WOULD YOU PREFER SILVER OR GOLD, Mr. BOND? (What Might've Been)...

You know this already as I've mentioned it a few times now, though some of you probably knew before I ever blogged about it, especially those who've read The Great Book Of Corgi.  The 1965 Corgi Toys 261 Aston Martin D.B.5 was issued in a gold colour because, so one story goes, it looked like unpainted metal in silver.  (Though other silver coloured models apparently looked all right.)  Another story is that it was painted gold to tie in with the name Goldfinger, but as neither story is necessarily mutually exclusive, both accounts might be true.

In 1968, Corgi Toys released 270, a newly-tooled, slightly larger version (by a few millimetres), painted the correct silver birch colour with a couple of extra features, namely rear tyre-slashers and revolving number plates.  The '65 model was actually a 'customised' D.B.4 (despite what it claimed on the base), as testified to by the tail lights which weren't amended when the existing moulds were pressed into service so that Corgi could capture the 1965 Christmas market in time.  The '68 version was not only in the right colour, it also had the proper tail lights.

So after 60 years, Corgi have reissued the 261 version, but this time in the correct colour.  Just think, this is what the car would've looked like back in '65 if they hadn't decided to give it the 'Midas' touch.  Who knows though, maybe in an alternate universe somewhere, this is how the car first saw the light of day?  To those who had one back in the mid-'60s, which do you prefer - the silver or gold version?  Do tell if you'd be so kind.

BABE Of The DAY - ELIZABETH HURLEY...

Eyes front, lads - this is what a woman is

meant to look like.  If your wife, girlfriend, or

mistress isn't as gorgeous as Elizabeth, check to

see if you still have your receipt and see if you can

return her for a swap or full refund.  Mind, don't

 accept a credit note, get cash-in-hand only.

TIME In FLIGHT...

An hourglass - how appropriate in a post about time

You all know the phrase 'time flies', and it seems to fly faster the older we get.  I was recently reminded of this when I was looking through some old posts on the blog and noticed I obtained my replacement Marx Toys Yogi Bear on a scooter back in July or August of 2013.  I'd owned two of them when I was a kid, bought around three years apart in two different domiciles, though I still had the first Yogi figure (but without his scooter, which had disappeared into limbo between the years) when I got the second.

I'd have obtained the first one around 1963, and the second was bought for me by my mother (from Woolworth's, with me in tow) a week before my then-upcoming birthday in 1965.  I no longer remember if I kept the two Yogis right up to the end, I may only have had the 'newer' one when, around 1973 or '74, I disposed of nearly all of my surviving toys in an attempt to be more 'grown-up'.  (That didn't quite work out, did it?)  The only two survivors of my cull were a Wade porcelain Yogi (and that was because it was an ornament and not a toy) and my Marx Thunderbolt Palomino horse (which was up in the loft).

Anyway, this means that I owned my second Yogi for around 8 or 9 years and (if I still had it in the '70s) my first one for approximately 10 or 11 years.  So what?  Well, my 2013 replacement has now seen 12 Christmases in this house, which is more than either of its two predecessors saw in 3 or 4 houses combined.  (The houses, not the Yogis.)  I once read somewhere that 'The memories of childhood are without time and without end' and that's what it seems to me when I look back on mine.  'New' Yogi has been with me for 12 years, yet it seems like I only got him not that long ago.  Time flies indeed.

Anything similar you'd care to share with your fellow Crivvies?  Go on, be the first.

A time-machine - even more appropriate.  (I'm so clever)

PETER DAVID PASSES AWAY - R.I.P.

Sad to learn that Peter David has died.  He wrote some great Hulk stories and lots of other stuff as well, though I know him mainly for his Hulk tales.  I think I'll read one of his comics tonight and remind myself (not that I really need reminding) of what a talented writer he was.

ANOTHER CASTEL CRIVENS ACQUISITION...

Copyright DC COMICS

Yes, I know I've shown this cover before (twice, in fact), but it was an image 'borrowed' from eBay.  This one is a scan of my own issue, newly arrived a mere 10 minutes or so ago from the States by courier.  'Twas a bit pricey, but after holding out for a good while from obtaining my own copy, I decided to take the plunge and nab one for myself.  Had they reproduced it in the deluxe hard-cover volume of Detective Comics #1000 in its full glory, that would likely have satisfied me, but unlike most of the other variant covers, it was reproduced in smaller dimensions which robbed it of its impact.

Great, innit?  Any other Crivvies got this Alex Ross version?  Make those who don't just a tiny bit jealous by indulging in a little bragging in our comments section.

YET MORE CASTEL CRIVENS ACQUISITIONS... (Including Corgi Thunderbirds And The Beatles)

Images copyright relevant and respective owners

Energy levels are low at the moment, so you'll have to make do with some images of a few recent purchases as I'm too tired to think of anything original (or interesting) to write.  First up, above, is the latest Marvel Facsimile Edition - Fantastic Four #48, the mag that introduced Galactus and The Silver Surfer.  In the past, I've referred to the internal pages used in these titles as 'glossy', but that's not quite accurate.  The paper itself is matte, though for some reason the ink used for the printed images tends to have a 'sheen' to it.  Anyway, I've lost count of how many reprints of this tale I own in collected editions, but I just couldn't say no to an individual issue complete with original ads.

Next (below), is a quartet of Action Comics, namely #s 386, 388, 389, and 390.  I'm still waiting for 387 to arrive and when it does, I'll add it to the post (now done).  I may well buy further issues as, even though I never owned most (if any) of these comics at the time, it still feels like I'm returning to a previous point in my youth whenever I browse through or even glance at them - they're just so evocative of an earlier age.  I've included some splash pages to give you a taste of the contents.

Recently, Corgi reissued their Thunderbirds diecast models in the run-up to the iconic TV show's 60th Anniversary, but this time with superior detailing.  Thing is, when they first released their FAB 1 model several years ago, it had The Spirit Of Ecstasy on top of the radiator, unlike subsequent releases, including the current one, despite it now having other Rolls Royce emblems on the chassis.  I have the original release (as well as the '60s Dinky version) so I decided to pass this time as, without the sculpture, I don't consider it complete.  I did get the new versions of TB1, TB2, TB3, and TB4 though, so cop a gander at the photos below.

Update: Oops, I forgot I'd also acquired the Beatles' Yellow Submarine recently as part of my Corgi Model Club membership.  When this model was reissued in the '90s (I think), I bought two of them, but when you pressed the hatch levers, they sprang open and hit the metal behind them, eventually chipping the red paint on the 'stems' (for want of a better word).  I'm glad to report that the latest version (below) avoids this flaw as each hatch stem stops about a millimetre or so before contact.

In what was presumably a cost-cutting exercise, Corgi didn't restore the original Corgi Toys logo to the base, which is affixed with screws instead of rivets and bears the modern logo.  So it's the same as the '90s reissue, though the box is a reproduction of the '60s version.  I understand that it's the same with the base of their Chitty Chitty Bang Bang model, but I'll let you all know for certain when it arrives. 

GARDENS Of The PAST...

I was out in my back garden earlier and as I looked around, memories suddenly resurfaced of the back garden of my previous house, above and below.  (My first previous house, a reference which perhaps only long-term visitors to this blog will understand.  Don't worry if you don't, it's not important.)  In my current abode, I've never been one for sitting out in the garden for some reason, and I wonder if that's why my mind jumped back to an earlier one in which I did.

In all the homes I've ever lived in, only two had access to the house via either the front or back garden as they both had a back lane.  The others had an enclosed back garden that could only be reached by the front (through a close in one instance and past the side of the house in two others), so there was no nipping in or out the back door to or from a separate point of ingress or egress, whereas in the particular two with a back lane, I had a choice of two different routes.

In my previous house, when I went to school in the morning, I did so from either the front or back door, and the same applied when I returned in the afternoon.  I played with my toys in the back garden, or sat in the cellar in the garden and listened to the rain hit the roof and pathway, as well as watch it water the grass through the half-open cellar door.  By the time we flitted from that house almost mid-way through 1972, I'd spent more time in that garden than in any previous one, mainly due to the fact I'd lived there longer.

Anyway, I've been in my present house for 49 out of the last 53 years, yet I have fewer memories of having spent any time in the garden than its predecessor, which is probably due to the fact I was still a child back then and childhood memories are usually stronger and seemingly longer than the ensuing years.  Having said all that, I'll maybe feel differently tomorrow because other memories from other times might demand to be remembered and push their way to the front of the queue, but I won't know until tomorrow is here.

Yeah, I know what you're thinking - keep them to yourself, Kid.  So Crivs, is there a garden in your life to which your memory returns when you think of sitting out in the sun or running about like a maddie full of the exuberance of youth?  Have a think then leave a comment if you'd be so good.

EVEN MORE CASTEL CRIVENS ACQUISITIONS...

All images copyright their respective owners

Okay, Crivs - just to give you all something to look at, here's the latest stash of goodies to arrive at Castel Crivens.  I do sometimes feel a little guilty about sleeping with that millionaire to get the cash to buy all these things, but I'm sure I'll learn to live with the shame before too long.  Mainly 'cos she was a darlin' who I'd have paid to let me sleep with her.  (Sorry, didn't mean to confuse you - I should've typed millionairess.)  Incidentally, take a look at the splash page of Action Comics #369 - is that a first, do you think, where the story about to be unfolded is shown as an actual comic?  Perhaps it was a rejected cover pressed into service as a splash - what do you think, Crivs?  The comments section awaits your erudite opinions.

'Pull a boner'?  Now, now, lass - we'll have none of that kind of talk around here

This CD reissue is from 1999 and was still shrink-wrapped when it arrived.  I bought the
vinyl LP back in the late '70s or early '80s and also have the soundtrack on a four album,
  two CD set, but I wanted an individual CD of it in my vast Jim Reeves music collection  

TV ACTION 12-ISSUE COVER GALLERY...

Copyright relevant owner.  To see this complete issue, click here

If you're anything like me, you'll associate certain comics with where you lived at the time you bought them.  However, sometimes I'll associate the title of a comic series with an area, even more than what it perhaps deserves if I look at things proportionately.  As an example of what I mean, take TV Century 21, the first 42 or 43 issues of which remind me of the house and neighbourhood I was then living, even though the remaining 199 or 200 issues were published when I lived elsewhere.  However, mention the comic's name to me and I immediately think of the previous house and environs before their successors.

Same with TV Action.  When it was called Countdown (for its first 58 issues), I only started buying it when it began reprinting Fireball XL5, Stingray, Thunderbirds, and Captain Scarlet strips from TV21.  With issue 59, it became TV Action, and I acquired the first 12 issues (59-70) under its new (main) name while I was living in one house, and the remaining 62 issues (it ceased publication with #132) while living in another.  Actually, I can't swear I bought every one of those 62 numbers as I may've jumped ship when The Mighty World Of Marvel appeared on the scene, but those first 12 issues are the ones that most resonate with me.

Surely I should associate either of those two weeklies with the areas in which a higher number of issues were published than a smaller amount, not the other way around?  Or am I overthinking things again?  Never mind, the preceding preamble is merely a long-winded excuse for me to feature that dozen-ish run in a mini cover gallery.  Hope you enjoy it.

******

H'm, think I lost you all with the personal reminiscence bit, so let's start again.  Hey, Crivs - here's a TV Action cover gallery... feel free to comment.

I specifically remember reading this particular issue in my bedroom one day, a mere four days before
flitting to my current house, so it would've spent more time in my new abode than my old one.  And
yet, in the caverns of memory, it remains indelibly associated with the bedroom of my former home

PLEASE DO NOT BEND - (We Did That Ourselves)...

Just when I thought nothing about eBay sellers could surprise me anymore, I learned I was mistaken when a card-backed envelope bearing the legend 'Please Do Not Bend' arrived at Castel Crivens today.  Inside was a replacement magazine for one I'd acquired only recently but which had a little discolouration on the back cover, hence me obtaining another copy.

Take a look above at what met my startled eyes when I opened the envelope - the mag was folded vertically in half, though it hadn't been in the seller's listing.  I immediately contacted the seller, who claimed it wasn't folded, merely 'placed in half' because the mag 'does not fit well in these style envelopes', though as you can see from a photo I took, below, it fits perfectly fine.

Anyway, long story short, the seller eventually issued a refund and I immediately purchased another copy from a different source.  However, the question remains - just where the hell do these numpties come from?  'Placed in half' indeed.  Words almost fail me (and that would never do as then you'd have nothing to read).