Brian's Saturn V Poster

Hi Woodsy,

Here's the poster! As I said, I got it in an estate sale and it was grouped with a bunch of topographic maps of the southwest. I don't know who the original owner was.

Best Regards,

Brian P.

A Right Good Brewster

 This little bear from the 1980's is called Brewster.

I'm guessing that he's a marketing item from Brewers Fayre but I don't know.

I'm as perplexed as my funny apple.

Brewster lives in a little nifty tin box.

Do you know Brewster?

En Guard! My Home-Made Star Maidens Guard Doll

 Ever since I first saw this figure, Arto's rare Star Maidens Guard doll, I've been smitten.

So, recently seeing a toy mini American football helmet and some red Supergirl boots going cheap on eBay, I thought nows a good time to have a go at making my own Star Maidens doll.

As always, not a perfect replica, more of an impression.

See what you think. 

Here she is, the Moonbase Maiden Guard

SELBY SATURDAY SAUNTER

 On Saturday the Missus and me went on our first urban mooch since getting back to Blighty last week.

We like Selby, the no-nonsense market down just over the border in North Yorkshire. Its got a a huge Abbey, a great Department store café and lots of charity shops. What's not to like!

The Missus was looking for more modern stuff for the Grandkids. I was looking for old stuff, none of which I got but it was all fun to see.

This Action Man bundle caught my eye. Later additions to the annals of action I think the jeep and trailer are Sunny Smile releases rather than anything older. The man in the basket had very chunky rigid hands. 1990's?

This UK Monkees Annual is always interesting to see. From 1967 it was released by our old pals at Century 21 Publications, the literary wing of Gerry A's C21 organisation. It reminds me of those must-have annuals from his TV shows and my beloved Project SWORD annual. I assume it was printed by Jarrolds in Norwich like most if not all their others that year like Joe 90 and Captain Scarlet. I have this book in the attic along with most of the C21/ Jarrold annuals so I must check.

A good example of how wide Century 21 cast their net for licensing and the Monkees really were massive in 1967 on both sides of the pond. I had their iconic die-cast GTO - did you? - and as an adult I saw them, now much older, in the 1990's. Do you like them?

I snapped this because its new to me. Touchitt, A peculiar name for a board game and one I've never seen before or seen listed in my three board games reference books. It appears to be some sort of indoor table bowls game from a company called Kane Signs of Bognor Regis. It says TV's fastest growing game. I can't find a single reference to it online. This is one rare board game!

This large play table was interesting, although I'm unsure how its used. I always think how I would have whizzed my Hot Wheels around it or set up a Matt Mason/ SWORD/ Outerspaceman scenerio back in the day.  Did you have a table of sorts?

More Action Man in the form of his miniature alter-ego, Action Force. Here's Ladybird's hardback kids book, Flint's Holiday. I was too old for Action Force toys, when they came along and have only got to know them since becoming a toy collector. I've quite a few Action Force figures now, along with its American cousins GI Joe. 

Ladybird were masters of this kind of kids hardback in the 1980's and issued books for all the other top TV cartoons too and are no doubt great to collect: Masters of the Universe, Transformers, GI Joe and Bravestarr. They may have even issued more obscure lines like VR Troopers and Voltron. I'd have to check.

 Have you got any?

A blast from the heavy past, this old friend gave me a thrill to see once again. Judas Priest's Sin After Sin LP. I adored this album and may still have my copy. I had assumed my old Mum bought it me at Brady's in Preston but it was only released in April 1977 and I think she was sadly gone by then.

My favourite track was always Last Rose of Summer and I adored the cover art, the giant Egyptian columns reminiscent of a Hammer horror set.

Back then and even now I always considered Priest to be new kids on the block but then again, Sin After Sin in 1977 was my first taste of them, having for some reason skipped their earlier LP Sad Wings of Destiny. By 1977 I was 16 and totally immersed in Budgie, Rush, Led Zep and Sabbath.

Did you like Judas Priest?

And as its already on the tinselled path towards Yuletide I thought I'd end with a large drumming Santa toy. How cool is that!

I have the bell ringer and he rings it every Christmas.

When will you be trimming up readers? Late November?

I'm Seeing More Things

Back when we were in Germany I saw these strange bubble candle blocks. They brought back memories of Dr.Who interiors and Sci Fi locations. What do you think?

Similarly these hand candles - handles! - stirred my id of monsters therein.

Those being the dreadful Hand of Glory in the film, The Wicker Man, placed menacingly by the bedside of the young doomed constable played brilliantly by Edward Woodward.

These small LED-lit Christmas houses, especially the one on the right, though quaint for sure, made me think of less festive dwellings ....

..... namely the iconic Bates house in Hitchcock's seminal Psycho. His Mother's in the window too! 

And equally, though less so, the Marston House in the terrific 1979 Stephen King mini-Series, Salem's Lot. Would you go in it? 

SKEWERED! MY DIY 007 TOY HARPOON

 In 1965 James Bond made a big splash with Thunderball.

To cash-in on the underwater action Lone Star dived in at the deep end and released this fabulous plastic toy harpoon, which we've featured before on MC.

I never had one and ever since seeing one in TV Toy Zone's catalogue in the 1990's I've wanted one.

So, when I saw this litter grabber in Tedi, a discount chain in Germany, I snapped it up for 3 Euro and thought ..... James Bond!

After some serious spelunking with the grabber yesterday and today I came up with this, my DIY version of the Lone Star 007 Harpoon toy. More of an impression than a replica.

See what you think.

M.CHRISTIAN'S 3D THINGIVERSE 2

Thanks so much, Woodsy and HUGE thanks to all the great folks who enjoyed my Cosmos Corps Build-A-Rocket Kit pics - 

so here’s a bunch more, including how everything fits together, and even a couple of fun ephemera like a movie poster and magazine cover (all hail Hero Forge!)

Got a 3D printer? 

 Join in the fun by downloading my parts files over at Thingiverse!

M. Christian

H A U S

We had to say auf wiedersehen to this old dolls house in Germany.

We bought it about four years ago at a Diakonie charity warehouse. Alas due to its size we were never able to bring it home. It was bought largely on its great looks.

Clearly home made many years ago, each room was wallpapered, carpeted and tiled. There were doors and even electric lighting.

Priced at just 8 Euro, it came complete with tons of furniture, which we were able to bring home.

Despite asking friends and neighbours we couldn't re-home the house. I think it was the size more than anything.

It went with the house clearers in the end, along with most of this pictured below and much much more; the final remnants of my Wife's late parents' apartment of some 40 years.

Have you ever made a dolls house? Is it a lost art?