MOONBASE CENTRAL

Wednesday, 28 September 2022

PAINT QUERY

How would you paint a red plastic 2001 Space Glider yellow?

Which paint would you use on plastic?

To go from this ....

.... to this.

Tuesday, 27 September 2022

ROCKETS AWAY!

There's nothing quite like a long launch ramp for a rocket.

Here are two famous ones.

The Ark from When Worlds Collide.

Fireball XL5

Can you think of any more readers?

have you got any models like these?

Watching this video I realised that I'd seen the mural before. In fact I grew up with it in sections that were featured on and in many of my dinosaur books. Lots of familiar creatures, the brontosaurs, dimetrodons and the feeding T. Rex, I saw them all as a kid as I'm sure did.

Do you remember these images readers?

DART

Well NASA pulled it off.

They altered the path of an asteroid!

It's the stuff of SciFi come true. Think of the movies Armageddon or Meteor. It's now reality!

I'm amazed by this particular escapade. Like hitting a marble with a pin from across the room.

The probe was called DART. The asteroid Dimorphos. DART is no more. Dimorphos is on a different orbit. Howzat!

DART would make a superb toy, along with a mock asteroid on a card. Something like a Tri-ang SpaceX toy.

Further smiles came when Google sent a probe 'into' my mobile, where it exploded and tilted the screen!

I'm clearly not the only one excited by DART. Are you too?

Image: NASA

SNALIEN

I'd never seen a Snalien before until I came across the Hideous Plastic website from Oz.

I love these creations. They remind me of snail Netsuke from Japan.

So glad snails are gentle really.

But hey, what's this ....

Is there a snail in your world readers?

Monday, 26 September 2022

TO CAP IT ALL

This toy helmet on auction caught my eye. Described as a Star Wars inspired item I'm struggling to see how.

There's more American Football here than Star Wars!

What do you think readers?

PAUL A's AUCKLAND TOY FAIR

Hi,

Auckland has just had its first toy fair in ages, and it was packed!

With all the Covid restrictions and gathering limits, there have not been any fairs lately, so everyone came out for this one. A very long queue to get in, and the hall itself was full. Very hard to move around or to see anything at first, but it did thin out later. Everyone seemed to have a bag full of treasures, and I got a good haul.

Two aircraft books.

Three kits. A US Sherman tank, the M4A1 version with a cast hull, 1/72nd scale by Dragon.

A 1/32nd scale Airfix Volkswagen starter set with paints, two paint brushes, and cement.

Best of all is the Lindberg re-issue of the old (late 1960s) IMC F-100 Super Sabre. This was one of a series of six aircraft kits that could be built either as a normal model, or as a Battle Damaged version using optional parts.

They also included markings for either high visibility or camouflaged versions. Lindberg later re-issued four of the kits, and I already have two of these, so just one to go. The two kits they did not re-issue would be very hard to find today.

The DeLorean Time Machine from the Back to the Future films, done as a Monster Truck with huge wheels. This is a fairly recent model, but I have not seen it in the shops, and I did not want to miss out, so grabbed this one. Also a Lledo Vanguards model of a Morris Minor van in EverReady Batteries livery.

A 1960s Corgi model of Steed's vintage Bentley, in red, from The Avengers. This model is missing its windscreen, and side-mounted spare wheel. The left front wheel also looks to be a replacement. It was very dusty, but looks a lot better after a gentle clean with a damp cotton bud.

I can make a new windscreen, but the wire-spoke wheel might be more of a problem.

The rest of the die-casts are all loose Matchbox models from the 1950s to the 1970s. Some of these came in different sizes over the years, as Matchbox models grew in size throughout the 1950s and in to the early 1960s.

Front row, then back row, these are:

Road Tankers, early and late versions

Magruiz-Deutz Crane Truck

ERF 8-wheel truck

Quarry Truck, first version

Site Dumper, third version

Road Roller, fourth version

Aveling Barford Tractor Shovel

DAF Tipper Truck