One of the blogs I follow is '28mm Victorian Warfare' and this gentleman has just written about his latest project to produce a model of the steam truck, complete with dinosaur skeleton, from the Disney film 'One Of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing', starring Helen Hayes, Derek Nimmo and Peter Ustinov. This was one of my, and my children's, favourite movies; more especially as I had read the original book by David Forrest. Called 'The Great Dinosaur Robbery' it was published in 1970, and apart from the basic premise the film was completely different.
First of all,, the poor British spy only lasts up to page 13 because of a drastic accident with his cyanide pill outside the American Museum of Natural History, there is a most individual team of detectives from the American counter espionage service investigating the robbery, the nannies 'get naked' during the robbery (for the best of reasons) leaving some very unusual clues, while the actual plot McGuffin has to do with Chairman Mao's plan for 'The Great Leap Downward' to destroy Western civilisation.
This was the author's second book. His first, ' And To My Nephew Albert I Leave The Island What I Won Of Fatty Hagan In A Poker Game, and is a Cold War farce involving a little island only 75 yards wide and 150 long off the coast of England. Unfortunately a Russian fishing trawler/spy ship runs aground. The American Marines arrive, the island is divided, then the fun starts. Fraternisation begins, the various groups mix (there's a piece where one of the Russians is bartering in the American zone when a General arrives for a snap inspection.
A good basis for a small game? The whole island would fit on a small table, and it wouldn't need many figures. Have to find some rules for barter, etc. But it would be different.
The book originally came with two dustcovers, the outer one was a standard cover with the title (taking up most of the room), while the inner one was slightly risque, having at the bottom, a photo of a young ladies 'upper body parts' acting as the island with the stars and stripes and hammer and sickle painted on. Needless to say, I have both the original jackets, and know which I prefer!
Finally, I've been having a clearout of a number of old kits recently, putting them on a well-know site with mixed success. While checking prices I came across someone selling a number of figure sets that I used to do some 20 years ago under the 'Old Hall Miniatures' banner at about £25 per set. Being offered now by this chap (who looks as though he's a trader) at £119. Such a pity the original moulds no longer exist, I could have produced a few more for my own benefit.
Apologies for the lack of pictures. I have none prepared for this entry.
