MOONBASE CENTRAL

Friday, 17 March 2023

MORE UDVAR HAZY MUSEUM EXHIBITS

Photographs kindly supplied by Terranova47

NYC

USA

IN A GALAX FAR FAR AWAY

This impressive craft is a Galax by Testors, an amazing looking model plane, which I understand was gas powered, so is part of that mysterious branch of toy hobbydom, rocketry.

There's a strong hint of Stars Warsiness in the front cockpit unit would you agree?

Anyone had a Galax?

Thursday, 16 March 2023

Enterprise With Booster Rockets

I recently saw a picture of this old Revell Space Shuttle kit, and thought it looked odd. Enterprise was the first Shuttle Orbiter to be built, but it never flew in to space. It was used only for ground testing, and flights within the atmosphere (carried aloft by a Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft).

The box art shows the Enterprise, in Full Stack configuration, blasting in to space, high above the Earth. That is clearly something that never happened, although it was originally planned to refit the Enterprise for space flight.

The box art is therefore pure fiction, but was the Enterprise ever seen in Full Stack configuration ? It turns out that it was, as part of the test programme. So you can model the Enterprise with ET and SRBs, on its pad, and be historically accurate.

Apart from the Full Stack version, Revell also did the Orbiter on its own, and atop a Boeing 747. There was also an Alien Invader version. Revell clearly wanted to get the most use they could out of their expensive mould.

The Revell Enterprise With Booster Rockets, kit number H-194, has a copyright date of 1978 on the box. It is to 1/144th scale, and comprises the Orbiter itself, the large External Tank, two Solid Rocket Boosters, and the Mobile Launch Pad base.

The Cargo Bay doors open, to show the Spacelab and the robotic Manipulator arm. The completed model stands over 17 inches tall (43.2 cm). Moulded in white plastic. Decals were included for both Orbiter 101 Enterprise, and Orbiter 102 which had not yet been named.

An excellent selection of photographs from Ebay.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/324081454245

One photograph, from Worthpoint.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

WOOBINDA ANIMAL DOCTOR TOYS?

I remember Woobinda the Animal Doctor.

It was the late Sixties and this Australian animal show fitted right in with others like Skippy, Flipper and of course Daktari.

You can see and hear the Woobinda theme here https://youtu.be/Rpe7PkEbtgk

Despite lots of vehicles and a plane in the show I couldn't find any die-cast vehicle toy sets whatsoever.

This is surprising given the merchandise from Daktari, especially the Corgi set with the striped landrover and the plastic figures, which I adored as a kid.

Was Woobinda not as successful as Daktari? I had annuals for them both I'm sure.

TO THE POINT

I love the sleek lines of the 1988 Hasbro Cobra Stilleto for small GI Joe figs.

It could almost be a modern Thunderbirds vehicle like the Thunderbird S released nearly ten years ago, which some of you may have.

My own favourite pointed space plane is the Project SWORD Re-Entry Task Force 1 from 1967, which, like the tip of a Nike Hercules missile, I adored as a kid.

Issued in a variety of colours by late Sixties cloners as well, the original and best is the Century 21 Toys release, which was bright red.

Which is your favourite sleek lined space plane?

WILL O GAUGE HORNBY

Hi Woodsy. Interesting to see the Hornby museum. Didn’t know it existed. Here’s a few pics of my Hornby O Gauge layout.

Will O.

MATTEL'S MAIN MEN ARE BACK! OR!

Like Mego, Mattel are dusting off the moulds of old brands and re-releasing them into the world.

Mattel's characters getting a second wind, I understand, are Pulsar, Big Jim and Matt Mason, with the marketing splash, Back in Action!

I can't confirm that these are in production as this maybe old info from last year I'm just picking up on. Ominously, the Mattel website has nothing about them.

Anyone seen any of these new re-wildings? Are they out there?