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.

Wednesday, October 19, 2022

F is for Five! . . . Four! . . . Fire Main Engines! . . .

A while ago . . . February last; Bill 'Wotan' Bulloch, informed the members of an eMail group that a lot was on eBay "Too Good to Miss!", he was right and I didn't miss it, but with no other bids I rather stole it from someone, not that it was 'bargain-basement' but it often goes for twice what I paid, or more, so I was very happy.

I only need the cake-decoration boxed set and the space-station now! Although carded I've  a few gaps still in the Triang cards and still have one US Golden Astronaut card to find. We are talking Triang Spacex today, and Set 1172/16 Mobile Launching Pad, although this set was branded to Raphael Lipkin, not Triang! They were both part of 'Lines II' Triang by that time.

1172/16; Apollo 8; Apollo Program; Catalogue Number 1172/16; Lines Brothers; Lines Group; Matlow Spacefllet 2000; MLP; Mobile Launching Pad; Raphael Lipkin; Raphael Lipkin Spacex; RL Spacex; Sherbet Spacefllet 2000; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Spacefllet 2000; Spacex; SpaceX 1172/16; SpaceX MLP; Spacex Mobile Launch Pad; Swizzles Matlow; Swizzles Spacefllet 2000; Tri Ang Battle Space; Tri Ang Toys; Tri-ang Collectables; Tri-Ang Minic; Tri-ang Toys; Triang Mettoy Playcraft; Triang Spacex; Triang Toys;
Looks good huh? Nice bit of cartoony psychedelia - with the electric colours and black background it's getting into back-light poster territory! And referencing the Apollo 8 launch, dates itself, or its sales-meeting conceptualisation to sometime in 1968, although the design wasn't registered until November 1969.

1172/16; Apollo 8; Apollo Program; Catalogue Number 1172/16; Lines Brothers; Lines Group; Matlow Spacefllet 2000; MLP; Mobile Launching Pad; Raphael Lipkin; Raphael Lipkin Spacex; RL Spacex; Sherbet Spacefllet 2000; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Spacefllet 2000; Spacex; SpaceX 1172/16; SpaceX MLP; Spacex Mobile Launch Pad; Swizzles Matlow; Swizzles Spacefllet 2000; Tri Ang Battle Space; Tri Ang Toys; Tri-ang Collectables; Tri-Ang Minic; Tri-ang Toys; Triang Mettoy Playcraft; Triang Spacex; Triang Toys;
Instruction sheet has suffered a tad from atmospheric damp over the decades and got a bit crinkled, but if Putin is preparing the West bank of the Kerson Oblast for a nuclear strike, it may well be incinerated in the next few weeks - too close to Aldershot for comfort in a populist's Armageddon!

1. This is a constructional toy!

1172/16; Apollo 8; Apollo Program; Catalogue Number 1172/16; Lines Brothers; Lines Group; Matlow Spacefllet 2000; MLP; Mobile Launching Pad; Raphael Lipkin; Raphael Lipkin Spacex; RL Spacex; Sherbet Spacefllet 2000; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Spacefllet 2000; Spacex; SpaceX 1172/16; SpaceX MLP; Spacex Mobile Launch Pad; Swizzles Matlow; Swizzles Spacefllet 2000; Tri Ang Battle Space; Tri Ang Toys; Tri-ang Collectables; Tri-Ang Minic; Tri-ang Toys; Triang Mettoy Playcraft; Triang Spacex; Triang Toys;
Five-stage rocket components; harking back to pulp space-ships rather than the NASA launch vehicles they should have been familiar with at the time. If a man is supposed to occupy the chromed spaceship at the tip, scale is about the same as an Apollo launcher though? And the Russians were using launch rockets with fluted engine-venturi arrangements.

1172/16; Apollo 8; Apollo Program; Catalogue Number 1172/16; Lines Brothers; Lines Group; Matlow Spacefllet 2000; MLP; Mobile Launching Pad; Raphael Lipkin; Raphael Lipkin Spacex; RL Spacex; Sherbet Spacefllet 2000; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Spacefllet 2000; Spacex; SpaceX 1172/16; SpaceX MLP; Spacex Mobile Launch Pad; Swizzles Matlow; Swizzles Spacefllet 2000; Tri Ang Battle Space; Tri Ang Toys; Tri-ang Collectables; Tri-Ang Minic; Tri-ang Toys; Triang Mettoy Playcraft; Triang Spacex; Triang Toys;
The base of the 'MLP', properly a Missile Crawler Transporter Facility (now just called a crawler-transporter) is a simplified affair, but a stunning thing for what would have been a 1960's pocket-money price, OK, probably a "Save your pocket-money for a few weeks darling and we'll see - your Birthday's not that far off" price, but Raphael Lipkin weren't noted for top-end toys!

1172/16; Apollo 8; Apollo Program; Catalogue Number 1172/16; Lines Brothers; Lines Group; Matlow Spacefllet 2000; MLP; Mobile Launching Pad; Raphael Lipkin; Raphael Lipkin Spacex; RL Spacex; Sherbet Spacefllet 2000; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Spacefllet 2000; Spacex; SpaceX 1172/16; SpaceX MLP; Spacex Mobile Launch Pad; Swizzles Matlow; Swizzles Spacefllet 2000; Tri Ang Battle Space; Tri Ang Toys; Tri-ang Collectables; Tri-Ang Minic; Tri-ang Toys; Triang Mettoy Playcraft; Triang Spacex; Triang Toys;
The gantry-tower comes in three sections (the top is photographed from both sides) which you won't be surprised to hear are called bottom, middle and top around here!

1172/16; Apollo 8; Apollo Program; Catalogue Number 1172/16; Lines Brothers; Lines Group; Matlow Spacefllet 2000; MLP; Mobile Launching Pad; Raphael Lipkin; Raphael Lipkin Spacex; RL Spacex; Sherbet Spacefllet 2000; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Spacefllet 2000; Spacex; SpaceX 1172/16; SpaceX MLP; Spacex Mobile Launch Pad; Swizzles Matlow; Swizzles Spacefllet 2000; Tri Ang Battle Space; Tri Ang Toys; Tri-ang Collectables; Tri-Ang Minic; Tri-ang Toys; Triang Mettoy Playcraft; Triang Spacex; Triang Toys;
Added to the tower are a crane visible on the original (see end) and two service walkways scaled around N or Z-gauge compatible.

1172/16; Apollo 8; Apollo Program; Catalogue Number 1172/16; Lines Brothers; Lines Group; Matlow Spacefllet 2000; MLP; Mobile Launching Pad; Raphael Lipkin; Raphael Lipkin Spacex; RL Spacex; Sherbet Spacefllet 2000; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Spacefllet 2000; Spacex; SpaceX 1172/16; SpaceX MLP; Spacex Mobile Launch Pad; Swizzles Matlow; Swizzles Spacefllet 2000; Tri Ang Battle Space; Tri Ang Toys; Tri-ang Collectables; Tri-Ang Minic; Tri-ang Toys; Triang Mettoy Playcraft; Triang Spacex; Triang Toys;
Start putting them all together and realise it's a perfect scenario for a .gif image, so go and make a .gif image . . .

1172/16; Apollo 8; Apollo Program; Catalogue Number 1172/16; Lines Brothers; Lines Group; Matlow Spacefllet 2000; MLP; Mobile Launching Pad; Raphael Lipkin; Raphael Lipkin Spacex; RL Spacex; Sherbet Spacefllet 2000; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Spacefllet 2000; Spacex; SpaceX 1172/16; SpaceX MLP; Spacex Mobile Launch Pad; Swizzles Matlow; Swizzles Spacefllet 2000; Tri Ang Battle Space; Tri Ang Toys; Tri-ang Collectables; Tri-Ang Minic; Tri-ang Toys; Triang Mettoy Playcraft; Triang Spacex; Triang Toys;
. . . which goes like this! Forward and reverse; it's very hard to get these .gif's 'just right', I tried slowing it down by a few hundredths of a second, and it became too slow and jumpy, but as it is, it seems a little fast, however it's quite mesmeric, so you can lose a few minutes waiting to catch the exact moment the walkways disappear . . . they appear quite obviously, but disappear in the blink of a fast eye!

1172/16; Apollo 8; Apollo Program; Catalogue Number 1172/16; Lines Brothers; Lines Group; Matlow Spacefllet 2000; MLP; Mobile Launching Pad; Raphael Lipkin; Raphael Lipkin Spacex; RL Spacex; Sherbet Spacefllet 2000; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Spacefllet 2000; Spacex; SpaceX 1172/16; SpaceX MLP; Spacex Mobile Launch Pad; Swizzles Matlow; Swizzles Spacefllet 2000; Tri Ang Battle Space; Tri Ang Toys; Tri-ang Collectables; Tri-Ang Minic; Tri-ang Toys; Triang Mettoy Playcraft; Triang Spacex; Triang Toys;
And a still image of the crane preparing a Swizzles Matlow sherbet-stuffed Spaceflleet 2000 supply-ship for launch! Although with that ring on the deck of the launch vehicle, it looks like it's about to suffer a drop-test . . . gotta' get the sherbet out somehow!

1172/16; Apollo 8; Apollo Program; Catalogue Number 1172/16; Lines Brothers; Lines Group; Matlow Spacefllet 2000; MLP; Mobile Launching Pad; Raphael Lipkin; Raphael Lipkin Spacex; RL Spacex; Sherbet Spacefllet 2000; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Spacefllet 2000; Spacex; SpaceX 1172/16; SpaceX MLP; Spacex Mobile Launch Pad; Swizzles Matlow; Swizzles Spacefllet 2000; Tri Ang Battle Space; Tri Ang Toys; Tri-ang Collectables; Tri-Ang Minic; Tri-ang Toys; Triang Mettoy Playcraft; Triang Spacex; Triang Toys;
The outer liner of the box is a slip-off, which always carries with it the danger of losing small components, so it was extra luck that everything was in the box. Also a close-up of the little space-craft which sits atop the giant firework!

1172/16; Apollo 8; Apollo Program; Catalogue Number 1172/16; Lines Brothers; Lines Group; Matlow Spacefllet 2000; MLP; Mobile Launching Pad; Raphael Lipkin; Raphael Lipkin Spacex; RL Spacex; Sherbet Spacefllet 2000; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Spacefllet 2000; Spacex; SpaceX 1172/16; SpaceX MLP; Spacex Mobile Launch Pad; Swizzles Matlow; Swizzles Spacefllet 2000; Tri Ang Battle Space; Tri Ang Toys; Tri-ang Collectables; Tri-Ang Minic; Tri-ang Toys; Triang Mettoy Playcraft; Triang Spacex; Triang Toys;
End panel of the inner box, not terribly exciting, but it's one of those posts where I'm showing/covering everything, or trying to, if you want more though, Paul Vreed's got it all here!

1172/16; Apollo 8; Apollo Program; Catalogue Number 1172/16; Lines Brothers; Lines Group; Matlow Spacefllet 2000; MLP; Mobile Launching Pad; Raphael Lipkin; Raphael Lipkin Spacex; RL Spacex; Sherbet Spacefllet 2000; Small Scale World; smallscaleworld.blogspot.com; Spacefllet 2000; Spacex; SpaceX 1172/16; SpaceX MLP; Spacex Mobile Launch Pad; Swizzles Matlow; Swizzles Spacefllet 2000; Tri Ang Battle Space; Tri Ang Toys; Tri-ang Collectables; Tri-Ang Minic; Tri-ang Toys; Triang Mettoy Playcraft; Triang Spacex; Triang Toys;
The real McCoy courtesy of Wikipedia! The crane is quite good, but look at that plethora of service gantries and walkways! Sorry Mike; it was't Bill, it was me, cheer Bill for telling us!

2 comments:

WOTAN said...

Glad you nailed it Hugh and love that Gif! Wotan

Hugh Walter said...

Cheers Bill, it's still got flickering white edges, I tried cropping it to markers on each edge, but without a million-quid's worth of CAD and Tracking software, it's betrays it's amateur authorship!

H