MOONBASE CENTRAL

Sunday, 9 January 2022

Professionals Action Pack

I do like the The Professionals, but I can't say I picked up any of the spins offs, apart from the odd paperback and an annual or two. Did anyone have the Action Pack ?

The crime buster kit, another piece of Professionals merchandise.

Hi

Here is a circular vacuum cleaner - it turned out to be the Hoover Constellation, which goes all the way back to the 1950s. It seems I did get a few details wrong, such as the clear top, or was that a Dyson ?

We did not have one, but it is not something you can easily forget - I am sure I saw these advertised on TV, probably 1970s ? Here's a vintage TV ad, and a video from a vacuum cleaner collector.

Hoover Constellation vacuum cleaner 1962 TV commercial - YouTube

Retro Hoover Constellation 867A Floating Vacuum Cleaner Unboxing & First Look - YouTube

I am sure that when you established Moonbase Central you never dreamed you would one day be covering vacuum cleaners and rocking chairs.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

Saturday, 8 January 2022

CHRIS FOSS TURBULENCE

Hi again Woodsy. Being a long time fan of the artwork of Chris Foss , The other day I found my old vinyl copy of Ian Gillian's bands clear air turbulence. Signed by the band. Those were the days! All the best.

Will Os.

OPEN THE POD BAY DOOR, HAL!

I'm currently watching 2001: A Space Odyssey for the umpteenth time...!

From a More Civilised Age

Kevins scratchbuilt lightsaber. As word got out that Graflex Flashgun parts formed the basis of the design, the secondhand market lit up and prices went higher than sansanna spice. So the ever resourceful Mr Davies fashioned his own in true jedi style!

ARTO'S SPACE CAR TAT

This is the TAT racer I tried to send a link of. You can find it at Alphadrome by name Space Car - TAT - Hong Kong.

I bought mine in a London Antique Mall many years ago. The missing end of the original box had been neatly reproduced by copying the intact end on similar cardboard. Never seen another since.

Arto

P.S.

Geoffrey P. has kindly sent the link to his own TAT Space Car, this time in vivid pink!

http://geoffstoys.blogspot.com/2012/04/persplex-cockpit-and-matching-lipstift.html

BARBIE BATGIRL

Hi Woodsy further to the post on Batgirl's motorcycle, Barbie did this awesome piece, I know it was awesome cos I had this until my daughter played the hell out of it!

The photo doesn't do the midnight blue lurex jump-suit justice and although not comic book accurate the yellow gloves and boots do finish this off perfectly!

What do you think readers?

Regards

Southcoast Base

MANDOLORIAN RIFLE STOCKS

Hi Woodsy

You recently mentioned The Mandolorian, a series which I have not seen, and the unusual shape of his rifle stock.

It was not just early firearms that used this fish-tail shape, several light machine guns of WW2 used a similar design. The German MG34 and MG42 spring to mind, as do various Japanese light machine-guns - their Type 11 LMG looked very odd.

The Mandolorian gun is a little more exaggerated, but the basic shape is there. Here is a photograph from Wikipedia, showing the MG34 on both a bi-pod for use in the light machine-gun role, and on a tri-pod for use as a heavy machine-gun.

The Japanese Type 11 dates from the 11th Year of the reign of the Emperor Taisho, or 1922.