Last September, I reviewed the debut album by a gentleman by the name of Jamie Spilsbury. Jamie is a multi-talented individual with a wide range of skills and hobbies – from author, artist, photographer to musician. Seriously, this guy puts most of us to shame. Previously I reviewed the album “Don’t Be Cruel”, an avant-garde mixture of musical genres and spoken word pieces that intrigues and thrills in equal measure. This time, something completely different is on offer.
‘Miami Suopercops’ is a tribute to the 1980’s movie of the same name, and is steeped in electronica of the time. It’s like an imaginary soundtrack for the film, with separate movements and styles to conjure the action on screen. Now I’ve never seen this particular movie, but I’ve seen many similar television programmes and movies from the time back in my youth. If you’ve ever seen Miami Vice, or heard the music of Vangelis or John Carpenter, you’ll feel right at home here in seconds.
‘Devil’s Reef’ starts us off with a throbbing bass and energetic rhythm (very Miami Vice) and sets an ominous tone. It’s totally evocative of themes from the era. The tracks are mostly instrumental, which adds to the authenticity that Jamie is striving for. ‘Morals’ is a more laidback, reflective number. whilst in ‘Sudden Impact’, the listener can feel the tension rise as the plot thickens.
‘Sunrise’ is another pleasantly moody piece, while ‘Target Locked’ is again a more action-orientated song. What’s great is you can imagine the “movie” in your mind’s eye as you listen along! On ‘Streets with no name’ I can just see the cops cruising the Miami highways in the dead of night, their Ferrari illuminated by the omnipresent neon. ‘Stealth’ begins just like a stakeout, and features some rare, but excellent female vocals. The credits roll with ‘Ghetto Blaster’ and the story is nearly over.
With an apt cover of Jan Hammer’s ‘Crockett’s Theme’ from Miami Vice added as a bonus track of sorts, we reach the end of “Miami Supercops”. I may not be the most knowledgeable when it comes to electronica, but I grew up watching films and TV shows of this type back in the day, and this work sounds completely authentic and immersive. Full marks Jamie, you’ve managed to recreate a time and genre with skill and an easily recognised affection.
Follow Jamie Spilsbury on X/Twitter for more info, and a link to “Miami Supercops”.
In previous editions of my Toys blog, we’ve already had a look at some of the original Masters of the Universe action figures that I own. Most were bought back in the 1980s. But I never had any of the playsets for this line of toys, so their adventures were a bit limited. Niver had any playsets until recently, that is…
Castle Grayskull was re-released by Mattel a while back, to act as the perfect environment for their re-issued and re-vamped line of Origins figures. The toy itself appears to be an almost exact replica of the one released back in the 80s – though I’m not enough of an expert to confirm. However, it’s close enough to do the job.
By the power of Graskull!I have the power!
I waited quite a while, watching Castle Grayskull’s price online. Eventually, this open but complete version turned up for a good price on eBay, so I snapped it up. It’s in great condition – I suspect it may have only been used for display and then sold on.
The castle looks pretty awesome: that formidable skull-like façade looms out, just like in the cartoon. The playset opens in half to reveal the inner sections, with the mouth drawbridge opening to permit access. This can be done by using a power sword as a key – nice touch.
InsideTurret
Inside, the hybrid of magic and technology that was the hallmark of the original MOTU line is clearly visible – computer consoles and laser guns sit alongside a throne and ancient weapons.
Throne roomHelp on the way!Watch out!Battle for Eternia
It was great fun setting up the figures and recreating a few scenes with them. The action included Skeletor and his band of evil henchmen capturing Castle Grayskull and imprisoning the Sorceress. Then Skeletor was free was to claim the throne, and subdue Eternia under his vile command! But wait…
Here comes He-Man and Battle Cat to save the day! They confront Skeletor in the throne room.
Look out He-Man! There’s a trap door!
Here come Teela and Man-at-Arms via the elevator – but will they be too late?
Look out for Trap Jaw up on the turret!
With reinforcements at hand, a historic battle ensues between good and evil!
Finally, Skeletor and his evil warriors are defeated and Castle Grayskull is returned to normal…
Till next time, that is!
This Castle Grayskull playset may be modern, but it ticks all the right nostalgia boxes. It seems to have all the accessories and features that I remember seeing as a kid (though this includes a limited edition Sorceress figure). Loads of fun and a fantastic way to display my action figures. But where to display them??!!
For the first time of 2025, let’s indulge in another Singles Night. A night of spinning records, having a few drinks and enjoying the vibes.
The “singles” in the event title refers to vinyl singles: the 7 inch, 45 rpm discs that were once the pocket money swallowing masters of the weekly music chart. Now I have a massive stack of said singles, and on some nights I dig a load of ’em out, and play ’em. Both sides – A then B – and onto the next.
There are many wonders to be found amongst the hefty pile of 7″ records. And a few oddities. But the randomness and variety always an entertaining night.
Grab a drink and settle in with my latest playlist:
Generation X – “King Rocker” / “Gimme Some Truth”
David Bowie – “Modern Love” / “Modern Love (Live Version)”
The Alarm – “Presence of Love (Laugharne)” / “Knife Edge”
Depeche Mode – “See You” / “Now, This Is Fun”
Dana – “All Kinds of Everything” / “Channel Breeze”
The Steve Gibbons Band – “Eddy Vortex” / “Little Suzie”
Shirley Bassey – “So In Love” / “As Long As He Needs Me”
Darts – “Don’t Let It Fade Away” / “Early In The Morning”
Elvis Costello & The Attractions – “Oliver’s Army” / “My Funny Valentine”
David Bowie – “Blue Jean” / “Dancing With The Big Boys”
AC/DC – “Guns For Hire” / “Landslide”
ABC – “The Look of Love” / “The Look of Love (Part 2)”
The Jam – “Start” / “Liza Radley”
Jimmy Cliff – “Reggae Night” / “Love Heights”
The Sweet – “Little Willy” / “Man From Mecca”
Propaganda – “Duel” / “Jewel”
Patrick MacNee & Honor Blackman – “Kinky Boots” / “Let’s Keep It Friendly”
A-Ha – “Hunting High and Low (Remix)” / “The Blue Sky (Demo Version)”
The Creatures – “Miss The Girl” / “Hot Springs in The Snow”
Queen – “Somebody To Love” / “White Man”
Ike & Tina Turner – “Nutbush City Limits” / “Help Him”
Twenty two records this week, and a few strange ones are still creeping in – some are the remains of a bundle of singles I bought at a car boot sale for a fiver. I kept Dana in the collection due to the Eurovision connection, but Shirley is a superstar.
Punk and New Wave genres are nicely represented in this selection, with great songs from Generation X, The Jam and Elvis Costello. A-Ha, Depeche Mode and ABC bring in some pop classics, while good old rock’n’roll is delivered by AC/DC, Motorhead and Girlschool.
Two great 1980s Bowie discs made the playlist and there’s a favourite from Queen (though it’s one of my least favourite songs of theirs). Adding to the 70s vintage is a cheeky number from Sweet, which never fails to raise a smile!
Another successful night spinning vinyl. More to come soon.
Regular visitors to the Virtual Hot Tub may well recall that in the Skateboards section, I’ve posted a couple of blogs looking at my very first skateboard. It’s an old, faded plastic relic from the 1970s which my Gran gave to me. That skateboard is incredibly important to me, as it was the board I first learned to ride on in my early teens – and thereby created a lifelong obsession.
Imagine my surprise when I was contacted out of the blue by someone I had never met, and had read my blog about my original skate. And they had one exactly the same for sale. The same “Albert” red plastic skateboard, only as good as new and completely unused.
Naturally, I jumped at the chance. I’m not a skate collector as such, but it was very affordable and a unique bit of history for myself. Soon enough, a cardboard box arrived marked “Made in West Germany”, and inside was a pristine and unridden version of my old skateboard.
You can see the photos here of Albert 2, in comparison to my old original. The plastic is bright red, the wheels are clear. It’s not the greatest skateboard of the era, nor an expensive collector’s item, but it is pretty cool to have in my possession.
I’ve still no idea how I managed to learn to ride on that tiny plastic skateboard, but thank God I did. I’m now 51 years old, and still love skateboarding. If it wasn’t for my Gran presenting me with good ol’ Albert 1, my life would have been much more dull.
Read more about My First Skateboard here and here.
We were on a family day trip, somewhere on the east coast of England. Scarborough or Skegness, I forget which. There was a toy shop kiosk near the beach, as I remember. That was the first time I was aware of a new wave of Star Wars figures from Return of the Jedi.
I can’t remember if I was able to buy one of the new figures that day, in my mind it was late and the shop may have been shut. Instead I have a vague memory of trying to memorise all of the new characters I’d seen on a cardback. With no internet, this was the only way to create a checklist of what was coming down the line.
Which figure was my first purchase from this second wave, I don’t recall. But it’s a great wave filled with classic characters and further evidence of how Kenner (or Palitoy) were creating more and more detailed toys with great accessories.
Princess Leia Organa in Combat Poncho is a really great figure. The helmet and poncho can be removed, meaning that this version of Leia can be used for several scenes. My version of this figure was again purchased at the very end of the line around 1985, to replace the first one that my sister had bought. As such, Leia is complete and in very good condition.
Han Solo in Trench Coat is another cool figure. The trench coat is removable, so again he can be used for a number of scenes from the film.
Although I never owned a B-Wing Fighter at the time, I did own the pilot. I actually have a handful of these pilots I’ve acquired over the years, with the aim of one day recreating the briefing on Home One scene. Maybe it’ll happen.
Prune Face was a great looking but strange figure. An instant favourite, for years I thought he was another character from Jabba’s Palace. It was well into the 1990’s that I found out he was actually a member of the Rebel Alliance. Soft goods cloak is removable and he has a Wild West looking rifle.
Finally we this wave, we got the main Ewok – the one and only Wicket. Or Wicket W. Warrick, to give him his full title. This figure is tiny, but still a good, accurate representation. Teebo helps build out the Ewok tribe, and again looks pretty detailed. Though he’s not keen on holding his ax.
If I remember correctly, I acquired The Emperor as a special mail away offer, so never had the card (he arrived in a little white box). Not too bad detail wise for the time, at last the fans had the big bad guy to re-enact the film with. Can’t believe I’ve still got his walking stick.
The AT-ST Driver is a fairly simple looking figure, but an absolute must-have. I needed one to drive my Scout Walker (though I bought that later) and the more you have, the more enemy troops there are to fight.
The more of Jabba’s goons there are, the better. NIkto was a nice addition to the gang: a brilliantly designed alien with a cool action figure version. Klaatu (Skiff Guard Outfit) was a little less welcome in my opinion, we already had another one of these aliens in the previous wave, and there were lots of others that could’ve been made. I warmed to him though, he’s a classic.
I was also a bit underwhelmed by the Rancor Keeper, as his screen time was minimal and he wasn’t active in any action scenes. That changed when I added the Rancor to my collection! A classic figure that’s easily found but a necessity, I’m sure this guy was another mail away offer.
Finally from this wave, another character with minimal screen time, 8D8 from Jabba’s droid torture chamber. I always liked this figure because he’s a great design: the legs are just so different from other droids.
dav
Just to round off this wave of figures, I’ll add the wonderful Max Rebo Band. Sold as a set of three, sadly I didn’t keep the box, but the set is complete with microphones etc. Max is somewhat faded on the arms (a common issue) and Sy Snootles’s legs are a bit warped, but good old Droopy McCool still rocks. The cool thing about these guys, was unlike Episode IV, we actually got a band to add to the alien menagerie.
That’s it for Wave 2. Not the rarest figures, this wave. Stick with me, next time I’ll be sharing details of the legendary Last 17 Star Wars figures. Boba Fett? Not very rare at all. Wait till you see Return of the Jedi Wave 3…
Please note: all figures are original 1980s Kenner versions. All accessories are original.
What a fantastic, sunny summer day it was! Beautiful weather, ideal for a laid back community event at the local park. This year’s Hawarden Classic Car Show, again organised by Deeside Round Table, showcased numerous classic cars from different times and places. There was also a bar, barbecue, music, numerous stalls and rides for the kids.
I turned up primarily to see the motors, photos of some you can see here. But the event itself was a lot of fun, and benefitted from the glorious sunshine.
This year I arrived earlier, and managed to take a photo of the gold Trans Am that eluded me last year. BOOM! Although as I arrived, an amazing yellow Mercury Cougar was rolling away. Never mind – if you scroll to my very first Motors post on Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub, you’ll see the very same car.
There were some favourite cars from last year making another appearance – like the Chevy Impala – and lots of new surprises.
A great mix of vehicles of various types, plus a relaxed afternoon – all good. I finished things off with a couple of ciders (don’t worry, I wasn’t driving). Here’s to more days like this in the future.
You can see last year’s Hawarden Classic Car Show blog here.
The atmosphere in the Buckley Tivoli was lively and positive, as the crowd gathered in anticipation of the evening’s entertainment. One of the biggest and best audiences I’ve seen for a long while were waiting for an appearance by 80s ska legends: Bad Manners. There was definitely a feel-good factor in the air, and not just because it was Friday night.
I missed the first support, but arrive just as 50 Hertz took to the stage. A local band, they performed a set comprised of originals and covers, including well known songs by The Jam and Sex Pistols. They sounded note perfect, and knew how to warm the audience up and keep them interested, ready for the headliners. A rousing cover of Ten Pole Tudor’s “Swords of a Thousand Men” was a highlight and justifiably went down very well.
Bad Manners are an eight piece band, comprising three man brass section along with the standard guitar, bass, keyboards and drums. The band enter the stage and launch right into a fabulous rhythm, the audience begin moving along. The unmistakeable Buster Bloodvessel joins the musicians before long to rapturous applause, and the celebration begins.
Starting with a killer rendition of “This is Ska”, the band are tight and clearly enjoying every note. Seeing Buster on stage, I can’t help but be reminded of those classic Top of the Pops appearances from “when I were a lad”. He’s slightly less animated nowadays, of course – but the joyous two-tone tunes can do most of the work for him. And the band aren’t shy, merrily bopping along without any rest.
It’s so easy to move to the music – call it dancing if you will, I’m not sure in my case – as the irresistible pull of “Special Brew”, “Lip Up Fatty” and “Walking in the Sunshine” keep the crowd entranced. When the band hit a groove, they let it breathe and keep the audience captivated.
With a final encore of “Can Can”, it’s all over – and I don’t think there can be a single complaint from anyone in the Tiv tonight. The band could have played all night and we’d have asked for more. Bad Manners don’t rely on nostalgia and don’t rest on their laurels; they rely on creating a wonderful, fun night of music for all ages.
Recently I’ve been razzing around this rundown town in Platinum Al’s Pimp Mobile (a 1980 Chrysler Cordoba, of course), blasting out this new compilation from those hard rockin’ duderinos at RidingEasy records. And I haven’t had this much honest-to-rockness fun in goddamn ages!
You may recall RidingEasy’s previous comps, as reviewed by yours truly, from their Brown Acid collections of long lost proto-metal/stoner rock artifacts of the late 60s/early 70s. Well, with Scrap Metal, they’ve taken the same approach (unearthing long-forgotten rare tracks, and releasing a carefully restored sonic document of said tunes) – but this time, applied it to the age of 70s/80s classic Heavy Metal.
Listeners will discover a variety of styles of HM here, as the genre splits into numerous offshoots. So, we get to hear the blossoming styles of NWOBHM, thrash, doom and glam at a time when they all still share a generous amount of DNA. It’s classic metal, folks – and to be honest, I didn’t find that much difference between the “styles” on offer. What I did find was ten blinding tracks of fun (and slightly dumb) rock’n’roll monsters.
Witness, for example, the wonder of “Headbang” by Rapid Tears. Fast paced, dumb ass, dingus brained heavy rock for you to race to the chippy in a Trans-Am. It’s glorious. Then, with barely a rest, we’re assaulted by Air Raid’s “69 in a 55”: like early Maiden (even down to the Paul Di’Anno vocals) but with a cucumber stuffed down the spandex pants.
And the surprises keep on coming. Hades are simply brilliant, their track “Girls Will Be Girls” venturing toward speed metal. Resless have a crap name, but “The Power” is a Priest like power-thon that is bound to excite. “Enemy Ace” by The Beast is a definite unrefined highlight; almost in the realms of crossover, it’s a particularly aggressive track that’s totally unsuitable for polite tea parties with grandma.
The compilation isn’t perfect: Don Cappa’s “Steel City Metal” ticks all the cliché boxes, but plods. Yet adrenaline infused, urgent rockers like “Can’t Stop” by Dead Silence, “Iron Curtain” by Czar and “Viking Queen” by Real Steel keep the fists punching the air and a grin on the face.
As with the Brown Acid series, it’s bewildering how at least some of the bands on Scrap Metal Volume 1 didn’t get any further. I’ve heard a lot worse. However, careers are built on consistently great song writing and performance – we only have one (admittedly brilliant) song by each band to testify here.
The lyrics and themes may wallow in the murky depths of the tired and obvious, but I challenge any of you to not enjoy the music on offer. Park any pretentions of sophistication you may hold, the energy to be heard on these tracks is pure pleasure. Pull on your super tight jeans, bullet belt and patch covered battle vest, let your hair down (if you still can), and rejoice in a simpler time. Scrap Metal Vol 1 is a full on, beer swilling triumph of an album. HEADBANG!!!
Now this was pretty impressive. A classic car and motors show, right on my doorstep, in Hawarden, North Wales. Plus it was free entry! Organised by charitable organisation Deeside Round Table, with plenty to do and see.
There were vehicles on display from various places and of differing ages, all of them classic. Food and drink; music; stalls to browse; games for the kids – a nice, community, family event on a summer afternoon.
We got there late (I did warn my crew of the potential issues) and some of the cars were already leaving – including a beautiful gold Trans Am that I missed getting a phot of. A word to the wise: when it says the event is on till 4pm, don’t turn up for the last hour.
Any readers of previous Motors blogs at the Virtual Hot Tub will know that I’m a big fan of American classic cars, in particular, muscle cars from the late 60’s and 70’s. There were a few of those types of vehicles on display, plus a healthy showing of British classics from over the years (plus many other countries).
I did manage to take a few photos of the cars on display – hope you enjoy. It’s been a while since a Motors update on at Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub, I’ll try harder to update more often.
Welcome to the second part of my reminiscences of my old Star Wars figures. This time, we’ll complete the rest of the Empire Strikes Back waves that came out in the early 1980s. A little less words maybe, a few more photos.
Last time we looked at the first wave of Empire figures, plus an early arrival (Boba Fett) and a late comer (Yoda). Whereas the figure selection for the first movie was never exhaustive (we could’ve done with more, to be honest) – the remaining Empire waves would deliver a bundle of key characters as well as some background oddballs, to pad out your playing experience.
The first wave gave us a classic Leia, this time in Hoth Outift. Again, the figure shown here is my excellent condition version, which I bought myself at the end of the line’s run, to replace my sister’s slightly beat-up one.
Next was Han Solo (Bespin Outfit), hands down my favourite Han figure. This guy saw a lot of play. Great sculpt, holds his blaster well, just awesome. The only negatives are that his trousers are too light in colour, and they packed him with the wrong gun.
The Rebel Commander was a welcome addition – you can never have too many troops! Lots of detail, but the blaster he came with is pretty lame. The Medical droid, 21B, was also a very detailed figure. I loved the transparent torso. Sadly, I lost his medical tool/needle thing years ago, so I should replace that.
A couple of Bespin characters next: the Ugnaught, who is exactly the type of minor character I have to own! He comes with a soft goods apron, presumably to add more value a la cloaked Jawa. And lastly, Lobot – a really cool looking guy who I’d have liked to see get more screen time.
Finally, with this wave, we got an Imperial officer! Named Imperial Commander on the card, this late-to-the party figure would have to double up for every Imperial officer in all three films – including Tarkin (don’t get me started on that thorny issue) – despite the black, not olive outift. So better get as many as you can! I have two; there’s a slight difference you’ll see in the pics below: one has no hair (I assume this is a paint app production error, or some one scraped it off – not a genuine variation).
At this point, the biggest toy around – biggest in size literally, but also in impact and desirability – was the AT-AT. I couldn’t believe that a toy would be made of this huge vehicle. Of course Kenner did, and thus I needed at least one, preferably two AT-AT drivers.
Last from this wave, another cool bounty hunter: Dengar. The first mail away figure I ever sent off for (Palitoy waved it’s proof of purchase nonsense this time), he took months to arrive. As in, literally months. Palitoy were swamped with requests, but one magical day, after ages spent in anticipation, a clean white box with Dengar inside arrived in the post. What a wondrous day that was…
Let’s start the next wave with the droids: C-3PO with Removable Limbs and R2-D2 with sensorscope. I wasn’t really expecting these figures as a kid. C-3PO was kind of cool as he came with a bag you could put him in, on Chewbacca’s back – though Chewie could never stand unassisted with the extra weight. R2’s new feature was interesting, though this version could never take the place of the very first R2 figure, my first and most loved Star Wars figure of all.
Luke in Hoth Outfit was a much needed alternate look, ideal to place on your Tauntaun toy. However, he came packed with that weird gun instead of the obviously more preferable (and accurate) blue lightsaber. The black Bespin Guard was an instant troop builder and a nice early nod to diversity. Twin Pod Cloud Car pilot was definitely a cool design, but he’s less “blink and you’ll miss him” and more “was he even in the film”? This figure was a necessity so someone could pilot the vehicle, I guess. I’ve lost his communicator sadly, this extra accessory was actually a good feature.
To finish the Empire figures, the “bad guys” from this wave. AT-AT Commander (or General Veers, if you knew your SW trivia) was another handy addition to the mighty AT-AT toy. And at last, a TIE Fighter Pilot, so stormtroopers could be relieved of their flying duties. You’ll notice here that the TIE Pilot isn’t holding his gun, I just couldn’t get him to grasp it for longer than two seconds. Interesting side note: my TIE Pilot had a nice fruity smell when I first opened him, which remained for years. Must’ve been the paint – anyone else have the same experience? Unfortunately, that smell has long disappeared now.
The last two bounty hunters shown here were two of my favourite action figures in the line so far: 4-LOM and Zuckuss. Both were really detailed and despite limited screen time, they were amazingly cool. Awesome weapons too – two of the best guns in the entire line. This adherence to showcasing the myriad background characters is exactly what I loved about Star Wars figures: I could scene build and create whole little worlds. “Which is 4-LOM and which is Zuckuss?” you may ask. The answer’s on the card name lozenge, that’s all I’m saying.
There we have it: all of the action figures from The Empire Strikes Back. The line was particularly strong at this time, with improvements in the sculpts and some great character choices, not to mention a masterful piece of cinema inspiring it all. This really was a magical time in mine – and many others’ – childhoods.
I was surprised how many of these figures I could actually remember buying, and from which now long-gone small toy shops around the country I found them (there was no Toys’R’Us in those days). I hope you’ve enjoyed this brief nostalgia trip, maybe we’ll meet again soon for the next chapter…
Bonus photos:
Leia and Hoth troops
General Veers – prepare you men for ground assault!
Platinum Al's Virtual Hot Tub 