Toys you had as a kid and that you kept

The toys I still have from my childhood are the few that survived abuse from my younger brother. Most of my toys mother kept long after I moved out of her house. The things I wish she kept were my Major Matt Mason stuff:
  • Space Crawler
  • Uni-Tread (had a cool two-speed auto transmission)
  • Moon Base
  • Space Bubble
Oh man, you just brought back memories...I had completely forgotten about these. My favorite toys at one point! Thanks.

Wasn't there some kind of space suit w/ flexible bellows for the joints??? Next painful concall and I am turning video off and surfing this!
 
A couple I saved. A Wilson football helmet. A hot wheels charger , they had a few electric cars that would run 10 seconds or so, don't have the cars.
A structo cement mixer, trough broke off, most that I have seen also are missing this. Motor still roars when you push it and the drum turns also.
A structo tow truck, the front wheels turn as you press on the cab.
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I love the helmet. We sure grew up different from kids today. Small town I was in we had it almost identical to that movie The Sandlot!
We had enough kids who all had piece meal football helmets and shoulder pads. We would not even plan it but in the fall on Saturdays a gang of us would all show up at the local school football field or some empty lots and assemble two teams. We would play until near dark and only stopped when we could no longer see the football it was so dark. Of course our moms would skin us for being gone all day long. But the very next days off school it all happened again. Same thing would occur in summer time at an old abandoned baseball diamond. Baseball all summer.
I passed by that place last week and it is all over grown with 8ft tall weeds / rusted falling fence and backstop. You cant even tell it was once a
kids wonder land unless you look really good. An oil company took over that whole neighborhood and the diamond was in a corner next to a railroad track and a tank farm so they just fenced it off , dont need it now (no trespassing) and dont even care its there.
 
I had the Corgi Batmobile, and Bat boat on a trailer, and also a Corgi Jaguar....wonder if they're in a landfill today, or, someone actually has it, as my mom always threw these things away thinking they are worthless and take up space...lol
I also had the Corgi Batmobile, the Corgi James Bond Aston Martin, the Corgi 007 Lotus submarine car, the Corgi Little Nellie, and the Kojak Buick with Kojak figurine.
 
I love the helmet. We sure grew up different from kids today. Small town I was in we had it almost identical to that movie The Sandlot!
We had enough kids who all had piece meal football helmets and shoulder pads. We would not even plan it but in the fall on Saturdays a gang of us would all show up at the local school football field or some empty lots and assemble two teams. We would play until near dark and only stopped when we could no longer see the football it was so dark. Of course our moms would skin us for being gone all day long. But the very next days off school it all happened again. Same thing would occur in summer time at an old abandoned baseball diamond. Baseball all summer.
I passed by that place last week and it is all over grown with 8ft tall weeds / rusted falling fence and backstop. You cant even tell it was once a
kids wonder land unless you look really good. An oil company took over that whole neighborhood and the diamond was in a corner next to a railroad track and a tank farm so they just fenced it off , dont need it now (no trespassing) and dont even care its there.
Wish i had the chin strap, lost it as a kid.
 
When my son was about 9 years old we took him to Tahoe and taught him skiing. Besides having a blast in the snow he was extremely impressed with the large snow plows that were clearing the roads in the mountains. When we got back from our trip he wanted a snow plow toy. He was very specific about what he wanted and we decided to make this a weekend project. After some brainstorming, he decided it had to be a large dump truck with a removable (!) snow plow and a functioning sand/salt spreader. I figured if a 9-year-old could come up with it a 35-year-old should be able to help him build it. I scavenged parts I had left from when I was a kid. A King size Matchbox Lesney Scammel dump truck with a broken chassis and a Siku Faun Snow plow, also about 150 scale, were chosen for parts.

The Siku Faun truck was the donor for the plow and the plow attachment. The frame of the Lesney Scammel needed to be mended with epoxy and powdered zinc as it was broken in half. I believe we used some thin pieces of steel as reinforcement. The plow attachment of the Faun truck was grafted onto the Scammel's front end. I used M2 threaded brass rods to make studs and M2 brass nuts I had left over from my mode-building days 20 years earlier. The chassis was modified for increased ground clearance because the plow mount would have dragged on the ground.

The sand/salt spreader was scratch-built from styrene. The spreader attachment can slide slides back and forward in the truck bed and thus the dispensing slot is adjustable from 0 to about 5mm, allowing a controlled release of sand/salt. The spreader dispenses sand/salt as soon as the bed is tipped.

While I drilled the required holes and cut the hardware to size, my son did most of the assembly and most of the paint job. He wanted the truck to look old and used, all weathered and grimy looking. Since we had been building military model kits for a few years at the time, he knew weathering techniques, how to drybrush, how to do washes, and how to use powdered pastel chalk.

A few details were made and fitted: extra headlights on the top of the cabin and plow, mirrors, the broken hitch was replaced, and a few decals were added to the spreader unit.

I found these pictures online and they show the kind of toy trucks we used: Siku V337 (Faun Snow Plow) and Matchbox K-19 (Scammel Tipper)


Sadly, I did not document the project when we were building it. Here is the finished project in its current state 12 years later. The model is 7 inches long with the plow attached and 5 inches without it. I don't remember why there's an etched metal grille instead of the original plastic grille but probably the plastic grille was missing and I had a suitable photoetched metal part. I'm very sorry but I could not find any snow!


The sand/salt spreader unit that we made. The decals were printed on a color laser printer on waterslide decal paper and sealed with clearcoat.


The plow can be elevated and lowered.


The plow can be detached. This was a requirement. The plow locks in place and won't fall off even if the vehicle is turned upside down.


Spreading


Adjustable dispensing slot


From left to right the arrows point at
- a brass replacement shaft and brass nuts and washers that were installed because the original part was worn, resulting in a loose plow
- stud and nut holding the snow plow attachment in place
- two studs, washers, and nuts that hold the bottomn plate on.


I know this Matchbox wheel loader was used to load sand onto the bed of the dump truck. The wheel loader has a few mods, too. :)
 
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When my son was about 9 years old we took him to Tahoe and taught him skiing. Besides having a blast in the snow he was extremely impressed with the large snow plows that were clearing the roads in the mountains. When we got back from our trip he wanted a snow plow toy. He was very specific about what he wanted and we decided to make this a weekend project. After some brainstorming, he decided it had to be a large dump truck with a removable (!) snow plow and a functioning sand/salt spreader. I figured if a 9-year-old could come up with it a 35-year-old should be able to help him build it. I scavenged parts I had left from when I was a kid. A King size Matchbox Lesney Scammel dump truck with a broken chassis and a Siku Faun Snow plow, also about 150 scale, were chosen for parts.

The Siku Faun truck was the donor for the plow and the plow attachment. The frame of the Lesney Scammel needed to be mended with epoxy and powdered zinc as it was broken in half. I believe we used some thin pieces of steel as reinforcement. The plow attachment of the Faun truck was grafted onto the Scammel's front end. I used M2 threaded brass rods to make studs and M2 brass nuts I had left over from my mode-building days 20 years earlier. The chassis was modified for increased ground clearance because the plow mount would have dragged on the ground.

The sand/salt spreader was scratch-built from styrene. The spreader attachment can slide slides back and forward in the truck bed and thus the dispensing slot is adjustable from 0 to about 5mm, allowing a controlled release of sand/salt. The spreader dispenses sand/salt as soon as the bed is tipped.

While I drilled the required holes and cut the hardware to size, my son did most of the assembly and most of the paint job. He wanted the truck to look old and used, all weathered and grimy looking. Since we had been building military model kits for a few years at the time, he knew weathering techniques, how to drybrush, how to do washes, and how to use powdered pastel chalk.

A few details were made and fitted: extra headlights on the top of the cabin and plow, mirrors, the broken hitch was replaced, and a few decals were added to the spreader unit.

I found these pictures online and they show the kind of toy trucks we used: Siku V337 (Faun Snow Plow) and Matchbox K-19 (Scammel Tipper)


Sadly, I did not document the project when we were building it. Here is the finished project in its current state 12 years later. The model is 7 inches long with the plow attached and 5 inches without it. I don't remember why there's an etched metal grille instead of the original plastic grille but probably the plastic grille was missing and I had a suitable photoetched metal part. I'm very sorry but I could not find any snow!


The sand/salt spreader unit that we made. The decals were printed on a color laser printer on waterslide decal paper and sealed with clearcoat.


The plow can be elevated and lowered.


The plow can be detached. This was a requirement. The plow locks in place and won't fall off even if the vehicle is turned upside down.


Spreading


Adjustable dispensing slot


From left to right the arrows point at
- a brass replacement shaft and brass nuts and washers that were installed because the original part was worn, resulting in a loose plow
- stud and nut holding the snow plow attachment in place
- two studs, washers, and nuts that hold the bottomn plate on.


I know this Matchbox wheel loader was used to load sand onto the bed of the dump truck. The wheel loader has a few mods, too. :)
You guys did a fantastic job there. I mean from what I have seen in some places. Some vintage (realize they are not real old) toy collectors or even some Old Toy museums would drive you crazy trying to purchase those off of you. Great job.
 
You guys did a fantastic job there. I mean from what I have seen in some places. Some vintage (realize they are not real old) toy collectors or even some Old Toy museums would drive you crazy trying to purchase those off of you. Great job.
I don't know. I would think they'd prefer unmodified and in original condition. These projects were always great fun, whether it was building model kits, kitbashing, or scratch-building something. As a young teen, I wanted to become a professional model builder but my interests changed overnight. I saw the same thing happening with my son. Past age 15 he lost interest in model building. I understand that old-school hobbies like model building and model railroading have fallen out of favor with the kids. Any kid who had a computer in the late '80s was considered a 🐱 by his peers. Now we are all 🐱s. 🤣
 
I didnt keep this,
My dad did.
 

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I don't know. I would think they'd prefer unmodified and in original condition. These projects were always great fun, whether it was building model kits, kitbashing, or scratch-building something. As a young teen, I wanted to become a professional model builder but my interests changed overnight. I saw the same thing happening with my son. Past age 15 he lost interest in model building. I understand that old-school hobbies like model building and model railroading have fallen out of favor with the kids. Any kid who had a computer in the late '80s was considered a 🐱 by his peers. Now we are all 🐱s. 🤣
Sure - collectors (I used to collect cars) always want/prefer "original equipment & the best original condition they can find." Lots of collectors know how rare some things are and will take what is know as clones when the real thing is not available. They pay almost nothing compared to the prices that real NOS goes for. I realize money or selling had nothing to do with your father / son project. It is just that you guys did such an amazing job (even faked patina!) they could fool some at a distance.
About lost interests.... I see it all over the place today and I feel bad for young folks. There is so much / too much maybe out there for entertainment and to keep their faces buried in cell phones, Ipads, video games and on and on.... Before long I am expecting colleges and major pro sports to start having issues filling their rosters. Even NASCAR is struggling to put as many people in the stands as they once did. Up until the 1990s decline of ticket buying public started and goes on still in many LIVE spectator sports. Insane prices dont help.
Just so happened the computers and high tech gadgets started to pop up every place in those 1990s. No kids today care to play football / baseball / basketball etc.... outside in the heat when they can be in the air conditioned house on social media or video games all day. There are entire age groups who have not even been alive without the luxury of this run amok new tech world we are in today. I HATE it
and knew it was going to change the entire world - some good and some bad when it started.
 
Sure - collectors (I used to collect cars) always want/prefer "original equipment & the best original condition they can find." Lots of collectors know how rare some things are and will take what is know as clones when the real thing is not available. They pay almost nothing compared to the prices that real NOS goes for. I realize money or selling had nothing to do with your father / son project. It is just that you guys did such an amazing job (even faked patina!) they could fool some at a distance.
About lost interests.... I see it all over the place today and I feel bad for young folks. There is so much / too much maybe out there for entertainment and to keep their faces buried in cell phones, Ipads, video games and on and on.... Before long I am expecting colleges and major pro sports to start having issues filling their rosters. Even NASCAR is struggling to put as many people in the stands as they once did. Up until the 1990s decline of ticket buying public started and goes on still in many LIVE spectator sports. Insane prices dont help.
Just so happened the computers and high tech gadgets started to pop up every place in those 1990s. No kids today care to play football / baseball / basketball etc.... outside in the heat when they can be in the air conditioned house on social media or video games all day. There are entire age groups who have not even been alive without the luxury of this run amok new tech world we are in today. I HATE it
and knew it was going to change the entire world - some good and some bad when it started.
I hear you. I feel very lucky to have grown up before computers became the great distraction and I managed to raise my kid without him becoming a couch potato. He got his own computer when he was 10 but because he was interested and involved in so many other activities the computer didn't become the focus of his interests. I know he has friends, all in their very early twenties, who either can't or won't drive. How sad is that?
 
My Estwing hatchet. Still use it. And they still make the same model! I did get a new sheath for it last year.


iu
Did you grow up in a rough neighborhood? What games did you play? Whack me if you can? :ROFLMAO:
 
From the age of 4, I really enjoyed firetrucks and I had a big hook and ladder metal truck that was nearly 2-feet long. Not sure whatever happened to it but my parents replaced it with a smaller plastic pumper style. We moved away from Louisiana into Cherry Point, North Carolina, and I ended up smashing the little toy truck when my dad told me, my grandpa passed away. That was the last of my fire truck toys. Ironically, after my first tour in the Army, I landed a job with the fire department. To this very day, I love watching YouTube videos of fire departments battling fires. Heck, I know every model of every make and what size and style pumps they have, the GPM ratings and all the differences between a quint and a truck. Dang, I miss those days! 🥹
 
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I hear you. I feel very lucky to have grown up before computers became the great distraction and I managed to raise my kid without him becoming a couch potato. He got his own computer when he was 10 but because he was interested and involved in so many other activities the computer didn't become the focus of his interests. I know he has friends, all in their very early twenties, who either can't or won't drive. How sad is that?
We lucked out too. Two sons who actually went to & completed college and did not let the computers and all that tech stuff suck their brains out or attentions spans like is happening to lots of kids + some young adults. Just like anything else - moderation needed. Two of the grandkids are here today and my 10 year old grandaughter is a challenge around that stuff. She actually is on the sofa now with her head in her grandmothers Ipad playing games BUT we limit the time. She is too funny. She will pick it up and when she sees me looking she will sigh and say "I need some down time. Paw I need to relax!" LOL Her dad and her grandmother are teachers so they wont let them go over board like some kids.
 
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We were poor hahahaha

I kept a decent amount of Pez dispensers and Hot Wheels still in original packaging
I did the same thing as a teen to earn pocket money. Me and a friend down the street would cut trees and hand/axe split and then sell as fire wood. We worked our tails off doing that and I see today there is no end to the cheap and neat / easy use log splitters we did not have access to back then.
 
I did the same thing as a teen to earn pocket money. Me and a friend down the street would cut trees and hand/axe split and then sell as fire wood. We worked our tails off doing that and I see today there is no end to the cheap and neat / easy use log splitters we did not have access to back then.
Been splitting two large downed cottonwood trees by hand. At 65 a real workout. 5 rounds left. Only for our fire pit!
 
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