Subbuteo Nuts

MuttleyCAFC

I was communicating with an ex manager of mine earlier this week who is a Bristol City fan and has retired back there. We were both Subbuteo nuts, in all honesty, him more so that me and we used to have great chats.  He had a fantastic collection. He taught me about the Holy Grail for Subbuteo collectors - Subbuteo World of Sport which I intend to own one day. These sets are very rare and expensive now. They are in a hinged case, with Rugby, Cricket and the Football Stadium edition sets with the Jules Rimet Trophy. I do have some nice sets though - at least my son does now. I also gave him the England Home international Red, White and Blue box set with correct yellow keeper's kit and blue and red stripes on the arms. I have seen the Wales one on ebay and am very tempted.

I recall getting my first set and getting the Stadium edition in the 70s. This was a thing of three tiered beauty. I remember getting the heavyweight Brazil and went to sleep with the open box next to my pillow! We used to have Subbuteo leagues at school at lunch times and after school. We had two divisions and a cup. It was brilliant and competitive with a few punch ups. I recall my best mate equalising late and costing me promotion. He was celebrating too much and I lost it. I also remember him playing a match at lunchtime, stepping backwards to view a free kick and stepping on the radiator valve causing water to gush out and flooding the school.  

Any other Subbuteo nuts here? In this FIFA generation, it is sad that youngsters won't experience the joys of the game.

 

AFKABartram

Great post Mutts.

used to love my subbuteo and my dad pinned the pitch down onto a big sheet of mdf. Always dreamed of building a stadium around it but not to be.

Remember they used to have leagues running from Crook Log Leisure Centre

Pringle

My mate had the green stands which looked like they were from the old Twickenham, the floodlight pylons and astroturf pitch. 

I was more of a Tomy Super Cup lad. 

MuttleyCAFC

Subbuteo World of Sport - originally under £80, now worth over £1,000. Is there anything more erotic?

Sillybilly

Must be worth a promote! 

 I was a subbuteo nut as a kid. Played it properly with my mates but also spent a lot of time playing it on my own and being a commentator (it was a seven year olds version of wanking before I discovered the real thing!). I used to make massive grandstands from Lego and put cotton wool on the pitch to simulate snow. I had the floodlights and all the paraphernalia. I remember the team kit list when there were about 50 possibilities. My local newsagent used to stock them. 50p a team. Red shirts and white shorts would be about 100 teams from round the world before real kits began to get complicated. I remember when they produced the England 1975 admiral kit with the blue and red stripes onthe sleeve and started putting black players in. I had the cricket too but it wasn’t quite so much fun. The rugby was just plain daft    Happy days. Wish I’d kept it all. 

A mention too for Striker where you pushed the players head down to kick the ball. 

Leroy Ambrose

OH OH OH OH

Stig

My mate used to have a Subbuteo World Cup competition whenever the real World Cup was on. Everyone had to represent one of the teams in the real competition. They were expected to dress in that country's kit (or style) and bring appropriate food and drink. I can remember one year I was representing Argentina and got into a lot of trouble with his girlfriend for letting off a firework in their flat. It was only a little one, but I thought a little South American exuberance was exactly what was needed. I think I was happiest when Jamaica was my team. As ever my Subbuteo skills were well under par, but it was great just lounging around drinking Red Stripe. 

MuttleyCAFC

I had a great Super Striker set with detailed Man Utd v Newcastle teams from the Stuart Pearson era. It was a decent game to play. I have a striker set - Blue v Red now. But Subbuteo was the best. 

I also had a set called Big League which was promoted by Martin Chivers. It contained paints and you painted the teams. The issue was if you pulled the spring action leg back too far it would fall off.

Stig

Just about the only entrepreneurial thing I've done in my life was to rush down the shops when it was reported that Hasbro was going out of business. I snaffled up all the Subbuteo I could find thinking, "This time next year, we'll be millionaires".  Then the company was saved and I was left with a load of Subbuteo stuff that no one wanted. I think the kids trashed it.  

Stig

Anybody have Bobby Charlton's Casdon soccer?

MuttleyCAFC

Do you remember Subbuteo Snooker? I always wanted a set. It was probably crap but and better in my imagination.

ForeverAddickted

Used to love Subbuteo; Just brilliant how you could get nearly all teams with some doubling for other teams

e.g. You'd be buying the Charlton | Crewe | Bristol City team

My issue was the fact that you used to have to iron the pitch before playing, I could never be bothered which made playing rather difficult

I also had another type of Football game (cant remember the name) where the players were on plinths and the ball magnetic, to pass / shoot your hit the player on the head with the palm of your hand  which would send it to the next player (also magnetic) - Was great to play but your hand did get sore after a while as the players would be the same size as subbuteo players and you'd be leaving a small dent in your palm each time

MuttleyCAFC

As AFKA mentioned, you really needed to pin it to a board.

ForeverAddickted

Never thought about doing that!! - Seems so bloody obvious now

MuttleyCAFC

A bit late now

ForeverAddickted

ForeverAddickted said:

Used to love Subbuteo; Just brilliant how you could get nearly all teams with some doubling for other teams

e.g. You'd be buying the Charlton | Crewe | Bristol City team

My issue was the fact that you used to have to iron the pitch before playing, I could never be bothered which made playing rather difficult

I also had another type of Football game (cant remember the name) where the players were on plinths and the ball magnetic, to pass / shoot your hit the player on the head with the palm of your hand  which would send it to the next player (also magnetic) - Was great to play but your hand did get sore after a while as the players would be the same size as subbuteo players and you'd be leaving a small dent in your palm each time

This was it... https://www.amazon.co.uk/PRO-ACTION-FOOTBALL/dp/B00A2N29R2

MrOneLung

AFKABartram said:

Great post Mutts.

used to love my subbuteo and my dad pinned the pitch down onto a big sheet of mdf. Always dreamed of building a stadium around it but not to be.

Remember they used to have leagues running from Crook Log Leisure Centre

Absolutely this. 

My Dad did the same, pitch kept behind the sofa Nailed to wooden board and the wooden board put on the dining table for the games. 

I had 3 stands ( no idea why didn’t buy a 4th) floodlights, fans in the stands, scoreboard, trophies, the works. 

MuttleyCAFC

I have a few of these in the loft. I bought for my son in Car Boot Sales. I couldn't pass a football game and not buy it. Also Wembley - the board game and a card game called Goal which were great to play.

ForeverAddickted

MuttleyCAFC said:

A bit late now

Never too late when the likes of Ebay exist

the side it is good for compared to your seperate thread on the subject!!

DaveMehmet

I’ve still got mine, including the pitch my dad glued to a board for me.

Loads of teams, 4 floodlights, grandstand, scoreboard, TV gantry, police sets etc.

It’s all boxed up in the attic but comes down every now and then for a boys night. 

I used to get mine from Hubble Bubble in Blackfen, they had shelves full of teams but never Charlton (ref 177).

MuttleyCAFC

Yes, I was checking through my sons sets and a couple had a few flags missing. I bought a replacement set on ebay earlier to complete the sets.

And as for  ref 177

SE7toSG3

What a great thread,

I loved Subbuteo, we had a memorable knock out cup competition one year, the final could be easily dated as we rubbed thinners on a cotton wool bud to remove the paint from an Arsenal player who we made Sammy Nelson, he had dropped his shorts the night before to the crowd and made the back pages. 

We also recorded crowd noises on a tape to add to the atmosphere, it took ages and it was only once the final got underway did we realise that there would be goal celebrations when nothing was happening and got bollocked by Andy Southwells mum for the popular terrace chant 'your gonna get your f*&&£ing head kicked in' over and over. 

Lastly, my dad was always bringing dodgy stuff home from work, one of which was the subbuteo snooker mentioned. It remains the hardest thing I have ever attempted, you had to flick the snooker geezer against a white ball, onto a colour and pot the ball, the record break was about 3 from memory. 

I also remember the adverts (though never played) subbuteo rugby with the weird scrum thing, like a giant brown rugby ball shape you dropped the ball into with 6 or 7 exits. It was a lot more fair and effective than scrums in real rugby today!

Chizz

MuttleyCAFC said:

Do you remember Subbuteo Snooker? I always wanted a set. It was probably crap but and better in my imagination.

Subbuteo Snooker? What a great idea!  I guess it must be similar to the normal version of snooker, but you would only need to have one player per side, you could play it indoors and you would play it on a stretched-out green cloth.  Whereas... oh. 

McBobbin

My mate's dad had subutteo hockey and rugby as well... Loved it. Same mate had the astropitch which was a game changer, and saved me having to iron my pitch

MuttleyCAFC

Here you go - Subbuteo Snooker

sillav nitram

Did anyone have Subbuteo Swimming?

MuttleyCAFC

You could also get the Subbuteo Streaker set (Male and Female options), and there were additional rules so you could use the streaker to stop your opponent if they were looking dangerous!

Stefco

Pringle said:

My mate had the green stands which looked like they were from the old Twickenham, the floodlight pylons and astroturf pitch. 

I was more of a Tomy Super Cup lad. 

Tomy Super Cup was the absolute mutts nutts!

One of the best Xmas presents that me & my brother got one year. 

So very addictive!

Only downside being that it sounded like an old Hoover with something caught in it.

(Plus, the interference it caused on the TV)

foresthillred

Stig said:

Anybody have Bobby Charlton's Casdon soccer?

Yes. A Christmas present that I left on the heater in our bedroom within a week of getting it. Warped it so much it was unuseable. Almighty bollocking from my dad to add to my tears of upset back in the times when presents like that just weren't replaced by our parents, who were generally on the breadline.

MuttleyCAFC

foresthillred said:

Stig said:

Anybody have Bobby Charlton's Casdon soccer?

Yes. A Christmas present that I left on the heater in our bedroom within a week of getting it. Warped it so much it was unuseable. Almighty bollocking from my dad to add to my tears of upset back in the times when presents like that just weren't replaced by our parents, who were generally on the breadline.

I feel your pain. 

MuttleyCAFC

This is a moving story

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/special-subbuteo-edition-created-honour-7271456