Diver Done!

After much underwater wrestling last night and today my DIY Action Man deep sea diver is finished!  

Its the first outfit where I've managed to make every part myself.

See what you think.

Dive, dive, dive!

Time to surface!

WILL'S SUGAR SMACKS JOE CAR

My latest find… the Sugar Smacks Joe 90 Car .

Quite a nice one. Will O

Ed's Tin: the Yonezawa C-124 Globemaster

Woodsy and Fellow Moonbasers,

Here's another beautiful Hunk O' Tin from Vegas Air Field: the C-124 Globemaster from Yonezawa in Japan.

The Douglas' C-124 Globemaster II was a heavy-lift cargo aircraft developed from their earlier work on the C-74 Globemaster. Nicknamed 'Old Shaky". Globemaster II's were initially assigned to the Strategic Air Command (SAC) hauling nukes until becoming the prime mover for the Air Force's Military Air Transport Service (MATS). 

It served with MATS from 1950 until MATS was re-designated as the Military Airlift Command (MAC) in 1966, and on until 1970 when the last Globemaster's were transferred to the Air National Guard.

This terrific tin-litho aircraft is 18 1/2" (46.99cm) L x 20 1/2" (52.07cm) wingspan x 6 3/4" (17.14cm) H, and is among the biggest planes currently in my collection. It takes two 'D' cell batteries and when powered up the propellers spinm the front loading hatch opens, and the loading ramp deploys. 

There is a small tank and Jeep inside (both made by Mohawk I believe). The toy follows the standard practice of having detachable wings. Unfortunately, I don't have a video of it in operation.

From Vegas Air Field

Ed

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For more of Ed's pics https://toyconnect.blogspot.com/search?q=globemaster

DIY Deep Sea Diver: Man and Buoy

 My DIY deep sea diver project is starting to see the light of day.

Most of the accessories are made or in progress. The buoy needs more red and a white stripe.

I enjoyed making the sea dagger the most. Fiddly as a squid it was! 

The huge steampunk helmet is golding up well. Maybe one more carat.

The action chap himself is behaving well whilst I colour all his bits and bobs. I should have done that first! 

We're still on for that first bath by the weekend! 

Ed's G.I. Joe Official Sea Sled and Frogman

Woodsy and Fellow Moonbasers,

I made a comment on a previous post that I had no photos of any of my childhood G.I Joe's, Stoney Smith's, or other action figures. 

A few days ago, Woodsy posed the question as to whether we had any diver figures. 

Well, coincidentally I came across this scan from Christmas of 1966 showing my G.I. Joe Official Sea Sled and Frogman (standing in front of it is my nephew in his cowboy outfit). 

While we didn't have a pool at our house, my dad did own a trailer home (caravan) on Shawano Lake, Wisconsin. 

It was there on the weekends that I could get the toys out and let them run to my heart's content.

 The Sea Sled worked pretty decent as I recall and the frogman was totally cool!

From Vegas Base

Ed

Garden Garrison

 Here's a garden gallery of my finished DIY Grenadier Guard cum Royal Canadian Mountie, together with the Blues and Royals.

Right boot generously donated by blog mate Tony K!

What do you think?

DIY Deep Sea Diver and Grenadier: getting Kitted Up

 Some more rough and ready fiddling tonight with two current Action Man DIY projects.

My Grenadier Guard make-shift SLR is getting a home-made bayonet; here stood up, glue drying it together. I added a string strap to the 'SLR', a re-shaped and re-painted modern machine gun.

The Grenadier bayonet got coloured up and attached and I began whittling some of the Deep Sea Diver accessories: lead half-boots, undersea hammer and the air gauge and pipes. The gauge needs painting. I'm getting ready for the buoy next and the sea dagger and sheath.

The helmet got a first lick of Humbrol metallic gold paint. I'm leaving the already-gold bauble itself alone. Several more coats to come on the rest. The big white knob is a mask over the tap, so it doesn't get a golding.

And so to the suit itself. Last night's tailoring wasn't up to muster at all so I started again, this time making the diver's outfit out of thin white plastic wrap used in packaging.

I cut out a basic shape and left the cotton suit on, as the wrap is semi-see through, not a great idea for a male diver facing sharks!

Using simple sellotape to join the seams the suit began to puff out and take shape. I added black shoes.

Happy with the baggy suit, I started work on the fella's belt, braces and lead weights and I added black ankle sleeves to create a boot look for the shoes.

Much to do tomorrow but for now I'm diving into bed! 

SATELLITES AWAY!

I noticed this old auction lot a while back. Lots to drool over here including the Beatles guitar, presumably by Selcol.

What really caught my eye was the X-shaped plastic multi-coloured satellite in the middle of the shot. It looks like its got a metal stud at the top.

Anyone recognise this toy?