Baravelli Spacemen

I love how this Marx spaceman has been hand painted by an Italian modeller. So neat and very Matt Mason! 

It's not a set I have but here's two carded lots I saw online.

The Spacemen

And the Intrepid Astronauts by Italian toy giants Baravelli. Is that unique card art they've used?

Rob's Atlantis Revell X-17 Research Missile

 Woodsy,

Here is my latest blast from the past, the Atlantis Models reissue of the X-17  test missile, originally produced by Revell in the late 1950s.

The actual X-17 was manufactured by Lockheed, designed to provide information on long-range ballistic missile re-entry issues. A three stage solid propellant hypersonic missile, the X-17 was introduced in 1954 and reached speeds of over 10,000 mph.

In 1958, several X-17s were used for Project Argus, which tested nuclear weapons detonated at high altitudes.

A very cool model from the “Cold War”!

Rob C

USA

Unceremoniously Ejected

Bill's comment the other day about the Lone Star Gemini Space Capsule pilot being 'unceremoniously ejected' got me thinking if there were other toys in my childhood, which did the same thing.

The obvious choice was the poor passenger in the Corgi James Bond Aston Martin, that helpless blue suited gunslinger who flies through the air!

There's footage of his flight in Corgis own re-issue promo. They've also added a hilarious scream!

https://youtu.be/44ivANeoTq8?si=RZNgASPXPor6q8bn 

Do you recall any other ejected toy people readers? 

Holy Batmobiles!

Just taking it out for a spin! 

What's your favourite TV car?

Alright Mate, Gotta New Rotor?

 As posted last week I picked up a bundle at the boot sale.

Another bit, hidden above, was this plastic part. Google Lens tells me it's a section from the front of an Action Man Space Speeder. Even after seeing a full one it's not a vehicle I recall. It must be after my time. Do you know the Space Speeder?

Another thing I got was an Action Man Turbo Copter back pack, which I may well have had as a kid. Mine's missing the rotors. I found an image of a full one and interestingly there was a yellow clone by MEKS for the West German market. It looks a lot smaller!

The Moon Suit and Seaview

Hi Woodsy,

I have been reading a book on Irwin Allen Collectibles, by John Buss (Amberley Publishing, 2023). The book covers all four Irwin Allen TV shows from the 1960s – Land of the Giants, Lost in Space, Time Tunnel, and Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea; and the various books, toys, kits, View-Master reels, etc, produced at the time.

The chapter on Voyage shows the covers of all 16 Gold Key comic books (there were 16 issues based on the TV series, including a couple of re-prints) released between 1964 and 1970. Issue 4, May 1966, carried a story called Robinson Crusoe of the Depths – The Seaview becomes a helpless toy in the hands of an undersea giant !

The cover of this shows divers in some rather odd – but familiar- suits. These look like an upside-down flower pot, and I thought instantly of the Moon Suit that has appeared several times on Moonbase Central.

Three divers are shown on the cover, in red, yellow, and blue suits, as the submarine Seaview does battle with the giant. They have simply been switched from the Moon, to beneath the sea.

These suits were originally a serious design for a Lunar exploration suit, by engineer Allyn B. Hazard. It was soon used as the basis for several toys – including the Major Matt Mason Moon Suit in the 1960s.

More recently, the Monarch Model Company Inc., of Canada, released a 1/10th scale kit of the suit, in 2024. With a new colour scheme, this could be added to a collection of Seaview models.

Four photographs from Ebay and Worthpoint

Paul Adams from New Zealand

Have you a moon suit?

 

Here are the rest of the Hazard Moon Suit photos.  I was surprised to see these turned in to diving suits on the cover of a Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea comic. You never know where a design will appear!

 

Planeta Bur: Soviet Sci-Fi

 This image of monsters toppling a robot is one of the most striking sci-fi film stills Ive ever seen. It's so well staged, everything leaning perfectly like the Iwo Jima flag group and such an arresting shot from the old Soviet movie Planeta Bur.

The robot armour looks fabulously chunky and recalls completely the knights in the modern series Fallout.

And this space car! Wow! I've seen that before but where?

I've never watched this Soviet flick. Have you?

Created by Nature or Science? Invasions of Monsters and Octopuses

Hi Woodsy,

I don't own any of these. I sold the octopus set ages ago, but here are some photos.

Regards

Tony E.

Anyone else got this kind of stuff?