21 CARROTS

Being an avid fan of JR21 plastic animal toys [I wrote a book about them] I was intrigued when I saw a toy similar to one of the less common ones, the Friction Carrot Eating Bunny.

You can see from these auction pictures that the JR21 bunny has somewhat bent feet as he sits on his scooter.

Linda, another Hong Kong outfit, released a Bugs Bunny on a Scooter, which also has bent feet as he balances on his carrot cart.

Both quite wonderful toys, I hope you like them too.

Fisher Body Craftsman's Guild Modellers' Competition

Back in the 1930s, through to 1968 (except for a break during WW2), the Fisher Body division of General Motors had an annual competition for modellers. Clearly seeking out the next generation of full-size car designers.

The Fisher Body Craftsman's Guild was open to boys from 12 to 19 (divided in to Junior and Senior sections), in both the United States and Canada. You could either build a large-scale Napoleonic Coach - taken from the company badge (1931-48), or design your own modern car in 1/12th scale (1937-68).

There were cash prizes for the boys in each state, then regional competitions, followed by a national competition. More cash prizes, and university scholarships. This was not a small competition, there was serious money involved, and the standards were very high.

All the models were scratch-build, from wood and other materials. Over the years of the Guild, several million boys were enrolled. There were thousands of entries per year.

This video from You Tube is a publicity film made to promote the event. Those who won clearly earned their prizes.

(1) "AN ADVENTURE IN CRAFTSMANSHIP" 1940s FISHER BODY CRAFTSMAN'S GUILD MODEL CAR COMPETITION XD11304 - YouTube

A history of the Guild, and some of the winners.

05 06 18, Fisher Body Craftsman Guild Documentary final 1 - YouTube

More history, and a look at several of the Coaches.

Episode 50 - Fisher Body Craftsman Guild Coach - YouTube

Fisher Body Carriage: A Look Back, Rice County - YouTube

FBCG Wood 1933 Age 17 - YouTube

Here is a short video by a former member of the Guild. He has a block of wood that has been marked out, shaped and sanded on one side, and then partly finished, to show the steps involved in making the models.

For Fisher Body Guildsmen - YouTube

A look at the models from the car section. Part 2 shows a model moving from the original design sketch, to the finished model.

The Amazing Cars of the Fisher Body Craftsman's Guild. Part I - YouTube

The Amazing Cars of the Fisher Body Craftsman's Guild. Part II. - YouTube

The competition has also been covered in print. I am not sure if this is the same book under slightly different titles, a new edition, or two totally different books.

The Fisher Body Craftsman's Guild, John L. Jacobus, McFarland, 2005.

Inside the Fisher Body Craftsman's Guild, John L. Jacobus, McFarland, 2011.

The instructions that were sent to entrants in the car competition have also been reprinted by a couple of publishers, and are available from the Book Depository.

Designing, Modelling, Building A Model Automobile, Fisher Body Craftsman's Guild.

Remember, all these models were made from scratch by teenage boys with hand tools. Their skills were, and are, amazing.

Max from Max's Models mentioned this competition on his You Tube channel, so Thank You to Max for helping to spread the word about this event, and the many wonderful models that were entered.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

MONSTER STOMPER!

 This massive toy caught my eye online.

The Stomper Monster Water Demon.

I love the box art.

It incorporates a crane and a submersible, no to mention those fabulous balloon tyres.

There's even a plastic figure with it too.

What do you think?

Have you anything with balloon tyres?

KURT RUSSELL: ESCAPE TO AGENT ZERO

 This made me chuckle, a You Tube TV ad showing a Young Kurt Russell advertising the Agent Zero Sonic Blaster by Mattel!

Do you remember this TV ad?

Did you have any Agent Zero toys?

OOD HAVE THOUGHT?

 

These two tired Dr. Who monsters needed a power nap before filming resumed!

The Ood and the Clockwork Man, both great looking characters but ones I don't recall. I stopped watching the reboot after the Tennant/Piper era, unless of course they were in that and I've just forgot!

What did the Ood do? What did Clockwork Man get up to?

Handling these figures gave me a deja vu sort of feeling for my old Fairylite dolls like Parker and even my Action Man. They have more or less the same legs and feet!

THIS IS THE STAIRWAY TO HELL!

Gormiti mountain and figure.

IT BENDS IN ANY POSITION!

This, on a Spanish auction site, has me stumped! Is that a rabbit with a saw and a axe! Why Monster World? Its a bunny - I think! Anyone know what this it?

SUNDAY RUMMAGE

Despite being knackered the Missus and me enjoyed the Spring sunshine early this morning at a large car boot sale in Doncaster. The Missus got lots of Polly Pocket for the Granddaughter and I picked up a few bits too.

Some Tamiya Japan plastic parts for an unknown sports car 1970

An unknown plastic bit of curved landscape.

Corgi Toys plastic garage or barn? 

Bayko roof. I have a smaller one too.

All of the above was 20p the lot!

Disney Space Mountain ride die-cast. I have three more.

Unknown wrestler or fantasy figure. Unbranded.

Large space ranger Buzz Lightyear vehicle for Moonbase Junior.

Mr. Miyagi by Remco and a one-armed Lanard CORPS! figure. A couple of die=casts and a TB5 for Junior.

Probably my best buy, for the princely sum of £4, these lovely miniature plastic cars, which i think maybe Blue Box.

Anything you like?