LIONEL'S SCOOBY DOO TRAIN SET

I recently came across a Scooby Doo train set by Lionel. When I went looking for further details, I discovered it was not the only one. But more on the others next time.

Probably the biggest name in American model railways, Lionel are best known for their O Gauge models. Many of them have working features. Note that American O Gauge is 1/48th scale, while British O Gauge is 1/43rd. The models are very large, and very expensive.

This is a fairly modern range, from 2018. There is a basic train set, with various extra cars (wagons) available separately.

6-85241 The Mystery Machine FT LionChief Set with Bluetooth. LionChief is the control system.

This includes the EMD FT Diesel Electric engine - with sounds and working headlights - painted up as The Mystery Machine. The engine number is 1969, the year the Scooby Doo cartoon made its debut. There are three freight cars (wagons) decorated with scenes and characters from the Scooby Doo cartoon, a transformer, controller, and 40 x 60 inch oval of track.

The wagons are a plain box car or goods van, with 'Would You Do It For Some Scooby Snacks ?' on the sides. An open goods wagon or gondola car, with a load of crates, which has an animated feature: a monster chases Shaggy and Scooby Doo around. Finally, a caboose, or brake van, which lights up.

The extra models are:

6-85323 Scooby Doo Boxcar, with opening doors

1928360 Scooby Doo Aquarium Car, another animated model

1928590 Happy Birthday Scooby Doo Sound Box Car

There is also a model building:

85269 Scooby Doo Sam Witches Cafe - lighted interior

I do not know if this is the entire line, as American O Gauge model trains are not my usual subject.

Here is a You Tube video showing the engine, and two of the extra cars. It shows their special features, including sound effects, in action.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpVCA61K9xY

Unboxing and test run video of the basic set.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRyTpvkiZXY

Ten photographs, all from Worthpoint.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

ARTO'S BATCOPTER!

 Arto recently got himself a cool carded Batcopter.

At first glance it looked like the Ahi - Azrak Hamway - version, seen below, but Arto's has a globe maker's mark! You can see it bottom left above. Is that a C wrapped round one side too? Anyone recognise it? It's from 1977.

The card art reminds me of Mego Comic Action Heroes or similar.

Anyways, here's the Ahi carded original from 1974.

and Ahi's later 1977 card

However, Arto's version has the same backing card as the 1979 UK version of the toy by Jotastar, seen here third from the left listed on an old Heritage Auctions auction.

Here's a closer look at the 1979 Jotastar.

The Jotastar Batcopter was available in 1978 as seen in this comic ad. It cost £1.15p!

There is at least one more version of this toy, this time adhering to Ahi's backing - the LHT or Len Hunter Trading toy seen below.

Len Hunter Trading is an Australian company and also re-issued the magnificent Ahi Batmobile and Batboat. Their address appears clearly on the side of its box.

In France it was Pin Pin Toys who got the Batcoptere in the shops.

Ahi themselves recycled their copter for many other Super heroes such as the Hulk and Spidey, seen below.

They also issued a different card and handle,

Not to be confused with their Batscout!

Have you any Copters readers?

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[images courtesy of Ebay, Hakes, Heritage Auctions, Plaidstallions and Arto]

WEDNESDAY WARES

 Further amblings round the Wednesday sale proffered much. In the end I came home with these. See anything you like?

A small medic pack. Action Man?

Airgam Boys Space 3 scooter. I left the jet behind for some reason. Doh!

GoBots Binoculars by Arco

Bought solely for strangeness. Turns out they're called Teutans Heroes from 2014. Those are Mer-Man's legs I'm sure - from the MOTU range! ha ha. They spit balls I think.

Unknown Action Man clone; the kind of figure my Mum would have got me from Zodiac toys back in the Sixties.

Unknown Action Man type air tanks. Soft plastic.

The following four larger plastic vehicles were altogether, one pound the lot! Now that's car boot magic!

International Products London Jeep/ Land Rover

Merit Loco

Unknown blow moulded racer - numbered.... 21!

Friction Mercedes

I picked another battered Amphibious Investigator Car up for a Winter day's messing. The young chap who sold it me had a stall full of vintage toys. We had a chat and it was like talking to my younger self 30 years ago! He told me about the toy fairs he stands at and how excited he is about standing at the NEC in Birmingham soon, one of the biggest in the UK. Interestingly he doesn't bother with Ebay, preferring Vinted and FB Marketplace to sell. He gets his stock from auction houses.

Oh to be young and fit again!

Has anyone any experience of Vinted? I thought it was for selling second hand clothes.

Call the Coastguard!

Will's Triang Minic RAF Presentation Set

Not the usual, it may be of interest to some Moonbase readers. My Father's, this is one of the Triang Minic super sets from the mid-1960s. The vehicles are plastic with friction motors.

Will O,

UK

SNOW DOME LIKE HOME

 I had to look twice at this dome!

I immediately thought LP/ Lik Be!

Its an igloo!

Part of a lovely bagged set of Christmas cake toppers on the gorgeous Pineapple Retro shop site.

Paul's Pound Shop Haul: Skeleton and All

In June last year I discovered a new shop - like a $2 shop (British pound shop), but with a far greater selection of interesting things than most of those I have seen.

I could not resist, and picked up several goodies for future modelling projects. It is certainly a shop I will be returning to whenever I get the chance.

First up, two pairs of carded reptiles, mostly lizards, but including an alligator. Completely hollow, the plastic is only slightly soft. Length about 6 inches.

From a box full of assorted dragons, this fine standing fellow. Light green, with red and metallic blue detailing, just over 3 inches tall.

From a collection of glow-in-the-dark prehistoric skeletons in plastic eggs, a Humanoid Skeleton. Just over 6 inches tall when assembled. Unfortunately, he is moulded in a rather soft plastic, and bits keep dropping off, so this limits what can be done with him.

Finally, a clear pink plastic shot glass. I have plans for this, and they do not involve any alcoholic beverages.

A good haul, all for $15 NZ (about £7.50).

Anything you like?

Paul Adams

New Zealand

A FORMICARY OF MOLABS

I've always liked the ANT since seeing it in the 1968 Project SWORD Annual.

And I always thought it would have made a great toy.

In the meantime here's a couple of models I found online.

Long Island Aerospace History. ANT on the right.

Image: Ohio Valley Spaceport

In reality the Grumman MOLAB, here's some ace footage of a prototype in action.

Do you like this vehicle readers?

Chromed Hudson Locomotive

In the late 1980s Monogram released a series of chrome-plated models called Metal Master. There were four 1/24th scale 1930s cars, and two versions of the 1/87th scale Hudson 4-6-4 steam locomotive.

The Hudson was a 1982 kit, and one of two HO gauge steam locomotives released by Monogram. It initially came in three versions, with markings for different US railroads; and was later re-issued by Con-Cor and Revell.

They were Snap-Tite Model Kits, meaning they snapped-together, with no glue required. The completed locomotive stood on a short section of track, which was included in the kit.

Even in 1/87th scale, 3.5 mm to the foot, the Hudson was a massive 13 inches (33 cm) long, including the tender which carried water and coal.

Everything in the Metal Master kits was chromed - even the track, and the coal in the tender. The boxes, instruction sheets, and decals all carry a 1988 copyright date.

The boxes said Note: Completely plated plastic model kit - not die cast. No painting required. Apart from the boxes and instruction sheets, the only difference between the two models was in the decal sheets (both printed only in black).

1133 New York Central Hudson Locomotive

1134 Chessie Special Hudson Locomotive

The second version had Chessie Special on the boxes, but Chessie System on the instruction sheet and decals. Chessie System being a nick-name for the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway, and later the official name for a group of railways owned by the same company.

Bright, chrome-plated silver seems like an odd choice for a steam locomotive, and the kits appear to have been short-lived. The other locomotive kit by Monogram, the even more massive 4-8-8-4 Big Boy was not released in a chromed version.

Six photographs from Worthpoint

Paul Adams from New Zealand