Out Of Sight Collection

We all have out of sight storage and last Thursday me and a friend (Hello Seth) built this shelf for the specific reason of me getting easy access to part of the magazine collection that is still in boxes. In this case WWII & publications about history. Still sorting it out but it is nice to have it. On top of this shelf you can actually see the original box from Heller that once held the Stuka model that I blogged about on July 28. That is how big a 1:24 box is. I think it looks good with the magazines. Not a lot of people will ever see this, but I want my collections available to me finally and now I can make that happen.

(My shot of said space)

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2013

Collecting Babymetal (in the same way that I have always collected some of the classic bands from the 1970s and 1980s) is a lot of fun. Got this Japanese publication delivered a few days ago and I think it took about three or four months for the package to make it from Japan (Covid issues I guess). The magazine is called Big One Girls and this is issue 17 (published back in 2013). It is a typical Japanese Idol publication with a cover on the back as well as a cover on the front. What you see is the back cover with four members of Sakura Gakuin, the Idol group that spawned Babymetal almost a decade ago now. At this point, Suzuka Nakamoto (Su-metal) had already graduated (and was now a full blown Babymetal member), but Moa Kikuchi (Moametal) and Yui Mizuno (Yuimetal) was still in Sakura Gakuin as well and you can see them on this cover. 11 pages including a Babymetal live review spread about the Legend 1999 show (that would later be coupled with the Legend 1997 show for a concert DVD), plus a three page story on another girl (Airi Matsui) from this Idol group that had already departed at this point. This is the first Sakura Gakuin magazine cover and article I have secured for the collection. Bit like finding a magazine with The Artwoods, Trapeze or Zephyr on the cover with great historical content if you are a Deep Purple collector.

The Babymetal in-store poster on the wall is from the same period. Babymetal had just gone from being a subunit in Sakura Gakuin to a signed group in their own right.

(My shot of said publication – Thank you Kalle for securing this magazine)

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Old School Magazines & Comics (32)

The romantic comic book scene was pretty huge back in the day in Sweden. Here we have Eva och jag issue 2 1964 and Romans 13 1972. The scene was finally put to rest in 2008 when the longest serving title, Starlet, was laid to rest (it had been going since 1966). These publications often included pictures of pop idols and movie stars on the back.

(My shot of said comic books)

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Ace Of Aces

Got these as a delayed birthday gift the other day, six cans of Ace Of Aces American Lager with a rather nice (and collectable, if you ask me) motif. The aircraft you see is an American Lockheed P-38 Lightning and the pilot that flew it was Richard Ira Bong, the first child of nine of Carl Bång, an immigrant from Sweden and Dora Bryce, who was an American by Scots-English descent. Richard, nicknamed Dick by his friends, shot down over 40 Japanese aircraft in the Pacific Theater during WWII and became one of the most decorated pilots of the war. He received the Medal of Honor by General Douglas MacArthur in a special ceremony in December 1944. Sadly, Bong passed away in 1945 as he was working as a test pilot flying a new Jet Fighter, the P-80. News of America dropping the first atom bomb on Japan reached the press at the same time but Bong could still be seen on many front pages alongside that historic story. His father was born in Galtström (Bruk) in Sweden.

Thank you Seth for the nice present.

(My shot of said cans)

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Mega Slide It In Poster

I have a bunch of old posters in storage and I have begun to investigate just what it is that I have. I had totally forgotten about this massive Whitesnake “Slite It In” in-store poster from 1984. I have decided to save this one for posterity, it deserves to be on full display. Nice little project.

To be continued…

(My shot of said poster)

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Talk Of The Day (Babymetal, Purple, Leaves´Eyes, Atomic Bitchwax)

BABYMETAL

Singer Corey Taylor (Slipknot, Stone Sour) has a new video out for a song called “CMFT Must Be Stopped”. It features several high profile people in little cameos (including Rob Halford and Marilyn Manson), and Su-metal and Moametal of Babymetal are in it too. For a band that has yet to be accepted by certain rock & metal publications, Babymetal sure has some good friends out there. The editors that exclude Babymetal are just unbelievably set in their ways. Well Babymetal have friends in high places and it is pretty cool that they are an underground thing, rising with the support of the people (and more than a fair share of fellow artists).

DEEP PURPLE

In 10 days we have the new Deep Purple album “Whoosh!” and the hype is huge. At least in Europe. The magazine covers keeps on coming. I guess they have many fans who are in charge of these publications, but they have also produced some really good music with the current lineup (that has been going now since 2001). They have always been a working band and every now and then what they do hits a nerve and I think we may be looking at that right now. It feels good that they are in high demand.

LEAVES´EYES

Leaves´Eyes will have a new album out called “The Last Viking” on October 23. Really looking forward to that.

ATOMIC BITCHWAX

You have got to love a band with a name like this. Formed in 1992 they did not release music until 1999 but they have seven albums out now and number eight will see official release on August 8 (thus competing with Deep Purple – hey, why not buy both?). There has been a few member changes over the years and two of the guys in the current band has been in Monster Magnet. The new record “Scorpio” has a pretty decent cover too.

(My shot of Purple ad in Sweden Rock Magazine 7 2020, plus screenshot of Babymetal from the Corey Taylor video)

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Got To Love Agnetha

Bought the new issue of Swedish crossword publication Krysset Special (3 2020). Nice Agnetha Fältskog cover from the ABBA days. Every now and then she pops up on a magazine cover. Pencil included, so this is obviously a holiday friendly issue for people on the move. Cover shot by Sjöberg Bild.

Bravo.

(My shot of said publication)

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Piracy For King And Empire

State sanctioned piracy. Everybody was at it, especially when the stakes were high. And in the early 1700s Sweden had enemies hell bent on the destruction of The Swedish Empire. Lars Gathenhielm was hand-picked by the Swedish King to raise hell and that he did. And when he died, his wife took over and continued the tradition as tragedy descended over the land. Sounds good? You better believe it. Movies could be made from this stuff. But at least we have a book, “Lasse i Gatan” (Historiska Media, 2006) by author Lars Ericson Wolke.

Exciting stuff.

(My shot of said book)

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Junkers Ju 87B Stuka Exhibition

Built this Junkers Ju 87B Stuka from Heller in 1:24 30 years ago and it has survived two major moves. It never really had a place to be seen though but I spotted the perfect table for it recently and now it sits nicely as an exhibition of sorts in the biggest room in the house. It is pretty detailed and I built it so that you can see the engine on one side etc. Biggest project I ever took on.

If you have got it, flaunt it.

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Signed Rick Wakeman Album

Picked up this album today and boy did I have a surprise coming. What you see here is the Rick Wakeman (& The English Rock Ensemble) “The Red Planet” Limited Edition (1,000 copies, numbered – I got number 454) Double LP in Red Vinyl. And it was signed by Rick Wakeman! That I did not expect. Did not see that coming. Made my day though.

I had noticed on YouTube that this edition was coming out, and as a Vinyl buff I just loved the Pop Up Gatefold Sleeve. Had to have this one. A lot of thought has gone into this presentation, including a wonderful and very detailed booklet with loads of NASA images etc. I am now ordering the CD/DVD version.

Good day.

(My shots of said release)

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