THE ATLANTIC STAR BASE

 

I like this Atlantic Star Base with its dome and blister on the planet surface. They're fabulous looking panels for galactic play.

Its not a line I know really do you?

James Bezos Bond?

I've read that Amazon have bought James Bond. 

The Brocollis are done. Jeff Bezos now has a licence to thrill and Alexa wants to be a Bond girl.

I'm unsure what to make of it all yet. Will it mean lots of Bond TV series rather than films in the way Disney have gone with Star Wars?

I thought Daniel Craig was just ace as a modern Bond. Tough, suave, gritty, no messing. I'll miss him.

No more Craig or Broccoli. It's the end of the Bond era in more ways than one. 

What do you think readers? 

CORGI MANGUSTA WITH DE TOMASO CHASSIS REISSUE

 I joined the Corgi Model Club a while back and this is latest reissued model I’ve been sent:

The Ghia 5000 Mangusta sports car with detachable De Tomaso Chassis.

I recall adverts for the original model in TV21 towards the end of 1968, around the time the Corgi Chitty, Chitty, Bang Bang was released.

The gimmick was, of course the removable chassis, revealing the De Tomaso engine and suspension.

The Mangusta, which means ‘mongoose’ in Italian, was the second production car produced by the Italian car company.

Some info on the Mangusta sports car: https://detomaso-automobili.com/pages/the-mangusta

My Knickerbocker RingWraith: Have you Xena?

My latest toy bash is a go at a Knickerbocker Ringwraith.

This wraith has wide hips, so I opted for an old Xena as the base figure.

Mid-way, I've added bandaging, Fimo and beads, a pen top helmet, wrist guards, a new hand, a sword and an axe. There's a Fimo cloak too.

Next stop, painting black.

Watch this Wraith!

*

Done! One Black Rider at your service!

Waddaya reckon?

Now where's that ring?

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A bit of wraith background. 

Here's the original and rare Knickerbocker RingWraith action figure 1978, as can be seen online.

 I was offered a carded one for $1000 this month! Needless to say I declined!

A famous TV find was Jordan Hembrough's in his superb US series 1 of Toy Hunter, episode 2, where he uncovers a loose Knickerbocker Ringwraith in the Smoky Mountains. 

Here's a very short clip.

https://youtube.com/clip/Ugkx8g0iOa560hzoikZDYsCbkFAXYwKMpxif?feature=shared

Watch the whole find in the entire episode courtesy of You Tube, circa 13.08 minutes in (after the Howdy Doody puppet)

https://youtu.be/di1Yhc3uBNw?feature=shared

The wraith figure is based on those seen in Ralph Bakshi's fabulous but truncated Lord of The Rings animated movie from 1978. Have you seen it?

Junior's Moon of Monsters

 MoonBase Junior took these shots and edited them himself on his half-term break with us oldies.

Waddaya reckon?

PUZZLED

I came home with a boxed Four Feather Falls puzzle last year and these other pieces were in the box. They're not Four Feather Falls. That was a complete set.

Has anyone any idea what these are from?

This group features a bunny.

This is another group, just four pieces.

and these two clowns.

Anyone know?

DINKY STAR TREKIN'

I'm enjoying rewatching the original Star Trek on Legend TV (has there ever been a time when it wasn't being reshown?!)  and was reminded of my previous posts on the Dinky USS Enterprise and the Dinky Klingon Cruiser.

Here's the links to those previous posts:

https://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2022/10/boldly-going-look-at-dinky-uss.html 

https://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2023/11/a-look-at-dinky-toys-klingon-battle.html

And here's a few photo reminders

Hot Wheels Zowees by Paul Adams

Following the recent post on Mattel Hot Wheels Zowees (a line which I do not remember at all), I did a little digging.

https://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2025/02/junking-in-emporia-2-zowies.html#comment-form

 There were 14 models, the first eight of which were originally made for a Shell petrol station promotion - these came in small plastic bags.

The 14:

Baby Buggy – Pram

Beddy Bye – Four Poster Bed

Bumble Seat – Vintage Delivery Truck

Covered Draggin' – Covered Wagon

Desperado – Mexican Sombrero Hat

Diablo – Devil's Head

Good Knight – Knight's Helmet

Red Lighter – Red Emergency Light

Fire Hydrant – Fire Hydrant and Hose

Goin' Fishing – Shark With Open Mouth

Home Sweet Home – Small Brick House

Light My Fire – Coupe With Plastic Flames

Numb Skull – Human Skull

Shifty – Hand on a Gear Stick

According to the Hot Wheels Wiki, the Shell models were available in Germany under the name Fun Buggies, and they were all re-named. It also says there were similar vehicles unique to the UK market, but that it is unknown if these were by Mattel.

The cars were then issued as normal, retail models, being joined by a further six retail-only models. This looks to have been a short-lived range, and carded Hot Wheels models seem to be fairly rare.

All the examples I have seen have Hong Kong on the underside. Copyright dates are 1972 and 1973.

Zowees were only half the size of a regular Hot Wheels model, being to 1/125th scale, rather than 1/64th scale. The bases were metal, with coloured plastic bodies.

All were way-out custom vehicles, and all had at least one V-8 engine – some had two. Like regular Hot Wheels, they had low-friction wheels.

Hot Wheels Wiki entry for the line. According to this, the retail models were not available individually, but only in packs of two, three, four, or six cars; 

there also being some Zowees Plus Hot Wheels twin packs.

https://hotwheels.fandom.com/wiki/Zowees#:~:text=Zowees%20were%20a%20series%20of,Wheels%20vehicles%20produced%20in%201972.

An Ebay set of 14 – for an insane $930 US !

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/275173895348?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=705-154756-20017-0&ssspo=2iQDQftuQja&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=lNRmmDjOT0-&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

Eight photographs from Worthpoint

Did you have Zowees?

Paul Adams

 New Zealand