FRENCH CARTOON QUERY

I received this email today from an interested reader. Does anyone recognise this French? TV show at all so I can inform him what it is. Thanks!

Hello again and I hope you're fine. Now I was wondering if you got any idea about this French cartoon about teenagers who have adventures to save the environment. It's called

فرسان بلا حدود or knights without limitations in Arabic. Here are some clips to remind you.

http://www.dimakids.com/49248370-1491214837-29312.html#29312

So any idea about this cartoon in French or English please? It was fun and useful. Thanks for your help.

SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS

I recently met and spoke with a charming elderly actor, Rodney Paulden.

 Among many roles over a long career, as a youngster Rodney had played the character of Munn - pictured - in the obscure 1971 school thriller called Unman, Wittering and Zigo. The main draw of the flick was its star, the ever-hip David Hemmings, he of Blow Up fame.

Unman, W and Zigo is a strange Lord of the Flies-esque affair. 

I managed to find the second half on Daily Motion. 

It appears to be part of that gaggle of films in the Sixties and Seventies exploring secret and deadly goings on in boys' boarding schools. I guess the sub-genre's poster-boy was Malcolm McDowell's Mick Travis, the gun-toting rebel rouser in If [1968].

Unman is no exception and its particular paranoia centres on the pupils' woodland murder of a teacher and the subsequent oppression of his successor, Hemmings and his wife. Ultimately tragic, I found this rather grim tale or at least the second half a difficult watch. Posh, feral, murderous schoolkids are an acquired taste.

Unman, Wittering and Zigo reminded me of another school thriller I caught one late night this year, Child's Play made in 1972.

Child's Play, not to be confused with the Eighties doll slasher of the same name, is a brooding crucible of madness with James Mason's ultra-stiff and aging Latin teacher bristling with a tangible hatred for Beau Bridge's young and cool English teacher. 

Oddly classed as a horror film, there appears to be an even darker force at work in the school but I fell asleep a third way through! Child's Play remains a mystery to me really and I should catch up at some point.

Have you seen any of these films readers?

OBI DONE

Just finished Obi Wan Kenobi the series and I have to say I loved it. It was like old times watching the first Star wars trilogy even though the grown-ups were second trilogy characters. Kid Luke and Kid Leia formed the connection between the two, with Darth Vader the big dark cherry on top.

I could imagine all the episodes of Obi Wan merged into a single film set about twenty years before A New Hope. I bet some fan does it.

Moved to the Mandalorian now and its already a completely different vibe. It reminds me of an old sci-fi series I watched after the pub on Fridays in the 90's. Lexx.

Are you watching anything at the mo readers? Films? Series? Old or new?

PAINTED MOON BUS

 

This hand-painted LP Moonbus appeared on Ebay earlier in the year. I like the S.O.A.R badge, which calls to mind Project SWORD.

Yellow and black is always an interesting combo, not altogether pleasant and makes me immediately think of Chris Foss's cover for Gillan's Clear Air Turbulance LP.

Did you paint over your space toys?

NO TIME TO RETIRE

Bond and the Broccolis are celebrating 60 years of double 0 action this year and I thought I'd do my bit and watch No Time to Die on Prime, my first time seeing it last night.

I have to say I enjoyed it, especially the delicious canvas of remote Italian hill villages and the devils-bend roads just like the Gabrial 007 Road Race set. Oh why oh why does only James Bond have a life like that!

As always it was the old DB5 that was the star of the show, its various gadgets and gizmos putting a big smile on my face as I recalled my Corgi Aston Martin as a nipper. It was so great to see the agent and the car in sweet harmony once again.

There was another fine motor in the film, a sleek black car, which I assume is an Aston as well. It has to be a model toy somewhere.

I won't mention the plot in case you haven't seen it like me. Suffice to say that Danial Craig is getting older just like all of us. He'll enjoy retirement but we'll miss him. C'mon Daniel, one more film at least! You're like Dr. Who, you never die!

As for the traditional bond song, Billie Eilish did a fair job ending Mr. Craig's stint but its not in the league of his modern memorables like Adele's Skyfall and the late great Chris Cornell's Casino Royale, which kicked off the whole new adventure years ago.

Having said that the early themes are still the best. Wings' Live and Let Die, Lulu's The Man with the Golden Gun but the crown for top bond minstrel has to go to Dame Shirley Bassey for me. Goldfinger and Diamonds Are Forever have to be the zenith of Double 0 intros. She really did have a licence to trill. Still, not everyone agrees. Here's an online top 25 ranking with a completely different top spot! What do you think?

https://www.smoothradio.com/features/top-songs/james-bond-theme-songs-list-ranked/

Have you had No Time to Die?

I'M A FASHION VICTIM

Well, my current Lincoln obsession, the Victim, as mentioned the other day, took one further step today, when I received a package in the post.

Last week I rang a local Charity Shop and explained that as I am currently off work ill with a severe sore throat and cough that I could not come by to pick up the green clothed fashion doll I had had put to one side for me, a doll I hoped would go some way towards creating my own Lincoln International Monsters Girl Victim. Maybe she had on the same green jumpsuit at least!

Costing just £1, said Charity doll arrived today and here she is, a Sindy clone with a flower power outfit.

Alas, Miss. Charity is nothing like the real thing, but I wuz chuffed anyway. Its old and flowery at least!

Now I admit that the idea of a girl victim as part of a toy monster line is very unsavoury nowadays and is certainly of its time, but the actual 1970's Lincoln Victim doll, like her earlier and controversial Aurora counterpart, is the stuff of legend among monster collectors like me.

As a kid I had many monster toys. They were my favourites, with space toys a close second. Among them were all manner of rubber body parts and plastic figures like AHI and Lincoln monsters.

As a collector and toy dealer I've bought in and sold quite a few over the years. I only found out about the victim much later and the toy's always intrigued me ever since.

Using my new Charity doll here's a cheapo mockup of a bagged version. A meagre effort I know but done just to keep me entertained this cold and windy Wednesday and one small step further in my quest.

With enough skill and talent some people can however recreate the toy completely and even give it the blister card it never had.

One such professional is BKC Toys, who have produced an amazing Lincoln Girl Victim, apparently using an original figure and jumpsuit. It just shows you what can be achieved by dedicated toy enthusiasts.

See what you think!

MORE ODDS 'N' SODS

 Some further collectables in a local charity shop I visited a while back.

Anything you recall?

This red plastic double decker had a sticker below, Springvale Mouldings. I've come across them before in relation to Tudor Rose. Anyone know the exact connection?

Twister was a huge favourite of my family in the Sixties. Cool box art, brilliantly simple and fun game and just one of countless ace games from back then. Did you have Twister?

Lots of old paperbacks at £1 each including lots of Leslie Charteris' The Saint. I've never read any of The Saint novels. What are they like?

LONG MYSTERY SPACESHIP

 

I love that long grey spaceship in this bagatelle but is it lifted from something else?

A great design.

What do you think readers?

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Solved by a reader! And quick!