SUPERMARKET SWEEP

 The local Morrisons has a whole aisle of Halloween goodies.

Here's a few that caught my bloodshot eye.

This boney fella is actually sat on a toilet!

Yoga Scalliwag

One other thing that I noticed was the total lack of free premiums in today's breakfast cereals.

I couldn't see any!

The golden days of breakfast gifts is over!

What are the Halloween aisles like in your part of the world readers and are there ANY breakfast cereal premiums at all anywhere?

HOLLY HOBBIE AND FRIENDS

Back in the day our daughter, a mere youngster at the time, was into various kiddy characters who were popular for a while. Some endured and some didn't but I bet you've heard of them all.

Holly Hobbie - a sort of little shabby chic hippy girl with a floppy hat, Holly got absolutely everywhere; cups, plates, jigsaws, statues and more. I bet there was a game too and maybe even toys. If you go to a few charity shops today there will be something to do with Holly Hobbie in there like a cup or a purse.

Rainbow Brite - a multi-coloured girl who had masses of hair I recall. Lots of merchandising, Annuals and figures. I used to find Rainbrow Brite stuff mint in package at boot sales in the 90's.

Victoria Plum - I don't remember much about this little fairy-type urchin. A sort of forest Holly Hobbie. I used to find a few jigsaw puzzles at sales. There's a bathroom company with the same name.

Strawberry Shortcake - our daughter had and still has some toys from this range. They're in our attic.

Fern Gully - I know next to nothing about this except that at some point our little 'un had an annual.

Do you know any of these readers?

TARZAN AT THE EARTH'S CORE

 Terranova's favourite Tarzan!

Have you a fave Tarzan?

BOB AUCUTT'S CALL FOR HELP

Bob Aucutt recently sent a message to MC readers re. the Dan Dare action doll.

"Looking for a Dan Dare Space helmet to make a mold from.

Anyone with one willing to help?"

Bob

Bob Aucutt

Bob's Toy Box Studios

AIRFIX MODELS IN PICTURE FRAMES

Hi

     I received this from Airfix. An update on the latest kits, and at the bottom of the page some models from a viewer, who has mounted half-models of the Airfix Concorde and Sea King kits in picture frames. An interesting way to display the kits, and effectively get two models for the price of one kit.

Chipmunk 75 - A spectacular new tooling in this anniversary year :: Hornby Hobbies (airfix.com)

Paul Adams from New Zealand

A Strange Oddisea

It was always great fun playing in the bath or the sink with a few toys. One thing I never took into the water were my precious cars. Mattel/Matchbox tried to overturn this idea a few years ago with the 'On a Mission Deep Sea Squid Sub' playset. Very similar in build to the Mega Rig redux sets that appeared a bit earlier, but this sub is specifically intended to allow kids to take a car to the depths of the ocean!

Rather than being issued with a small action figure to pilot the sub, the hatch drops and a car is driven in! Almost like a scene from one of the later Fast and Furious films, the adult mind boggles at the idea, but I suppose a kid would love it.

Its a nice rendition of a DSV, with plenty of scope for customisation. My only gripe is that the grab arms aren't articulated. Theres a winch on the back attached to a large 'squid clamp' to grasp the unfortunate mollusc, which comes with the set, in nice purple squishy rubber. It squirts water and has mini suction cups on the tentacles, making it perfect for posing.

 All in all, its a nice robust little toy, which would sit better with the large Mega Rig range, but also cries out for conversion to fit a smaller action figure.

KEV'S SCRATCHBUILT BLAKE'S 7 STARDRIVE SPACE CHOPPER

Hi,

Just finished my latest Blake's 7 scratchbuild. 

The Space Chopper from the episode 'Stardrive'.

In the series, these were leisure transport, stolen from museums (private, personal transport was banned) by a group of thugs called Space Rats. 

Their leader obviously had plans of his own as he recruited a Space propulsion scientist who adapted them to travel so fast that they could take out Federation warships.

Mine would probably be flown quickly as I made the pilot from an action figure of The Stig!

Maximum speed!

Kevin

UK

HOLLOW EARTH ANYONE?

When I was kid I noticed one of the Colourforms Outerspacemen toys was from Hollow Earth. I think it was Mystron from Series II, which I never had. You?

I think the Hollow Earth also appeared in some way in a movie I adored in the Sixties, Journey to the Centre of the Earth. I can see the film's heroes staring out over a vast subterranean ocean, which was a startling image for an impressionable kid. Did you see it?

Recently I was watching another more modern film - I forget which - King Kong v Godzilla? - and the concept of Hollow Earth came up again. Anyone know what I'm on about?

So just what is the Hollow Earth idea? Who is meant to be living down there?