Dekker's Journey Into Space: an LP set by Any other Name?

 An interesting set I saw last year by Dekker Toys. 

Are those LP vehicles and figures in there?

HOT Wheels Racers

The latest 2026 waves of Hot Wheels mainland castings are appearing on the shelves and show a distinct change in the choice of cars. The weird, dayglo fantasy designs seem to be making way for real world and classic racers, with some really unusual cars available. Tucked in amongst the modern exotics and muscle cars are some really cool choices, such as the Fiat S76 or as it became known ‘The Beast of Turin’. Built in 1910 to challenge the Land Speed Record, where it was pushed to almost 140 mph! A lovely crimson and gold finish, with authentic decals.

In a similar vein, we have the Morgan Super 3, a three wheeled race car and the 1933 Ford Lo Boy, looking for all the world like something from American Graffiti.

Another strange, but fanciful design is the gold 2 Jet Z, a casting which has been issued before, but makes a welcome addition to the range.

Staying with the British cars, we have a fabulous Land Rover Series II, fitted out for a day at the beach, with a surf board on top and windscreen folded down.

Back to the fantasy leagues again with a mighty 69 Chevelle hot rod from the X-Raycers line, with a transparent green body and big neon green slicks.

Finally, an older release that I came across amongst the latest, the Heavy Hitcher Recovery Truck, which has recently graced the 1:43 Speeder line. Looking a little like the Corgi Rockets Holmes Wrecker on steroids, it has a large hook that can lower and tow another car around the track.

There’s still one or two more on my 26 hit list including the Custom Otto in the original blue finish, as it appeared on the Hot Wheels packaging, so watch out for an Otto update soon, along with yet another Twin Mill variation.
 

Tracka and Racks

I've been visiting Recklinghausen Bahnhofbuchhandlung since 1979.

Many things have changed in the Ruhr town since then but the train station book shop hasn't. 

Still the same calm emporium of books and magazines it always was. 

Today I spotted a kid cinema MOTU comic with a free sword. I was swordly tempted but at €5.99 I left it. 

There are hundreds of magazines including a huge trains rack.

Do you still buy magazines?

Mystery Spaceship

 I saw this online the other day. I've no idea what it is.

It opens up and I wonder if a pilot sat inside?

Could be Japanese? 

Anyone recognize it?

In the Realm of the Cave Bear

 Yesterday we went to a cave system in the German town of Iserlohn in the Sauerland region, the Dechenhöhle.

I have a feeling I visited caves with my folks as a kid though it's unclear, but I do enjoy the activity.

Several kids were in our group and they all liked the museum at the start, which included life size reconstructions of cave bears and then strange looking cave lions, which we all agreed we'd never heard of before. Have you? 

The cave itself was full of thousands of wet stalagmites, tites and pillars and a constant temp of 10 degrees. It takes the stalactites a century to grow just 1 cm, a human lifetime. 

We weren't allowed to take snaps but I squeezed one off before the guide arrived! 

At the end the Gift Shop was a hit with dino parts being popular.

Did you visit caves as a kid? 

Space Boat Pilot

 I've been aware of the Red China Commander ship for years.

A space boat with a formidable periscope there's a bit of Stingray in it I reckon.

Ive never really noticed the pilot before though. He or she is ordering into the scope viewer, a white helmeted and suited sailor with black visor and pink ribbed arms. Quite startling really. It reminds me of the similar figure in the Soma Thunderbird 5 knockoff.

Has anyone got this space boat?

With One Eye on the Cake!

 Hello Woodsy, 

This past Sunday my missus had a birthday party to celebrate her 70th - Egad!

Her long time friend Nick Stathopoulos made and amazing card and cake based on her childhood love of Ray Harryhausen's 7th Voyage of Sinbad. 

A pity we couldn't invite Moonbasers everywhere!

Looey

Oz

Snap Decision

 I'm not a Lego fan but this caught my eye in a toy display.

A neat little satellite. 

The emphasis these days appears to be to make ultra-complex figures and buildings but this simple probe is what I'd decide to do.

How do you your Lego?

Bandai Mini Vehicles - MS Clones

Re. The small boxed Bandai vehicles. I attach some images of the ‘MS’ made versions which are identical albeit they have no friction motor.

Regards

Terry

Viva Vampus!

I'm a big Creepy and Eerie fan and find issues from around the world fascinating.

James Warren's reach went far and wide creating a global fan base 

I spent a long time in the 90's and 00's collecting the initial runs of both magazines up to the point where my older brothers stopped buying them in the early 70's.

Here's the Spanish Vampus issue.1 I saw on Todocollecion, known in the US and UK as the collectors edition with the same cover art. How cool is that!

Did you get Creepy and Eerie in your country? 

 

Project SWORD (ish) Craft Artwork

Hi Woodsy

 Take a look half way down the left hand side of this image. The header card for the blue rocket has a craft on the left looking rather SWORD'ish!

Regards

Terry

Mystery Model Moonbase

On first glance I thought this covert art was all painted but I'm wondering if the moon base is a model of sorts. What do you think?

Flying Batman and his Zip Line

Even the copycat toys sell for big bucks but wouldn’t a zipline Batman have been great as a toy when we were young.

Anyone got one? 

https://buyee.jp/paypayfleamarket/item/z484734642?lang=en

Regards

Terry

View-Master Disney Cartoons in 3-D

Here is an interesting You Tube documentary on View-Master, and specifically on their Disney sets. The methods used look to be similar to those used for the Golden Books Lenticular Fairy Tale books that were covered recently.

https://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2026/02/lenticular-fairy-tales-books.html

With the animated Disney films, instead of using images from the cartoons themselves, the scenes were sculptured in clay by various artists. Then two photographs were taken from slightly different positions, to create a stereoscopic image.

The documentary shows these photographic set-ups, and the artists who created them. Similar techniques were used for the View-Master fairy tales, Bible stories, and other sets.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhfOt6Y1RV0

Paul Adams from New Zealand

Take me to Diakonie

 Yesterday the Missus, our pal and me spent happy times - and some Geld - in the big second hand charity chain of shops here, Diakonie. 

They do furniture, ornaments, records, dvds, CDs, some VHS, toys, games and more. We visited two branches. It's always a thrill.

The Missus got stuff for the haushalt and the Grandkids. Our pal grabbed a lovely coffee service and as usual I could be found in the toy Abteilung! 

Here's what I bagged.

Two old German board games: Shogun and Waterloo (price tags are the only thing Diakonie mess up, always in the middle of the box art!)

Couple of squid each.

And the biggest purchase at €25 or £23, a box full of smaller Fäller plastic railway biuldings. The Missus got it down from €35 cos we bought the lot! Result!

I also got hold of an original Smurfs LP, known here as Schlumpfs, a couple of OO7 paperbacks and a real treat, a 70s boxed cine film of Bruce Lee wannabes reduced from €30 to €10, so about £9. A real collectors item. 

All in all, wunderbar.

Stuff I passed on were two Z Shorty trains from Japan I assume. Expensive!