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

Thunderslides

I also picked up this Chad Valley Give a Sh projector slide.

It's Thunderbirds. It's called Two and Four. Is this a TV episode as well?

Spur of the Moment

 Today's modest catch down the boot sale. See anything you like? 

Small celluloid Geisha

Action Force backpack

Unknown metal sailor and Action Jack

An Avon Robot and a modern Smiffys spur because I just liked it! 

Spanish flamenco dancer, Evergreen doll and Thunderbirds Projector slide.

Aircraft Recognition Training - including Viewmaster

I just found this video on You Tube. A look at the various methods of aircraft recognition training, mainly in WW2.

From three-view silhouettes, on cards, in books and magazines, or printed on clear plastic for projection. Some were even printed on to playing cards, and used in various board games.

Models of various types in wood, plastic, plaster, and cardboard. Many of these were made by established model aircraft companies putting their peacetime experience to use.

Even the wartime role of the Viewmaster stereoscopic viewer is covered, and a military example is shown. These used the same type of reel as the normal 'toy' version so many of us are familiar with. See what you think.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MgdECjU8Gio

Paul Adams from New Zealand

ED'S VIEW-MASTER

Woodsy and Fellow Moonbasers,

Here's my View-Master and reels. It's one of the very few things I still have from my childhood.

From Vegas Base

Ed

USA

*

Woodsy adds; there are many more View-Master posts going way back over a decade, including many from Scoop and also our earliest View-Master post, from 2009, Jim Wilson's Space-Age Gafs. Just click on the label Optical Toys to see them all.

ARTO'S VIEW-MASTER

Prompted by Lewis's awesome View-Master collection, piccies of my Gerry Anderson View-Master collection, missing some later additions.

KoS

Arto

Helsinki Base

A Masterful View of my GAF

Hello Moonbasers, the discussion recently was of GAF View Master titles. Here's my entire collection, dating back to my early teens in the 70's.

Here are the titles that would probably interest you the most. It's a pity there were not more Gerry Anderson titles released...

I must look at the Superman Returns set and see if the trainset model I worked on is featured.

All of these titles were bought at the time, often on special. All except the Lost In Space set which I eyed in the shops as a kid, but didn't buy (I assume for financial reasons!)

Finally nostalgia got the better of me and I bought a copy on eBay for the eyewatering price of $40 -I dread to think what it would cost today!

Sadly the paper perforated packaging envelopes of the old sets have not weathered the years well, but the actual films are as bright as the day they were printed.

So are there some GAF gems out there that I don't have in my collection?

Looey

OZ Base

F E R N G L A S

 This sleek telescope pointing at the Drachenfels caught my eye, a gorgeous design don't you think?

Have you any space-age tools?

Clearly Fishy: The Renwal Visible Trout by Paul Adams

Fish are not a common subject for model kits. An exception is the Renwal Visible Trout Assembly Kit. This differed in a number of respects from the other models in the Renwal Visible Series.

Model number 817-498 sold for $4.98, and depicts a small Brook Trout. It is still an impressive 16 inches (40cm) long - making the model life-sized, or 1:1 scale.

This description is from the 1966 Renwal catalogue, which can be found on the Box Art Den site:

The brook trout, favorite of America's fresh-water fishermen. This is truly an outstanding model - 16 inches long, and beautiful as well as instructive. One side is sparkling transparent plastic that displays in fine detail the intricate yet compact organic and bone structure of this graceful fish. 

The other side realistically simulates the speckled body no rod-and-reel enthusiast can resist ! The Visible Fish comes complete with a stand suitable for table display or wall mounting, and an illustrated fish-anatomy booklet.

There seems to be some doubt about the release date of this model. The Scalemates site says 1959; some listings say 1950s/1960s, or 1964. The model has a high catalogue number, which suggests a fairly late date, but this assumption rests on Renwal releasing their kits in numerical order. I would still guess early 1960s. This kit was listed in the 1966 Renwal catalogue, but was gone by the 1969 edition.

The box top shows both sides of the model, and states: A trophy for every rod-and-reel enthusiast - Fun to build...beautiful to display ! This is very unusual, none of the other kits in the series were promoted as being 'Fun to build'. It seems the educational aspects of the kit were taking a back-seat to pure modelling fun. It was also the only Visible kit to be sold as a Trophy model, although other firms had previously offered various hunting trophy models. It also included cement, which again is unusual. 

The box still mentions the skeleton, vital organs and transparent skin, anatomically accurate. A Handbook on fish is included, but this is mentioned only in very small writing - again the educational aspects of the kit were not emphasised as much as with other kits in the series. This adds to my impression of a late release date for the model.

The left side of the fish was moulded in smooth clear plastic, while the right side was textured and pre-finished in realistic Trout colours. The skeleton was moulded in the usual bone-coloured plastic, with the internal organs in pale pink. It seems the stand came in different colours. The box top shows a wood-brown, but photos show either black or pale pink. The support arms were clear plastic.

After a long absence from the shops, this model was re-issued, along with most of the other Renwal Visible Kits, in the 1990s under the Skilcraft name by Craft House Corporation of Toledo, Ohio.

The Skilcraft Visible Trout was model number 74634. The box top stated 'Modeled From An Actual Specimen', and 'Ideal for School Projects', so education was back in favour. This time around both body halves were in clear plastic.

Scalemates listing for the Renwal kit:

The Visible Trout, Renwal 817-498 (1959) (scalemates.com)

Scalemates listing for the Skilcraft version:

Visible Trout, Skilcraft 74634 (1994) (scalemates.com)

Box Art Den 1966 Renwal Catalogue page:

renwal 66 09-960 (boxartden.com)

Shows the Skilcraft instruction sheet.

NYACK COLLEGE FISHING CLUB BLOG: FISH ART: The Skilcraft Visible Trout Model (nyackfishingclub.blogspot.com)

All photos from Worthpoint.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

SEEING RED: ARTO'S SECRET SERVICE FIELD GLASSES

I was chuffed to come across this little children's Secret Service Field Glass toy at a local antique shop.

Made in Japan, it even has a small compass helping the user to orientate.

Surprise! It turns out to be a Washington D.C. souvenir! What better disguise for a secret agent than an innocuous tourist eyeing the sights! How clever - How wicked!

Agent Arto

Helsinki Base

PS. I Cannot make the shop name on the price tag. The Union - ?

LUNAR ROVER ON FILM CASSETTE

 

I'm always intrigued by old film stock, in whatever form. You never know what might be on there! The Beatles' last concert maybe!

We can be sure that these two films are Lunar Rover and Mt. St. Helens.

I had projectors as a kid with Thunderbirds and Looney Toons but these circular cassettes are much later and more advanced I would say.

Did you have anything like this?

STAR TREK VIEW-MASTER

 

Following my Dinky USS Enterprise photos, our blog friend, Mish mentioned the Star Trek View-Master set which showed two Federation Starships on the cover, so I felt prompted to dig out my example and do a short post about it.

The cover does indeed show two Starships, the USS Enterprise and the USS Exeter.

The cover photo shows the three-foot model used at the time in several publicity photos, while the other Federation ship is a AMT model kit. The scene was set up by the View- Master camera team.

The episode featured is The Omega Glory, originally titled The Omega Story, and written by Star Trek creator, Gene Roddenberry as a story outline submitted for the second of the series' pilots.

The episode is considered by many to be amongst the worst in the original show’s history, due to the story’s heavy -handed allegorical and jingoistic content.

The story ends with Captain Kirk saving the day by reciting the US Pledge of Allegiance, which had been misinterpreted by the indigenous humanoids on the planet of Omega IV.

SPACE:1999 VIEWMASTER

 A while back I took some photos of the Space: 1999 ViewMaster slides which show selected 3D scenes from the episode, 'Wargames'.