JUNKING IN EMPORIA 1: ROBOCOP

 Going junking in emporia is fun and seems to be one in most town centres these days. Shops and halls of glass cabinets filled with various sellers' vintage goods.

Here's an item I recently found going for a song in Wetherby.

This is a nice solid Toy Island Robocop figure from 1993. There's a button I haven't pressed yet! Wonder what that does?

I was surprised how many toys emanated from this movie  [like Terminator] as it was so violent and clearly not for kids. It may have been the subsequent TV series that spawned the toys. I'm not sure.

I remember seeing the large toy vehicles like the ambulance that went with this figure in a German department store called Karstadt in 1994 and wondering if I could get one in my suitcase to bring home. I didn't and forgot to look in UK toy shops for them. Impulse is everything!

I was reading in Autoweek that the Robocop TV series popularised the Hummer. 

Is that the same as a Humvie? 

Here's the Toy Island's hummer Tactical Field Ambulance, the same as I saw in Karstadt 30 years ago.

Did you have any Robocop toys readers?

Did you like the Robocop film or the TV series?

ED'S STOKED!

Woodsy,

I recently acquired this job lot which had the last piece needed to complete my GIANT Plastics Corp. (aka Giant of Hong Kong) series of space toys: the spaceship! 

These are harder to find than unicorn horns and I'm happy to have finally latched on to one! It's taken me years to track down all the pieces, but this past year has been very productive in that respect. 

Now, I need to start looking for their Little Green Army Men (or WWII) figures and accessories.

From Vegas Base

Ed

MJ'S Bravestarr Water Machine Gun Memories

Check out this great Bravestarr water machine gun!! 

[by Arco 1986]

I had this, albeit second hand.

image: ebay

Hands down the best water pistol; the rotation arm worked in both directions! 

image: ebay

It eventually got customed up to bring it in line with the Batman cosplay I did many years ago!

Enjoy!

MJ

South Coast Base

UK

REMEMBER SPACE KIDETTES?

 

I mean Wow!

I do remember this and even have a jigsaw puzzle! Have you any Space Kidettes or Hanna Barbera collectables readers?

ELEGANT ED

[Since this toy reminds me of Ed's just-posted GIANT vehicles I've reposted this from March 2024, Woodsy]

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Woodsy and Gang,

I picked this up recently and was a bit surprised at just how small it was as you can see by the comparison shot. 

It's from Linemar and is one of their 'Elegant Miniatures' offerings. Kind of like Matchbox but smaller, the line consisted of planes, trains, automobiles, trucks, etc.

 

All done in cast metal and individually boxed (although mine is missing the box).

You got any?

From Vegas Base

Ed

USA

Comparison with Golden Astronaut toys

Ed's GIANT Space Toys

Woodsy,

Here is a photo overview of GIANT's line of HO scale space toys. 

I loved GIANT as a kid and had a nice selection of their toys, except the space stuff!

I don't even recall seeing their space toys in the stores, but I did have Romans, Vikings, American Civil War, and Old West sets. They were cheap pocket change toys and small carded sets could be bought for only 29¢. Larger sets could put you back a whole dollar or so.

From Vegas' GIANT Base

Ed

I have included this photo showing GIANT and Tri-ang together for comparison.

These are scans of Plastic Figure and Playset Collector (PFPC) magazine, issue no. 57 October 1998 featuring GIANT products [all text and images: Arlin R. Tawzer]

Waiting for Tarzan

As I reported here last month, my current toy project is a mock knock-off of the rare Lone Star Tarzan set.

I missed out on this similar Hong Kong Jungle Set in Germany going for a song, which contained a whole four - that's most! - of the necessary parts and is a set I would be willing to open up.

[a Larami Phantom Jungle Play Set would do as well, but you wouldn't want to break into such a gorgeous and similarly rare set]

So, not wishing to wait for another Jungle Set to turn up, I've begun to try to get hold of individual parts, replacements and lookalikes.

I've bought an old Hong Kong Tarzan - the linchpin of the set in terms of character and sizing - and he's en route from Germany. He was the cheapest one on Ebay at the time but as is always the way a much cheaper one swung by in the UK a week later! The law of the jungle! ha ha

I've a plastic Hong Kong Zulu Warrior en route to Moonbase too, but he will need remodelling.

Safe arrivals already are a Lego seated monkey, which I fear will be far too small and two cheap Hong Kong Lions, which may need remodelling and repainting to look right.

Still missing is the elusive running Jungle boy [who is he?], which I will have to think out of the box about as its the hardest replacement to find anything similar for. He does look like a little Wonder Woman though!

I've currently spent more dosh on this project than any other I've made so far, but its nothing to what you could spend on the actual items itself or indeed the individual parts, either original plastic or metal like these truly gorgeous and original cast metal Lone Star pieces from the amazing Herald Toys and Models [images borrowed from their site]:

an fabulous and original Lone Star cast lion

and an original and terrific Lone Star cast running boy, here a native American Indian.

or there are modern recasts of the lion and lioness to be had for a tenner each like these beautiful examples from Ebay seller Winchesterdave23.

Anyhows, I'm waiting for Tarzan, the yardstick for the project and I'll keep you posted when he swings by!

In the meantime, have you any Lone Star toys readers?

CRATE EXPECTATIONS!

 I rescued these from the bin at Aldi.

Plastic toothbrush packet stands for display in the store.

Too good to just bin, I thought these little orange crates might do as something in one of my future models or toys. A Jungle Land Rover top? An Action Man storage rack? 

Any ideas welcomed!