I suppose I'd better give my thousands of followers (Billy Thousands, that is) something to read before I'm left on my own, so here's a quickie regarding toys - always a popular post (not) on this blog.
Behold, above, two SPV toys made by Vivid Imaginations around 2001. VI did an earlier, smaller version of this toy in diecast metal around 1992 or '93, with all the features of the earlier '60s Dinky version in its later days. In the original Dinky version, the side door shot out when you pressed the 'fin' on top of the vehicle, and a figure of Captain Scarlet in his chair descended almost to the ground by means of a plastic 'hinge'. In later versions, the door still ejected, but Scarlet's seat was unmoving, rigidly fixed in position.
The first VI version was the same, but their second incarnation matched the size of Dinky's, though in plastic, and Scarlet freely ejected through a hatch on the roof when a button was pressed, but from the left-hand cabin of the SPV as opposed to the right as in earlier examples of the toy. The second VI version also had 'sound-tech' with three phrases emanating from the toy when another button was pressed, once for each separate phrase. One by Colonel White, another by Captain Blue, and the third by Scarlet himself.
It's a neat little toy, but something puzzles me - apart, that is, from the design flaw in operating the ejecting missile from a forward-facing hatch by pushing down over the front wheels; even the slightest pressure on the wheels made the hatch shoot up, whether you were just gently placing the toy on the carpet or trying to push it along. (This happened with all three versions.) No, the real puzzle is why Vivid Imaginations toys seemed to discolour over time. The light blue plastic on their Stingray toy eventually turned green, and their plastic SPVs (small and larger playset versions) turned a 'dirty' sort of blue.
Except for the first SPV in the photo atop this post. As far as I recall, I bought both of them in Woolworth's, though not at the same time. The fin on the top of the one which has retained its colour is hard plastic, the other one is soft; the twin aerials on the first are slightly firmer plastic though still flexible, whereas the ones on the other toy are soft rubber. When I recently removed the darker version from bubble wrap after storing it in a box in a cupboard for a few years, I at first suspected the wrap was responsible in some way for the discolouration, but the lighter one had likewise been kept in bubble wrap for the same period in the same box and was unaffected.
So why has one discoloured and not the other? Different kind of plastic perhaps? Not the right amount of pigment in the colouring of the plastic to begin with? If anyone knows (or cares) feel free to enlighten me and your fellow Crivvies by elucidating in our ever-lovin' comments section. (Or not, as the case will probably be.)
12 comments:
Hi Kid,
Sorry I can't help with answering your enquiry, however I'm happy to confirm that I purchased one of the original blue dinky vehicles from a local charity shop in EK a few years ago. It's far from being in mint condition and unfortunately the Captain Scarlett figure & missiles are missing, however everything else is present and in good working order. It currently sits proudly in my Comics & Music Room, on top of a record box which stores all my favourite 7" singles.
Cheers,
Big-D
You can buy replacement figures and missiles from a couple of places on the Internet, BD, to complete your SPV. Wouldn't cost a fortune either. I had two Dinky versions at separate times when I was a kid (I think the first one was originally my brother's), and I bought a replacement almost 30 years ago, mint and boxed, which I still have. There's a photo of it somewhere on the blog.
I remember my pal Alan having this model car and thinking at the time it was a beast of a toy ( large and heavy) . I saw a very worn out and scratched one a few weeks ago in a Lanark charity shop and was surprised it looked so small to what my memory of it was. Sorry no idea 're your question.
That would've been the diecast metal Dinky version your pal had, McS, the ones in the picture are plastic (same size as the Dinky one) and made by Vivid Imaginations. They did a smaller diecast version a few years earlier, and it's likely that was the one you saw in the charity shop.
I've never known anything plastic to change colour before but I'm guessing it's due to the quality of the pigment in the plastic.
I've seen items made of plastic change colour (as in fade) when exposed to direct sunlight for any length of time, CJ, but all my plastic toys are kept out of the sun's rays. Yeah, the manufacturers probably skimped on the colour pigment at the mixing stage.
I'm afraid I cannot comment on the discoloured plastic issue. Kid, so commenting to ensure you know we're still following the blog. I did have the original Dinky SPV, of course. It seemed to be the heaviest of the Dinky Toys that I had at that time.
My SPV had the Captain Scarlet that dropped down, but that eventually caused issues in that the side door started sticking as he legs dropped down within the vehicle over time. Also the door over the front missile failed to stay closed over time as well. I suspect later revisions tried to address those issues.
Nonetheless, a great toy that I should have held onto, in retrospect.
I've been a little remiss in reading and commenting on other blogs lately, B, but I find it difficult to get motivated at the moment so I appreciate others commenting here. Hopefully I'll be back to normal before too long. I just feel like an empty husk at the moment
The problem with the front hatch on the Dinky SPV was there from day one; the toy was simply too heavy to avoid putting pressure on the front wheels which operated the hatch. In fact, when I bought the second one I had (around '70 or '71), I got it a reduced price because it had been returned to the shop as faulty. However, I examined it thoroughly and there was nothing else the matter with it, so I can only assume that the first buyer regarded the hatch popping up all the time as a fault. Of course, in a way it was - a design fault, not a fault caused by something being broken or not working. The fault was as a result of the release mechanism working too well. It's the same with the two VI versions, although their diecast one was far less heavy than Dinky's.
Oof! I'm off for a lie down.
I don’t remember the talking SPV. What year did it come out?
Like it says in the post, PS - around 2001. There was also a bigger version, which is on the blog somewhere.
It looks one of the base colours in the paint used on SPV 2 has dissolved with the warm Glasgow weather over time. A bit like the old 8mm home movies when as a kid they looked awesome but 30 years later when everybody's dead and buried you watch them again only to find they have faded to red. SPV 1 I suspect has been coated with a different paint brand.
I've inadvertently misled you, LH. The SPVs aren't painted - they're coloured plastic. The paint I was referring to is the paint or dye that was mixed into the plastic to give it its colour at the moulding stage. I suspect that not enough was used in one of them, which is why the colour has changed over time.
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