MOEBIUS ROCKET MOON BUS

 The Moebius Moon Rocket Bus from 2001: A Space Odyssey.

As many of you know, former A.P. Films man Brian Johnson left to work on 2001 and took particular inspiration from the front of Rocket Bus when designing the Eagle Transporter seen in Space 1999. 

There’s a brief scene in Space: 1999’s opening episode, ‘Breakaway’ which shows a view through a window of an Eagle landing at Disposal Area 2. This is very reminiscent of a similar scene in 2001, were the Rocket Bus is landing at Tycho.  It’s also been noted that the Tycho excavation site has a similar feel to 1999’s Waste Disposal Area. 

The Rocket bus transports men and supplies across the airless lunar surface, using rockets underneath which maintain an equal distance with the ground, coupled with occasional bursts giving forward thrust.

It has three curious looking landing feet dubbed ‘walkers’, which I imagine are used to maneuverer the landed Bus over short distances. 

In the film, the Rocket Bus travels from Clavius base to the Tycho excavation site were the strange anomaly has been discovered.

The actual filming model was apparently two feet long, and there were rumours that following filming it was stored away at the studio. Sometime later it was subsequently taken home by a crew member, and given to the crew member’s son.  Sadly, so the story goes, it was eventually destroyed by fireworks.  

This is the pre-made 2001 Moon Bus released by Moebius in 2011.

It’s more or less a straight reissue of the vintage Aurora kit released in 1969, although Moebius have altered the front screens to make them more film accurate. Modellers getting the actually Moebius kit are given the option of either using the original Aurora sloping aerodynamic front screen if they desire, or the screen accurate version.

The pre-made Moon Bus might be a bit too conservatively painted for some modellers who strive for  more accurate weathering, but it  has more than enough detail to make it interesting, and is a perfect display model, not unlike the Product Enterprise range.

Like the original Aurora kit it has a removable top, although I’m told that on the original kit this was prone to warping. The top on the Moebius doesn’t appear to suffer this and fits very well.

Inside, there are six astronauts along with their supplies, as well as a pilot and co-pilot. (The original kit appeared to only come with four astronauts)

ARTO'S ASTRONAUTICS STAMPING SET

Sometimes, and not too often, there's more to a simple children's toy than meets the eye at first sight.

That is why I was so delighted with this Astronautics Stamping Set, made by an Italian company Multi Print of Milan.

The box top features six different space vehicles in a planetary landscape, seen through a circular window of another spacecraft steered by two astronauts. The illustration is signed by Gil. Box measures 22 x 14 cm.

Inside, there's a red plastic insert with six different rubber stamps, an illustrated ink pad, and three colour pencils.

The instructions are found printed on the inside of the box top, with alluring colour illustrations of the stamp motifs.

The motifs are also repeated underneath the stamps themselves, with yet another set of illustrations.

The Astronautics set came also with a blank notebook with a glossy new take of the cover illustration.

Finally, the box side repeats once more those six stamp motifs.

And all this could have been just a colourful box with six cheap stamps inside. Well done, Multi Print!

Arto

Finland

Fundraising Mandalorian

Hi,

Here's a picture of the Mandalorian as done by the Hyde Fundraisers that I photographed recently (I didn't make any part of this one!).

Kevin D

UK

Aviation Box Art Colours: The Artist's View

Hi,

Here is a You Tube video from Celebrating Aviation With Mike Machat, on Color in Model Box Art. 

I recall there being an earlier video on the same subject, both filled with photos of classic American kit boxes from both large and small kit makers. 

Most box tops included all three primary colours, even if it was just in the company logo. Mike Machat is a professional aviation artist, who has done kit boxes, so he really knows this subject.

MODEL BOXTOP COLORS - How Color Was Used to Sell Plastic Model Kits. - YouTube

Paul Adams from New Zealand

Box Top Air Power Book Review by Paul A.

Hi,

Hi, Another book review, this time featuring one of my more recent purchases, from a few months ago.

Box Top Air Power - The Aviation Art of Model Airplane Boxes, Thomas Graham, Schiffer Publishing, USA, 2008.

Still available.

Another volume from Thomas Graham, but slightly different to his previous company histories. This one is a collection of the paintings done for various model aircraft box tops, along with a few missiles and spacecraft. 

These are the original paintings rather than the box tops that we saw in the shops. There is no text or company logos - just the artwork. All the illustrations are in full colour. The book is printed on glossy paper throughout, with excellent reproduction. 176 pages.

Following a short introduction, each entry comprises the painting, a brief history of the aircraft, and some information on the artist and the painting itself. This varies from a sentence or two, to several paragraphs. Mostly one painting per page, but there are a few pages with two. 

The illustrations run in historical order, according to the real aircraft, from the Monogram Wright Flyer, to the Monogram YF-22 Lightning II fighter, and a couple of Science Fiction craft. This does mean that artwork from different eras is presented side by side, rather than having all the 1950s paintings together, then the 1960s, etc. 

That would have made it easier to see the changes in box art styles over time, but would have meant mixing up different eras in aviation history.

The artwork comes from a number of different companies, some now long gone, but others still around (even if they have changed hands several times). Most are from the Big Three - Revell, Monogram, and Aurora, plus examples from Lindberg, K&B, Williams Brothers, AMT, Hawk, MPC, and Testors. 

Apart from a few airliners by Lodela (Mexican Revell kits), all of these are US companies.

This is not a reference book on models, but a collection of some truly stunning box art - the cover painting is from the Revell Air Power Gift Set of 1956, which contained five USAF jets. If you like kit box art, this is a wonderful book.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

LIGHTING UP OLD LONDON BRIDGE

 This is such an old flame for me.

I can remember this lighter as if it were yesterday but its actually 55 years since I recall it at my parent's house.

A big chunky hand-held lump of glass with a hidden surprise.

Here's one I saw online!

It contained bits of stone from the Old London Bridge!

I've no idea where this big cig lighter went but I do remember it!

Did your folks have one?

CAWTHORNE ANTIQUES

Spent the afternoon mooching round a local antiques centre in the lovely Barnsley village of Cawthorne. Here's a few of the goodies I saw in the aisles, floors and cabinets.

Go For Broke was always around when I was a kid. It may have even been my board game. A real blast seeing it again here!

Some lovely cars and soldiers with some discounts.

I really liked the red Rolls Royce to the left and the Corvette to the right, both £20 each.

The boxed horsebox was interesting.

Waddington's Starships was a new one on me, a board game from 1980.

Always good to see a boxed Pelham Puppet too.

These mint Superfast cars were a thrill but the prices, £25, weren't.

Annuals always draw me in. I never see a SWORD annual in these types pf shops anymore but there's usually a TV21 annual, this one here from 1973. Is that one you have? Interesting to see a No Hiding Place annual too, a TV programme I think I saw in the Sixties. You?

Cawthorne is a gorgeous heritage village and small water wells like this pepper the streets. There's also a fab small museum with an amazing selection of Samurai weapons!

After Cawthorne we hit the local charidee shops and I saw this interesting montage of model military planes set against a backdrop of a photographed Lancaster bomber flying over the beautiful Ladybower reservoir in the nearby Peaks. It must have been an amazing sight!

I bagged a twenty year old die-cast fantasy car made by Bandai for 50p.

All it needed was a little black and red dabbing. No idea what it is. Do you readers?

Have you got an antiques centre and charity shop near you?

HOWARD JOHNSON'S 2001 COMIC PROMOTION

 Here's a photo of  the Howard Johnson's restaurant chain 2001 tie-in comic that was on display at the London Kubrick Exhibition.

The Howard Johnson's  logo and it's fictional 'Earthlight Room' is fairly prominent on one of the walls of the seating area in Space Station 5.

Being from the UK, apart from the plug in 2001, I'm not familiar with the brand at all, in spite of the fact that Howard Johnson's was once the largest roadside restaurant chain in America. The restaurant's trademark was initially a Simple Simon and the Pie man character, followed a 'lamplighter' figure, to promote their motel chain. (In the film, the Lamplight was changed to 'Earthlight')

I've done a few close ups of panels from the page. 

The complete comic, which can be found online is obviously aimed at youngsters, and tells the story in comic strip form of two kids, Debbie and Robin attending a movie premiere of 2001: A Space Odyssey  and features the then children's menu, and a puzzle page. There's no sign of HAL or the Monolith, and definitely no star- gate! However, the evidence of extra-terrestrial life, and the mysterious signal from Jupiter do get a mention!

From what I gather  the last 'Hojo'  restaurant closed in 2017, however the Motel chain is still going under different ownership.

It does have some really nice comic artwork, I wonder if  a Hojo's Junior hamburger and a Hojo cola were as good?