THE LINDBERG PIRATE SKULL

Over the years pirates, pirate guns, and pirate ships have been a popular subject for kit makers. In 2006 Lindberg decided to get a little more milage out of their old, full-size human skull kit, by releasing it as The Pirate Skull. Indirectly cashing in on the popularity of the Pirates of the Caribbean films, the first of which had been released in 2003, with a second in 2006.

Like the rest of the Lindberg anatomy kits, the Skull was a re-issue. The Superior Plastics version had a copyright date of 1960 on the box, and was moulded in their standard Superlon plastic. The anatomy kits then went to Educational Products in the later 1960s, and finally to Lindberg. Some issues of the Skull included a human brain.

The box-top of The Pirate Skull (or Le Crane de Pirate on one side of the box) showed a well-weathered skull, sporting a bright red headband, and shiny gold tooth, with a green and black snake crawling over it.

The box boasted: 'Life-Size Anatomically Accurate Unassembled Plastic Model Kit'. Skill Level 2. Features were: 'Movable Jaw'; 'Molded in Bone White Plastic'; but 'Decorative Accessories Not Included'. The gold tooth could simply be painted on, but you would have to find your own headband and snake.

The side of the box gave further details. 'This finely detailed kit with removable skull cap can be used by doctors, educators, and schools for study purposes. The teeth can be drilled and filled for demonstration'. A display stand, and anatomy chart were also included.

Kit number 71302, with a copyright date of 2006. J. Lloyd International Inc. Made in U.S.A.

This was one of several pirate kits that Lindberg did around this time, most of which had Caribbean Pirates on the box.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

ITS TIME TO LEAVE THE CAPSULE

 

I like this old plastic Montaplex Apollo capsule and LEM. Its neat how it fits together so well.

I also liked this picture of a dusty section of the capsule tucked into a lonely Spanish cellar corner!

Have you any dusty parts lost but not forgotten?

Images from El Kiosko de Akeja.

WON'T GET FUELED AGAIN

Old toys are by nature fragile. Its a wonder any survive at all!

Here's a boxed Project SWORD Booster Rocket on auction that has lost some parts on its long journey to the present. 

Although it has all its cylindrical fuel tanks, the rear exhaust canopy and the exhaust, as well as the front probe are missing in action. The box has picked up some grime too.

Here's a Booster that's seen far less action over the years. Its remained complete and the box looks great too.

Have you got damaged and much better versions of the same toy readers?

Anyone got anything totally mint and boxed?

DRAG-STAR, PEGGY NISBET AND THE BANDAI WEREWOLF

 Had a mooch with the Missus around a local Charidee and picked out a few inexpensive morsels today.

here we have a Michael Jackson doll 1984, Matchbox figures and vehicles 1993, Whizzwheels Drag-Star for doing up, two nice Matchbox cars for touching up, a Bandai werewolf egg, a Palitoy Action Man Red Devil boiler suit, two unknown black shoes [they were on the Mike Jackson doll] and a O Letrabot.

The orange monster is a mystery.

I can't date this Letrabot at all. When were they released?

Things I passed on:

Lots more cars including a sealed Dinky toys signs set, which did tempt me but was pricey and a carded Maxwell House helicopter [did these come free with coffee?]

A whole cabinet of delights

including a battered Gerry Anderson Coastguard vehicle and a Klingon Battle Cruiser

Another cabinet held old stamps including my beloved Polska dinosaur Brontosaurus [bottom right]

This Action Man-like Cowboy caught my interest, a doll I'd never seen before.

Here he is among friends from all eras. Its like a Night at the Museum in there!

Turns out they are all by a dollmaker called Peggy Nisbet, who is completely new to me. There was a info card on a shelf - see below - but I can't read it all.

What would you have taken home readers?

RICHARD DIXON'S SEASTAR 5: MORE FAB VEHICLES

First image....RSV One from the SEASTAR 5 lands on a Pacific Island Beach.....this particular shot came from a series of images created on "Cleveleys Beach , northwest Lancashire....it started out as a model animation location image.....then the tropical look was added by a very good Digital Artist on my team called Lee Richardson from Lancaster , Lancashire....the composite shot then went through a "paint program" which gave the vehicle its "dirty down" look .

Cleveleys Beach was used for the new Disney TV series "Star Wars - ANDOR where scenes were shot in 2021.....my SEASTAR 5 was there in 2014.....I filmed a lot of "Pacific Island " stuff on that beach...a great location to take pictures of miniatures - the sand is great after it has dried out once the tide has gone out !

Second image.....MIDAS ...SR90 HIGH ALTITUDE RECON AIRCRAFT....from SEASTAR 5 ......sunset , again from Cleveleys Beach location , this time just using the image of the sunset in the studio as a background screen for the model miniature....that started out with a front end SR71 Blackbird ....

Image Three....."The SEATRAK".....a large fully amphibious subcraft rescue vehicle with triple drilling capability , able to perform like a submarine and enter the cavern worlds below the ocean floor ....only on elf these is carried on the SEASTAR 5 .

Image Four......DSR1 TAURUS....FLYING SUBCRAFT...."flying over the reef"....and heading towards deeper water....a scene from SEASTASR 5 .

Hope you like them,

Richard Dixon

Lancashire

UK

https://www.toyphotodesign.uk/

THE MEANING OF VINTAGE

Recently I was talking about He-Man toys from the Eighties to a mate and he said 'they're not vintage!'

My mate is in his mid-fifties and to him vintage means the toys he grew up with: Action Man, Dinky, Corgi, Merit, Spears and the like. Certainly not He-Man.

It made me realise that the word vintage is relative and a movable feast. To anyone who played with He-Man toys as a kid and is now in their early Forties - to them He-Man will be vintage. It was the start of any toys for them. I suppose a JR21 Thunderbird 2 would be an antique! 

So, what do you think vintage means and is it to do with what we first played with?

Does it actually have any meaning?

AIRFIX's LITTLE SOLDIERS BOOK

The small, soft-plastic HO/OO figure sets by Airfix have been mentioned a number of times on Moonbase, as have the Playforts which go with them. Reference material on these sets is harder to find than it is on Airfix kits, but I do have a book devoted entirely to these figures.

Airfix's Little Soldiers - HO/OO from 1959-2009, Jean-Christophe Carbonel, Histoire & Collections, France, 2009, 2010, and 2012.

This is an English-language version of a book originally published in France. It is printed in full colour, on glossy paper, and runs to 106 pages. Paperback.

Out of print.

This is a cracking reference book for anyone interested in small scale plastic figures (20 to 25mm), written by someone who clearly loves Airfix. There is a history of the range, with the illustrations showing box-art variations over the years. 

Both front and back views are included. There are photos of many of the figures, which were moulded in various colours. The first two sets appeared in 1959, and there was a steady flow of new releases during the 1960s and 1970s, but new sets stopped appearing in the early 1980s. Since then, it has just been re-issues. 

Several of the early sets were later replaced by more finely detailed versions. All the military sets are included, and the model railway accessories, farm and zoo animals, and TV tie-ins.

Next comes a chapter on the Playforts - forts, castles, and buildings. The Playsets, which combined a Playfort, and usually two sets of suitable figures, such as Sherwood Castle, with the Robin Hood and Sheriff of Nottingham figures. The big Assault Sets, combining a Playfort, figures, and soft plastic vehicle models. Various other sets that included a set of figures.

The next chapter covers re-issues of the Airfix figures by other brands, including some diorama sets that were not made by Airfix themselves.

Then a look at other companies making similar figure sets. From Atlantic of Italy, ESCI, Italeri, Matchbox, and various sets of hard plastic figures. Oddly, the extensive range of sets by Revell is not included. These ranges are not covered in as much detail as Airfix, but you still get a good basic history.

Finally, a detailed look at what was in the Airfix boxes. Generally, the foot sets included 40 to 48 figures, the cavalry sets 11 or 12 mounted figures. The artillery sets usually had two guns - one in firing order surrounded by its crew, and one in travelling order with a horse team. Some sets were mixed, the Arab set (a companion to the French Foreign Legion set) contained a mix of men on foot, horseback, and camels.

The larger 1/32nd scale figures are not included.

This is a great reference book. Well worth having, if you can find a copy at a decent price.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

ARCHITECTS ARE GO!

 Secret Bases! Look at this house designed in 1967 by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Is there a smidgeon of Tracy Islandness in there would you say?

I can just see Thunderbird 1 thundering out of that swimming pool!

Have you seen a Tracy Island base?