BMC Toys founder passes away

Bill McMaster

"William McMaster, III, age 60, died Monday, December 29, 2014, at his home. He was the son of Estelle (Drab) McMaster and the late William McMaster, Jr. Bill was raised in Fairfield and raised his son in Wantage, NJ, before returning to care for his mother in Stratford three years ago. He was employed as a buyer for Toys R Us prior to becoming an entrepreneur: starting BMC Toys and JMM International, and running The Country Mugger. Bill was a longtime Green Bay Packers fan and will be remembered as a loving and devoted family man. In addition to his mother, Estelle, he is also survived by his brother Robert McMaster, his son, James Matthew McMaster, as well as a his longtime close friend, Tess Alavata, and several nephews and nieces. Bill was also predeceased by his brother Ronald McMaster and several aunts and uncles."

Source: ctpost.com

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Bubble gum and fire engines

Blog reader bordewalker recently sent us several pictures that he took of the Manaplas SA cargo trucks, along with a platoon of new TimMee Pink "bubble gum" GIs. He describes the trucks as being hot neon pink that ended up looking like the fire engine red version in the pics. The Venezuelan counterpart comes in a wide variety of colors including the aforementioned pink and red, along with butterscotch, baby blue and a few color combinations. You can check out a review of the Manaplas SA cargo truck here.

Hybrid self-propelled anti-aircraft gun

I recently discovered several Patton tanks tucked away in a box that I had modified years ago. It's basically the tank hull sporting an anti-aircraft turret taken from God knows what (and is somewhat reminiscent of the M42 Duster). Maybe someone out there recognizes the turret and can fill us in.

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UPDATE - December 12th at 9:32 AM: Found a pic of what may be the turret used...

Battle Mountain Playset

Battle Mountain Playset

"The American Toy Soldier Playset is back! The TimMee Tan vs. Green 'Battle Mountain' includes 50 olive green and 74 tan 'plastic army guys', a tall mountain, a tan rescue chopper, and a green armored scout vehicle. All pieces are proudly manufactured in the United States from HDPE plastic with medium detail and just a little flashing. There are 12 different figures and all your old favorites are here, including the minesweeper, bazooka man, radio operator, 60mm mortar, machine gunner, kneeling rifleman, flame thrower, crawling rifleman, prone rifleman, bayonet fighter, and officer with binoculars and handgun. Figures stand up to 2.1 inches tall (54mm). The Mountain features plenty of cliffs, ledges and even a couple of caverns. Cast in medium gray color, the Mountain measures 14 inches wide, 6 inches deep, and stands and impressive 15 inches tall. Tan has air support from a Sea King Helicopter that features spinning main and tail rotors and stationary landing wheels. The fuselage measures 13 inches long, 3.25 inches tall and 3.75 inches wide. Green's secret weapon is their Military Armored Reconnaissance Scout Vehicle, modeled after the Lockheed XM800W that features rolling wheels on metal axles and turret that rotates. Scales from 1:32 to 1:48. Playset arrives packaged in a plain box optimized for shipping directly to you. These are real toys, meant to be set up, knocked over, picked up and played with for years to come. 'Little Green Army Men' have even been inducted into the National Toy Hall of Fame. Snap-together assembly of the helicopter requires some hand strength, so adult assembly is recommended. Recommended for ages 5 to 105!"

- Jeff Imel (victoryBuy.com)

Now available for order from amazon.com