FAKES AND KNOCKOFF NAUTS

Browsing Worthpoint's thousands of old auctions is always fun.

Here's a few more Micronauts knockoffs for those you who know about such things.

Micronauts simply passed me by as a teenager I'm afraid so I've no idea if these are knockoffs. I have to go on what Worthpoint tells me!

What do you think of these toys?

The Space Tank by CH toys.

This yellow jet complete with robot by Arco

A Cassette Helicopter CT-730

Micronauti Force Commander

SILENT SPRING?

As the Coronavirus slowly tightens its grip on life here in the UK, as it has done in many parts of the world already, I find myself thinking back to huge calamities, which affected the whole of the UK when I was young.

I can't think of anything scarily mega viral like Corona - although flu and smog may have surfaced big time in the Sixties, but I just don't recall - but there were some seismic economic events, which I do remember. 

The biggest has to have been the three day week in 1974. It came as a result of a global oil crisis and in the UK a coal miners strike. The shortened week stopped electricity flowing freely and we had power cuts. These cuts were during the day and I recall some meals being ruined as my Mum battled with our cold hob. I was once presented with fried kidneys  - a delicacy at the time - which were not fully cooked I don't think! It won't have bothered me much I doubt as I was 13 with a head full of Bruce Lee and heavy rock. I'll have rode off on my Raleigh chopper chewing half-cooked offal as happy as Larry.

We also had the Winter of Discontent in 1978-79, where a general strike paralysed the country. Even gravediggers were on strike for a while. The thing I remember the most were the rubbish bags piling up everywhere because the bin men were striking too. I lived with my older Brother then in a suburban flat. Our rubbish bin was overflowing with empty Irish Stew tins, Heineken cans and Mateus bottles.

I have a memory of people being terrified of rats swarming all over the bin bags but I'm not sure if the rats materialised. It was a really cold winter and that probably helped. Any snow around and young kids will have been out sledging, probably down snowy slopes of split rubbish bags! I was 18 at the time and my new surge of testosterone will have powered me through it all. Besides, when you're 18 you don't really notice what's going on around you much.

But as I say, I can't think of anything medical like Coronavirus affecting everyone back then in the UK, so it is different and now I'm fully grown up, nearly an "OAP" and lacking that escapism of youth its really quite concerning. I do worry about our second Moonbase Junior, a granddaughter, arriving in the world in the next 4 weeks over what may prove to be a viral Easter lock-down and a silent Spring.

I wish readers well. Stay safe in these crazy days. Keep blogging.

TAMIYA DYNAHEAD

This is up to date I think. Modern.

The Tamiya DynaHead remote-control toy.

How cool is that!

DR. WHO SHADA MAGAZINE MYSTERY

This a Dr. Who mystery.

The description of this auctioned bundle of Dr. Who SHADA magazines mentions Century 21 toys. Does this mean that there is an article about them in one of these old SHADA magazines? Anyone know what this is about? Anyone know SHADA?

Here's the description.

"A mixed group of "Dr. Who" related comic and colour books which includes Marvel Collectors Issue 1 and No.57-60, Dr. Who Summer and Winter Specials, Dr. Who Weekly No.1-43, Dr. Who Monthly 44-102, Century 21 Toys and Fanzines - conditions are generally Good to Mint. (lg qty)"

SOLITARY SOUL FOOD

With the prospect of Boris telling us to stay indoors for a fortnight at some point during Spring I've been thinking what nosh might keep our spirits up.

It would have been easy as a kid. 

My old Mum would have said a warming Lancashire hotpot with pickled red cabbage and maybe jam roly poly with custard for afters. Not bad at all.

My own juvenile requests would be simple and nutritious:

1. Steak and kidney pudding, chips, peas and gravy from the chippie
2. Instant Whip milk pudding, butterscotch or chocolate flavours
3. Birds Dream Topping, on top of the instant whip
4. Bread and Butter pudding
5. Sausages and home-made chips with lashings of vinegar and salt
6. Fried liver and onion sandwich
7. Mixed grill: sausage, pork chop and liver with a few chips
8. Deep fried chicken balls and chips
9. Cheese and ham savoury pancakes
10. Toast toppers on toast
11. Pancakes, loads of 'em!
12. NO tripe or Finney Haddock! Yuk!

What would your kid solitary confinement menu have looked like?