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Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Building A Memory - Schreiber-Bogen's "Pfalz im Rhein bei Kaub" Pt 3

The "Pfalz im Rhein bei Kaub" castle is nearly finished. This past week I worked on the central tower. It went almost without a hitch EXCEPT for the very top roof section. It's a little piece with eight sides that, when glued together, is supposed to have a somewhat rounded shape. That little booger gave me fits!!! It was probably a combination of unsteady fingers, poor eyesight, old age, the stars weren't aligned right - something. Prior to gluing, each of the sections were rounded/bent by rolling them over a small round object (I used my wife's crochet hook). That SHOULD have made it easier to glue-up but it was simply difficult for me holding two roof sections together in an arc waiting for the glue to set up so that I could get on to the next section. Tweezers helped somewhat but they're made for straight objects and didn't work very well on the small curved forms. Anyway, it finally went together and here's a couple of photos to show this week's progress. Enjoy!





Monday, August 29, 2011

Marx Fort Apache Headquarters with Stable


As I get around to photographing the collection one thing is apparent; the abundance of Marx 'shoebox' buildings, so-called because of their rectangular shape, 5" (12.7cm) H x 4" (10.2cm) W x 12" (30.5) L. But in these you won't find a pair of Buster Brown's or P.F. Flyer's (if you're a child of the '50s you 'll know exactly what I'm talking about).


Today on Toys and Stuff we feature the 'shoebox' Fort Apache Headquarters with Stable. The first Fort Apache set came out in 1951 and was an immediate and enduring hit with kids. I had always looked forward to visiting my Uncle Al and Aunt Dorothy because they had a Fort Apache set always at the ready for use by their grand kids. Later on I would be fortunate to get a set for Christmas - it was the Sears Heritage set from 1961. The basic box shapes of the 'shoebox' series of buildings could always be plussed-up through the use of plastic add-ons as is the case with this building. Through the addition of a porch, opening stable doors, and a lookout tower, this building is taken to the next level in terms of design and aesthetics. It's also fun!


The Fort Apache sets have been dubbed the 'King of Playsets' and were able to adapt and change with the times. This particular building ushered in a beautiful flat finish lithography and stood 11" (27.9cm) H to the top of the mast.  It was the same type that came with my childhood set  from 1961. Enjoy!







 




Sunday, August 28, 2011

2011 Batman The Brave and The Bold #3: Aquaman, Batman Robot, Black Manta

Today, Toys & Stuff brings you the third set in McDonald's 2011 'The Brave and The Bold' series featuring Aquaman, a Batman Robot, and the Black Manta. The more I look at 'The Brave and The Bold' series the more I like it. First, you get more bang for the buck as each package contains three action figures versus just one. They're smaller but that's okay. And even though the figures are not articulated, that's just fine. Remember playing with those little green army men? Well, they weren't articulated either and kids always had fun with those.  Also, there are several Batman figures in different poses in this series as you'll see in the weeks to come and lastly it's neat to see cartoon figures translated into three-dimensional toys and retaining all the charm of their television screen counterparts. Enjoy!

Aquaman






 Batman Robot





Black Manta












Saturday, August 27, 2011

AOME LOTR - Moria Orcs

Today on Sci-Fi & Fantasy Saturday, Toys & Stuff looks at the 'Moria Orcs' Soldiers and Scenes pack from Play Along Toys. One of the things that had always confused me about this particular set was the shield carried by the Orc Sneak. At first it appears to be the pelvic bone from some large animal or even a giant clam shell. But these Orcs are from Moria - an underground race of nasties - so clams are pretty much out of the question and the largest creature would probably be a Cave Troll. But then, when looking at the rest of the Sneak's armor I finally decided the shield was just a really oddly hammered-out piece of metal. That's my story and I'm sticking to it - until I change my mind! :-)  Enjoy!


Wave 1
Issued by: Play Along Toys
Assortment: 48100
Item Number: 48104
Issue Date: 25 Jul 2003
Issue Price: $8.99

Moria Orc Sneak








Moria Orc Runner

  








Moria Orc Bowman