Just watched See No Evil (1971), a cherry of Brit horror of the early Seventies. Not sure if you are aware of these toy shots in the opening credits, at 0.55 mark on the YouTube clip
Arto
Helsinki Base
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Tuesday, 21 November 2023
What a Reg! The Original FAB1 Number Plate!
This looks like it was a great Bonhams 2008 Auction!
Original FAB1 number plate! 6.5 x 23.5cm (2½ x 9¼in);
together with original cover artwork for Thunderbirds Colouring Book, 1966, gouache on board, framed, 41 x 33cm (16¼ x 13in); Dinky Toys Thunderbird 2, JR 21 Toys models of Thunderbirds 1, 2, 3 and 4, all in original boxes
Somewhere out there is the original FAB 1 without its number plate!
and that original colouring book artwork looks stunning. I wonder who the artist was?
THE REACTOR
William Shatner dressed as Captain Kirk also appeared in several publicity photos.
Other notable TV appearances for The Reactor were TV's Batman, redressed as Catwoman's, Kittycar and an episode of Bewitched.
MY MOTHER THE CAR KIT
Apart from screening in the US, it seems this show did rather well as far as international sales were concerned.
Wikipedia says it aired on ITV in Britain from 8 November 1965, but I know that some shows only screened in certain regions, and not in others. It certainly screened in NZ in the 1960s because I remember watching it, and it was on again sometime in the 1990s. I was working in a shop at the time, and the boss had the TV on most of the time.
My Mother the Car was among the shows on in the afternoon. I never got to see a complete episode, as I did have to serve a customer occasionally. From what I have read, and various comments, it seems the show also aired in Australia, Canada, and Brazil. Likely some other countries as well.
It is worth watching, and you can find episodes on You Tube. Here is an item about a Canadian man who was a fan of the show, and actually bought the car.
The AMT kit of the car is not exactly screen accurate, but is reasonably close. It is basically their 1927 Ford Model T Touring Car, with some of the normal Ford parts replaced with parts to turn it in to the Porter used in the series. That was not a real make, and the car used had been modified several times over the years by various people. A second car was built, which could be driven by a concealed driver, so the TV car appears to drive itself.
The AMT My Mother the Car kit has never been re-issued, but the basic 1927 Ford Touring Car has. There was a Laurel and Hardy version, and a Vintage Police Car. Unfortunately, all the special parts for the MMTC version were deleted from these versions. Looking at photos of the parts, I should say it would still be possible to build the MMTC model, although a number of replacement parts would have to be scratch-built, or adapted from something else.
The result might not be 100% accurate, given that it would be necessary to estimate the size of the replacement parts, but it would be possible to get close to the original. I am tempted, very tempted.
Scalemates entry for the AMT kit. This says the model was a New Tool, but it was actually a modification of the Ford kit. Or perhaps the Ford was a modification of MMTC ?
Given that many other shows had toys, comics, and games based on them, it just seems incredible that My Mother the Car appears to have had only a kit and a colouring-in book. There must be more out there somewhere.
Check out the show, I am sure you will enjoy it. A bit like Mr Ed, if you watched that ?
Paul Adams from New Zealand
Monday, 20 November 2023
GETTING SMART ON MY NEXT PROJECTS
I thought I'd take a break from sci-fi kits and tackle a couple of car kits.
The first is an AMT Sunbeam Tiger V8, a partial reissue of the AMT Get Smart car, but without the gadgets. The car in the TV series was customised by AMT's Gene Winfield, the man behind Star Trek's, Shuttlecraft, and The Man from UNCLE, Piranha.
The second kit is an AIRFIX 1914 Stutz Bearcat, similar looking to the car seen in the short lived TV series, Bearcats, which used two replicas in the show, built by customizer, George Barris, the man who created the sixties TV Batmobile.
READERS SPOTTING TOYS: TERRANOVA'S MINIC WATNEYS PUB LORRY
I haven't seen an old toy in a pub that I wanted but I have a related story,
When in college I met by chance in a pub a school friend of mine that I hadn't seen for a few years. We shared the same birthday, though a year apart.
In catching up on what we were doing now I mentioned that I had started collecting old toys, specifically the ones I had once had as a child, as well as models of the Austin FX3 taxi that I was driving when an art student.
In talking old toys I mentioned that the one I had really wanted the most, but never had, was the Tri-ang Minic Watney's Barrel Delivery Lorry. A vehicle that I had seen making deliveries when a child.
A while latter for my 21st birthday he gave me the pictured model. It is somewhat worn but he had seen it in a Watney's pub, on a shelf behind the counter and bought it for me from the landlord.
Now it sits under a plastic case so as not to be further weathered, nearby are my conversions to create 'what if' contemporary toys,
Brimtoy,
Crescent,
and the old Airfix kit, still available from Dapol.
It's interesting that if any toy belonged in a pub it would be a beer delivery vehicle.
Here in the US Budweiser Beer used to give some bars and restaurants three foot long models of their Horse Drawn Beer Wagon which in real life was used as a promotional vehicle.
I might have been interested in owning one if I cared for Budweiser, but I don't.
Maybe Paul in NZ can research the plastic kit once sold of it if he does a piece on horse drawn vehicle kits?
Terranova47
USA
Station to Station
I've made good the bubbles and defects in the casting, as well as I can and today started the main construction. It's a simple job, as the pieces are large and assemble well. I've built up the central hull and saucers and the main saucer is being sprayed white.
I can't expect a professional finish like the real modellers here, but as long as it's neat, I'll be happy!
The other project I have ongoing is a small scratchbuild of Von Braun Mars Cruiser, similar to those seen in George Pals Conquest of Space. Again, it's just a fun piece made of scraps, but it keeps the devil from my door!
The idea came from a plastic cage that came with a kids golf set - the golf balls will be replaced by ping pong balls for the main fuel tanks!
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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
