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What was your Favorite Holiday Gift as a youngster?

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  • Member since
    July 2014
  • From: Franklin Wi
Posted by Bakster on Monday, December 17, 2018 2:18 PM

Nino
Dangerous toys. Absolutely. The best!

Remember water rockets where you added water and compressed it with air using a air pump? That was a cool toy. One day I had the bright idea to aim the rocket like I was aiming a gun. Lol. Needless to say... a blast of water in the face.

  • Member since
    January 2013
Posted by BlackSheepTwoOneFour on Monday, December 17, 2018 7:08 PM

Bakster

 

 
Nino
Dangerous toys. Absolutely. The best!

 

Remember water rockets where you added water and compressed it with air using a air pump? That was a cool toy. One day I had the bright idea to aim the rocket like I was aiming a gun. Lol. Needless to say... a blast of water in the face.

 

 

Oh yeah I do!! Loads of fun those were. My other favorite Christmas present was the old stand-by GI Joe ACTION FIGURES (They're not dolls, mind you!!) I had the regular grip, Kung Fu grip and the one with the glass eye and arm that twirls let's not forget the Six Million Dollar Man action figure and the BigFoot that also was part of that series.

  • Member since
    May 2013
  • From: Indiana, USA
Posted by Greg on Monday, December 17, 2018 8:14 PM

gregbale
And nowdays, people order the same thing from Amazon, and think it's a great deal! Wink

Good point, Greg!

Bill, man oh man does that Flexible Flyer insignia bring back forgotten memories. I think it's funny, ingenious, and wacky all at the same time that they sold those with wheels in warm climates.

Goldhammer, guess our dad's had similar senses of humor. Yes

Stevie, I still use it on turkey. White meat only. One Thanksgiving, my older sister refused to let me put the ketchup bottle on the holiday table at her house.

  • Member since
    April 2015
Posted by Mopar Madness on Monday, December 17, 2018 8:26 PM

In 1985 I got Megatron and Jetfire for Christmas. That was the pinnacle for me. Boy oh boy, wish I’d kept them in the box so I could sell them today! I could buy a decent used car for my kids. 

Chad

God, Family, Models...

At the plate: 1/48 Airfix Bf109 & 1/35 Tamiya Famo

On deck: Who knows!

  • Member since
    July 2014
  • From: Franklin Wi
Posted by Bakster on Monday, December 17, 2018 10:38 PM

Greg
Stevie, I still use it on turkey. White meat only. One Thanksgiving, my older sister refused to let me put the

On turkey? You definitely beat me out there.

Yes

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Rain USA, Vancouver WA
Posted by tigerman on Monday, December 17, 2018 11:38 PM

modelmaker66

When I was no more that 4-5 in 1970 I got a metal corgi Batmobile maybe 8 inches and had plastic fire that went in and out of the exaust when you rolled it. So great!

 

I had that, but think it was much smaller. I also had a corgi Astin (james Bond in Goldfinger I think), A few other Corgis.

I too was a huge matchbox car fan as well as Hotwheels. One of my favorite gifts was a matchbox city fold-out playsets. It was a mini-city with a hospital, fire-station and other buildingsfor my cars. I had quite a few of them.

   http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y269/wing_nut_5o/PANZERJAGERGB.jpg

 Eric 

  • Member since
    July 2008
Posted by Est.1961 on Tuesday, December 18, 2018 8:41 AM

I remember those Eric, I had the Chitty Chitty bang bang and two vehicles from the UFO TV series that were favourites. My enduring memory from a bit earlier in the sixties was a large yellow clock work quary dumper truck with big rubber wheels.

Joe

  • Member since
    May 2013
  • From: Indiana, USA
Posted by Greg on Tuesday, December 18, 2018 1:34 PM

tigerman
I also had a corgi Astin (james Bond in Goldfinger I think), A few other Corgis.

The Corgi James Bond Aston Martin was an all time favorite. I still have mine, and a couple years back when I saw Hornby (yep, the Airfix folk) released a 50th anniversary special edition, I couldn't resist.

Thanks for the memories of all these neat Christmas gifts, fellas. Fun thread, this.

  • Member since
    January 2013
Posted by BlackSheepTwoOneFour on Tuesday, December 18, 2018 8:30 PM

I remember one year (mid to late 70s) I was excited to get a model kit for Christmas - Monogram 1/72 B-52 Stratofortress. That kit was massive once assembled.

  • Member since
    September 2012
Posted by GMorrison on Tuesday, December 18, 2018 9:35 PM

Never had that one but it's cool. Came with two little guys to eject, I think.

 Modeling is an excuse to buy books.

 

  • Member since
    November 2003
  • From: Naples, FL
Posted by tempestjohnny on Friday, December 21, 2018 5:01 AM
I remember in the late 70's getting the Star Wars Death Star playset with foam blocks for the garbage compactor. I was definitely a Star Wars freak as a kid. Had quite a few of the sets. Just sold my figures and Darth Vader case a few months ago. But one Xmas that is firmly model related was right after Fujimi released their F-4 series. My dad knew I was drooling over these new kits. He was always like a kid at Xmas. He ended up buying me 7 of them. One of the most memorable unwrappings I've ever had.

 

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: Twin Cities of Minnesota
Posted by Don Stauffer on Friday, December 21, 2018 9:02 AM

I think I was in eighth grade, and mostly into flying models, when I got a big U-control model, a Carl Goldberg Nifty, and an OK 29 to go with it!

 

Don Stauffer in Minnesota

  • Member since
    November 2008
  • From: Central Florida
Posted by plasticjunkie on Friday, December 21, 2018 11:33 AM

Don Stauffer

I think I was in eighth grade, and mostly into flying models, when I got a big U-control model, a Carl Goldberg Nifty, and an OK 29 to go with it!

 

 

Wow haven’t heard about Goldberg kits for a long time. I had the Tiger .20 that I crashed many moons ago. I still have my .40 Goldberg Cub that I recovered for a 3rd time with Monokote and is powered  by a Saito .40 4 cycle. It’s a sweet flying Cub.

 GIFMaker.org_jy_Ayj_O

 

 

Too many models to build, not enough time in a lifetime!!

  • Member since
    May 2013
  • From: Indiana, USA
Posted by Greg on Friday, December 21, 2018 11:59 AM

Sure did. I stumbled upon this article about the Corgi James Bond Aston Martin by James May (one of the Top Gear guys).

It's a fun read for Corgi fans, and he mentions that everyone he ever talked to has long ago lost the little ejection man. I lost mine, one of the reasons I bought the anniversary edition.

  • Member since
    September 2004
  • From: Denver
Posted by tankboy51 on Friday, December 21, 2018 3:46 PM

It was in 1969 back when I getting ready for college when I was given an electric typewriter.  Boy, did it get used!  I can't remember how much ribbon I used up that that Smith-corona,  I still have it.  I can't give it away now. I'll start a museum. I did get lot of models and other neat things then and sleds and bikes.  But one thing that really came in handy was that typwriter.

  • Member since
    March 2003
  • From: Rain USA, Vancouver WA
Posted by tigerman on Saturday, December 22, 2018 2:00 AM

I stand corrected. After some surfing on ebay, I owned the "You Only Live Twice" Toyota James Bond car. Very few and no originals on ebay that i saw.

   http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y269/wing_nut_5o/PANZERJAGERGB.jpg

 Eric 

  • Member since
    April 2018
  • From: Australia
Posted by Panzer Joe on Saturday, December 22, 2018 2:54 AM

 I remember I was pretty excited with my first mountain bike.

  • Member since
    November 2009
  • From: SW Virginia
Posted by Gamera on Sunday, December 23, 2018 1:28 PM

Well favorite was probably either my ColecoVision or Commodore 64.

Modeling wise I found this at a nearby IPMS show a few years ago- the same kit as I found under the tree back in the day! It's copyrighted 1979 so I'm guessing I got the original back around '79 or '80. One of the few things I hadn't asked for (we used to circle what we wanted in the Sears catalog) but was a very pleasant surprise!

Gotta love the 'electronic', it's electrical but there are no electronic parts.

You got a small cheap electric motor for the prop, a few grain of wheat light bulbs to light the cockpit, the top navigational light, and the wing guns (press a button to get a red light-up tracer effect)! And the weird circuit diagram thingee printed on flexible plastic instead of wires.

Gee friggin' whiz the thing flew all over our house and lawn, seemed there were Japanese everywhere that had to be shot up!!! I even built a spinning platform out of my Erector set with the P-40 on one arm and a counterbalance weight on the other, the prop created enough thrust to spin the whole thing around and around.

I want to go back and built this, just haven't gotten around to it yet. Figure I'll replace the light bulbs with LEDs, they're more reliable and burn cooler. And chuck the circuit thingee and just wire everything up. Debating on replacing the stickers with real decals - it's in a wierd 1/40th scale but I think 1/32nd should work. Just wondering if I should leave the seams and stuff like I would have as an eight year old or try to paint and finish her like I'd do today.

"I dream in fire but work in clay." -Arthur Machen

 

  • Member since
    January 2013
Posted by BlackSheepTwoOneFour on Sunday, December 23, 2018 2:33 PM

Another favorite on Christmas was I got a huge PT-109 kit that included a motor for the propellers. You can float this Navy boat in your pool. I’m not sure the scale or kit brand but I do know it was at least 3 feet long. Incliuded were figures, one of them manning the machine guns in the rear.

It took me quite awhile to get it together.

  • Member since
    November 2008
  • From: Central Florida
Posted by plasticjunkie on Sunday, December 23, 2018 5:07 PM

BlackSheepTwoOneFour

Another favorite on Christmas was I got a huge PT-109 kit that included a motor for the propellers. You can float this Navy boat in your pool. I’m not sure the scale or kit brand but I do know it was at least 3 feet long. Incliuded were figures, one of them manning the machine guns in the rear.

It took me quite awhile to get it together.

 

Was it the Lindberg 109?

 GIFMaker.org_jy_Ayj_O

 

 

Too many models to build, not enough time in a lifetime!!

  • Member since
    July 2008
  • From: Vancouver, the "wet coast"
Posted by castelnuovo on Monday, December 24, 2018 12:00 AM

I think I was 13 or 14 when my dad gave me a Russian Vostok wrist watch. It was all metal, bombproof, no, it was nuclear bomb proof and looked super cool.

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