Memorabilia at Birmingham NEC – part 2

22/23 November 2014

Some more photos from Memorabilia at the NEC in Birmingham.

IMG_3746One of the best costumes I saw on the day was this model, fully covered in gold, to appear as Jill Masterson from Goldfinger.  A very clever and well executed idea, she was tehre to promote a James Bond magazine collection.  What made it even more interesting was that Shirley Eaton, who played the girl covered in gold paint in the original film, was also there signing autographs on the day.

There are always plenty of celebrity guests at the event.  On this occasion I shook hands with actor Cary Elwes, star of The Princess Bride amongst many other films.  I also met a few other people as you can see below.

Appearing at the event was the wonderful Caroline Munro, star of Hammer films and of course The Spy Who Love Me (plus many more great movies).  I met Caroline and got her autograph (again!).  She was really sweet and remembered me from the last time we met. IMG_3758

 I also me gorgeous glamour model Lucy Zara, who was really cool and friendly. IMG_3761

The next Birmingham Memorabilia is at the end of March.  Unfortunately I won’t be able to attend as I’ll be off to Sci-Fi Weekender.  So there’ll hopefully be tons of pics from that instead!  Looking forward to the next NEC gathering in November…

Who is this Random Space Toy?

Here’s a random image from the toy collection here at the Virtual Hot Tub.  I’ve had this guy since the early 1980’s, I think I picked him up from a jumble sale.  No idea who he is.  At the moment, he’s been rescued from my parent’s loft to end up in my daughter’s toy box.

Standing approximately five inches tall, he is only articulated at the arms and waist.  He looks kind of Japanese, but he’s too old to be Power Ranger.

Is he from some cool proto-anime cartoon or television show?  Or is he just some odd cheapo rip off designed to appeal to kids who love space toys?

If you know who this guy is, please get in touch and let me know.

I might offer a prize…

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Sci-Fi Weekender: Bonus Photos

A bit like bonus tracks when you buy a CD, here are a few unseen extra pics from my recent visit to Sci-Fi Weekender.

Plus, it’s Star Wars Day – and a few of these photos count as a tribute.  May the 4th Be With You!

 

Sci-Fi Weekender part 2

Sci-Fi Weekender 28th – 30th March 2014

Hafan Y Mor Holiday Park, Pwllheli

Day Two – and Adam, Greeny, Kurt and myself were up bright and early to see what the day would bring.  LIE.  We had a lie in, went to get s cooked breakfast, got some supplies at the Spar, and chilled out in the chalet for a while.  We decided to wander down to see what was going just a little after the action began at midday.  Although impressed with what we’d witnessed so far, we still didn’t know what to expect.

Exploring the set up, we soon found the events and had a good look around the merchandise area.  I picked up a couple of cool items – a Star Wars figure I needed and a Countess Dracula t-shirt.  I could’ve spent a fortune if I’d had the money.  There was quite a buzz as fans scouted around for bargains and highly desirable paraphernalia.

There were numerous discussion panels, interviews and signings through out the afternoon.  Luckily I caught a very interesting talk with 2000AD creator Pat Mills, refreshingly anti-authoritarian even after all these years.  There was quite a 2000AD presence, with some of my favourite artists of all time – Glenn Fabry and Simon Bisley – in attendance.  Somebody really should make a film version of Slaine…

I also caught a very entertaining chat with The Hobbit actor Graham McTavish.  Although I’ve yet to see the film(s), his interview was still engaging; with many captivating stories from behind the scenes.

Of course, the main attraction for me (except for beer) was taking photos of all the various fans who’d taken the time and trouble to dress up as their favourite characters.  There were some amazing costumes, as shown here and in the previous post.  Again, fans were more than happy to pose for photos.  The atmosphere was friendly and welcoming with no bad vibes on display anywhere.

The highlight of the evening was the Cosplay final – those who entered the competition were judged on the best costume.  I forget who won, but the talent and care on display was highly commendable – as you can see from the photos.

There were several Cosplayers I either missed getting a photo of, or the pic turned out rubbish.  My apologies – again, I’m not a professional.  It is with great shame that I cannot present for you here Jar Jar Green Screen, General Zod, the Beast and sexy Six of Nine silver Star Trek girl.  Sorry.  But I think Silk Spectre (below) makes up for that.

Another late night ended with the “legendary” Pat Sharp spinning the wax for a packed dance floor.  All in all, a great day with a real sense of community.

Finally, I must thank Glyn again for providing not only tickets but our accommodation.  I hope these reports give you some idea of how the event was.  Cheers!

Visit the Sci-Fi Weekender site here.

Bat Mobile and Captain Americar

As promised, I am introducing some new topics tot the Virtual Hot Tub for 2014.  To begin, an excursion into the world of toys is presented here for you.

For this very first Toy based post, here are some pictures of the Bat Mobile and Captain Americar.  These were produced by Mego in the 1970’s.  Both are from my collection and have been in my possession since the early 80’s.

Mego were one of the leading toy companies of the 1970’s.  Amongst their most popular lines were the World’s Greatest Super Heroes: 8 inch action figures of popular comic book heroes with cloth costumes.  They produced lines of both DC and Marvel characters, meaning you could create epic adventures spanning the properties – such as Thor versus Green Arrow.  Or Hulk versus Batman.  Or anything else you could imagine.

Alas, my Mego super heroes are lost to the mists of time, scattered into broken fragments.  All I have left are these two vehicles, and some great memories.

Bat Mobile

Modelled after the Bat Mobile in the classic Adam West sixties television show, this vehicle can carry both Batman and Robin into action. IMG_2497

Captain Americar

Captain America’s car.  See what they did there?  The cool feature on this vehicle is that Cap’s shield on the front of the car is thrust forward with the flick of the switch, to knock bad guys off their feet.  Or your sister’s Barbie dolls, whatever. IMG_2066

As I no longer have the heroes to go with these vehicles, they may well find their way onto Ebay in the future.  We shall see.

Check out the Mego Museum here.