About Me

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No Fixed Abode, Home Counties, United Kingdom
I’m a 60-year-old Aspergic gardening CAD-Monkey. Sardonic, cynical and with the political leanings of a social reformer, I’m also a toy and model figure collector, particularly interested in the history of plastics and plastic toys. Other interests are history, current affairs, modern art, and architecture, gardening and natural history. I love plain chocolate, fireworks and trees, but I don’t hug them, I do hug kittens. I hate ignorance, when it can be avoided, so I hate the 'educational' establishment and pity the millions they’ve failed with teaching-to-test and rote 'learning' and I hate the short-sighted stupidity of the entire ruling/industrial elite, with their planet destroying fascism and added “buy-one-get-one-free”. Likewise, I also have no time for fools and little time for the false crap we're all supposed to pretend we haven't noticed, or the games we're supposed to play. I will 'bite the hand that feeds', to remind it why it feeds.

Tuesday, August 6, 2019

'50' is for Space Hopper

During the posting of intermediate-scale Atlantic 'space' sets a while back, I know what you were thinking, you were thinking "Did he do three posts, or only two?", well, do you know what; in all the excitement I clean forgot to count!

No! . . . Actually I held the Space Hopper back for the Marty Toys 'crawler' to turn up in the garage which I thought was of similar or pirated-from-the-Atlantic design but actually it isn't! Now that the numpty TJF has done his dust-sitting, follow-up and 'added data', I thought I'd better do likewise if only to show that two can play at that game, and one can play it better!

40mm Figures; 50 Space Hopper; Atlantic 50; Atlantic Astronauts; Atlantic Combattantes De L'Espace; Atlantic Intruzioni Di Montaggio; Atlantic Legionari Spaziali; Atlantic Set; Atlantic Space Hopper; Atlantic Spacemen; Atlantic Toys; Boxed Toy; Boxed Toy Space Tank; Boxed Toy Spaceship; Combattantes De L'Espace; Legionari Spaziali; Plastic Toy Astronauts; Plastic Toy Space Vehicle; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Space Hopper; Space-hopper;
In the bag! It's a few crude lumps of a hard polyethylene or polypropylene, unlike anything else in the Atlantic stable, which TJF might have pointed out to 'add data' but didn't? Placed in a 'bread' bag, or what the toy trade/packaging industry call a bottle-bag, which is gathered closed and stapled; that's that! Moving swiftly on . . .

40mm Figures; 50 Space Hopper; Atlantic 50; Atlantic Astronauts; Atlantic Combattantes De L'Espace; Atlantic Intruzioni Di Montaggio; Atlantic Legionari Spaziali; Atlantic Set; Atlantic Space Hopper; Atlantic Spacemen; Atlantic Toys; Boxed Toy; Boxed Toy Space Tank; Boxed Toy Spaceship; Combattantes De L'Espace; Legionari Spaziali; Plastic Toy Astronauts; Plastic Toy Space Vehicle; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Space Hopper; Space-hopper;
. . . and TJF could have 'added data' by pointing out it assembles into a polymer hideousness of epic, or monumental . . . well proportions just isn't the correct word! But he didn't. Ladies and Gentlemen; this makes the modern AFV's from Atlantic look like museum-grade connoisseur models . . . and that's saying something.

TJF might have noted that the finished model looks nothing like the artwork, but he didn't. And - let's be honest; if either of the vehicles in the artwork were within the box, most purchasers' would have been happy! This points to the third or fourth reason for Atlantic's demise, hinted at here at Small Scale World over the last ten years - shit production!

In no particular order; the nose is too blunt for the nicely coned one in the artwork, the rear lacks the more graceful curve of the artwork, the radar/comm's pole is too high and too chunky, the tracks are set back too far, but not proportionally high-enough, the wheels are obviously ugly and the exhaust pipes of the artwork have been replaced with half a cathedral's organ on the model!

And - call me churlish - the artist appears to have been the MD's five-year old, although he undoubtedly had more talent that the model's sculptor! But then, given a decent tin of Caran D'Ache nearly anyone can turn-out a half-decent watercolour!

40mm Figures; 50 Space Hopper; Atlantic 50; Atlantic Astronauts; Atlantic Combattantes De L'Espace; Atlantic Intruzioni Di Montaggio; Atlantic Legionari Spaziali; Atlantic Set; Atlantic Space Hopper; Atlantic Spacemen; Atlantic Toys; Boxed Toy; Boxed Toy Space Tank; Boxed Toy Spaceship; Combattantes De L'Espace; Legionari Spaziali; Plastic Toy Astronauts; Plastic Toy Space Vehicle; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Space Hopper; Space-hopper;
There are alternate parts for a 'flying' version and while the wheels are still supposed to be fitted, they don't do any meaningful job (vis-à-vis carpets) as they are no larger [in maximum diameter] than the outer dimensions of the 'jet-feet'. Having two pairs of wheels, each of a different colour is also annoying.

40mm Figures; 50 Space Hopper; Atlantic 50; Atlantic Astronauts; Atlantic Combattantes De L'Espace; Atlantic Intruzioni Di Montaggio; Atlantic Legionari Spaziali; Atlantic Set; Atlantic Space Hopper; Atlantic Spacemen; Atlantic Toys; Boxed Toy; Boxed Toy Space Tank; Boxed Toy Spaceship; Combattantes De L'Espace; Legionari Spaziali; Plastic Toy Astronauts; Plastic Toy Space Vehicle; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Space Hopper; Space-hopper;
Alternate configuration . . . TJF also neglected to point out that the sample he showed was incomplete, not that the cab improves the lines a whole great deal!

The real reason for fitting 'useless' wheels to this set-up is also obvious here; they hide the mile of spare locating-rod/axle!

40mm Figures; 50 Space Hopper; Atlantic 50; Atlantic Astronauts; Atlantic Combattantes De L'Espace; Atlantic Intruzioni Di Montaggio; Atlantic Legionari Spaziali; Atlantic Set; Atlantic Space Hopper; Atlantic Spacemen; Atlantic Toys; Boxed Toy; Boxed Toy Space Tank; Boxed Toy Spaceship; Combattantes De L'Espace; Legionari Spaziali; Plastic Toy Astronauts; Plastic Toy Space Vehicle; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Space Hopper; Space-hopper;
Yeah . . . well . . . familiarity doesn't really improve the view, from any angle!

40mm Figures; 50 Space Hopper; Atlantic 50; Atlantic Astronauts; Atlantic Combattantes De L'Espace; Atlantic Intruzioni Di Montaggio; Atlantic Legionari Spaziali; Atlantic Set; Atlantic Space Hopper; Atlantic Spacemen; Atlantic Toys; Boxed Toy; Boxed Toy Space Tank; Boxed Toy Spaceship; Combattantes De L'Espace; Legionari Spaziali; Plastic Toy Astronauts; Plastic Toy Space Vehicle; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Space Hopper; Space-hopper;
It's not an understatement to say that the crude, single-moulding, with clip-in, hidden, carpet-wheels from Marty Toys, IS the better toy! Although I hope you'll agree with me that the Atlantic machine is improved greatly by having its track-units reversed? And neither of them are much cop!

I don't know why the artwork and the finished model are so far apart, but that the final item was clearly rushed to market, seems to be in no doubt; from the admittedly only circumstantial evidence. Not so much compromise as panic seems to be behind the birth of this ugly duckling!

Indeed one wonders if - although numbered in sequence with the spacemen/aliens box (49), it may have been a failed element originally intended to be of/from the larger scale lines. And it's certainly over-scale for the other two sets in the number-line.

Previously on Small Scale World

Meanwhile;

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