TOY HOSPITAL STARTS TONIGHT 8PM CHANNEL 5

At Toy Hospital, a team of the nation’s most expert toy restorers have joined forces, ready to fix some of the UK’s most iconic dolls, toys and games. 

From Barbies and Action Men to Cabbage Patch Dolls and BMX bikes, each episode sees three broken toys brought back to life at the hands of the Toy Doctors.

 Once they are nursed back to full health, their grateful owners return to Toy Hospital to be reunited with their precious playthings.

I don't know about you but this new show sounds just my cup of tea! Fixer-uppers at the ready, I shall be watching tonight when it debuts on UK's Channel 5.

It's time to re-enlist the Action Man and put the cabbage back in its patch!

Here's the trailer with melodious Tom Odell.

CHRISTMAS WITH THE KING: GODZILLA MINUS ONE

There's a new big screen Godzilla coming to town, a Toho original called Minus One. He stomps into UK cinemas in mid-December.

Minus One refers to the state of play of the post-war Tokyo in the film i.e. not good at all and Godzilla is not feeling the love either.

Like the previous Shin Godzilla this is a new film from the original makers of the 1954 debut, the 33rd Japanese film and is already garnering good reviews.

Could be a Christmas cracker for fans of the King.

Will you be going to see Godzilla this holiday?

Here's the official trailer to wet your whistle.

Skorpinok nok nokin' on Heaven's Door...

Hi there, Woodsy! We were chatting about G1 Transformers and I mentioned I had a Skorpinok bought way back in the day.

It's a bit difficult to get him out of the display case without moving a lot of other wall mounted pictures first, as you can see!

I hope these snaps will suffice.

What's your favourite G1 model Moonbasers?

I guess as a Scorpio who's just had his birthday, for me it has to be this Headmaster!

Cheers, 

Looey

Oz Base

P.S. Having just done "my own research" I've discovered these puppies run for about US$500 on eBay. But even given that absurd price, I've found out that they are all KO grade.

Hmmm, another new word this boomer needs to learn!

https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/buyer-warning-knock-off-g1-scorponok-is-now-complete-and-ready-to-hit-the-markets.955831/

BAC Mustard lifting Body Space Glider

Check out this yellow lifting body kit on Britmodeller. It's new to me. You?

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235120572-bac-mustard-lifting-body-glider/ 

MONOCHROME DALEK

 I spent part of the day watching the1964 Doctor Who serial, The Dalek Invasion of Earth, and I thought a few black & white photos might be appropriate.

THE LAST STARFIGHTER TOY GUNS: ANOTHER BLAST!

The Last Starfighter was a classic eighties film about a whiz arcade game player called Alex who goes on to fight aliens in a distant galaxy. 

There are lot of prop space guns and pistols in the movie.

Early on in the film, around when Centauri asks him to fight in an interstellar war, Alex is in his bedroom, where we see a table full of typical teenage boy clutter.

On the table is a red toy pistol with a yellow handle. But what is it?

My You Tube screengrab is not very clear but here's the toy in close-up.

About three years ago I suggested on this blog that the toy gun was possibly a 1967 Lone Star Captain Scarlet pistol. This was die-cast and fired caps.

Looking at the close-up again the toy has a trigger guard so I now think it's unlikely to be the Lone Star gun. However, I found this picture of a Marx pistol which has the same colouring and a similar trigger guard.

It's from a Marx set called Cops 'N' Robbers, which came with a stand-up target.

It's clear though that the Last Starfighter toy does not have a silencer like this Marx gun. It looks tapered like an old Moulinex hairdryer and has a bulbous barrel tip.

Maybe the toy gun is also from the 1980's, a contemporary of the film? 

Ages ago reader Jay suggested it might be a Pez space gun. What do you think?

The search goes on. Anyone got a better screengrab of the Last Starfighter toy gun or any idea what it is readers?

*

Addendum:

There is a similarly fascinating toy gun in the film called the Super Electronic Gun.

A mere ornament in the film, the superb blog 2 Warps to Neptune takes up the story of how it became a promo give-away!.

https://2warpstoneptune.com/2014/01/28/the-last-starfighter-super-electronic-gun-1985/

Addendum 2:

Turns out that 2 Warps to Neptune [sadly now defunct] was as fascinated by Last Starfighter guns as me and pretty much covered the rest, so kudos to 2 Warps as was.

Within its pages is a picture of a 1984 HG Toys Last Starfighter Target Set borrowed from the amazing archive called Parry Game Preserve [as I have done too].

Looking at the set it looks like a prototype to me. The artwork is sketchy and rushed. I can't find any other images of this set anywhere online. Can you readers?

So what of the toy gun inside?

To me it looks a lot like an unfinished version of the company's Eagle Force Commando Pistol seen here. What do you think?

I doubt very much that HG Toys produced the Last Starfighter Target Set. Is that the case readers do you think?

HAPPY 6OTH ANNIVERSARY DOCTOR WHO

 I've always had a nostalgic liking for the early incarnations of Doctor Who, particularly the tenures of Jon Pertwee and Tom Baker.

I did begin to lose interest with classic Who when Peter Davison took over, although I admit to occasionally watching the odd  Sylvester McCoy episode.

One thing I collected during those early days was the World Distributers Doctor Who annuals, and here's a selection  of covers.

  

Note: This cover shows a Kahan HH-43 Huskie helicopter for some reason.

Stingray fans should recognise it as it was an altered version of the WASP helicopter that was occasionally used by Comr. Shore in the series 

ROB'S CONVAIR SPACE SHUTTLECRAFT: ARTS AND KRAFFTS

Woodsy,

Here’s my attempt to build the Atlantis reissue of the 1959 Revell model, the Convair Space Shuttlecraft, a concept design by Krafft A. Ehricke. Not my best work, but a fun build of a cool design!

Hope you like it.

Rob C

USA