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Old August 9th 08, 06:38 PM posted to rec.models.scale,sci.space.history
OM[_6_]
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Default US Source for Airfix HO Scale Astronauts set

On Sun, 10 Aug 2008 15:57:38 +0100, "kim" wrote:

OM wrote:
On Sun, 10 Aug 2008 14:18:29 +0100, "kim" wrote:

Here they are in more detail:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0055293/


...Wait. Airfix did an "Operation Petticoat" HO scale figure set? Did
the sub come with it as well?
:-P


Doh! I'm having one of those days. Here is the correct link (I hope?)


....Hey, it happens. I haven't had my morning vicodin, and I've already
posted 238 flames to 27 different newsgroups, and wound up
crossposting to the wrong ones in the process. No doubt I'm going to
get flamed by the moderator of dev.null for it.

http://www.plasticsoldierreview.com/...AIR&code=01741


....Them's the ones! I actually had four or five sets of these when
they first came out - which wasn't 1971, but 1970 because I got my
first set for my birthday in November of that year and took it to
school for "Show'n'Brag". What's interesting is that now that I look
at those shots, I'm reminded of several quirks about the set:

1) The first figure on the left I've always felt was a mold gaffe.
Graned, you could claim they were trying to depict an astronaut in
1/6th gravity trying to side-straddle hop across the Lunar surface,
but it looks more like they tried - and failed - to depict Buzz Aldrin
taking the first pee on the Moon. A double-boiler and some tender
touch would probably make those appear acceptable in stance.

2) I'd forgotten that the Rover drivers would fall over without
gluing! But what would really tick me off was that on a couple of the
sets I had the wheels were so thin at the mount points that they'd
break off with the slightest pressure.

3) What I hadn't forgotten, tho, was that the aspect ratio of the flag
was a bit off, more square than it should be.

4) The astronaut with the camera always looked more like he was
carrying a ray gun :-P

5) In one of my earliest uses of my first X-Acto knife - the one I had
to keep hidden for two years because my pop refused to allow me to own
one lest I cut myself with it! - I modified the end of that one
figure's sample collection arm to look more like a golf club. Albeit a
2-Wood as opposed to a 6-Iron...

6) The 2-man "flyer" was more of a loose interpretation of the one-man
lander concepts that were being floated around for what we now know
were Gemini-Centaur contingency plans in case the LM and/or Apollo
fell too far behind to beat either the JFK deadline or the Russian
efforts. The "Pogo Platform" looks more like another loose adaptation,
albeit of an Aaaarmy attempt at a hover platform. Seeing the design,
however, has me wondering how well a Segway would work on the Moon :-P
;-P

....But in any case, them's the little buggers. Now, if only someone
can come up with a source :-(


OM
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