BBC America star James Mays has an interesting take on toys from his childhood ...
It’s obvious your a toy fan, you read Coolest-Toys! But if you’re not watching James Mays Toy Stories on BBC America, you’re may not be hard core. You also may not be in your 40s. But it’ll be the coolest hour you’ve spent on toys if you watch it.
Mays, the series star, is also the co-host of the enormously successful BBC series Top Gear, which explores playing with grown up toys known as cars. Fast cars. Cool cars. And what they do with them (like launch them space shuttle style).
Mays builds a full scale model kit of a Spitfire World War II Fighter in episode 6.
But Toy Stories explores Mays fascination with his own childhood as he seeks to head down memory lane and build toys with a real world spin on them. In one episode, Mays plays with Airfix Plastic Model Kits and builds a full scale version of a Spitfire fighter model kit with a gaggle of school kids.
Other episodes include Mays building a home out of Legos and living in it for a week, creating flowers out of plasticine for a garden that never dies, and laying track between two cities and running toy trains to recreate a long deceased railroad line in HO gauge, building a bridge with Erector Sets. The Six episode season has plenty of other toy surprises and can be seen on BBC America, on DVD and in Mays own book.
It’s well worth your time.