SOAK 1999

I had to look twice at this! That yellow handle says Space 1999 to me!

and here's a proper 99 knockoff, the Force!

US MOON PATROL TOY PISTOL

 

This is an unusual toy space gun I saw online last year, the US MOON PATROL. It just could be a rubbish photo but the card colour is pink and the the streamlined toy itself black and white.

You appear to get a magnifying glass as well. Why not I say!

What do you think?

Rob's Imai MSV Model Free to a Good Home!

Woodsy,

I've decided to let go of my IMAI model kit of the Captain Scarlet Maximum Security Vehicle. It's the 1997 reissue, new and in sealed bags. Catalog #B-2131. Non-motorized version. A beautiful kit, but not one I feel I could paint properly.

I am offering it free to a good home for anyone who wants to pay the postage. Assuming I will be sending somewhere other than the US, I will ship Priority Intl only, and will guesstimate the postage costs will run around $50-$60 USD.

I will mark the package as a gift, but cannot guarantee anything regarding customs or other fees on the recipient's end.

It's a handsome kit and out of production, and I'm sure somebody could do a bang-up job with it.

Rob C

USA

REMEMBERING MY CHIMERA

A few times selling on Ebay I have hit the jackpot. Well, my jackpot, anything over a tenner! ha ha.

This was one such sale five years ago, the small blue creature in the middle of the shot. Found in a box of tat at a car boot sale and purchased with the other figures for peanuts.

After some research at the time during the pandemic I discovered that the plastic creature was in fact a premium from an obscure line of lucky bags called Horror n Heroes, which have a collectors' cult following. The blue creature was and is a prized collectable for fans! The Chimera. Who knew!

You can read more about Horrors n Heroes here on the sadly now defunct Fantasy Toy Soldiers blog.

I'd never seen a Chimera before and haven't seen one since.

Have you?

Knickerbocker's Gollum

I'm researching Knickerbocker's Lord of the Rings figures at the moment with a future project in mind.

Looking at their Gollum figure I was struck how much it looked like a toy figure I had as a kid, the restless skeleton, a sort of King Tut from Ellisdons of Liverpool.

Here they are side by side, Gollum on the right. Knickerbocker's line was based on Ralph Bakshi's animated film version of Lord of the Rings - have you seen it?

Mort Kunstler 1927-2025 RIP

Aurora box top artist Morton (Mort) Kunstler has passed away this month.

28 August 1927 to 2 February 2025 – age 97.

Apart from his work for Aurora, he later became famous for his Western and American Civil War paintings.

His Aurora work included several aircraft, and the two Man From U.N.C.L.E. figure kits.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

NASA: the Mars Report: Six Decades of Exploration

View Web Version | February 2025 The Mars Report from NASA — your source from the Red Planet, continuing six decades of unparalleled exploration and scientific discoveries. This newsletter will bring you mission updates, spacecraft news, science findings, unique Mars imagery — and a vision for the humanity-defining possibilities NASA's presence on Mars will unlock.   FEATURED Planning the First Launch Ever from Another Planet NASA is on track to return scientifically selected samples from Mars, announcing plans to proceed towards confirmation. CATCH UP Keep Track of a Busy Planet Nine spacecraft explore Mars right now. NASA operates five of them — two surface rovers and three orbiters — and you can track their progress at any time. They talk to each other, and help each other talk to us, relaying their messages and data streams to Earth. EXPLORE Weather Report: Ice Avalanches with a Chance of Explosive Geysers Martian new year brings dramatic changes — exploding jets of gas, windblown dunes, and more. We track it all from afar, with spacecraft like NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. WATCH MORE ON MARS Meet the Sample: 'Silver Mountain' Perseverance rumbled out of Jezero Crater to explore the uncharted rim, discovering a fresh vantage point — and a very unusual rock. Meet the rover's 26th Martian sample, "Silver Mountain." VIEW THE COLLECTION Another Record: Going the Distance Ingenuity, the plucky helicopter grounded by a broken rotor, managed one more distance record — 1.8 miles for its last communication with the Perseverance rover on Nov. 26, the farthest communication between two vehicles on the surface of Mars. ALL ABOUT INGENUITY Did You Know? Up a Dusty Trail As of January 2025, Perseverance has rolled 20.35 miles (32.76 kilometers) to collect 26 samples of rock and regolith as well as one air sample. DRIVE ON WITH PERSEVERANCE IMAGE OF THE DAY Olympus Mons Mars' Olympus Mons, a volcano nearly three times higher than Mount Everest, was featured in a recent "Celebrity Jeopardy" question. VIEW IMAGE DOWNLOADS Free posters. Collect them all. MAVEN 10th Anniversary Spirit and Opportunity 20th Anniversary Curiosity 10th Anniversary ROVER MISSION UPDATES Get the latest details, direct from mission team members. Perseverance Blog READ THE BLOG Curiosity Blog READ THE BLOG JOIN THE CONVERSATION Explore Mars Facebook: @NASAPersevere, @MarsCuriosity, @NASAMars X: @NASAPersevere, @MarsCuriosity, @NASAMars

Manage Your Subscription

This message was sent to moonbasecentral@gmail.com from marsprogramcomms@jpl.nasa.gov

NASA Mars
NASA Mars Communications
300 Hidden Figures Way SW
Washington, DC 20024

BULLYCAN PORTAVIONES FILM with SpaceX Hawks Lookalikes

This is the Portaviones or aircraft carrier from Spanish toy firm Bullycan. It carries Hawk-like planes related to the Aviones Cosmicos range of SpaceX clones.

This is a short film by Monta Man.

Have you got anything like this?

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO_MBCY-8c4