Retract It!

Been fiddling with a tape measure and had a flashback. As the tape recoiled back into its spool I remembered doing it as a kid. The tape I had was thin material. Not a steel one. For the life of me I can't remember the holder. A galleon? A knight? A small plastic TV?

Did you have a retracting kids' tape measure?

Gerry Anderson Primers

Hi all,

                I just found this programme on You Tube, a 3 hour and 40 minute look at the works of Gerry Anderson, called the Gerry Anderson Primers. I think it is a compilation of short items on each of his shows. 

It covers just about everything, not just the puppet series. Starts off with Twizzle, Torchy the Battery Boy, and Four Feather Falls, before moving on to the main SF shows and Thunderbirds movies. There are segments on the movie Crossroads to Crime, and the TV series The Protectors. 

There is even a section on The Investigator (at 2:12), with shots of the car and amphibian in action - very useful for anyone who does not have The Lost Worlds of Gerry Anderson DVD set which includes The Investigator pilot episode - the only one made. 

Then live action, and the later shows, right up to New Captain Scarlet in CGI. While I am familiar with most of these, there were still some items I had not seen before, so it was a very enjoyable watch.

(1) Gerry Anderson Primers - the complete series - YouTube

Paul Adams from New Zealand

 

THE ORIGINAL OUTER LIMITS: THE GALAXY BEING

I've started something I wanted to do for ages. Years in fact. 

I want to watch the American Outer Limits TV series, which aired from 1963 onwards. I was only 2 back then so won't have seen them first time round. I've seen the monsters on cards and comics for years since then so I do know what a few look like. They seem iconic to me now.

Fortunately the first episode, The Galaxy Being, was available on Daily Motion and I had the pleasure of the radioactive alien this afternoon. I did fall asleep for 10 minutes in the middle but that was my age rather than the show!

By way of marking off the episodes I see I am going to post the Topps card image of the monster shown [courtesy of Ebay images] and unlike the TV version these are in colour! For some reason Topps didn't put the correct name, the Galaxy Being, opting for the more alliterative Television Terror.

Have you watched the original Outer Limits? Were there any toys, games, books or models?

ROBOTS FOUND

 In the 90's and 00's I found the odd toy robot.

It was always a thrill finding a robot at a boot sale or in a junkbox.

I kept them for a while and then put them on my mail order lists I used to post to collectors.

So here are a few of the robots I found. Mine were all unboxed. These pics are from the net, image ownership rests with the various owners.

This yella fella is known as the Floating robot. I remember switching it on and chuckling at its action. It shudders around the surface via vibrating bristles on its base. Its a robot brush!  The vibrations make the wheels and spanners spin round too. Found at Wakefield car boot sale.

This smiler was released by cosmetics queens Avon. I think it was a piggy bank. I never knew that the head came off to reveal another head! Another boot sale gem.

I came across the Talking robot in a model shop in Whitby. He was in a junk box and needed a new home. I don't think it had any missiles. I loved the unique multi-coloured buttons on this bot and his clunky ears.

I got the Saturn robot at Woolworths in Whitby whilst on holiday with the Missus and toddler daughter.

On a similar trip I bought Mighty Mike the smoking bot from Woolies in Pickering. On yet another Whitby stay I decided not to get the Trendmasters Lost in Space robot stocked in Boyes for some reason. I did that Saturn TV robot though.

and last but not least I had a Monster robot like this one, which revealed Godzilla's head. This one borrowed off the net has a eye window missing. I've seen this bot called Deceptor too. Great fun!

That's it bots!

Do you/ did you have any toy robots?

LOOKING FOR THE GAZETTE

Supermarket shopping remains one of the few things we can still do.

Yesterday we went to Asda and I had a gander at the magazines section, largely to see if there was something for a relative in the music section. There was a fabulous-looking pack of Roger Dean art cards in a Yes edition of Prog mag. There was also a sealed Rock mag, the greatest guitarists of all time. But checking the prices I put them back. £8.99! For a magazine!

As usual I had a quick look for that stalwart of the toy collecting world, the small newspaper, Collectors Gazette, which if I recall is still reasonably priced. But like the last couple of times I've tried to find the Gazette it was to no avail. I couldn't find one.

Collectors Gazette was essential reading back in the 90's for me and a large tower of copies began to grow in my house. I didn't subscribe to it. That honour went to the wonderful Model Mart but the Gazette was always worth finding at toy fairs and in the newsagents every month. My tower of Gazettes and Model Marts eventually became so big that I kept it in the cellar and when we moved house in 2003 it was culled. Only certain copies came with us.

So its quite nostalgic looking for Collectors Gazette. Can you find it? Do you still read it?

Which magazines do you get?

WILL OSBORNE'S VINTAGE VX PUMP ROCKET

A 1957 German BE BU pressure propelled rocket.

VESTS

Vests were a big deal when I was a kid.

I couldn't go anywhere without wearing a vest or else I'd have my Mum to answer to. We all wore them, my Dad, my brothers, everyone. Not my sisters though or my Mum. They went vestless for some reason.

The vests I wore where always white and sort of slightly stretchy. It meant I always ended up with three layers on in winter; a vest, a shirt and a jumper. If I had to wear a coat to go outside I roasted!

I'm pretty sure I didn't wear vests in summer. That would have been daft. In fact i think I tried to go as shirtless as possible in those long lazy sunny days of the Sixties and Seventies summers, especially in the garden or on holiday. I doubt I took my shirt off down the park but I can't recall.

String vests were popular with older males back then. I don't think I had any. They can't have afforded as much heat as one of my full vests, what with all those holes letting the warmth out!

I haven't worn a vest since the mid-Seventies. One of those bots of clothing consigned to the history bin.

I haven't been as warm though!

Did you have to wear a vest readers?

TO BE OR NOT TO BE? IS THE X-20 SPACE CAR ONE OF THE X-SERIES?

I've been musing about the X-20.

We know the model number is 226 and it was made in Hong Kong. Its also friction drive.

Could it be one of the X-series of toys we've covered before on MC?

Way back in 2009 collector Ferryman brought the little known JR21 series to our attention for the first time [click here to see the series] and adding a couple of new X discoveries from over the years now gives us the following list of model numbers for the X-series, made by Ming Tat of Hong Kong, beginning with the X-30.

X-30 Space Explorer No. 303  

X-40 Space Rocket: No. 232 

X-50 Space Racer: No. 233 

X-60 Space Rocket on Launching Truck: No. 234 

X-70 Astronaut: No. 235 

X-80 Space Capsule No. 240

X-90 Space Car No. 241

I am now wondering if it is possible that the X-20 belongs on this list? 

Certainly the number X-20 fits and also the model number 226, which would both be at the start of the series.

Its an attractive thought.

There are shortcomings to this theory. The Space Car box does not appear to have X-20 on it, which is unlike the rest of the true X-series, which all have their X numbers quite visible on the box front. Also the Space Car's overall look is quite different to the rest of the series. It has a more atomic age feel to it rather than the space race looks of the other vehicles.

So, what do you think readers? To be or not to be in the X-series?