ANOTHER FLOTILLA OF PROJECT SWORD GLIDERS: ARTO'S FLEET

L to R: Hover, Tarheel, Durham, Century 21, Hoover.

BOMMY NIGHT

Courtesy of Bernard Dunne

MINI JIGSAWS

I remember as a kid me and my brothers getting miniature boxed jigsaw puzzles - they were stocking fillers I suppose back then. They were often depicting paintings hung in the national or Tate galleries I think, subjects like that. The boxes were really small, about the size of a mobile phone, usually square.

I remember a Christmas card scene and maybe a Chris Foss illustration.

Do you recall mini jigsaws readers?

Pictures welcomed.

Duck N' Roll

Hi Woodsy 

Time for something really weird. In their 2020 line-up Hot Wheels included a model called Duck N'Roll. It is a duck head and body in yellow (so presumably intended to be a baby duck ?), it has an orange beak, blue base, and red wheels, with an orange engine and propeller unit at the rear - so apparently it is amphibious. The copyright date on the base is 2019. 

This model reminded me of the Duck vehicle used by The Penguin in the film Batman Returns (1992). Thinking I should see if Duck N'Roll matches the movie car, I have discovered a whole world of model motorised ducks. 

Firstly, Duck N'Roll bears only a slight resemblance to the Batman Returns Duck, which has a taller head, and sits atop six wheels of equal size - Duck N'Roll has only four wheels, with the rears being larger than those at the front. 

I did discover a scratch-built model of the movie Duck in 1/25th scale, set in a very nice diorama.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABzqctbIJzw

Back about 1992, when the film came out, Ertl in the US released a small scale die-cast of the movie Duck. This was available on its own, or in a four-vehicle set with the other Ertl film models. Later Hot Wheels included The Penguin Duck in their line of 1/50th scale Batman models. This has been issued at least twice. The models are mainly plastic, with a limited amount of metal. The two versions seem to be much the same, but the cards are different. 

The early version comes on a brown card (copyright date on the back 2011), with the later version on a grey card (dated 2017). There is a video which shows the Ertl and Hot Wheels models side by side, and compares them, but gives the date of the Hot Wheels version as 2015, so perhaps another issue ? The attached photo of the Hot Wheels Duck is from Pinterest.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZNO1JCQcb8&app=desktop

Another video shows the Hot Wheels version in less detail, but does have a shot of the original Ertl packaging.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JYYjZN2Mg4

I do not have any of these models, but now that I know they exist, I have something else to look out for.

Yours Sincerely,

Paul Adams from New Zealand

 P.S. Ertl versions already blogged.

TELLY BOX FOLK

Been thinking about some old TV personalities from the past. Not mega exciting but they popped into my head. Do you remember them?

Dr. Miriam Stoppard - the thinking man's totty. Dr. Miriam was on TV all the time in the 80's and when our daughter was born we bought her book on childbirth and child development.

Michael Wood - maybe another Dr. but certainly a TV historian. With his cords and long hair, his 80's TV series about the Dark Ages was brilliant. We went out and bought the book! 

Jenny Hanley - A Blue peter presenter who came after the holy trinity of Noakes, Singleton and Purves. She had starred in hammer vampire films before that!

Harry Worth - a quiet funny man from the Seventies, he always had a hat on. I think his trademark move was a reflected snow angel in a shop window.

Ian Ogilvy - one of the Seventies golden boys of British movies, my favourite flicks of his are The Sorcerers and the amazing Witchfinder General.

Anita Harris - I can't recall her songs at all but I know I was sort of in love with Anita. She had one of those beauty spots like Lyndsey de Paul.

The test card girl - this long-haired lass popped up on the test card when TV ended each day around 12pm. She was followed by a high pitch peep meant to wake you up if you'd nodded off in front of the telly!

Mystery - there was a late night 70's comedy about a young guy who worked in an office. He was a sort of bungler. The name Hywel is in my mind but not sure why.

Can you think of any old TV people you want to bring up?

S U P E R S O N I C

 I love this old Boeing SST animation film.

The excitement and optimism of supersonic flight just shines through.

The future was bright during supersonic flight!

Have you any supersonic toys?

LOCKDOWN LOOMS

England begins a second national lockdown this Thursday. Corona is rampant here once more alas.

Although nowhere near as problematic as the dire health and economic problems it brings, Corona and its latest lockdown also means that all English car boot sales, vintage emporia and charity shops will be closed.

I will so miss rooting round for old toys for the next four or five weekends, especially in the winter when we really need cheering up with a few goodies before Christmas.

There is of course Ebay but it's just not the same as physically rummaging in boxes of random plastic and shelves of tat.

Is your country facing lockdown too or are you enjoying much more lenient restrictions?

A FLOTILLA OF PROJECT SWORD GLIDERS: FERRYMAN'S FLEET

Originals and spin-offs courtesy of Ferryman.