TV COMIC MIGHTY MIDGETS

 

In the UK, an original Star Trek comic strip started in Joe 90 Top Secret comic in 1969, and continued in TV 21 & Joe 90, before spending some time in Valiant and TV21.

Some might forget that a comic strip re-using strips from the US Gold Key comics could be found for a while printed in black & white in The Mighty TV Comic.

The comic, which also carried a Doctor Who strip, published two ‘Mighty Midget’ comics given away free with issue #1292, and #1293.

The first was devoted to Tom Baker’ Doctor Who, and reprinted a strip from an earlier Jon Pertwee Summer Special strip, Doomcloud, which altered Pertwee’s likeness to look like Baker’s.

The front cover was drawn by Jon Canning.

The second was devoted to Star Trek, and reprinted a truncated version of a Gold Key Star Trek strip, The Perfect Dream, from 1974.

The front cover was a redrawn version by John Canning of the original Gold Key comic.

The Airfix Yeoman: Model Citizen

Here is another article on the Airfix 1/12th scale figure line: the Airfix Yeoman of the Guard in 1/12th Scale

The third of the Airfix 1/12th scale figure kits was the Yeoman of the Guard. Released in 1959. It was the last of the initial group of three kits, described on the header as Soldiers of Famous Regiments, which later changed to Military Figures.

Like the other kits, it was a Series 1 model, sold in a plastic bag, and had a retail price of two shillings (10 New Pence).

This was a more elaborate kit than the Coldstream Guardsman or Life Guard Trumpeter, with an impressive 63 parts, moulded in white plastic. Many of these were the tiny, flower-like details that adorn the hat of the figure. There is also a small row of medals to be fixed to the front of the uniform. The pike was in several pieces, to keep the length down. It had a small base, on which to pose the finished model, and a printed name plate on the back of the header which was to be cut out and stuck in place.

Initially numbered M3F, it was moved from Series 1 to Series 2 in the early 1960s, and re-numbered M207F. The packaging also changed from a bag to a box. In the early 1970s it was again re-numbered, becoming 02507-2.

The Yeoman remained in the Airfix Catalogue until the 16th Edition, which is dated January 1979. This gives it a production life of around 20 years. It has only been re-issued once, as part of the London Icons boxed set in 2011-13, which also contained the Coldstream Guardsman and the Life Guard Trumpeter. This version was moulded in light grey, and the set number was A50131.

The artwork on the paper headers used with the early plastic bags, and the later boxes, changed several times over the years. One odd fact is that the Yeoman seemed to put on weight over the years.

Eight photographs, from Worthpoint and Super Hobby.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

HOVER GOOD FLIGHT!

 

For Hover fans, this their cool BA Boeing 747 with transparent roof.

Have you anything like this?

CHRISTMAS TELLY: BAH HUMBUG!

Despite purchasing a Radio Times I've yet to catch-up on Christmas spooks on the wireless, which I'll do in January when everything's calmed down.

I have though been watching TV and keeping an eye on the mainstream scheduling. I have to say its been a bit disappointing so far.

For me and possibly I'm mistaken, the yardstick for top class UK TV listings between Xmas and New Year is a screening of Jason and the Argonauts or at least one of the Harryhausen monster epics.

Nada.

Nichts.

Yes, there's been Alistair Sim's Christmas Carol, Bill Murray's Scrooged and the classic Its a Wonderful Life to jingle our nostalgic bells .... but C'mon!

The high point for the Grandson was the new Aardman Wallace and Gromet movie shown on Christmas Day. Alas, I was close to the soft glow of the Christmas tree on a corner sofa and fell asleep!

I still love 'normal' telly here in Blighty - the Beeb, ITV and the like - but I cant help thinking the glory days of Christmas are over for them. 

The glut of cheapo Freeview channels churning out the same stuff they do every day, endless re-runs of Man V. Food, Wives with Knives etc etc - no change for Christmas! - doesn't lift the festive doldrums on the small screen either.

The exceptions are of course those UK freeview channels - Rewind, TalkingPicturesTV - that cater for aging boomer babies like us showing the delights of the Sixties and Seventies like Thriller, Space Patrol, Department S, Stingray and more.

Maybe all of this is academic in the days of streaming, Smart TV's, Sky, Netflix, Prime, Disney+, You Tube and millions of online videos. It must be a worry for 'normal TV' bosses.

Young people probably don't even watch the Beeb, ITV or any of those old dinosaurs. Not just the young either, a not-so-young friend of ours only watches You Tube videos for her entertainment. Nothing else. My 80 year old Sister is transfixed by TikTok, so what do I know!

I wonder what will be left of terrestrial telly in ten years when I'm 74?

What did you watch this holiday readers in your neck of the world? Is online TV taking over? Was Christmas represented on your telly schedules?

HO HO HO REPAIR SHOP BY ROB

Not sure if this is too far off-topic for the blog, but I wanted to share this latest model with you. It’s an HO scale repair shed from Pola of Western Germany, circa 1965, and I think it came out pretty nice. I even tried a little light weathering on it. A nostalgic kit from my childhood, redone!

Rob C

CT

USA

PAUL MADE THE COVER!

I just got an update from Diecast Collector Magazine – the cover and contents of the February 2025 issue (I know, it is still 2024, but magazine publication is weird).

I have two articles in this issue – two pages on Star Car Monster Trucks, and one on the Wonder Woman Invisible Jet. Plus I made the cover. So I am a very happy owl!

Paul

Auckland

NZ

Hold the Line

 I had one if these as a kid I reckon. A toy payphone.

We had lodgers at our home in the Sixties. They worked for the GPO or GTO, not sure which. Telephones in Preston. One of them, Ray, got me one of these I'm sure.

Did you have a toy phone?

Xmas Surprises

A snapshot of some of my xmas gifts, excluding the drinkable and edible portions! I'm sure you won't want to see hand or foot cream, aftershave and the other necessities of daily life, so here is most of the fun stuff.

Star Wars is always on my xmas list, so it's 'Battles that Changed the Galaxy' and a cool Bestiary. Then a lovely Taschen edition of the Stanley Kubrick Archives, with excellent coverage of 2001 and a Clockwork Orange, two of my favourite films. Woodsy kindly showered me with gifts as usual, including our collaborative book and some vintage space books from Germany. These alongside a super rare mini jigsaw with the John Schoenberr Moon Crawler on! As always Hot Wheels put in a good show and a fabulous transformer like Crab toy.

A special gift from the ever generous Arto arrived early, in the form of a super delicate R&L cereal premium in the shape of a German Albatross biplane!

To top it all off, I also got some camera rig bits, a new runic necklace and some cool fake book storage boxes. It's been a lovely xmas all round and I am extremely lucky. I will show some of the highlights later next year on the blog, just need to recalibrate the man-cave to fit it all in!

Also treated myself to a couple of late action figure purchases, which I hope haven't got lost in the xmas rush!

Best wishes for a great 2025 everyone, from Marsbase Central!  Bill