MOONBASE CENTRAL

Wednesday, 15 December 2021

ZEROID!

I noted reader Mish mentioned a Zerak Zeriod he'd bought from Metropolis Toys a while back. I must admit I love Zeriods, and used to do a fair few posts on the mighty robots from the planet Zero, and their later incarnation, S.T.A.R. Team.

LEWIS'S OLD TREASURES

Hey do you ever put off things like looking in old bags?

It's almost ten years since my father died and I had to clean out and sell off the family home we had for almost 50 years...

I have a bunch of stuff pulled out of the attic including college projects and stuff my mother saved. They've been sitting in my garage waiting for me to build up the courage to look.

Here's one my mother saved that may interest MC readers.

It's a 70s vintage Australian Myers bag, but inside is a collection of my childhood toys I didn't think even existed anymore!

A small teddy bear, with the fragments of a scarlet train driver's uniform my mother made for him. The bear has survived, but (moths?) Have reduced the clothes to powder.

A collection of die cast cars, mostly pre-Superfast Matchbox, but there's also Budgie and Husky models.

Britain's divers sets (remember how they were featured on MC this year?)

The missing camera man from my Corgi Samuelson's van.

A Rollykin World Cup Willie figure! Flat trees that I think are 60s Lego accessories.

I literally haven't seen this stuff in half a century, but almost every piece instantly brings back memories.

Given my initial reluctance to explore the bag, was it a time capsule or a time bomb?

Cheers,

Lewis

MJ's CUSTOM ARCTIC BATMAN

https://youtube.com/shorts/03axyst3eLg?feature=share

just in time for Christmas, Arctic Batman!!
Regards
MJ

Southcoast Base

ANOTHER LOOK AT THE 16/12 MICRO V.I.P. EAGLE

A reminder of some of the photos I took of the Sixteen 12 pre-production 5" Micro V.I.P. Eagle, way back in 2020.

What's interesting about the pre-production V.I.P. pod colouring is the bolder yellow and orange colours that appeared on the 12" pre-production version, which was ultimately altered in favour of a glossy orangey red on the finished item.

With that in mind, I imagine it'll be a similar finish on the production Micro Eagle.

Like the other Micro Eagles in the set, the final product will be made from injection plastic with aluminium engine bells . There's plenty of detail, even on the pre-production models, and it'll come with the familiar and very tiny 1n-scale Moon buggy.

Someone asked yesterday why the buggy is seen parked on the launch pad? Rather than just set dressing I reckon it belongs to the pad maintenance crew, who use it to carry their tools, although someone else suggested, with his tongue firmly in his cheek, that it had simply run out of petrol!

A behind the scenes shot.

Book of Old Toy Ads

Just found another book that looks like heaven for Moonbase readers. Toys: 100 Years of All-American Toy Ads, from German publisher Taschen. A whopping 528 pages of old toy ads - looks to be one ad per page. It only came out in April this year. Also listed by the Book Depository.

Toys. 100 Years of All-American Toy Ads: Amazon.co.uk: Heller, Steven, Heimann, Jim: 9783836566551: Books

Paul Adams from New Zealand

Tuesday, 14 December 2021

GET MOBILE

One of my favourite Century 21 toys as a collector is this.

The Mobile Bridge and Combat Tank.

A bit of a blog legend really, appearing many many times.

These fab pics were part of an old auction I saw ages ago.

Alas my own toy is nowhere near as good-looking as this example!

Have you got a toy tank readers?

VINTAGE TOY SHOPS

Hi, Not sure if you remember but a few years back I wrote a couple of vintage toy shop reviews for the blog, featuring old friends and veteran toy collectors/dealers, Pete Hall of ACME Toys and Chris Malbon of Metropolis Toys.

Well, on Youtube, 'Leicester Vintage Toy Shop on Tour' feature both of these shops in Episode 10. This is a far better review than I produced for the blog and well worth a watch for anyone into vintage toys. There's some cracking toys to be seen. Link below... hope you like it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhvA7rq0kvI&ab_channel=LeicestervintageToyShop

Tony K

ANOTHER LOOK AT THE 16/12 MICRO WINCH EAGLE

Here's a reminder of the photos I took of 16/12's Micro Winch/Cargo pre-production Eagle model.

It has the familiar more realistic aluminium engine bells, and plenty of detailing, even though its just the prototype model. It comes with a detachable cargo pallet, and a removeable (non-working) winch motor.

It comes with six tiny magnetic nuclear cannisters, any of which can be attached to the carrying magnet on the end of the cord beneath the cargo pallet.

The 5" finished model will be made of injection plastic and aluminium, and is now provisionally scheduled to be released at some point early next year, but don't quote me on that what with all the set backs we've all had to put up with this past year.

Oh , and you even get a tiny in scale Moon buggy, too!