This auctioning baggy of space toys caught my eye, Guerreros Del Universo.
I like that big silver spaceplane in front!
Anyone recognise it?
The figures look like Tim Mee's Galaxy Lasers
Is this a set you have?
Monday, 27 March 2023
Sunday, 26 March 2023
A YORKSHIRE MIXTURE: MINIX, LP AND A PANTOGRAPH
I picked these bits n bobs up at a local Yorkshire boot sale recently. Nothing too exciting, just flotsam on the beaches of time that I like to comb! Poetic that eh!
We have a Pantograph, a Gladiator, a VR Trooper, some small plastic figures including LP astronauts. a Triang rail wagon, a chassis, Kobots targets, a battered 007 silver car unknown to me and a group of miniature cars by PlayArt, Herpa and Triang Minix.
Very enjoyable finding them it was too. Do you like anything here readers?
Gagarin For It
The Aifix issue of the Vostok Rocket was one of the best space kits I ever had. Back in the early seventies, I bought it on release, with the gorgeous Roy Cross box art. As it was quite a complex model, I got my dad to build it and he did a straightforward job, with no painting or decals. Nevertheless, I was happy, as it came with a tiny, removeable Vostok capsule and a Soyuz. The first version states that it comes with Vostok, Soyuz and Sputnik build options, but the later release a few years ago addresses the issue and correctly identified the smaller capsule as the Luna vehicle housing. Colour was also an issue, as Cross illustrates it as all white with its name on the hull, but the latest release shows it as a battleship grey with white accents.
However Kenneth Gatlands book Missiles and Rockets shows the full stack Soyuz launcher on the cover as a dark green, as befits the original R7 ICBM and soviet military style.
My original kit is long gone, so I decided to get the re-release. For various reasons, I missed the retail version and had to buy one from ebay some time later. It was worth the wait, as the kit is unchanged and the packaging and decals reflect the Luna configuration. The painting guide suggested a grey for the body with orange accents, like Gatlands book, as information on the rocket is much more readily available from post Glasnost Russia. However Matt Irvine on Scale Modellers forum suggests the white colouring is due to icing on the fuselage due to the extremely low temperature fuel. However, as I had become enamoured with Gatlands version over the years in between releases, I decided a military finish would look better.
I have never been a good modeller, lacking patience and skill and the Vostok requires a bit of both, as some of the parts are tiny and delicate. It also begs a bit of customisation, as to make the Soyuz version it requires the capsule to be covered by the launch shroud, hiding a perfectly good model capsule. So I added some solar panels to the simple Soyuz capsule and left it as the Vostok launcher.
pg 69.jpg
pg 70.jpgSaturday, 25 March 2023
THE MUSEUM OF ART AND DESIGN OXYGEN BELT PENDANT
These pictures were difficult to take due to reflections so may be of interest to you but sub standard for the blog.
I went to the Museum of Art and Design today which displays collections of jewelry, ceramics fabrics etc.
This piece is called; Electronic Oxygen Belt Pendant inspired by a NASA astronaut.
Terranova47
NYC
USA
ANTIQUE?
You mentioned the word Vintage recently.
Max from Max's Models in the US saw a 1980's car with Antique car number plates. It seems that in America an Antique car is generally one that is 45 years old, but this does vary from state to state.
In Florida, where Max lives, the age limit for an Antique car is only 25 years. That means a car from 1998 is already an Antique!
Is this the experience of other American readers too?
Paul Adams
New Zealand
LOOEY'S BATTLECAT
This is a great book of art toys based on the Battlecat project and features many lovely works including stuff by my wife and I!
I'm working on action figure joints, some Gatchaman Phoenix die-cast restorations and my Henshin Panther repair.
Oh, and I'm doing monster stuff for a Web horror series!
Watch this space!
Looey
OZ
PAUL'S AOSHIMA TRACY ISLAND KIT
I recently came across a similar Aoshima kit from Japan that I bought a few years ago. It has been sitting in a box for several years.
This is the Thunderbirds Tracy Island set, which includes the five main Thunderbirds craft. There are a number of working features. Some are battery operated, others use springs. I am just not sure I could actually get everything to work.
The kit is moulded in several colours. Sand for the island itself; along with red (Thunderbird 3), green (Thunderbird 2), brown (tree trunks), and white (Thunderbird 1, Thunderbird 4, Thunderbird 5, and various buildings). Blue and clear plastic are used for the various internal fittings and controls. The palm tree tops are moulded in a soft green plastic, and there is also a bag of green lichen for additional ground cover. There are two motors, and a bag containing several smaller bags of wires, gears, and other complicated looking bits, in both metal and plastic. There is also a small decal sheet.
Despite coming in a large box (16 1/2 by 12 1/2 inches, and 4 inches deep) the set is obviously made to a very small scale. Tracy Island itself measures 15 1/2 inches by 11 1/2 inches. This was my most expensive kit ever - the price sticker says $124.00 NZ.
The shop only got in a few assorted Thunderbirds kits, just a fraction of the range. This was the only one that I got, as they were all expensive. According to my copy of The Gerry Anderson Memorabilia Guide, by Dennis W. Nicholson, this set was originally made by Imai, another Japanese company. There are several copyright dates on the box, the most recent being 2013.
I found a very short You Tube video showing this set in action. The vehicle launching systems seem rather violent, and I am not sure how long the models would survive.
Do you have this kit?
Paul Adams from New Zealand
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Paul Vreede's New Spacex Toys Website
A beautiful and comprehensive site dedicated to the world of Tri-ang SpaceX and Golden Astronaut Toys
Ed Berg's Toy Blog: Toys and Stuff
