MOONBASE CENTRAL

Thursday, 23 December 2021

MANY HAPPY RETURNS

Have a super Birthday, Woodsy, and remember as George Bernard Shaw once said:

"We don't stop playing because we grow older, we grow old because we stop playing!"

Wednesday, 22 December 2021

PRODUCT ENTERPRISE STEED & MRS PEEL

As we're talking T.V. Avengers, here's a couple of items from Product Enterprise.

The first item dated 2002 is a boxed set of Steed and Mrs Peel dolls inspired by the black & white series which aired from 1965 to 1966. The set features Emma in black leather jump suit holding a small revolver, and bowler hatted Steed, dressed in grey, wearing a red button hole , and holding his umbrella.

The set comes with a model bottle of Champagne and two glasses.

The second item dated 2005 is a deluxe talking action figure set, and celebrates the series moving to colour in 1967. It has bowler-hatted Steed dressed in a dark suit, with his sword stick umbrella by his side, and Mrs Peel in a (very) tight-fitting blue jump suit. She sports her gold revolver and a fob watch.

The set comes with the Champagne bottle and two glasses, a 'Mrs Peel we're needed' card , plus a tiny copy of 'The Winged Avenger' comic-book, and a P.U.R.R.R. brochure.

"Steed becomes an action figure... Emma's still a doll!"

MARK'S AVRO LANCASTER 4

Further aeronautical progress by Mark on his big Lancaster build.

More to follow in 2022!

STEED KING: THE AVENGERS' STORY 'SPLIT'

I've just watched an episode of The Avengers, Split from 1968. It was introduced by ITV4 as the New Avengers but it was the Linda Thorsen series, along with Patrick McNee of course.

I must say I really enjoyed the episode. I'd forgotten how attractive the whole thing was and Canadian Linda does a sterling job in filling the rather big and handsome shoes left by one Diana Rigg. The cameraman found himself focusing on Linda's legs rather a lot just to be sure!

The other focus in this episode and the whole series in general was setting the stories in sinister Government units and departments, which I always found wonderful and I'm unsure there's anything like it now. It reminded me of the military thread running through Sixties Doctor Who. In this episode of the Avengers the department was called The Ministry of Top Secret Information!

There's a compulsion for radio-electronics as well, which is something that featured in many TV plays and series like the Stone Tape, Quatermass Conclusion and of course Dr. Who.

There's a really smart car in the episode too, an Aston Martin DBS Vantage pictured below. It so sleek and would have not gone amiss in UFO! Here's a nice webpage about the car in that very episode.

http://www.dbsvantage.com/en/pages/films-and-tv/theavengers.html

I'd forgotten that Steed's bowler was a lethal weapon like Odd Jobs in Dr. No. I have an inkling that the Bowler might have been released as a toy or maybe Steed's umbrella. Is that right?

Do you like the Linda Thorsen/ Tara King era?

imcdb

BATMANIMATED: HOT WHEELS BATPLANES

Hi, Here are a couple of colour variations on the Hot Wheels Batplane from Batman - The Animated Series. This came out as part of the 2020 range.

In recent years the Hot Wheels Mainline has included a Batman series of five models. Some are new castings, others are older models in new colours.

The 2020 Batman range included the Batplane (numbered 1/5 in the series) in both matt black with blue tinted cockpit windscreen, and medium metallic grey with yellow tinted windscreen. It was again included in the 2021 range, but now numbered 3/5.

The colours being dark blue with blue strips and yellow windscreen, or matt black with red stripes and red windscreen. The model does not have an undercarriage, but comes with a small display stand.

Have you got one?

Batplane | Hot Wheels Wiki | Fandom

Paul Adams from New Zealand

ANGLO GUM SPV

I love the artwork on this Anglo gum card from the 1967 Captain Scarlet set. The travel of the SPV and the curve of the road are just wonderful. I like the copter too but don't recognise it. Do you?

Who was the artist?