Global warming ? Then this may be your ride in the future...

Arab camel corps, John Hill Co., UK. 1950's 

OK, technically, it is a dromedary (one hump people = North of Africa / 2 humps = Central Asia).
This one is great to play Lawrence of Arabia on the carpet.

Zap !

Space gun, Haji, Japan, 1960's

High visibility !

Astronaut, ?, 2000's ?

Because orange is the way to go to bee seen in space. Not convinced ? ask HAL... he'll back me up on this...

Who is your daddy ?

Darth Vader and Stormtrooper, General Mills (Kenner), 1978

At a day of the new movie coming out, here you have the original of the Siths... because really, they don't make them like that anymore...

And his favorite weapon, the very civilized lightsaber...

Men behind the mask - David Prowse is Vader !
(and he signed my lightsaber !)

Vader Lightsaber, Kenner (Hasbro), 1996

Building Gigantor

Tetsujin 28, model kit, Bandai, Japan, 1970's

Because sometimes, a model is just a nice way to put a new bot in the collection !

Great Artwork !

Ohhh the drama !

Superb...

Some freaking rare robots on the side...

Shell

... the motorized version had batteries in its feet !

Who is who in Bandai - land ?

Here are some other bots I found at the Feira da Ladra in Lisbon, and Mr. Carvalho was able to ID these for me ! Big Thanks !

Red Dragon thunder Megaziord
(Super Sentai Dairanger)
Bandai, China, 2000's 

Red Dragon thunder Megaziord

(bat.op) (Super Sentai Dairanger)

Bandai, China, 2000's 

Dekabike Robo
(Super Sentai Dekaranger)
Bandai, China, 2005

Can you make it disappear ? Oh James...

Corgi JR and Coibel models side by side

Of course ! A blue car in a blue ocean not to get spotted... Why did Q not think about this earlier ? His Spanish colleagues of the MI cinco (yes, the MI 5 in Spain) did. And they went the extra mile to use a British Lotus Esprit. (nobody wants to be seen driving in a Seat over there, not even their secret services...lol)

James Bond Lotus Esprit S1, Coibel, Spain, 1977

For the fun facts: Coibel did a number of James Bond guns and rifles at the time, and this car. Why did they paint it blue to start ? Nobody knows. But since it does not show any indication of copyrights, maybe it was just so they could not get sued by the studios....~

Read mote about the real car here.

Archer pull along car...

 I'ts big - 25cm / 10inch and extremely yellow... it's the Archer convertible !

Front

Back

Space Car, Archer, USA, 1950's

And fins... yes, why not ! GM did worse, right ? 

Dog of Flanders

Nello and Patrasche, ?, Spain, 1970's - 80's

A Dog of Flanders is an 1872 novel by English author Marie Louise de la Ramée published with her pseudonym "Ouida". It is about a Flemish boy named Nello and his dog, Patrasche. 

Strangely enough, it was never a cartoon that aired in Belgium, Flanders, or even the rest of the low countries. I first started hearing about it when researching Japanese TV series. Please read more about it here. The story, of English origin, has not been read widely in Belgium, but is becoming better known because of the tourists it attracts to Antwerp. There is a small statue of Nello and Patrasche at the Kapelstraat in the Antwerp suburb of Hoboken, and a commemorative plaque in front of the Antwerp Cathedral donated by Toyota. (yes, the car-maker !) The story is widely read in Japan, and has been adapted into several films and anime, so it is no wonder this figure is so popular over there !

 

The toy is a plastic version of a sight that was quite often seen in Flanders and the rest of Belgium up to the end of the 19th century : dog-pulled carriages (this toy version has milk bottles, marked "leche de vaca", so definitely Spanish)

Statue of Nello and Patrasche in front of the cathedral in Antwerp

Mechanik Orange

Cubistic lines... invert bathtub, put dome + radar and voilà !

You have some kind of a lunar car !

 

Space Vehicle, ?, Russia, 1970's ?

I am seeing red two ...

Flash Gordon Air Ray Gun, Budson, USA, 1948

Another big red gun, this time all metal and looking like a retro hairdryer... and to a point. The Budson Air Ray gun, when working (most of these are not - the rubber membrane inside did not survive well the ages and crumbled in pieces...) was known to blast a jet of air to whatever you were pointing at.

Very cool to scare the cat or to blast some plastic soldiers out of the way... and as it said on the box: "AS HARMLESS AS THE AIR YOU BREATHE !"

Flash Gordon decall on front barrel

With the cocking mechanism open. 

I am seeing red...

Simple design at it's best - a number of vents on th barrel and a disc to shoot at the stars... This raygun has it all ! 

Windrad Pistole "Apollo", ?, G.D.R., 1970's

All that shines is not gold...

Golden Arrow, Johillco, England, 1929

It's 1929. - 372 km/h (231 mph). And there you have it. For a little time, you are the fastest man on four wheels on earth. A constant battle between Seagrave and Campbell - this one is major Seagrave's response in Daytona to the land speed record.

Buick XP-300 from Tootsie

Every spacegirl needs one !

Hey, fins !

The prototype was built by GM's Buick division in 1951 - all aluminium body - disk brakes - and an advertised speed of 140 Mph due to a supercharged V-8. Soon after, kids all over the US could play with their version. Unfortunately, their parents never got the possibility to buy the real deal...

Big hood, big trunk - but not a lot of legroom !

What's at the back ? a nuclear reactor ?

Futuristic car, Tootsietoys, 1950's, USA

Really a design that will give lots of elements to various GM car until the end of the 1950's : chrome (lots of...), fenders, side panelling etc.

Buick XP-300 (the real thing) (img. source: http://www.carstyling.ru/en/car/1951_buick_xp_300/ )

Sputnik 1 - "ping" "ping" "ping"

Sputnik 1, little satellite on sphere memorabilia, USSR, 1957-60-70 ?

It all really had to start somewhere, and for the space race, 4 October 1957 is it.

With 83kg / 58cm in diameter and 4 external radio antenas, this little metal ball spent 3 months in orbit before reentering earth's atmosphere and burning up in the process.

Did you see Zorba ? He's dancing. On I-tunes ? Nope, on Nep-tune...

In English-speaking nations, a professional space traveler is called an astronaut. The term derives from the Greek words ástron (ἄστρον), meaning "star", and nautes (ναύτης), meaning "sailor" (Wikipedia) - that's why we call their rides space ships and not space planes by the way...

So no wonder the Greeks made also some toys out of these... and what toys ! They are a worthy ancestor to the action figures, with their moveable arms and clear helmet !

Astronaut, Athena (AOHNA), Greece, 1960's