QUALITY SERVICE

 

I recently visited my home town of Preston in Lancashire and was surprised to see this blue plaque on Christian Street near the Station, a plaque commemorating Robert Service, Poet of the Yukon.

I think I've heard of this poet but how did a Prestonian become a poet of a Canadian territory? Anyone living in the Yukon reading the blog?

On the way the train drove past the Quality Street chocolate factory. I think it was Halifax.

Is Quality Street known outside the UK?

CAPTAIN'S BLOG

 Took Captain Kirk on a walk tother day.

I said How Dya Like Them Apples Captain?

He doesn't half know his onions!

Have you taken any toys on a walk?

PIECE PROCESS

I saw this collection of old Processed Plastics rockets on Flickr and was dead impressed.

I'm familiar with all of them - how the pieces fit together - except the Titans. I love the thick capsule on top. Does it detach and become an independent toy?

Anyone got any Processed Plastics toys?

FILM sci fi BRAINTEASER

Two films that have slightly similar plots set in Scotland and from two different decades. Can you name one or either?

1. At a quaint Scottish inn, several disparate travellers are disrupted by a beautiful Martian, who explains that her planet needs men for breeding purposes.

2. A voluptuous woman of unknown origin combs Glasgow in search of isolated or forsaken men, luring a succession of lost souls into an otherworldly lair.

Waiting for Gobot

 My beloved Wednesday off garnered a few nice morsels at the local boot sale today:

Some 90's action figures, Arnie Terminator 2, Barry Windham and Nasty Boy Knobbs. They're stood on an old tape reel including SNAFU, CAN and the Beatles.

A lovely trio of metal, a 1983 Gobot, a Matchbox Camper 1979 and a Hot Wheels American Van Lines 1973  - partly painted white! 

What dya reckon?

Car Wash

 I'm washing some old figures and parts.

Can anyone guess the bigger car that's in the toy bath?

MY BEST VEND'S GIRL

 

LP styled rubber aliens and spacemen were staples of old vending machines in the US [not sure about anywhere else].

Here's a rogues gallery of them seen on auction this year.

Late 1970's brought in the LP/ Star Wars mash-ups. I love Darth at the end in green and below in brown on the card alongside Buck Rogers, Twiki and space girls.

Here's a set of more standardised LP rubber figures.

and two of them appear here on the card again.

A mystery object is the small red boot-like item with a white handle? Its just above half way on the right. There's one in the card in the very first picture too. What is it readers?

Do you have any rubber jigglers? Any LP or Star Wars ones?

A VIVID EXAMPLE

 

I recently picked up the large plastic Vivid Thunderbird 2 in this TV ad from 1999 for two quid.

It had a few faults so I tried to iron them out with 'kitchen drawer' tech.

No front roller on the pod base - replaced. Legs bent - straightened. Dried stuff in the ribbing - cleaned out. Winch and hook - partially fixed. Sound effects - new batteries inserted and working.

Trying to repair the clockwork winch was the hardest job and I only partially succeeded. After taking part the front cockpit to expose it it was clear the string had tangled. Untangled and wound round the flywheel once more I just couldn't get the grapple hook to rise all the way up to the vehicle. The clockwork power just ran out early. It must have been overwound.

Still, all cleaned up my TB2 is ready for recon and rescues once more.

Did you have a Vivid Thunderbird 2, large or small?