Stuff That Dreams Were Made Of

Further to my recent coverage of the new Hot Wheels Dream Mobile model, here is a shot of the original toy made by Mattel back in 1953. A pressed steel and plastic toy, it featured a removable bubble to make into a convertible and a friction drive motor. It also came in four colour variants, which I wonder if Hot Wheels will also follow, given that it has produced the red and 'blue bullet' scheme?
 

After my original post, ubercollector Arto sent me this: 

"Your blog post on the new Hot Wheels version of the 50's Dream Car prompted me to dig up these photos of a larger variant made by a Finnish plastics manufacturer in the 1960's. The mould used was most likely the same than that of an earlier Finnish hard plastic knock-off of the Mattel Dream Car. This later version, however, was made of a softer plastic and without the metallic side plates, despite the fact that slots for them are there due to the mould used."

Just goes to show you can't keep a good design down!

SIXTEEN 12 MICRO RESCUE EAGLE

Some photos showing the prototype Sixteen 12 Micro Rescue Eagle. It's 51/2" long, with a detachable rescue pod, aluminium engine bells, and comes with a micro Moonbase Alpha Buggy. The launch pad is available separately. (Like I mentioned with my previous Micro Eagle post, this is just a 3D printed prototype model, so finer details will be addressed, and don't be overly concerned if a leg pod, or the engines look a tad out of line. The finished model won't have these issues.)

FLIGHT OF THE NAVIGATOR AND R.A.L.F

Over January I caught the Flight of the Navigator on the telly.

I really liked the silver seed-pod spaceship. Very organic looking. Do you like it?

It also featured a hot food delivery vehicle called R.A.L.F and is seen in the main character's room:

and outside NASA's hangar:

I looked it up on Disney Wiki and really liked the original sketches for this small Starcom-like vehicle:

It reminded me completely of this small hangar vehicle I noticed in my old Project S.W.O.R.D annual. It's coincidentally numbered 5 as well!

It would have made a nice little Tri-ang SpaceX or Golden Astronaut toy as well!

There's also a similar Repair Pack 3 in the SWORD annual

and a Skid 205 hover carrier

Do you know of any airport hangar or NASA hangar toys readers?

Do you like Flight of the Navigator?

SOME HALF-REMEMBERED FILMS AND SERIES: CAN YOU HELP?

 A few more films and TV series I half-recall or I've never seen. Have you readers?

1. A film where the two leads are in touch with each other via a radio even though they are decades apart.

2. An episode of Twilight Zone I think in which Satan is locked up and mustn't be let out.

3. A TV series called Dark Skies from ages ago. What happens?

4. An instalment of a film in which a writer has the ghost of Edgar Allen Poe locked up in his basement writing more books!

5. Time Cop. Never seen it. What's it like?

6. The Hidden. Never seen it. What's this one like?

7. Lexx - used to watch this series all the time after the pub on Channel 5 I think.. How did it end?

8. Kwaidan - a japanese ghost story. Never seen it but wish I had. Any good?

10. The Terminal Man. A film based on a Michael Crichton novel. I've read a lot of Crichton but not this. What's the film like?

A BIRTHDAY GREETING FOR BILL FROM BILL EVERATT AT CELTICA RADIO

Watch this Space

I'm feeling a little self-indulgent today, so I would just like to show another 'creation' - I recently inherited my daughters old Apple IWatch, which has customisable faces.

Being a big gadget fan, I leaped at the chance and discovered that it is possible to use an image of your own choice and decide what elements appear on screen with it, such as time, date, events etc.

A while ago, I took some shots of my small Apollo Moon Exploring toys on the DekkerToys moonscapes. I was quite pleased with the retro feel that they had, so I decided they might make nice backgrounds for the IWatch.

So now I have a rolling sequence of 24 images, which will change each time I use the watch! Amazing when I think this type of technology was super cool as a kid and is now quite commonplace. What will our grandchildren be using I wonder?

 

Happy birthday Bill from MJ

TAKE US TO YOUR LEADER by WOTAN: ONE OF BILL'S EARLIEST BLOG POSTS

After the positive response for the Moon Platoon alien, I thought I'd flag up another mystery alien! 

Posing on this shot with him are King Crater (sadly minus crown) from the R & L Kelloggs 'Crater Critters' series which came in UK Sugar Smacks cereal in the seventies and known as 'Kingly' in the states and Oz. 

Sat on his royal right is a the mystery figure, 'Man from Mars'. This little fellow is what appears to be a gumball premium and has pop out eyes! 

On his round, green back are the words 'Made in Hong Kong' (no surprise there) and 'MAN FROM MARS', which leads me to believe he may have other relations in the galaxy.... can anyone identify him ?

Wotan Bill

2008