HORSESH*T BEDKNOBS AND BROOMSTICKS ACTION BED AND DOLL

Seen last year on MC, One of the more unusual items I've found in my action figure reference books is the Horsh*tMan Self-Propelled Bedknobs and Broomsticks Action Bed.

Its an unusual choice for a toy.

It came with a 'Angela Lansbury' doll. Does it look like her?

Amazingly the doll stands up, makes the bed and then pushes it around the floor, before opening the covers, getting in and closing her eyes. 

The bed had mystery and non-fall action, but the doll often walked to the edge of of a table and fell off shouting 'Oh, Broomsticks!'

What a bed!

Has anyone got one?

All the Way to the Bank

 I remember in the pandemic we featured many money boxes.

Here are three more I've seen online of late that I like.

This is a complicated one, a sort of Japanese temple and Torii gate, where the ubiquitous green hand pops out!

The box art explains further but I'm unclear as to what it means. You?

This is another Japanese bank and one which proves you should never carry loose change on a ship near Godzilla! He's saving up! 

This last one I really like, the Guardsman on the tower bottom left. It's so perfectly proportioned and has that Action Man vibe, which would always draw me in.

I can't make out the branding lower left. Can you?

Have you any good money banks and boxes?

Barbie's Monster Truck and 'Vette

I popped in to a shop in my local shopping mall, and discovered two great Barbie die-casts from Hot Wheels. Both were added to my collection.

First up, the Barbie Ultimate Camper Monster Truck. This is not based on the existing Barbie Dream Camper, but is a new design.

It has a truck-type cab, with camper body. The card says 'New for 2023'.

Everything is a deep pink, with green and white swirls, the large Barbie name in white, and the smaller Barbie names in pale pink.

The inner chassis and engine are deep pink plastic, with an outer chassis in black. The front and rear bumpers, the steps, and the interior, are white plastic. Clear blue plastic windows.

The wheels have white tyres, with pink hubs. There is a squashed yellow car for your Barbie Monster Truck to drive over.

Hanging on one of the pegs was a Barbie 1956 Corvette in pink, with a white interior. I already have one of these, but this example lacked the usual white scallops along the sides, and the Corvette name.

My guess is this is not a colour variation, but a factory error, and it has just missed out on the side printing being applied. The card shows what the regular model looks like.

A great pair of models - now to look out for the blue and white version of the Corvette.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

An Annual Event

 Mooching round Thorpe Arch boot sale this Mother's Day morning. There's a brisk wind and a Spring chill.

I saw these annuals on a stall. Champion the Wonder Horse is not one you often see. I liked that show as a kid, with it's catchy theme tune.

Is there anything you would have got?

THE SEARS SPACE COMMAND CENTER AND SOUND STUDIO

I love a good space toy mystery, especially one involving box art. This unusual Sears Space Command Centre and Sound Studio appeared on fleabay recently. It seems to be a plastic work station surrounded by card screens and was presumably generic enough for all 12inch figures at the time such as GI Joe and Barbie [Barbie did get her own Space Station].

It's the four card art screens that I like [pictured above right]. Depicting various spacecraft, I recognised the floating city as being from a beautiful Ken Fagg cover from a 1954 If magazine [below left]. I know I've seen the spaceship, which is flying below the floating city, before but just can't place it. As for the rest of the craft shown I would be amazed if they're not from similar Sci Fi pulp covers of the 1950's and 60's. 

Anyone recognise them?

A reader has struck gold identifying the Discovery panel, above right, as the cover of the paperback The Lost Worlds of 2001. The cover was painted by Bruce Pennington and he became famous overnight when it appeared on the first issue of Science Fiction Monthly in January 1974 [below].

The Man from Uncle Cane Pistol: our Custom Toy Job

Continuing our custom reproductions of carded spy toys, here's our version of the Man from Uncle Cane Pistol by Marx.

Bill created the stunning graphics from stills on Hakes auctions (see bottom) and I fashioned the cane from a litter grabber. A label and some glued-on bits, the set was completed with red beads giving the impression of the ammo.

Here you go, UNCLE's cane pistol a la Moonbase International. Hope you like it.

Our visual inspiration, ignited by a reference iny Spy Toys book, was Hakes' auction image.

Penelope's Choice

 My cracked FAB1 canopy is sure perplexing.

Rob's idea of Kitsugi is appealing, the uniqueness of the crack. I like it!

I consulted keen modeller Paul A and he agreed toothpaste might remove scratches. Teeth fixative powder too and complete with clear varnish. I did try toothpaste but I just couldn't get it to work. Maybe it was too smooth.

I've read on Richard's, a previous reader's resto effort, that T-Cut does the job too, on both body and dome.

Bill Ev had another useful tip: replace it entirely with one from from the Imai Amerang FAB1 model kit. Good call! Typical, I sold a loose Imai FAB1 last year ( a lockdown donation from Wotan), but if I recall it didn't have a dome, so I don't feel too bad!

Another way forward, if any at all, is the paper method. Simply cover the split with a parcel tape band, as it would have come packaged in its box back in '65!

Here's one, for sale, like that, courtesy of online dealer Modellers' Loft.

Here's my copy! The cracks gone!

Another more technical solution comes via a modeller I just discovered online today, Marc Brassé.

Marc's method is to create a whole new canopy from a plastic bottle. Yes! I can relate to that, as I've done it before myself, albeit on a smaller scale with my Matchbox Draguar.

Marc used a Reddy fritturollie bottle, which, with his obvious skill, gave this amazing result, completed with beautiful pink stripes.

Image: Marc Brassé

You can see more of Marc's fabulous work on his website:

https://www.brassee.com/scalemodeling.html

Attempting to emulate Marc I found some old water and pop bottles in the greenhouse and using the FAB1 canopy as a template, drew the shape and cut it out.

I repeated this four times but none of them fitted well enough to be deemed an ersatz. The bottle shape has to be spot-on I reckon, which is a feat in itself! 

Anyways, here's my less than satisfactory efforts. I've realized I can't cut curved plastic for toffee! 

I may just leave it up to Lady P!

Have you made your own domes readers?

ALIEN CAGE

 Testing and idea for an animal cage, here's my Aldi trash toothbrush holders on the back of Juniors Fisher Price Safari car.

Cargo: giant toxic alien caterpillar!