I'm Seeing Things!

 I think a lack of old toys in South Devon's charity shops is making me see things on holiday. 

Yesterday I saw this modern Paw Patrol armoured car on a shelf and could have sworn ...

.. it was this B.A.T from Manta Force! If only! ( I did find some free Manta Force in a Totnes street though. They give stuff away there. Not the B.A.T alas!)

Reading about Kenner's Super Powers I also started seeing things.

Lex Luthor's 7 ship looks a lot like....

The vehicle in the Mattel Secret Wars Doom Roller. Not sure which is older?

And this crazy Kenner Super Powers yellow spacecraft has the same swept back look as ...

..... This mad blue MOON Car with its magic eyeball. No idea who made this nutty toy or when!

Do you like any of these toys?

Do you know of any similar designs?

Do you see things that aren't there?

INTO THE BLUE

This little wheeled rocket has legs.

It just keeps on going as a design.

Seen many times on Moonbase its likely origin is in the Blue Box space vehicles series.

This particular rocket is labelled Columbia and NASA and appeared on the Spanish auction site Todocollecion. Its missing its fins.

Here's an early appearance of the range on MC from 15 years ago!

Have you got anything like this?

https://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2009/11/blue-box-red-box-and-apollo-moon.html?m=1

Ruby Ruby

 It's Mrs MoonBase and my Ruby Wedding today.

Forty years over the moon.

Just want to wish everyone a very pleasant day.

We got wed in 1984. It was Orwellian. Our witnesses were our friends Pete* and Cath. We had Knickerbocker Glories in Penmaenmawr and honeymooned on Skye.

What were you doing in '84?

🍦

* Pete tragically died in 2021 in Oz. We dedicate our Ruby day to him.

ED'S NEW ROTOR

Woodsy and Fellow Moonbaser's,

Many Thanx to US blog reader Lance for sending me this Spacex Helicopter rotor blade!

My Spacex Earth Launch Pad Set was missing two rotors and the catwalks that went from the gantry to the rocket. The set is now a bit more complete. If I had room for a 3D printer in my little Hovel in Da Hood, I would print this stuff out, but alas....

From Vegas Base

Ed

USA

Totnes Tasties

 A few treats we mulled over in Totnes, the hippy capital of the South West. We love it! 

Anything you would have got?

A Squire Fender Strat £125.

David Shepherd Lions print my older Bro had in his bedroom in the Sixties £160

The contraption in the centre caught my eye in this jewelers. Reminds me of the finger trap in the Adams Family movie! 

And if I was a Count I'd be very taken with that big black ring in the middle here! A Bela special! 

This was in a vintage shop. A cardboard and plastic Learjet. Remember them?

In one of the towns many bookshops was an entire tome devoted to the film The Wicker Man. Have you seen it?

Microdot board game £10. I used to find these regularly at car boots. Not any more. Note the Berlin number plate.

I liked this old Darth Vader mask. There's a chest panel too. Anyone recognise it? £30

A few die-casts to finish up.

Baby Boomer Mag Ads

 I'm enjoying browsing mags on holiday like an old US Baby Boomer Collectables one.

Seeing M&J Variety's ad again took me right back to reading the American Toy Shop newspaper pre-Ebay days. I adored that big newspaper crammed with amazing vintage stuff.

M&J were - are? - a vintage merchandise wholesalers. Everything could be bought by the dozen or by the case. I was always in awe of what they had and mused endlessly how they got hold of this stuff! 

It was based in Elizabeth, NJ. Anyone know if it still is?

Another ad that brought back memories was Toy Scouts Inc. I always loved there ace line drawing logo including The Impossibles, who I adored as a kid. I sent off for their catalogue and amazingly got one sent to me in the UK. That was the Nineties. I still have it.

Toy Scouts Inc. was run by the great Bill Breugman, a vintage toy collecting pioneer in the States. His 1989 book Toys of the Sixties is for me still the collecting bible and I still have my copy I got in 1992. I also have his book on Aurora models I think, both out of print now.

Do you have Bill's books or maybe bought something off Toy Scouts Inc.?

Super Powers Rule!

On holiday I've been reading about Kenners DC Super Powers figure line from the 80's in an old Tomarts Action Figure Digest mag.

Despite not owning any of them It's one of my favourite action figure ranges ever, simply because they're so beautifully made and look incredible.

It's often cited as the best action figure series ever made.

I've only ever seen the figures at the NECs Memorabilia show when I used to go there in the Noughties, a brilliant sight to see when the entire range is lined up.

It's one of the few figure lines I've never found anything if at car boot sales over thirty plus years. They must be quite scarce in the UK.

Do you have Super Powers readers?

 

SPACE RANGER 88

Not to be confused with Century 21 Toys, I've always liked the similar 21 Century Space Series toys.

Here's one you don't see that often, the Space Ranger. 88, in the house style cake box. Why 88?

Like a smaller plastic version of the tin Moon Explorer I had as a kid, this beauty has a lot going for it as a space toy. I love the two tints of clear plastic used and the boxy shape. The pilot looks familiar.

It has a laser gun too but the killer for me is the rear box art! Look at this! What a painting! Sooo Gerry Anderson that!

I think this toy line is Japanese.

Have you got anything like this or any of the 21 Century Space Series readers?