Terranova47's War of the Worlds Steam Ram

Hello Woodsy

As a kid I was taken to three science fiction movies back in the early 50's.

Forbidden Planet

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

War of the Worlds

With Dan Dare in comics I was firmly on track to enjoy science fiction, whether in book form or movies.

I remember being told that War of the Worlds was a book and the story was British rather than the US setting of the movie. 

I read the Classics Illustrated comic version before the actual book and for me the sequence of the HMS Thunder Child ramming a tripod was the highlight.

I recently read a Graphic Novel version of the book by Chris Mould which was interesting but didn't mention HMS Thunder Child. 

Shortly afterwards I found the bottom of a ship's hull in my parts bin from when I kit bashed a trawler into a coastal tanker waterline model. 

That prompted me to research what a Royal Navy Ram looked like and instead found an image of a US Navy one.

 Using scraps and bits again from my parts bin I created the steam ram seen here, about to commence sea trials with an Admiral aboard.

Hope you like it.

Terranova47

USA

Horrible Histories: Freebie Skeletons

 After my true Halloween nightmare, a visit the the dentists this morning ( I had to ask for more numbing!)  I bobbed into the Posties to mail a congrats card to our nephew who has just had some good news.

Waiting in the queue I noticed the Horrible Histories magazine and ..... bam!

The free gift skeleton pen took me straight back to being a kid, buying gags and toys from Ellisdons of Liverpool.

It's not that it's a pen, it's because it's very similar to the plastic restless skeleton I had, a smaller magnetic scalliwag that just couldn't rest in its plastic coffin. It was superb and I adored it, now sorrowfully missing in traction.

There are very few pictures online of the restless skeleton but the, sadly, now dormant Cobwebbed Room ( what a fab site!) features these three scans, which I have reposted here (hopefully the Cobwebbed owner doesn't mind).

Similarly another Horrible Histories mag freebie, in the superb Victorian Gravedigger Set, gave me a thrill too. 

It's the skeleton with dangly ring joints! I had one of those! I think it was a key ring as well. Oh my, how I loved my skeletons back then.

Did you have either of these or any other skeletons in the cupboard readers?

Gripping Red

 You just knew it would happen. 

Custom heads for Action Man!

This auctioned beauty I saw is Kryten from Red Dwarf complete with eagle eyes! 

Who's head would you want?

What was Halloween Like for You?

As things biuld up steadily towards Halloween here in Blighty, what with the shop aisles brim full of witches, ghouls and zombies, I've been trying to recall Halloween for me in the Sixties.

Being a monster nut I would have thought I'd have adored the whole thing, but I'm really struggling to recall much at all, so much so, that I'm now thinking Halloween wasn't a big thing in Sixties Preston, where I grew up. I'm even beginning to think trick or treating wasn't even a thing in the 60's, a custom that was yet to come over from the States. Or?

Unlike Christmas, which I remember vividly and to some extent, Bonfire Night, which WAS a big deal back then, Halloween can't have been anything like it is now in the UK, a night I've now come to savour as I've got older. There's no great party or shindig that we have, it's just the whole eerie atmosphere of the candle-lit evening, the true start of the dark season and the cold gateway to Winter.

I assume for American readers Halloween has always been massive, even in the 50's and 60's. Maybe even before that?

What was it like as a kid where you live in the world and how is it now for you?

Archie Andrews Anyone?

 

I'm really struggling to remember Archie Andrews the puppet.

He must have been pretty famous if Palitoy released him as a ventriloquist's doll.

Is it something you recall?

Calling Out the Minister!

Hi Woodsy

In a recent post, you mentioned a toy car called the Minister, which had appeared in an auction.

 It seems the car is based on a first-generation Pontiac Chieftain, from around 1953/54 (thanks to Rob Craig for identifying the real car).

https://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2025/10/yes-minister.html#comment-form

The toy was available both as the Minister Delux sedan, and as the Minister Open Deluxe convertible, in several different colours. Yes, the spelling does vary on the boxes – Delux for the sedan, and Deluxe for the convertible.

It appears that this is a fairly modern toy, but done in a vintage style – some of the boxes actually have on the side 'Warning: This is a collector item. It is not a toy. Should not be sold or given to children'.

In the bottom left hand corner of the box are the words 'Made in India', with the name of the manufacturer in the bottom right hand corner Amar Toy, Delhi. Some also have a small black and gold sticker on the underside of the car saying Made in India.

The convertible box even has the Indian flag flying above one of the buildings in the background. I do not know if this is a reproduction of a real vintage toy, or a completely new design.

Now we come to the worrying part. There are a lot of sales listings for this toy car on-line, and some are perfectly fine.

But some have the words Made in India on the box top either covered up with tape, inked over, or there is 'damage' to the box in that exact spot. The name Amar Toy is also covered with a sticker in many cases.

This makes me suspicious that some people are trying to pass off a modern toy or collector model, as a vintage item.

 Of course, some sellers may have themselves bought these cars in good faith, and now be selling them on, and repeating what they think is the history of the toy.

I would advise caution if you are interested in one of these cars. The box shown in your auction photo has not been altered in any way.

I still do not know where the Minister name comes from, but Hindustan Motors of India made the Morris Oxford Series III as the Ambassador; the Deluxe was based on a Chevrolet Deluxe; and there was also a Contessa model based on the Vauxhall Victor FE. Perhaps the Minster name was just following on from these cars ?

Eight photographs from Worthpoint and Ebay, showing the original boxes, and what appear to be modified versions.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

The Monster Base Band

Wolfman has the gig!

My Halloween House-Band is coming together nicely!

Creech on bass!

And the Count on guitar!

-BrianF 

Monster Base 

NJ USA

Pumpkin Central

Direct from the pumpkin patch.