No Toy is an Island

The island of Taiwan has a long proud history of toy manufacture.

Here's three space toys from the former Formosa.

See what you think readers?

The Super Jet Car. It looks chunky.

The Machine Cop. You do not want to mess with this guy! 

The most ambitious of the three here and with echoes of Gatchaman, the Dolphin II.

I really like the look of this. You?

The Price of Karloff

 I love browsing the old Spanish sci fi pulp Ciencia Ficcion, there are so many ace lifted covers! 

These two use old monster masters!

Vincent graces this one! 

Not seen the robot before. You?

And here's Boris! The Bride too! Not sure about the glass case or the thing at the back. You?

Six Million Dollar Three Dimensional

 

On a recent mooch round Pontefract these two oldies caught my vintage eye.

Above is Three Dimensional Noughts and Crosses. How space age is that! 

Now I've got it in my head that Spock played this in Star Trek. Is that right?

My older brothers played a similar tiered game called Space Lines when I was a kid. Remember that?

Below is Steve Austin in his special chamber. Not a toy I had - I was too old by then - but one I like. The best feature on the figure is the see-through eye. Ha e you looked through one?

Skin Deep

 When I saw this Galaxia 2001 cover it rang bells. I've seen that skin diver before.

In fact , I've got it iny Eerie comics collection, the very same frogman on the superb cover of Eerie #3! 

Waddaya reckon?

Footnote:

You can get prints and copies of Frazetta's original cover art. Here's one online from 1975.

A Serious Case of Flash

Hi Woodsy

You once asked me about flash – the surplus material that you sometimes find around the edges of plastic or metal parts. There may also be flash in areas that should be open, such as location holes or windows.

This happens when the two halves of a steel mould are clamped together, and molten plastic or metal is injected in to the mould under high pressure. If the seal is not perfect, then plastic can ooze out between the halves, leaving a thin web of excess material when the part is removed from the moulding machine.

Here is a really bad example – on a 1/72nd scale Monogram kit of the Grumman F8F Bearcat carrier-based fighter plane. This one was made in New Zealand by an Auckland company called E. Allan Brooker Limited.

At the time this model was produced there were tight import controls on goods coming in to NZ, so a lot of things were produced locally by NZ firms to avoid the need for import licences, and to avoid paying tariffs.

The kit has 'Made, printed and packed in New Zealand by E. Allan Brooker Ltd. Auckland', on one side of the box, and on the instruction sheet. The box also carries two copyright dates: 1967 and 1979.

The flash would need trimming off with a knife, or sanding, before the model could be assembled. Not a difficult job around major components such as fuselage halves, but the smaller the parts, the trickier the job.

Has anyone else dealt with a lot of flash?

Paul Adams from New Zealand

Who is Marchon Rocket?

I'm pretty clued up, I think, on Super Heroes.

So this costumed fellow on Worthpoint has me baffled.

Supposedly linked to Marvel Secret Wars, it's listed as a Marchon Rocket Bootleg/Knockoff!

Who?

Skulls Out

 It's half term!

Galaxy April 1957

 

Here's another fabulous Galaxy cover from April 1957. I love the image but I'm unclear what's going on. Are the whales chasing cockpit-tipped whale subs?

Incredible art!

What do you think?