GLIMPSES OF YULETIDE

 Some festive scenes at Moonbase this December.

SHADOCON 2: SHADOPROPS

Some more reminders of SHADO Con 2, this time a few photos from the model room including some excellent original props on display, kindly brought along by mega collectors, James Winch, and Paolo Malaguti amongst others. 

SHOW ROD MODEL KITS: A BOOK REVIEW BY PAUL ADAMS

Here is another book review. Again, not my usual subject, but there is still plenty of useful information in it.

Show Rod Model Kits - A Showcase of America's Wildest Model Kits, Scotty Gosson, CarTech, USA, 2015. 159 pages, printed on glossy paper. Out of print.

This volume is a follow up to America's Wildest Show Rods, but this time focusing on kits in 1/24th, 1/25th and 1/32nd scale. Way out Hot Rods and Show Cars are not my usual subject, but again many of the models shown have a film or television tie-in, so it joined my other Star Car reference books.

Over a hundred plastic kit models are covered, ranging from kits of real custom cars (some of which had appeared in a few films or TV shows), to vehicles built specifically for film or TV work, and a good many kits that were designed just as models and never existed full-size. Most kits get a page or half a page. Information includes kit maker, catalogue number, release date, any re-issues, scale, and sometimes the name of the designer. Then some background information on the kit, and the original vehicle.

Some of the vehicles covered were included in America's Wildest Show Rods, but here it is the kit versions that are the centre of attention. Most of the photographs are in colour, with just a few historical shots in black and white. Most entries include the original box tops, and many include photos of built-up models. There are also a few examples of vintage advertising.

In addition to the Show Rod kits, and an introduction, there are sections on the history of Show Rod modelling, what the modelling scene was like in the 1960s, assorted modellers remembering 'the old days' and the kits they built, the corporate world of model making, and various monster model lines and toys.

These include the Hawk Weird-Ohs, Rat Fink models, Lindy Loonys, and some of the Aurora Monster-in-a-Vehicle kits. These are not covered in as much detail as the main models, but it is good to see them included. Finally, there are examples of customised models and What-if box art by various enthusiasts.

The film and TV models include the Batmobile, Munster cars, Monkeemobile (plus the Happy Days Fonz Dream Rod version), Pink Panther car, Green Hornet Black Beauty, Man From UNCLE Piranha, Beverly Hillbillies truck, Dark Shadows Barnabas Vampire Van, and Space:1999 The Alien.

Many of the kits in this book have been re-issued over the years, or have been produced as die-casts.

A very interesting book, if you can find a copy.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

LEWIS'S LANDSPEEDER PROJECT!

Hi Woodsie, 

There were about 30 entries in the recent Lobobs Landspeeder Toy Art Show in Melbourne. 

The standard was uniformly high, I felt both humbled and in great company!

This is just a sampling of the best of the best.

Here's a close up of my own cut-away Landspeeder and its R2!

It's fully 3D modelled and printed - even the bones!

Christmas Cheer!

Lewis,

Oz

MIST-O-MATIC CHRISTMAS CARD

 This was the Xmas card front I made on my Denys Fisher Mist-O-Matic paint toy back in the Sixties.

Do you remember this design or Mist-O-Matic?

PHOTONIC SOLSTICE

The station drifted in deepest space unbuckled from Centauri's gears.

Drawn by some unknown force it sped towards the nearest spheres.

Our sun, our planet, its solstice sky,

Where the light ship fires whilst it passes by.

MYSTERY WHITE SPACEX SUPPLY FORCE MERCURY

I saw this trio of SpaceX on Worthpoint a while back and saved the pics. 

The seller said that  "All Are Made Of Hard Plastic" which I'm surprised at as I thought the two white-part vehicles would have been softer plastic like these two cloned examples I have.

So are the two white-part vehicles from the Spanish Bullycan range Aviones Cosmicos?

Here's a group shot of the many of the colour combinations from a Spanish collector.

From these and others online I can't see any white parts. Besides, even though the SpaceX Hawk is in the Spanish range the SpaceX Supply Force Mercury isn't so I think we can rule them out.

So not Bullycan and hard plastic. What are those white SpaceX? Prototypes? Painted toys? Customs?

Have you got them in your collection?

Life imitating Art from Captain Steve

Merry Christmas to you and the rest of the Moonbase Central community!

I thought you would be interested in this, the Soviet Union's Ilyushin IL-40. To me it has a distinct Gerry Anderson like appearance, particularly the 2nd prototype with the elongated nose.

http://www.diseno-art.com/encyclopedia/strange_vehicles/ilyushin_il-40_brawny.html

http://www.aviastar.org/air/russia/il-40.php

I'm a big fan of the blog, and I finally found something to contribute!

Captain Steve