IRA DAHMS MOONSCOPE

 I liked this model made in 1972 by Ira Dahms. Its a Moonscope variant. I think the Moonscope was also issued as a Space 1999 moon car as well. Do you like Ira's old model?

http://www.sonic.net/~joymkrs/Dahm/AMS1.html

TRAILER KOMBAT

I've just half an hour watching new movie trailers on You Tube. Separation, Shang-Chi. Suicide Squad. Loki. Army of the Dead. In the Earth. The Convent. But the one I liked the most by far was Mortal Kombat. The opening scene between Scorpion and Sub-Zero was fabulous, especially if you're a Kung Fu nut like me!

The original film passed me by in the mid-90's and I don't think I've found any of the action figures at car boot sales, which is strange.

I seem to recall that the figure line was somehow associated with Hasbro's mini GI Joe range. Is that right? I can see the blue guy with the orange hair. or is that Street Fighter? I'm confused.

Anyway, I watched the trailer for the upcoming Shang-Chi, a Kung Fu comic character I adored as a young teenager. I had some of the comics and copied the drawings over and over. I may still have some drawings somewhere, so I was so eager to watch the trailer. 

Damn, I was disappointed. I think I expected Bruce Lee himself to be in it! The last time I read my comics was in the early Seventies when Bruce was still alive! Still, the whole film might be brilliant so I'll just have to wait and see.

Anyways, I then saw the Mortal Kombat trailer. Bam! It did everything the Shang-Chi clip didn't. It excited me and the fight scene was stupendous. The Japanese master Scorpion even uses a variant of one of my all-time favourite weapons, the Kusarigama or rope sickle. Scorpion's weapon is a rope dart or kunai, which the film's director uses to devastating effect. The Kunai is the film is essentially a gardening trowel and the tool was sometimes used by stone masons.

When I was a young Martial Arts nut I made my own Kunai rope darts using bricklayers' line pins - pictured below - which usually came with a ball of handy string too and seeing Scorpion brought it all back, chucking my Kunai against the shed side. Happy Days!

Do you know much about Mortal Kombat?

ROB C'S NITTO SPACE EXPLORER SATURN MODEL

Hey Woodsy,

Here is my latest Vintage Japan SF model, the NITTO Space Explorer Saturn from 1983, a reissue of a 1966 kit called “Satan.” As you can see, I went for garish mid-60s colors, in order to get the “first wave” vibe of these early SF kits almost certainly inspired by Thunderbirds and Stingray.

I found it amusing that the 1983 box takes care to add a disclaimer: ”Model kit may differ slightly from illustrations!”

Rob C

USA

LA GRAND CORSA NELLO SPAZIO: ITALIAN SPACE GAME

 

Here's an Italian board game I saw on offer a while back.

Where do you think those spacecraft got their inspiration from?

MEMORABLE SCHOOL DAZE

Occasionally memorable things happened to me at school back in the Sixties and early Seventies.

An early memory is taking some toys into school after Christmas. I can see my Nomura mystery action tin army jeep zooming beneath the tables and chairs. What fun!

Another time I recall being in the Primary school Christmas nativity play. I was Joseph. The teacher had said not to wave at parents in the audience. I got on stage and promptly dropped my soft lamb to wave at my Mum and Dad! ha ha.

On another occasion I remember winning an Action Man truck in a tombola. It had green tarps draped over the back end. Quite a big thing. Not sure of its name now.

In the first year of Secondary school there was a talent show. I was a big Bowie fan at the time and just had to have a go at doing Ziggy Stardust on stage! I mimed playing the guitar but I think I sang the words. Ziggy played guitar!

The art department became an important place for me to hang out at lunch times later on. I made lino cuts of Kung Fu themes; Chinese letters and yin yang symbols for printing. I still have some somewhere. The art teacher, a brilliant painter, especially of seascapes - we had one in my Parents' front room - even painted a new sign for the Judo club I was a member of at the time.

I recall coming first in a Biology test one week. The class swat asked me how I'd done it. I dunno and I didn't do it again the next week to which swatty remarked 'You inconsistent worm!' Ha ha.

Lacking inspiration for an English essay I was inspired by the sleeve notes of Deep Purple's Machine Head I think. Ritchie Blackmore described throwing his guitar around with 'wild abandon'. Well that phrase went in my essay no messing and a few more after that!

Another time I had to do something very embarrassing. I had to explain to the Secondary Head why I'd had a month off school despite my Mum having already told school. The reason was hard to explain when you're only 14. I'd trapped my member in my trouser zip. And when I say trapped I mean really trapped. Only a doctor with an anesthetic could sort it, which is exactly what happened. Alas it was just the start to a long painful road to recovery and renewed membership of the human race!

I met a girl in the final year of school called Janet. Short with long black hair and utterly gorgeous, I was besotted. I went out with Janet for about two years, whilst I was at Sixth Form, but we weren't meant to be. I dumped her over the phone, which was cowardly I know. Despite all that I can still remember the thrill of being asked by her go-between mate Susan outside the English classroom if I would 'go out with Janet'. Ahhh, teenagers in love! The last time I saw her was 45 years ago!

One thing I recall about a teacher was the hoo-ha that erupted when he was discovered kissing and cuddling a sixteen year old girl in the chemical store of the science classroom. All hell broke loose and I think he may have left after that. It was the Seventies though. It would be much more shocking now.

Obviously there were bad times at school too and some really bad times, but I don't dwell on those anymore and have focused on the good stuff here.

What memorable events do you recall at school or college readers?

Seek and Ye Shall Find

 Following Woodsy's article on urban exploring and abandoed toy shops, I went back to look at Iain Duff's coverage of the shop left by Frank Beech. Iain's original blog post is very informative, but his Flickr account has even more photographs in it. Onein particular confirms my suspicions that buried within that ramshackle store of decades of toys, would have been some familiar space toys. Unfortunately, Vectis were called in to value and auction the stock, so what may have lain unopened on a shelf somewhere, we may never know.

THERE'S JUST SOMETHING ABOUT BILL

I've always enjoyed finding vintage toys at car boots and this includes Barbie, Sindy and Ken. There are countless sites dedicated to these famous plastic people but this one caught my eye, There's Something About The Boy.

https://somethingabouttheboy.com/vintage/vintage-clones/

The section devoted to Ken clones is a good read if you like male doll knockoffs. There's even a clone called Bill, Babs' boyfriend!

WILL'S TOY ROCKETS AND PLANES

Hi. Some pictures of rockets and planes. The Gemini capsule is the same as the Clifford toys one which recently appeared on the blog, but this is a WES toys one.

The Marx toys stratojet is obviously a TSR2, in a lovely lurid yellow. The X 15 is a much nicer model. Also, I’ve got a dizzy bugs game somewhere in the games archive, if I can find it I’ll send a picture.

Best wishes and keep well. Will O.