A REALLY TALL GREEK GOD

Watching X-Men Apocalypse tonight I noticed something I recognised.

On a TV screen in someone's room, Storm's cellar, I saw a Star Trek episode playing. It was the one with Apollo in his temple, like Apocalypse the false God. I can't recall the name of the episode but it s musical motif was a two-note fanfare, which has stayed with me. The fanfare wasn't played in Apocalypse.

Completely coincidentally the fanfare was played tonight before X-Men, in Star Trek The Original Series, in an episode about a mineral which made people aggressive. The fanfare played when the huge citadels were shown.

Do you know the Star Trek Apollo episode I'm on about?

A SECRET AND RATHER BORING INVASION

Catching up with Disney +'s output of Marvel I tuned into the new series Secret Invasion. Have you?

Hoping for a Secret Wars style raft of heroes and villains like Kang and the Cap I was greeted with Skrulls. Now Skrulls ain't bad per se and neither is Nick Fury but it isn't going to set the world alight. There's just too much talking and too many Skrulls.

Having got Episode 1 under my belt I've come away feeling that Secret Invasion is like a talky slice of 90's TV sci-fi with very little action on the horizon.

I'm not overly excited about Episode 2.

Have you been secretly invaded?

The Years of a Clown

Here's one of my favourite things from my childhood, the clown on the TV in the back of the Dinky Lincoln Continental.

God, how I adored that little funny fella's face all lit up in the rear of that fabulous limo some 55 years ago!

I know there were other TV images but I had the clown. What a wonderful comic he was! Which image did you have?

Do you remember the clown readers?

OLD MAN JACK BURTON: BIG TROUBLE IN HIS SPACE SUIT

Like those folks who haven't yet seen Star Wars, I am one of those few  who haven't seen Big Trouble in Little China!

So when I saw this custom figure by BOOM! Studios [although I can't now find it on their site] I realised that I have no clue who Jack Burton is or whether this space suit even relates to the film.

I imagine there are some Big Trouble fans reading this who can clear up any mystery here.

Racing Green

While we're looking at favourite cars, heres a nice little model I bought recently on ebay. Schuco Micro Racers have been made since the fifties, so I am unsure as to how old this one is, althought I suspect it is fairly modern, judging by the plastic radiator on the front.

The rubber tyres show age related wear and have begun to soften and break down. As you can see from the last photo, it was pretty knocked about when it arrived, so I touched up the bodywork a little.

The clockwork motor is beyond my means to repair, as the little lever which popped up in the cockpit, has sheared off and the gears inside have stripped one of the bearings.

Still at a discrete 3" long, its a lovely little model. Steering is effected by turning the knurled knob on the end of the exhaust. Its solid diecast construction and quite heavy. Maybe Ill come across another junker at some point and be able to teplace the little motor. Till then, its resting at the finish line.

 

A page from a Hawkins catalogue, kindly supplied by Andy B

RICHARD'S SEASTAR 5 COMIC BOOK LAUNCH SEQUENCE 3

Here we have the final part of the launch sequence...

the large Ocean Door entrance opens and the Goliath transporter with the SEASTAR 5 moves out from the Airlock onto the launch pad...the main engines increase power....the six hundred foot long super submarine separates from its transporter and moves down the channel alongside the island into the open Ocean....its first patrol mission is go....

Well I hope your readers have enjoyed seeing these images...as an extra bonus three further images attached...

Behind the scenes in my Studio Two....

The STAR KEY Base / Main Hanger Model Set...its pretty big....six feet in length.....also the "Underwater Ocean Door set" included here ....

And a view of the "Omelek Island model set with Lavelle Marine lab model.......

All my underwater photography is done in the "dry"....no water....the simulation effects are done in camera with filters....a three filter pack on the lens at once is usually used when I take SEASTAR 5 underwater shots .

This launch sequence is also going out with the promotional video for the Comic.....as a full animation sequence....more on that in the coming months....

Best Regards 

Richard Dixon.....

TPD STUDIOS UK

Lancashire

Legoland Revisited

 Kevin has sent me some shots of his vintage Lego sets, back from the time when Lego was just plain classic bricks!

Calling All Cars!

Paul V writes:

Here's my very late contribution to the police car topic, but I only found them just now to photograph.

My favourite is this little Lego police car from the early 70s. It's from the Legoland series where Lego struck a very happy balance between simplicity and variety - I had lots of cars from that series at the time and would now rebuild them except I've no space to put them on display.

My other entry is by Playart of Hong Kong, being a 1967 Mustang fastback Highway Patrol car (I have the Fire Chief version too). It has remote-controlled steering and runs forwards and backwards while the rooftop light flashes and emitting a screeching sound that's supposed to be a siren. I've just ran it round the living room for the first time in decades. Fun!