Candy Rockets

I love these Japanese candy rockets. I don't know who the red robot is. You?

Ronin round the Boards

 Backpacking isn't conducive to toy collecting unless it's tiny stuff.

I did manage to shove a gorgeous 1960's Pippi Longstocking jigsaw in my rucksack, a bargain at 3 Euro.

I wanted to get an old board game called Shogun but the Japanese Emperor was way too big.

The Missus recognized it immediately and played it a lot on the floor as a teenager.

I actually had it mixed up with another board game I used to find at car boots in Blighty called Samurai.

I remember it because it contained really neat plastic mini Samurai Warriors as the playing pieces. Better than those boring magnetic squares in Shogun 😂

Did you have either of these or any other Samurai collectables?

The Jupiter C Rocket by Revell

 Blog friend Terry H kindly sent these pics.

Cor!

Billy Castoff

 

There's something about this cute fellow that reminds me of Billy Blastoff! It's a formidable thing he's sat in, there's everything but the kitchen sink! 

I've labelled it ugly but you may disagree?

In General, it's Pants! Looey's Puppet Film Progress

Hello Moonbasers!

Trying to be a one man Gerry Anderson is a hard slog. Sure Gerry had the big ideas and the money, but he also had a lot of "little people" fulfilling his dreams.

Apart from my ex-film pal, who is building a 1/3 scale Spitfire cockpit, acting as my tech bro, 3D mesh fixer, script and research consultant, it's just me, trying to do it all, on my onesies!

Recently I found I also have a Producer living inside my head, who threw all my existing plans onto the back burner! I had filming models almost ready to go and they are all now in storage, while the peripheral "Bunker Scene" gets full attention.

Before any rivet counters get their knickers in a twist, I've done my research and chosen to ignore it!

This is a test layout for part of the Bunker set. It still needs more weathering and furniture added.

Certain details and motifs have been removed. This isn't a love letter to fascism and I'm not giving those bastards any free advertising, apart from the satirical Joan of Arc style painting and the carpet pattern, which is a visual reference to the carpet in The Shining... 1/12th notable civilian figure for scale.

The logic is unarguable. My central character isn't featured, but this scene has established historical characters that an unfamiliar audience can instantly relate to. I've just about completed the filming model set and I'm FINALLY getting on with the actors!

All my hard work with designing puppet bodies is finally getting an acid test. I need at least three Wehrmacht Generals, their Boss and his opposite number...

My 3D printed puppet bodies are threaded together with window blind cord.

So I'm sewing up pants, or more specifically, jodhpurs! Sometime soon, I'll have to add the wide red line down each leg! The sewing machine my mother bought for me as a gift, 26 years ago was really spitting the dummy until I did some maintenance. Thank the Lord for WD40!

The test patterns, sewn from old flannelette bedsheets worked out fine. I've had a lot of trouble sewing the thin Poplin fabric I'd chosen for the costumes. 

The black especially has been very thin and difficult to seam.

After five full sets of 1/3 scale 2001 spacesuits, I thought this was going to be a doddle...

The full black pants will have to be totally redone, but the dark grey trews are passable, so I'm feeling a bit more encouraged.

Hmm, don't remind me I still need to sculpt five character faces onto that underskull!

This puppet film is my dream,

but the film story structure is itself a dream. - and this bunker scene is a another dream within that dream...

Oooooh! My head hurts!

Looey,

Oz Base

P.S. in Australia in the early 70's there was a clothing outlet called General Pants. This has absolutely nothing to do with them!

Will's Johnny Lightning

Hi Woodsy.

I rarely buy anything on eBay, but I spotted this and had to have it .

It fits in nicely with my love of Topper Toys and 60’s redline style diecast cars. 

It’s big , as you can see! 

I reckon at £60 it was a good buy. What do you reckon?

 I can’t remember seeing an original Johnny Lighting track set for sale for years. 

Well pleased!

 Will O

Jyesa's Ovni

 I love this box art.

It's the Espacial Ovni toy pistol by Jyesaof Spain.

The box art has a Bonestell feel to it and I'd have made a B-line for it in a shop.

The toy pistol is a stunning metallic example of a classic design seen many times on MC including a stunt as a Dr.Who toy.

Did you have anything like this? 

Chips with Everything

Currently enjoying my favourite type of chip whenever I order them, pommes aka the French fry, that deliciously thin and crispy potato chip perfected by McDonalds, I've been pondering it's many cut potato rivals.

Chipshop or chippy chips. I grew up with these, a portion on my lap at least once a week. Once wrapped in newspaper, now served in huge sheets of off-white paper or polystyrene trays, they're not my favourite anymore. Often soggy and overly thick.  Even nostalgia doesn't make them better.

Steak chips. I would order these last of all and only if I had to. Way too thick and just short of a wedge, which I really can't stand. Just as bad are chips with the skin left on. Yuk. No, steak needs fries. 

Oven chips. A freezer convenience food for at home. The frozen fry is okay but nowhere near as good as it's fast food cousin. Often burnt or dried to fossil hardness, the oven chips progress must be watched if it's to come out tolerable. Thicker frozen oven chips like steak or thick cut are the pits.

Curly fries. A school invention I imagine. Often powdered like an armpit with paprika. Enough said.

Cheesy chips. Similar school innovation. Difficult to say what the chips are like given all the melted cheddar.

Crinkle cut chips. Now we're talking. A leftover from those glorious baby boomer teas we enjoyed in the Sixties, crinkle cut chips done well are second only to French fries in my book. Alas, a rarity these days, possibly endangered, I would go crinkle a lot more if I could.

Croquettes. I love them but they're not chips.

Whate are fave and least fave chips readers?

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