THE SOUND OF PLASTIC JAWS GNASHING

The Sound of Thunder reminded me of a short film.

In 2016 my nephew aged 8 and I made a short video using some of his cool toys like the big T. Rex.

 I had a look round You Tube for a fun animation using a dinosaur toy. Here's one I found. A bit long. I do feel sorry for the Pizza delivery boy!

What do you think?

Have you any films, super 8 box art, model box art or photos that show Man V Dinosaur readers?

A SOUND OF THUNDER

Yesterday I started to read Ray Bradbury's short story A Sound of Thunder. I ran out of time in my break so I'll have to pick up later.

Essentially its a story about time tourism and dinosaur shooting parties, specifically a T.Rex. 

I found the above shot of the original magazine entry from the Fifties. I thought the artwork was superb. Ray B has signed this online example too!

The bit I read made me think of Jurassic Park and the second instalment where the big game hunter just wants to bag a T.Rex. I wonder if the author Michael Crichton ever read The Sound of Thunder? Have you read it readers?

Who can forget the impact tremors in the first film, the very stuff of my own childhood nightmares decades earlier when I imagined a Thunder Lizard stomping down my street and peering through my bedroom window, a nightmare scenario which Crichton included in the second film.

My favourite impact tremors are the simple vibrations in the glass of water seen in JP.

Are there any more dinosaur tourism books or films?

The Imai Kit Company

Hi 

                From maxsmodels here is a history of the Japanese kit company Imai. They made James Bond, Thunderbirds, and other Gerry Anderson kits, and various Japanese movie monsters in addition to the more usual subjects. As always, Max does a great job, with lots of really nice vintage box tops.

Imai models: a brief overview - YouTube

Paul Adams from New Zealand

Mans Best Friend

I've just watched Tom Hanks latest Apple TV film, 'Finch'. A post-apocalyptic tale of the close future, especially topical at the moment with the moral panic over global warming, it is set in America following a massive solar flare, which devastates and already weakened ozone layer. 

As you might guess, Hanks is the eponymous central figure and pretty much runs the film as a one hander. Aside from a few brief anonymous appearances by humans, Finch shares the screen with only his dog and a robot. having played opposite a beachball in 'Castaway', Hanks has no trouble relating to either. The dog is especially well trained and the empathy between Finch and his dog is natural and relateable. Finch has another small service droid, called 'Huey' - a probably nod to 'Silent Running' and the trio of service bots on the 'Valley Forge', rather than Donald Duck's nephew. Huey is little more than a kit robot, fitted out with various waldo arms and a shopping basket to help Finch in his forays for food.

As Finch is an astrophysicist and engineer, with a well supplied underground bolthole and access to industrial level technology, he builds a new humaoid robot - not with a view to finding company, but with another directive entirely.

The robot, which eventually acquires a name, is built of random parts and an industrial endoskeletal armature, making it very strong and capable. But as with any A.I, it needs to learn how to be something near to human and how to adapt to the hostile situations ahead of it.

As the film progresses, we see 'Jeff' adapt and change, with his 'speak and spell' vocals softening as he talks to Finch during the course of the film, to enunciate in a mid-western teenage drawl. What is more charming is Jeffs' character development, as he eagerly attempts to be more 'Finch' and help his friends, with varying degrees of success.

Initially stiff and clumsy, Jeff develops mannerisms and postures all his own and by the end of the film has transformed into a fully fledged 'person', with faults and foibles and even something akin to emotion as he mimics Finch in his everyday activity. Some of Jeffs mannerisms bring to mind 'Wallace and Grommit' from the animated series, to obvious comedic effect.

If you compare Finch to the recent robot releases such as 'Chappie',  'Ex Machina 'or even 'Her' which all approach the artificial intelligence concept from different angles, sacrificing realism for full-bore action, or dramatic suspense -  Finch wins out as a heartwarming and interesting tale, with great visuals and as ever, a stunning performance by one of the most versatile actors of our day and a very notable performance by the talented voice-actor behind Jeff himself. Well worth seeking out.

 

STEVE CANYON: USAF JET PILOT

Hi all

I have been looking up Steve Canyon toys. Not a lot as far as I can see, but what is out there is really nice. I am sure it is also very expensive, and mostly to be found in the US. Not sure if any of this is directly related to the 1958-59 TV series, or to the original comic strip character.

The Aurora kit. To 1/8th scale, which would make the figure about 9 inches tall ? The photo is from Todocoleccion. There was also a regular USAF pilot version, which did not mention Steve Canyon.

Figura steve canyon escala 1/8 de aurora años 5 - Vendido en Venta Directa - 88181756 (todocoleccion.net)

The board game you mentioned. The playing pieces depict the Republic F-105 Thunderchief fighter-bomber.

Vintage Steve Canyon Board Game Incomplete 1959 Lowell Toy MFG. | eBay

There was also a metal lunch box.

A comic by Dell.

A Steve Canyon uniform and equipment set for the Captain Action doll.

A toy aircraft cockpit.

A plastic flight helmet, complete with visor and oxygen mask.

A plastic and tinplate truck with glider bomb, by Ideal.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

UGLY STICKERS AND NUTTY INITIALS: THE ARTIST?

I came across the work of the illustrator Basil Wolverton today. Grotesque faces and horrible heads. Really startling cartoon people.

As soon as I saw them I thought of two sets of stickers I had as a kid as I'm sure some of you had as well. Ugly Stickers in particular and Nutty Initials.

Does anyone know if these designs were created by Basil Wolverton?

NOVA FLIGHT

 Have a gander at this artwork of the SpaceX Nova rocket. Its pretty cool!

https://pixels.com/featured/nova-flight-3-timothy-smith.html

KINGS OF OBLIVION

I've always been enthralled by musical connections. You know, like Neil Young's Southern Man and Skynyrd's Sweet Home Alabama.

Another one connects two really fine albums that I adored in my youth, Hunky Dory and Kings of Oblivion, both of which I still have in my small LP collection. Both well worth a listen!

In Bowie's groundbreaking album Hunky Dory released in 1971 Bowie uses the line "Kings of Oblivion" in the amazing track Bewley Brothers. 

You can here it here on You Tube https://youtu.be/r8IGkLWmf4E?t=231

Well, a couple of years later in 1973 the seminal rock punksters The Pink Fairies gave us the equally groundbreaking album called, yep, "Kings of Oblivion", so named after Bowie's fabulous phrase about the Bewley Brothers!

Furthermore the Pink Fairies album cover deploys three pink flying pigs in the style of flying ducks often seen over Seventies' mantlepieces. Besides the bands fascination with pigs, this suggestion of 'pigs might fly' for me has a whiff of the troubles ahead for the Fairies as Kings was sadly their swansong. The Fairies pig? Pigs might fly sort of thing. They should have been bigger than they were and fortunately nowadays they get some appreciation for the brilliant fast street rock they dashed out, a foretaste of punk rock that erupted a few years later.

We next see a flying pink pig - and surely its most famous outing - above Battersea Power Station on Pink Floyd's superb Animals LP in 1977.

Sadly the Fairies' pink pigs don't get a mention on Wikipedia's list of flying pig usage. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_pigs_fly

So there's a few connections for the musos among you. Are there any you like?