THAT ILK OF TOY

 A recent rendezvous with the daughter in the picturesque moorland town of Ilkley generated a few old morsels to chew over in the choice Charities before we chomped on proper muffins at Betty's cafe.

This TOMY Magic Sketcher from 1986 was a new one on me and first impressions looked like a Lite Brite variant but its not.

Checking this example on Worthpoint I see its a suction/blow battery operated toy. Anyone know about this?

Being a big fan of Fisher Price Adventure People I snapped this particular morsel up, the Safari Jeep and Trailer from 1975. They're so robust these toys and the figures FP produced were really attractive and sturdy action figures.

A complete boxed Wild Animal Safari set would look like this. Have you ever found any Adventure People?

There were a few of these welded metal planes around. I suppose they're more of an ornament than a toy, maybe something for the desk? Not my cup of tea but maybe yours?

I studied this tin in the shop before photographing it. One of those hypnotic nostalgia products from the Robert Opie's Museum of Brands in London.

Just look at all those great chocolate bars we had in the 1970's that have vanished. Texan, Nutty, Waifa, Grand Seville and Ice Breaker! Did that go in the freezer?

It really took me back but I would rather have the chocolate bars themselves than the tin so I left it. I used to own a few Opie books including the toy one from the 1970's. Great photographs and included some Project SWORD no less!

I imagine childhood chocolate bars and sweets have disappeared all over the world. I miss Aztec a lot! Which ones would you bring back?

FURRED TEETH: THE AHI DENTIST BEAR

It appears that dentistry is a popular profession with Teddy Bears! 

This is the Battery Operated Dentist Bear with Drilling Hand Piece and Crying Baby Bear, No.6484. By AHI of Japan. Share A Joy With AHI Toys. The front of the box also says S & E, in a diamond, just above MADE IN JAPAN.

It is made of printed tinplate, with fur and fabric for the Teddys and their clothing. There is a letter D on the back of the Dentist Bear's smock. The battery compartment is in the base. The tip of the drill lights up.

There are a few of these around. It is 10 inches high, and seems to date from the 1950s.

Two photographs from Worthpoint.

You got one of these?

Paul Adams from New Zealand

WORM ROVER

Art by Johnny Bruck 1971

Anyone know his work?

The Cottingley Fairies

Today we drove through Cottingley near Bradford. I instantly recognized the name from reading about it as a kid in my massive Readers Digest book of myths and legends of Britain, which I adored and still have. Do you, did you have it too?

Cottingley was famous for fairies. Photographs of them. Five.

They were taken over a hundred years ago by two youngsters and became world-wide sensations. You might say they went viral.

Only 70 years later did the youngsters admit they were fake. However, the fifth one, continued to be deemed genuine.

See what you think. Here's an original set that sold at Sotherby's. The fifth photo is the last [images: Sotherby's].

I couldn't believe we were in Cottingley 50 years after I first read about it's fairies. Such a small world of time and place.

Johnny Lemon: Another Squeeze

 This old lemon bottle reminded me how I used to do up Johnny Sevens.

These empty plastic lemon juices made ideal replacements for the top of one the Johnny Sevens missiles.

Have you any parts replacement hacks?

With blisters on my mind I be been thinking about mineral water. Bottles to be exact. The bulb headed ones offer plenty of curves for cutting out for those missing car domes. The bases too, a ring of mini domes! 

Your Captain Scarlet action figure may me missing his cap but never fear, the toothpaste cap replacement is here! 

The Airfix Starcruiser Interceptor Kit by Paul Adams

Again featured before on MC, the second Starcruiser kit from Airfix was the Starcruiser Interceptor. 

By the time this model appeared, Airfix were facing hard times, and cost-cutting was the order of the day.

As a result, the Interceptor kit was simply an enlarged version of the Interceptor Unit from the Starcruiser 1. The parts count increased from eight for the small version, to eleven for the larger model.

The pilot was now in two halves, rather than one piece; and the engine bells were separate parts. The kit was moulded in white plastic, with a clear canopy, and colourful decal sheet.

The Interceptor was released around 1980/81 - two or three years after the Starcruiser 1. It was in the catalogue from 1981 to 1984, as model number 05174-5, in Series 5.

This was a Snap-Fix kit, a fact which was promoted on the box top. The copyright date on the side is 1980.

This time there was only one style of box for the British release, and there was no cartoon strip along the bottom. There was a copyright notice on the box top 'The World of Gerry Anderson, © 1980 Century 21 Merchandising Ltd., Licensors of the Starcruiser Trade Mark'.

In America, the kit appeared in the USAirfix catalogue of 1980, as model number 7080, alongside the Starcruiser 1. However, I have not seen any examples of an actual USAirfix kit of this model.

As mentioned previously, the USAirfix name was short-lived, and Airfix kits were soon back in MPC boxes. Both the Starcruiser 1 and Starcruiser Interceptor were listed in the 1982 MPC catalogue, under the heading Space Snaps, referring to their It's A Snap construction.

The Starcruiser Interceptor was now moulded in black plastic, with a clear canopy, and carried orange NASA markings. Matching the Starcruiser kit.

The Interceptor was numbered 1-1801. There was a copyright date of 1982 on the page, referring to both models, or at least their new colour schemes.

Given how few listings there are for either of these all-black NASA versions it does not look as though they were big sellers. Neither of the models made it in to the 1983 catalogue.

There were also versions of the Starcruiser Interceptor from Lodela of Mexico (better known for their Revell re-issues), and Kiko of Brazil. After that, both Starcruiser kits disappeared, and have not been re-issued by anyone.

Catacombs Space 1999 provides a good deal of background on the craft, including a 1979 article from Starlog magazine.

https://catacombs.space1999.net/main/models/w2mstarcruiser.html

Six photographs from Worthpoint.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

Macgyver's Toy Rifle

 

I used to watch the odd Macgyver on TV. The nifty tinkerer. I've seen an action figure related to the show but no toys, so this caught my eye. A toy rifle on blister card. Could be South American.

Did you like Macgyver

Barbarella's Starcruiser Mission Kit Ray Gun

We've spoken about Barbarella's pistols before.

One of her lesser ray guns - pictured above - appears to be the same one in the fabulous Gerry Anderson toy Star cruiser Mission Kit by Thomas Salter featured yesterday ( just had a thought, is this a water pistol?)

The identity of Barb's ray gun has perplexed many a toy mind over the years. 

Here's a great discussion from a way back on the superb Alphadrome, including many versions of the toy weapon.

http://alphadrome.net/forums/topic/15808-my-barbarella-ray-gun/?page=2 

Have you got ray guns like this?

Do you like Barbarella?

I would have loved that Star Cruiser Mission Kit for Christmas back in the day. You too?