Equinox Cover Art: It's Supernaturally Good

 I only discovered this film as an adult. It passed me by as a kid. I was 10 when it was released and never saw a thing about it.

Originally a Dennis Muren short in 1967, it went on to become a full movie, in cinemas in 1970. Read it only cost $8,000 to make and grossed nearly $900,000! Astonishing. Reminds me of the similar Blair Witch success decades later.

I've always liked the poster and cover art and here's a small gallery of some I found online.

The fantastic Mountain Super 8 film box.

A poster showing most of the stop-motion creatures in the flick. 

An unusual illustration, I'm unsure what this is off.

This wide shot, perhaps my favourite, is a melting pot of images, which appeared on other media. 

The JM Video release with the ghastly face from the picture above.

Another VHS, this time with the title changed to the Beast. I wonder why they dropped Equinox? 

Finally, the DVD box art, which I have, a set containing both Dennis Murren's shirt film and the full movie.

Have you any Equinox ephemera or items readers?

Have you seen the film?

Tractor Been

I used to own one of these beautiful tinplate tractors and trailers. 

Gorgeously made and with working gears, it really was a clockwork wonder.

This week I saw this set with a box online. The box is new to me, my toy was loose. I'm unsure if it's country of origin. You?

I bought mine in a lovely vintage toy shop in the 1990's in the back streets of Scarborough in the Yorkshire coast. I had my Father in Law with me at the time.

Alas, like most things, I sold it years ago to pay for more ..... Vintage toys! 

Ghosts of Christmas Past

 Memories are like ghosts. Ghostly. 

Wispy. Fuzzy.

I have such a memory of one Christmas in the late Sixties or early Seventies, when the family was still healthy and intact.

School was out for the holidays and a peaceful aura had settled over the house in the week before the Big Day.

My patents' life was probably frantic, but I didn't notice. The biggest thing for me was not being at school and the prospect of loads of new stuff on Christmas Day! Priorities!

My memory proper is about watching telly.

 We had a lounge - me and my older brothers called it the boys room - with a half-size snooker table, stereogram and a black and white TV. 

There were drawing books and pens around - we all loved drawing - and ragged copies of Creepy and Eerie at the side of the armchair.

There will have been a Radio Times or TV Times somewhere too, and maybe I had looked up what I ended up watching that day.

I was on the carpet in front of the gas fire,  my belly with my chin propped up in my hands. Not fantastically comfortable but kids seem to like it. 

The Christmas tree was up and lit with fairy lights. It may well have been morning but I have to ask whether anything was on TV in the morning back then? 

The film, black and white on a black and white telly, started Arthur Askey, who was causing mayhem at a railway station. At some point a spectral train flies through the station and all hell breaks loose. I can just recall the ghostly steam rising from the loco as it charged by.

I think the film was called The Ghost Train.

It's a rare and semi-solid childhood memory, where most of the parts are there and one I treasure for it's simplicity, as the brilliant home it was in, where I grew up, was only part of my life a few years more after it.

Do you have murky Xmas recollections readers. 

Multiple Toymakers Vans

Century 21 Toys borrowed Multiple Toymakers design for their Topo Gigio Ice Cream Van.

There were lots of Multiple Vans to choose from.

Here are two more by the great Multiple Toymakers.

Hot Dog King.

Mickey Mouse Ice Cream Van.

Kev's Scratchbuilt Star Trek Computer

Hi,

Just finished this scratchbuild of one of the computers seen around the Enterprise. No reason, other than the fact that I like it.

Cheers,

Kevin

UK

THE WAR BETWEEN THE LAND AND THE SEA

 Looks like another Doctor Who spin-off has hit screens in the UK, with the release  of the first couple of episodes on the BBC iPlayer this morning of the Russel T Davis penned The War Between The Land And The Sea.

As I've not followed Doctor Who since Jodie Whittaker took the titular role I haven't really kept up with current news, apart from it's plummeting ratings, preachy story lines, and the fact that a former companion has apparently regenerated into the new Doctor. 

Not having watched the new spin-off, all I've read about it is this six part adventure features creatures called Homo Aqua who look nothing like the original Sea Devils they are apparently based on, and who are understandably miffed about humans polluting the oceans.

Will it save the Doctor Who franchise?

Will you be watching?

TASK FORCE 1,2 & 3

 I like to dog out these old photos of my Task Force toys from time to time. Not particularly rare, but back in the sixties great pocket money toys, along the slightly later  Scout Force ships. 

TOY ROCKETS

 Some photos of my toy rockets.