MOSEY IN THE MORNING

This Wednesday morning we spent moseying round some more charity shops before a big hot dinner of pie and chips!

This huge Barbie plane reminded me of a big black Moonbus!

Roy of the Rovers comics a plenty if, unlike me, you like your footy.

A nice loose Corgi Rolls. £8. A bit steep.

Lots of retro items today; old Christmas pictures and a large boxed Chinese Checkers set.

A whole basket of retro dolls including one with a red PVC coat like the Joe 90 doll. The two little barbies came back to Moonbase. More on this later.

Something we'd not seen before. A beautiful toy car by famous miniature dollmakers Lundby. £25. It looked gorgeous.

Tupperware in abundance just like the parties my Mum threw in the Sixties! Was yours a tupperware house?

As always, loads of books on trains and busses. Real ones.

A whole stack of Practical Wireless magazines. This one is from July 1971 complete with a hip lady, her cool record player and LP's strewn across on the floor.

Amazingly one of the LP's on the magazine cover was also for sale in the records section! This is Soul, which I totally remember as a kid in my older brothers' stacks.

and last but not least, what I bought, a bundle of old plastic toy soldiers and cowboys and parts.

See anything you fancy?

IF THE FATES ALLOW

Well, the Christmas holiday is fast approaching its end at the very top of the year so here are a few snaps of the season as was at Moonbase this time round.

Here we have the JR21 Feasting Pussy, once more reunited with us on Moonbase after I sold one decades ago not knowing the JR21 connection. So purr-fect having the hungry cat back on the Base and this time with its box. 

I shall look after the ravenous moggy this time especially as it was a special gift from a friend.

This cool Matchbox Bandalero came my way just before Xmas on my birthday, courtesy of my very kind Missus. A clean and a brush up and it will live again as a Speed King.

Santa knows what he's doing. This pink scooter for my Granddaughter was a real hit!

But the weather outside was frightful. Ice pillowed in the Peaks in mid-December on our freezing Derbyshire break.

It was truly a winter wonderland in Jane Eyre country near Hathersage in the Peak District.

Christmas breakfasts deserve a boiled egg. This one's on its way!

In early December this T. Rex couldn't believe the time. He still hadn't started his Christmas shopping for his mates Al Losaurus and An Klyosaurus!

And this is how the season started as December came round with the fairy lights outside my daughter's home.

I hope the approaching New Year brings you health and happiness readers.

CHRISTIAN ROBERTS R.I.P.

Sorry to hear that actor, Christian Roberts who played Hippy Tim Redman in the UFO episode, The Long Sleep has sadly passed away. 

Our sincere condolences to his family and friends. 

RUMMAGING AMONG THE BOOKSHELVES

On my recent annual Birthday romp down Headingly high street, the Missus and me had fun in the Oxfam bookshop as well as a few others Charities.

But first we went shopping in Lidl and saw this boxed My Very Own Moon, a curved plastic illuminated half-moon wall-hanging, which I thought would make an ideal basis for some small SpaceX toys. Alas, at £19.99 I passed.

We also saw Lightyear toys on the Lidl shelves. To Lidl and beyond.

In a charity shop was this Deluxe Car Wash and Detail Center. For kids cleaning die-casts. How cool is that!

As was this boxed Matchbox Lightning T55 kit.

In Oxfam Books was this GOR paperback collection. I know them but I've never read any. Have you?

And in the antiques section were loads of books on collecting toys: tin, metal, antique and die-casts, all reasonably priced. I have enough toy books already so I let them be.

William Horwood paperbacks were in situ. I adored the Stonor Eagles as a teenager but never read any of the Duncton Wood mole novels. Did you?

I did read Anne McCaffrey's wonderful Dragonsong and still have my teenage copy in the attic.

I also read Julian May's Saga of the Exiles trilogy. Seeing them again in the same Pan editions brought back many happy memories of adolescent reading.

Ian Fleming's Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was in evidence too.

Always good to see an old hardback of Robin Hood. Did you have one?

Just William passed me by as a kid. You?

Yep, it was a fun day out looking at old books.

Is it something you like doing readers?

TV21 & THE DALEKS

 Growing up in the mid- sixties was a good time for a youngster who liked TV sci-fi and comics,  

                                               My original TV Century 21 No. 1 comic 

In January, 1965 TV Century 21 instantly became my main comic of choice, as it featured my favourite Anderson shows - Fireball XL5 and Stingray, 

Dalekmania, which had gripped the country since the introduction of the Daleks in 1963, was in full flow, and TV Century 21 got in on the act with a colour back page strip , drawn by Richard Jennings, and written by David Whittaker, featuring the monstrous mutants from Skaro  minus Doctor Who!

The first of the two Amicus Dalek films, Dr Who and The Daleks would make its debut in August, 1965, and as part of the film's build up, TV Century 21 devoted issue 28, dated July 31st 2065 (1965) to promote the movie prior to it's release'.   

The issue carried features and adverts for the film. It even had a 'Lady Penelope Investigates' interview with the main cast!

Prior to that issue, publicity shots showing scenes from the film featured on the front cover, and continued after the film's release to promote their own Dalek strip.

The Daleks strip was, however absent  from the TV Century 21 annuals, as the Daleks had their own unique set, which all featured a look at the Daleks' shenanigans on Skaro, and beyond.

In August, 1966, the second film, Daleks 'Invasion Earth 2150A.D. was released. Apart from the odd publicity shot, the film didn't feature too much in the comic.

The Dalek strip, now drawn by Ron Turner, who drew the Daleks using elements seen on the big screen would end on weekending January 14th , 2067 (1967) after two years, with the Daleks making plans to invade Earth!

Here's a look at the press book for Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. 

Over in the United States Dell Comics published a movie tie-in comic in 1966, featuring Dr Who and The Daleks..

Both films are remembered  fondly by fans, so much so that both films were recently remastered and upscaled to 4K, and even got a limited theatrical cinema  release..

When Did You Get Up on Christmas Day as a Kid?

Being the youngest of five siblings there were always some older sibs around every Christmas as I grew up in the Sixties.

Even after my older sisters got wed it still left my two older brothers to join me on Christmas morning.

They got me up around 5am to go downstairs on the big day. I bet my Mum hadn't been in bed long, she always went mad at Christmas. 

Anyway, with my two older brothers as escorts there wasn't any need for my folks to get up. We were quite happy digging in on our own for a few hours! We each had a chair full of pressies, so it wasn't a free for all. I must correct that. I got a settee full. I was the baby after all!

Mum and Dad did get up around 8. Mum had the dinner to make and Dad had to get himself ready for the traditional Christmas pint at his local. When they were old enough he took my brother's and eventually it was my turn in the mid-Seventies.

I always felt sorry for my Mum making Christmas dinner on Christmas Day. Not just that, everyone in the wider family - loads - invaded in Boxing Day, so God knows how she managed all that. My two married Sisters may have helped. Not sure.

Anyhow, I have only the best of memories of Christmas as a kid, the very best of times that stay with me to this day.

How did it work when you were a kid? Did everyone get up at the crack of dawn together or did you just do it with your sibs like me and mine, leaving your knackered folks in bed?

Star Eagle Spaceship by Roxy Toys

Seen in Australia on Ebay this is an unusual spaceship I've not seen before. Its by our old chums Roxy and a toy I've not seen before. I wonder what its influences are? Do you like it?

How's your Boxing day going?