Memories of Childhood

(17-02-2019 14:22 )GreenMachine Wrote:  I am not absolutely sure if I bought it, but I had it and I thought at the time it was fun, and it was for a good cause. I also have one my sister got - now what you have to bear in mind is that i didn't start listening to proper music until 1979 with Message in a bottle by the Police(thanks to my friend who got me into them) and my other record was...Postman Pat! yeah I know but I was young and stupid. Mind you the other one I was given by my sister was none other than Sir Clifford of Richard and Wired for Sound, at the time he was chart gold, and the song wasn't bad but his video was very strange. It also showcased the Walkman cassette player only just introduced to this country.

Airfix Kits. I think I built a fair few aeroplanes but I did have a crack at a helicopter Bell-Huey style and a car which I remember i found very fiddly, but here's something else I remembered last night. Did any of you ever try these Plastercasters models like Paddington or Beatrix Potter characters. They were all the rage along with Shaker Makers The main problem was not the pouring and mixing of the plaster itself but trying to remove the mould without pulling off pieces vital to the look of the piece.

I had the shaker maker for my 11th birthday. Am pretty sure it was the Flintstones characters that I made with mine....all that plaster of Paris everywhere..great stuff

Here’s one for you...what’s the first song that you can remember ever hearing, be it on radio/tv or from a record that your folks had bought?

Mine is ‘In the year 2525’ by Zager and Evans, which was released in 1969, it was on the RCA label and either my Mam or Dad who’d bought it. Accompanying this memory is seeing my sister in her cot in my Mam and Dad’s bedroom, now given my sister was born in June 1969, the recollection is in all likelihood from July 1969 because I can also vaguely recall seeing stuff about the Apollo 11 mission on the telly, this probably counts as my first vivid memory.

Hmm now you're asking. Apart from the usual kid songs at nursery school I think it might have been something that was played all the time - my case I think it was probably classical music as my Dad loved listening to it so it could have been Mozart or Copland. Another I remember pop wise was '16 Tons' by Tennessee Ernie Ford. My mum had a very old portable record player and she liked listening to those-one of them was Kisses Sweeter than Wine-Jimmie Rodgers or of her era which was the 60's. Their song collectively is 'Why' by Anthony Newley which is a lovely song and I made a montage video of their pictures young and old for their 50th Anniversary and used that as the backing tune.

Was this the one you meant Carl?

(17-02-2019 17:11 )GreenMachine Wrote:  Was this the one you meant Carl?

That’s the one!!!

Looking at that picture, suddenly for a moment it was 11th November 1976 again

On the subject of Airfix models I made loads of aeroplanes, especially those from World War 2. I even painted some of them. Got to say I was pretty useless at making them, getting as much glue on me as on the plastic. I seem to remember that bits that were supposed to move or turn never did because I'd over glued them.

The other Airfix product I remember were the packets of small soldiers. They came attached to branch like bits of plastic within the packet and had to be cut off. If you twisted them off you tended to get a lump of plastic on the stands so they stood at an angle. Again WW2 armies were my favourite and I fought many "battles" with them.

(17-02-2019 17:11 )GreenMachine Wrote:  Was this the one you meant Carl?

I'm pretty sure there was a another one like it, that was different company and different models. I think I did attempt the Helicopter Airfix and I think probably many of us would agree the ship models were probably the most difficult ones to do especially the classic ships.

I remember seeing the Golden Hinds model on E-bay unused a couple of years ago and someone was asking I think'£30 for it
Now that alone would b a real labour of love!! I loved the little Airfix model soldiers too - you'd have a field day with them on e- bay there a loads on there!!
I also liked the Britains soldier models too 0000 they actually had moveable arms I think!!

If we haven't discussed Action man yet now's the time. I remember we had the talking one, but he had ginger hair!! but he was cool at the time!! If I remember rightly his voice was activated by a cord in the back..

This is BLOOY GOOD Thread Greeny!!

Is it? Oh bloody, right I get you babelover48 Well it's really YOU lot that add your stuff to this, I just act as the trigger to help your memories kick into life. We've covered Action Man elsewhere as I posted two pics of the Manual. The one you refer to is the Tank Commander with the pull-back cord in his back which uttered phrases-one of which could have been "Stop pulling that bloody cord!"

This and all the other threads(a cartoon one is coming soon) is determined by the number of contributors to them, without the enthusiasm of posters it wouldn't last that long-I am also astounded that within the first two months it was considered for an award so I must be doing something right We've all been children, we all have memories of things and as long as you remember them and post them here and elsewhere the threads will thrive. I'll do my bit, but its up to others to contribute...and that is exactly what you've done for which I am truly thankful.

(17-02-2019 08:40 )babelover48 Wrote:  What was the biggest airfit kit you tackled?

I had a go at the HMS Victory. Couldn't get the hang of the rigging and the sails which you had to cut out of a plastic sheet.

^I think that must have been about the biggest Airfix ever did

The afore-mentioned B52 Bomber(Flying Fortress) was the biggest I ever tackled with my Dad's help but most of the models I built were smaller and easier to paint and glue and later I also used a craft knife to cut the pieces out more accurately rather than break them off and risk losing something as it envariably would ping into the air and onto the floor. You needed a lot of patience back then, not as many distractions as you get today. James May did a good Toy Stories programme getting some kids to make models including girls, like tanks for a stop-motion war film they would make but many of them didn't want to blow them up.