THE MAKING OF STAR TREK PAPERBACK

 Some photos of my 1973 printing of  'The Making of Star Trek' paperback. Apart from providing in -depth  back ground info and incite about the series, in contains several B&W photos, production drawings and blueprints.

THE BARBIE STAR TRAVELLER: A REALLY BIG TOY!

I used to love buying and selling Barbie and Sindy stuff. It sort of made up for all the times everyone told me as a kid that I mustn't play with dolls 'cos I was a lad! I was already playing with Action Man, Matt Mason, Tommy Gunn and Captain Laser! They were dolls!

Besides the super exciting episode with the rare dress that I've blogged about before, another favourite find was a complete Barbie Star Traveler Motor Home as pictured. There wasn't a box - but that was OK. All the tables and chairs were there.

As soon as I saw it at the car boot sale I just had to ask 'How Much is the big van?'. The answer was £2 I think and before you could say Lets Go Barbie I was walking off with my own Star Traveler!

Probably more exciting than the purchase itself is getting home and checking stuff over. I love that and this baby took some checking. With the help of the net I was able to check off every part. Aaah. The simple joys of life.

I've heard that Barbie and Ken drove off in their Star Traveler and are somewhere in the Plastic Rockies now! No doubt Big Jim will be along soon to crash the party!

Have you bought anything really big and collectable readers?

Ed's Wheels On The Bus Go 'Round and 'Round

Woodsy,

Here's some more small space toy fun. 

This time it's the 'LP' brand #405B Space Explorer Car in bright yellow ala 'Bluebird' (a manufacturer of school buses here in the States).

From Vegas Base

Ed

STAR TREK - THE MOTION PICTURE POP-UP BOOK

 Keeping to my Star Trek- The Motion Picture theme, here’s what’s inside the Motion Picture Pop-Up book.

First published in February, 1980, and created by Tor Lokvig & Chuck Murphy, who also designed the USS Enterprise and USS Enterprise Bridge punch-out books contains seven double page illustrations based on scenes from the movie.

It’s a fun, innovative book for the younger Star Trek fan (and, i might add, one or two older ones too!) and well worth adding to the Star Trek ephemera collection.

AMT USS ENTERPRISE REFIT PHOTOS

 Some photos of my A.M.T. Ertl USS Enterprise Refit, a kit my dad bought for me as a birthday gift way back around 1986 or ‘87.

At the time I was probably daunted by the time consuming ‘aztec’ paint scheme, and the kit was consigned to my stash in the attic for years. Nowadays, I’m a little bolder in my kit building, and dusting it off, I worked out an easier way of producing a reasonable look without going over the top, or, with one exception trying to track down aftersales add-ons.

Although the kit was released for ‘Star Trek- The Voyage Home’, and sporting the NCC-1701-A decals, I wanted to do the Motion Picture version, and luckily, did manage to find some excellent aftersales decals which allowed for both versions.

The box artwork for Star Trek-IV- The Voyage Home.

I like to add a little lighting to my models where I can, but for this kit I decided I just wanted to build it more or less as it was. I do have a couple of other AMT Enterprise refit kits, including the edition with lighting and sounds, and the first edition with lighting for the saucer section, so I’ll wait to see how those turn out.

I’ve always had a fondness for Star Trek – The Motion Picture, in spite of the fact that some like to dub it the ‘slow motion picture’. Each to their own, I suppose. Anyway, the stand out scene for me is the USS Enterprise refit reveal as Admiral Kirk and Scotty, aboard a travel pod slowly pass along her shiny new hull.

Some photos of the model on the bench.

The plastic kit adventure is just beginning!

Lone Star Phaser Rocket Gun

Hello Woodsy

I just saw this on ebay, it's new to me and possibly to MC?

Seen one before?

Terranova47

USA

Operation Lone Star Customs - The Five Toy Swords: 2. Steed

 The second of our Lone Star sword customs, Steed's Sword Stick.

Steed, a la The Avengers, always carried a cane or a brolly on TV, both hiding a lethal rapier blade. In Germany it even got a mention in its TV title, Schirm, Scharm und Melone: Brolly, Charm and Bowler!

Like all Lone Star's toy swords Steed's sword stick was inserted through the card header. They must have been quite difficult to display in shops.

Our cane has a bamboo handle from China (incredibly fast shipping!), a plastic eBay fancy dress 'shepherd's crook' scabbard (very long, in sections and enough for three scabbards! Result) and various bits from the moonbase bits drawer.

The blade, like Zorro and the three to come, were all supplied by an ever-reliable eBay cosplay stockist called RubberPlantation. Their plastic rapier is just the job and could be straight out of Lone Star!

As always, it's Bill's fabulous card art that once again properly animates these home-made creations and this one's another terrific backing card from Bill International! 

As a final flourish I've added a small baggy of red plastic balls to simulate the ammo bag on the original. Ours is a dummy though.

We hope you like this latest effort, our second in Operation Lone Star!

Three to go!

For fun, here's the original toy and reference courtesy of the ever-helpful John B of the fabulously comprehensive cult TV Murdersville Little Storping Museum website.

.

The sword-stick is just one of hundreds of Avengers collectables, which John has painstakingly listed and described, not to mention every other UK and US vintage cult TV show and their merchandise. Well worth a gander! Click on Sword-Stick above.

More original toy shots from Hakes.

We've completed our sword but it's interesting to see the one part we didn't make, simply because I've only just seen it, a tiny instruction card inside the ammo baggy. I can't read it personally. Seen on Vectis.

Taking my cue from Looey's carnation comment here's the intro to The Avengers from You Tube showing Steed and his sword stick! 

∆

Till the next toy, one Adam Adamant.

He lives!

Operation Lone Star Customs - The Five Toy Swords: 1. Zorro

Propelled by our Tarzan, this is Operation Lone Star Swords!

This Spring Bill and myself aim to re-create Lone Star's three TV toy swords from the 1960's: Zorro, Steed and Adam Adamant.

  We will then attempt two far less well-known TV swords from the company, details of which were kindly supplied by the incredibly helpful John B of Murdersville: Sir Francis Drake and Dick Turpin.

So, that's Five in total. It'll be emotional!

So, with a big Z flourish, here's the first Lone Star sword custom:

Zorro's Sword.

Like all Lone Star's toy swords the toy was simply inserted into the header card. They must have been quite difficult to display in shops.

The sword, which I re-painted black, was provided by an ever-reliable eBay cosplay stockist called RubberPlantation, who supplied all my five swords.

As always, it's the stunning card art that once again properly finishes these home-made productions and this first one's another beautiful backing card from Mister Bill! 

As a final touch I've added the flocked mask that came with the sword and a rubber tip containing white chalk to emulate the original, so budding Zorro's could sign their three-stroke initial on the neighbours wall! 

We hope you like our debut for Operation Lone Star Swords!

For fun, here's an original toy ( showing the lovely patterned hand-guard but missing the chalky tip) along with more lovely Zorro-full stuff on an old auction site.

And as a final 3 flicks of the blade, you can see Zorro's Sword here, bottom left in this Lone Star products page I found online.

Of note is it's neighbour, bottom right: the fabled Lone Star Captain Scarlet Anti- Mysteron Rifle, featured a few times in MC. Rocking horses and poo poo spring to mind! You haven't got one so I won't ask! 

And as if that isn't enough, top centre is our next project: Steed's Sword Stick! 

Footnote:

For completeness, here's a later Lone Star Zorro sword backing card I saw this week on an old auction. I prefer the original design. You?