MOONBASE CENTRAL

Thursday, 11 September 2025

Lunar Sparkling Space Gun

This ray gun by Larami has an interesting backing card. The art looks like a gallery of actual space paintings. They're hard to see.

Does anyone know what they are?

REVELL CYLON RAIDER BOX

I love the box artwork on the 1997 Revell release of the Cylon Raider.

The Convair US XFY-1 Pogo Fighter Kits

Hi Woodsy

The Convair XFY-1 Pogo was a US Navy experimental Vertical Take-Off and Landing fighter of the 1950s. It was powered by a single Allison YT40-A-6 turbo-prop engine, driving a six-bladed contra-prop (two three-bladed units rotating in opposite directions to cancel out torque).

The first vertical flight was made on 1st August 1954. The idea was that it could operate from escort ships, to protect convoys, without tying up aircraft carriers on such duties. The planned armament was four 20mm cannon, or unguided rockets.

The aircraft proved difficult to fly, and landing was a problem with the unconventional design. The programme was eventually cancelled, but the prototype still survives.

There have been several kits of the Pogo, including kits by Aurora and Lindberg from the 1950s. Both were 1/48th scale.

This is the 1/72nd scale KP kit from the Czech Republic. No.33 in the KP series. According to Scalemates it was released in 1993, and has been re-boxed several times.

I recently found this example in a model shop, on a shelf of older, second-hand kits, and snapped it up. It is moulded in light grey plastic, with a two-part canopy in clear plastic, and decals for the prototype.

There was also a 2021 version of the kit "In Services", which included fictional markings for operational aircraft in service with the US Marine Corps, Royal Navy, and Japan Air Self Defence Force. A Japanese aircraft adorning the box top.

I look forward to building this model once I get a few other projects finished off. It certainly fits in to the Wow Plane category.

Five photographs - three of my kit; and two of the "In Services" version from Worthpoint.

Is this a kit or a plane you know?

Paul Adams from New Zealand

Takatoku Space Toys

I'm so impressed with the unusual designs of these late-1970's Japanese toys. Not a range I know. Have you come across them readers?

UFO LOCATION TOUR

Interceptors immediate launch... Man all Mobiles… put Skydiver in the picture… THIS IS A MAXIMUM SECURITY ALERT!

Although our American cousins will be celebrating Space: 1999 over in Los Angeles this weekend, here in the UK, we have our own celebration at the end of next month featuring the Anderson’s other live action sci-fi TV series, UFO.

The next convention and location tour I’m eagerly looking forward to is PROJECT: FORD and UFOria 3: ALIENS ATTACK – Part 1. The title’s a bit of a mouthful, but this is the big one for fans of Gerry & Sylvia Anderson’s UFO.

It takes place from 31^st October to 2^nd November, 2025.

Like last year’s successful Secret Service Location Tour that took place last year, and believe me for the Anderson fan it was unmissable, this tour has very limited spaces, and as I write this there are just 13 places left.

The event takes place at Moor Hall, Cookham village situated in the county of Berkshire.

Apart from the tour of locations in the Pinewood area seen in UFO, and one or two other Anderson puppet TV series, there’s also special guests, including Puppeteer Mary Turner and Ayshea Brough, who played Ayshea Johnson in the series, plus the extra special guest who’s flying in from Australia to attend is Keith Alexander who played SHADO Operative Keith Ford, hence the convention title.

There’s a full weekend of great nostalgic entertainment including talks, autographs, model displays which feature original props, and the odd bit of vintage merchandise, so anyone going should take some cash. Plus there’s a limited opportunity to have your photo taken in one of the original SHADO Jeeps with one of the original UFO cast!

Here's a link : https://fanderson.org.uk/project-ford-and-uforia-3-aliens-attack/

Mystery Model Man

This is a mystery to me.

I saw it on an old auction.

An Action Man type figure with two uniforms, a soldier and a knight.

I thought maybe Little Big Man or Madel Man.

But the rear says Model Toys Ltd, Hong Kong.

Anyone know who this figure is?

Space Agent from the Lost Planet

I'm always intrigued by yellow tracked vehicles in space. I blame the SWORD Moon Ranger I adored as a kid.

So this strange covert art caught my eye. One of a series of Lost Planet books by Angus McVicar published by Burke in the 1960's, this cover has me scratching my head. What is that vehicle and what is it doing?

What do you think?

Anyone read this book?