THREE COOL TOYS

Arto in Helsinki Base has sent me a few links to three neat vintage toys he's spotted on Ebay this year.

First up is this interesting Space 2001 racing car like the Bluebird record breaker. There were a number of Bluebirds released in the Sixties but this 2001 branded version is new to the blog.

Here's the 1984 JETHRO ZX USAF Space Station Interceptor Rocket Ship by Gata Box Ltd. Arto has pointed out its similarities to the Zero-X nose cone in both shape and name.

Last but not least, the beautiful YT Space Bird, the Japanese version of the Project SWORD Probe Force 3 toy. I initially thought the nose cone was grey but I think I can see small fragments of red paint around it.

What do you think of these toys readers? Would they be nice on Christmas morning under the tree?

KEVIN'S NEW BLAKES 7 TOY SPACESHIP

Got the 3rd one of the 4 Jotastar Cosmic Strikeforce ships.

Kevin

UK

Only one to go now!

RAZORBACK: MISSED AGAIN!

I missed it again! Razorback, the Oz shocker that our very own Looey worked on!

It was showing earlier this month at The Leeds Weird of Oz segment of the Film Festival and I didn't know!

Still on my bucket list!

LINCOLN'S SPARK

 

This space plane design surfaced allover the place back in the day. Most well-known is the Blue Box version and it also emerged as a Blakes 7 space toy seen on MC before.

One of my favourite variations is this Lincoln International rendition. The rear fins are longer and the whole look is sleeker.

The sparking Space Patrol.

Have you got one?

BRIAN'S NEW LINCOLN MONSTERS BY SPECTRA - X

Hi Woodsy.

Here's the special Limited Edition Lincoln Monsters Blood-A-Rama Shock Fest set.

Frankenstein's Monster and Count Dracula are faithfully restored with a few new wrinkles( I like Drac's ghastly green face!) and they are now stars of imaginary movies; " The Evil of Count Dracula" and " The Power of Frankenstein".

Included are some promotional pics and a "certificate of membership just like the fan clubs of yesteryear. The figures' box art shows both original artwork and new artwork .They even come packaged in a sleeve that looks like an old VHS rental box!

The figures are also very well built and clothed, making this set a solid value. A void in my monster collection has been filled, and my "monstrous " childhood past has been re-visited.

Enjoy the pics!

- Brian F 

Monster Base 

NJ USA

Wandering in Eden: My Home-Made Sand Flea

I've always liked the original Sand Flea designed by Eric Eden seen here in the 1966 Thunderbirds Summer Extra bottom left.

I thought I'd have a crack at making one.

More of an impression than a replica.

 

I opted for a darker blue as I had it in.

The main treadwheel at the front is too big really but I had a green rubber band that slipped perfectly over a Vosene bottle cap.

I looked for a plastic doughnut in our Granddaughter's kitchen set but no luck, so I glued together two plastic crate wheels. They're not big or balloony enough really.

The rear armature is an old plastic house-phone cut down to size.

More of a lunar super bike than the Sand Flea, hope you like it.

HANGAR 18: KOLCHAK'S COVER UP

 Nursing a bad cold I'm watching a film from 1980 called Hangar 18.

Its an interesting flick that reminds me of an extended X-Files episode. It has the hue of Capricorn One as well from 1977.

An even bigger X link is the presence of Darren McGavin, none other than Kolchak, he of the brilliant 1970's TV series that Chris Carter has cited as an inspiration for the X-Files!

I'm enjoying the film and the spacecraft at its dark heart is really impressive to look at. It looks like a huge black throne sat on an upturned black plate.

I know I've seen something similar.

The screw-off lid of alien or sci-fi jar or canister keeps coming into my head!

The Tesseract jar top? No.

What about the upturned base of the Palitoy Hoth Radar cannon? We're getting close.

There's something else that looks like that Hangar 18 ship. I know there is. A cake tin, a jelly mould?

What?

*

I'm watching X The Unknown now!

X-FILES: KRYCEK'S MISSING! SCULLY TOO!

The Missus and me are slowly working our way through all the X-Files episodes on 4 here in Blighty. We saw most of the first few seasons back in the 90's - essential viewing back then - but we never stuck it out. This time we'll go all the way, the longest running American Sci Fi series ever I think.

Currently we are at the point were the slime ball Krycek, Cancer Man's lapdog, has gone AWOL and Scully has, it seems, been abducted by aliens on Skyway Mountain. Mulder certainly seems to think so. In desperation, Skinner has re-opened the X-Files.

Of note at this point was the performance by Steve Railsback in the last two episodes about alien abduction. I know this actor from the fantastic and earlier movie Lifeforce, where he played the space captain besotted with the cosmic vampire draining London of its souls.

In the X-Files he was utterly convincing as the alien abductee and the scenes where he was experimented on were probably the scariest things we've seen overall so far in the series. Downright scary in fact and made the more so by his fantastic screams! The last time I saw such scary alien surgery was in a film called Fire in the Sky, which really did shock me at the time.

Anyways, more X-Files tonight, because we want to believe!

How far have you got with the series readers? All the way to the end?