MOONBASE CENTRAL

Friday, 29 September 2023

ARTO CLEANED UP!

Last month's bi-annual Clean-up Day was quite productive, finding this 1/12 scale Bandai Ferrari Flat 12 kit from 1968.

I was a bit gobsmacked to come across such a rare bird, unstarted and all!

What do you think?

Arto

Helsinki Base

Thursday, 28 September 2023

A couple of shots of one of the best Dune movie toys, the Spice Scout by LJN. Its scaled for the action figures, which were 6" high and is seen briefly in the David Lynch movie, just before the Sandworm swallows the Spice Harvester.

The massive back wheel reminds me of classic Apollo Moon Exploring toys and the Prospector.

The designs in the Lynch film were very distinctive and some of which were made as toys, including a trio of Sand Scouts and a large salami-like Harkonnen Ornithopter. There were a range of figures and a couple of guns too.

I haven't seen any toys for the new film, but the designs are equally distinctive and impressive.

The Spice of Life: the New Dune

I'm half way through Dune the new movie. I'll watch the other half soon.

I was never a huge Dune fan. I've not read any of the books but I remember them clearly from my youth.

I enjoyed the first 1980's film largely because of the main actor from Twin Peaks and Sting, and the wholly gruesome part of Lord Harkannan.

The toys that were released with that original movie have always interested me too, although I've never owned any or indeed found any at boot sales.

The new film, with actors I can't name, looks like a lavish Star Wars. That's no bad thing but the story isn't as concise so its hard to follow at times. The amazing soundscape created by Hans Zimmer is probably the film's biggest draw, together with the fabulous sets.

Have you seen the new Dune?

MARX BIRD KITS

This was a range of 36 small, six-piece kits, that came pre-painted, and only needed to be assembled.

The Miniature Bird Model Kit series was described on the boxes as 'Easy to Assemble - 6 Separate Hand Decorated Plastic Pieces'. Most also had 'Beautifully Painted' on the front of the box.

Louis Marx & Co. Inc. was one of the major US toy companies, but the models were made in the Far East, as were many of their toys. I could not pin down a release date for these kits, but I am sure there are plenty of Marx toy experts who will have that information at their fingertips. The kits were certainly available in the 1960s, so either 1950s or 1960s.

Each model consisted of left and right body halves (including the legs); left and right wings; tail; and a small stand that was common to all the kits. The assembly diagram was printed on the back of the box.

The feet of each bird were rings, which slid over the twig part of the stand. The stand was always moulded in brown plastic.

A small card was included with each kit. One side showed a colour picture of the bird, which was a repeat of the box top illustration; with details about the bird on the back.

Most of the end-opening boxes are marked Made in Hong Kong, but some say Made in Taiwan. Some do not carry the country of manufacture on the front of the box, just on the ends. I did find a photo of one box that says Contents Made in Taiwan - Box Made in Hong Kong.

This site shows a box that was apparently intended for the British market, as the Assortment number has a U.K. suffix. The box end also says Empire Made, rather than the usual Made in Hong Kong. Small Scale World also has some photos.

https://www.toyhunteruk.co.uk/product/mark-toys-miniature-bird-model-kit-red-crossbill-no-hk-6157-u-k/

https://smallscaleworld.blogspot.com/2023/07/f-is-for-follow-up-marx-birds.html

The number 6157 is printed on the ends of the box, but this is a general number for the whole range of 36 Bird kits.

The individual kit numbers only appear on a printed list of all the models that was included in each box.

The Assortment number is usually prefixed HK, for Hong Kong, even on those boxes marked Made in Taiwan. However some do have a T for Taiwan prefix.

Scalemates only list nine of these kits, and give the scale as 1:1, or life-size. This is highly unlikely.

The real birds differ in size, yet the kit boxes are all the same size. They are also tiny - less than 3 inches (75mm) long. I doubt a full-sized Long Eared Owl (12 to 16 inches long) would fit in such a small box.

In addition to the individual kits, there was at least one large boxed set, containing 15 different Birds. This had a lift-off lid.

There was also a counter-top display unit for shops, to promote sales. This was cardboard, with a clear plastic window, showing off a selection of six assembled birds.

I also came across some very similar kits, that do not carry the Marx name. The style of the boxes suggests they are later than the Marx kits.

These might be the same kits, or copies. They all seem to be moulded in a single colour plastic, with only the eyes touched in.

It is possible that the same kits, or copies, were sold under several different brand names over the years. That would be pretty common for Hong Kong toys.

Marx Bird Kits list:

Assortment No. 6157 (printed on box ends)

Individual kit numbers (printed on enclosed list)

Colorful Model Kits of Thirty-six Different Species

1 - Ruby-Throated Hummingbird

2 - Belted Kingfisher

3 - Yellow-Bellied Sapsucker

4 - Black-Billed Magpie

5 - Scarlet Tanager

6 - Red Cross Bill

7 - Evening Grosbeak

8 - Yellow-Headed Blackbird

9 - Red-Winged Blackbird

10 - Pileated Woodpecker

11 - Blue Jay

12 - Canary

13 - Tufted Titmouse

14 - Eastern Bluebird

15 - Ruby-Crowned Kinglet

16 - English Sparrow

17 - Parakeet

18 - Baltimore Oriole

19 - Long-Eared Owl

20 - Yellow Warbler

21 - Cardinal

22 - Robin

23 - Barn Swallow

24 - Goldfinch

25 - Chestnut Sided Warbler

26 - Black Burnian Warbler

27 - Prothonotary Warbler

28 - Yellow-Throated Warbler

29 - Yellow Breasted Chat

30 - American Redstart

31 - Bobolink

32 - Rufous-Sided Towhee

33 - Chestnut-Collared Longspur

34 - Cliff Swallow

35 - Red Headed Woodpecker

36 - White Crowned Sparrow

"Collect Each of These Beautiful American Birds"

14 photographs from Worthpoint

Paul Adams from New Zealand

RICHARD'S M.A.S.K PHOTOS

Here's some pictures from the beginning of my career with the Toy Industry UK / Children's Comics , taken from my archives....from 1988 - 1989...

Enjoy this bit of Toy History....M.A.S.K. Mobile Armoured Strike Kommand....Kenner Toys UK......

My first Toy Industry product I got to work with....model sets , painted backgrounds and a lot of close up picture taking....these early pictures took me into a whole different way of doing things for my work...with M.A.S.K. using studio photography....before this I did only Portraits , Weddings , Theatres Publicity Pictures of Artists and Groups in Blackpool...some Commercial Products Photography and Motor Sport Magazine stuff....a whole new world for me was just about to happen around the corner in 1988/1989....

Hope you all like these pictures...Richard Dixon TPD STUDIOS UK.

Did you have any M.A.S.K toys?

BOOK LUCK

I lucked out at a local church flea market: 3 vintage books!

The Story of the U.S. Air Force, 1959, Landmark Books. For young readers. I’m sure I read this in school.

Great American Fighter Pilots of World War II, 1961, Landmark Books. Another school library classic.

Rendezvous in Space: The Story of America’s Man-In-Space Programs - Projects Mercury, Gemini, Dyna-Soar (did this idea morph into the Space Shuttle?), and Apollo. 1962, EP Dutton. Never heard of this one, but it’s definitely my cup of tea! Can’t wait to read it.

have you read them?

Rob C

USA