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Exclusive: My final ZZAP! 64

And here it is (attached below), half-and-a-bit of my final issue as Editor of ZZAP! 64. I recap why in the contents page, and give a fittingly nostalgic sign off on the last two pages. What a 2 years! Thanks for joining along the way with your pint-sized previews here!

The new adventure that awaits to replace that one is mind-blowingly huge and cool, and I cannot wait till I'm allowed to share more with you. And no, it's not the Knight Rider thingy that I'm still waiting for a producti...

Early bird: A Year of Retro Magic: Funniest & Most Tear-Jerking Nostalgic Moments

Through 2024 whenever I felt we created one of those special moments in The Retro Show, I made a note of the episode and timestamp. As we’re in a new year now it seemed the right time to share last year’s best bits with all of you. Thank you for being part of the journey last year and I hope these make you smile if not bawl like a child.

Your ad free early access: https://youtu.be/2yENQKF62iI

Coming up soon a...

BTS: Editing with Apple Vision Pro

I thought you might find it interesting to see how I have been editing whilst traveling. The truth is, I packed a cinema sized monitor and edit on a beach. Well, sort of. Here’s a video of what I see. Note cool things like the virtual monitor casting a shadow on the tiny breakfast table, and the beach fading into view. Bear in mind this is all in real 3D perspective which obviously I can’t relay in a 2D video, but it’s incredible and one purchase I’ve never regretted - all thanks to y...

Early bird: Every colour new Commodore 64 Case

While we were in Richmond, Jake from Retro Fuzion (one of your fellow supporters - hi Jake!) kindly shipped 10 of the brand new colourful C64 breadbin cases to our Airbnb! It was quite an adventure carrying these to a local meeting room where I set up like a true digital nomad, and filmed an unboxing of them all for you. Hope you like!

Edit: I should mention there’s also a bit of a different vibe for this one. It’s the first time I haven’t used music through the main body of the v...

BTS: Tandish

Here's a video of a little shop I just found on our travels through Europe.

Which reminds me, this is my local Richmond Homebase (like Home Depot) and Currys (like Best Buy). It now looks like something out of a post-apocalyptic movie.

It's sad, but the memories remain, and I'd love to explore inside it as it stands now. Someday perhaps... If the keyholder is reading this!...

Early bird: Nostalgia Lane

Join me as I revisit the key computer shops from my childhood, in my home town of Richmond, including what was Tandy, Dixons, Boots, WH Smith, and more! This was a real blast from the past for me, and I hope some of it gets you reminscing in the best possible way.

Your ad-free early access: https://youtu.be/AXY9Lkl_6Bo

This video also serves as a teaser for the next one, when I unbox pretty much the entire range ...

2UP: Saving a childhood Olivetti M10

This one is coming to you later than I'd hoped due to appallingly slow slash unusable Internet whilst travelling through the South of France (I blame Rennes-le-Chateau), but it's a doozy. Pietro Zuco is back for his 2nd 2UP Takeover, and he shares a project that looks effortless to watch and enjoy, but took so much work, as he restores his first ever computer; the Olivetti M10, and tries to save it from the Millennium Bug!

Your earlyish access: 2025-01-10 21:43:37 +0000 UTC View Post

BTS: Argos lives

Here’s a “realtime” fun moment of what happened back on 23 December after I visited the location of the original Richmond Argos…

Here’s the finished result: 🎄

(Also thank you for the messages of concern about the devastating LA fires. Our house and studio are several miles from the nearest fire and we’ve had closer calls before, but we’re keeping a close eye on things and thinking of everyone there who’s affected).

Your friend in retro, Perifractic

Composing myself

Here’s another one for you from the lost photos rediscovered. Very likely me composing Glass Out Of Stone (Amiga version is on my album Insta: Mental in your rewards). A happy Christmas indeed.

This was my first proper synth by Technics. I forget the model number. But it had brilliant orchestral hits!

It was later bought by a chap who went on to compose the theme for the tv show Go Fishing on it, and I was delighted when I heard its distinctive wind chimes playing through my T...

It’s official

Just going through some family storage and photos. Here is absolute proof of what I was back then!

Early 2UP: A Day In The Life...

Patreon Lee Volante is the next victim erm I mean participant in the ЯR 2UP Takeovers. He refers to his vid as a bit of a bargain basement version of The ЯRetro Show but personally I found it charming, interesting, cosy, and thoroughly enjoyable, and I’m sure you will too. Great job Lee, and everyone else, please enjoy!

Your PowerUp! Early Access: https://youtu.be/KI-9_GOazxU

Follow Lee’s channel: 2025-01-01 15:23:16 +0000 UTC View Post

A happy new year tune from…

HNY! 🥳🕹️

BTS: Nostalgia Lane Twickenham

Come for a supporter-only 12 minute stroll with me down nostalgia lane…

BTS: Thrifting

Update: Rather wonderfully I just figured out that this CEX store was my old local Tandy electronics store (like Radio Shack in the USA). I'm sure it's coincidence that the electronics Tandy used to sell new, are now being resold "once loved" in the exact same spot, but it's still rather nice!

Here it is in 1981 (right) in the same location, taken from outtakes from a movie that I got a license to use. Isn't nostalgia fun sometimes!

2024-12-28 22:19:43 +0000 UTC View Post

BTS: Argos (Arg-was)

Early Bird: Xmas Retro Show

Please enjoy this year's festive edition of The ЯRetro Show which will go public on Christmas Eve, but is all yours on Christmas Eve Eve!

May we wish you and yours the most wonderful, warm, cosy, nostalgic, retrotech & TV filled holiday possible, with love and appreciation for your support from Family Fractic ❣️🕹️❣️

Your ad-free early access: https://youtu.be/aB-sJ-H1hN4

Your friend in ret...

BTS: Superdog!

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a dog on a plane? And a super baby too of course!

 Happy holidays you guys!

BTS: Knight of the Repli-KITT

BTS: Commodore hotel?

I feel like these hotels are trying to tell me something…

ZZAP! 64½

As a special treat for you attached is (half of) my penultimate issue as Editor of ZZAP! 64. When I came on board it was always stated to be for two years, and we're nearly there. It's going to be so bittersweet when it ends; sweet because it happened at all! 🎉 But I have other interesting adventures to embark on after my final issue drops in Feb.

Enjoy the read, and remember you can subscribe to the full thingy 2024-12-15 18:06:12 +0000 UTC View Post

Early bird: Can you backup your childhood datacassettes?

In this 2UP Takeover your fellow supporter Pietro Zuco from YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@messycircuits tries to save his treasured C64 tapes in digital form, to preserve their data forever.

I worked closely with Pietro on this video, whilst packing my underpants, and I think he did an amazing job at capturing that nostalgic ЯR storytelling tone, of what this project meant to him, while retai...

BTS: KITT vs. Amazon

We're still prepping for our trip but here's a warm moment captured on cameras when a sweet and polite young Amazon chap became enamoured by KITT in the driveway... yet he had no idea what it was.

This was a really interesting and nice perspective, and also a testament to Michael Scheffe's original design of KITT; that it can still be perceived as cool 40 years later by a relative youngster with no concept of the vehicle's fame or history. He just sees a car and is blown away. Lovely! 2024-12-08 22:50:30 +0000 UTC View Post

Early bird: Program From Past Part 3!

Well this is fun! Firstly, who is that imposter and why is he taking over the channel? Well, as I'll explain in the intro, I'm launching "2UP Takeovers".

Ladyfractic and I are taking a long-overdue vacation, traveling the world in search of rare retrotech treasures to share in the future, and rather than switching the studio lights off and leaving you all in the dark, I thought it would be a great opportunity to team up with some of the other wonderful creators out there and have them ...

BTS: KITTease

A year ago I mentioned an incredible Knight Rider thing that was happening. This is NOT that. "That" was already filmed and is still being edited by another production company, who were waiting for someone called David Hasselhoff to have knee surgery. Knee Rider! Um, anyway, "that" also is NOT a new Knight Rider show or episode, but it's close ;) So more on "that" when I am permitted to say more.

In the meantime "this" is a little teaser on something I hope you will see in the coming w...

//TRS44 & Win our Atari Star Wars Cockpit Arcade!

In this episode of The ЯRetro Show we have all the usual fun, plus we're raffling off the one and only Atari Star Wars Cockpit Arcade, and an exclusive Atari 7800+ Bundle, as I desperately need some "SPACE" (badum-tsh).

You can check out the raffles at https://raffall.com/retrorecipes (the Atari one is still pending publishing) and as usual 10% goes to charity. May the Force be with you!

Hope you love t...

Giving Thanks

This Thanksgiving (or Thursday as we call it in the rest of the world) we're extremely thankful for - no not turkeys - but all of you, for supporting what we do here. 🙏 Seriously, you've made this ongoing journey of 6+ years not only possible, but worth every moment. Thank you.

Tomorrow I'll be sharing The ЯRetro Show with you, but today I'm starting my yearly tradition a little early, firing up the Commodore Christmas Demo to get us in that family holiday nostalgic mood as it chime...

BTS: Boombox

Nothing to see here, just a giant boombox being towed by a truck for a street parade. Move along.

Incidentally I’m still saying words Ladyfractic has never heard before. This time, ghettoblaster.

Now that’s a blast from the past.

The Spectrum review

Hello chaps and chapesses! Sorry I couldn't go full early access on this one due to the agreed embargo, but hopefully my little review of the new The Spectrum is worth the wait. This is RGL's new clone of the Sinclair ZX Speccy. For our American chums, this was the arch nemesis of the Commodore 64 in the UK and other countries, though I don't believe it gained much traction in the USA sadly. Maybe this time around!

Video: ...

A-ha Warmup A cappella

Alex from AC Official kindly shared with me the a cappella vocals from Morten Harket's warmup take moments before he recorded the takes we all know from Take On Me. I was not expecting him to burp halfway through it I must say. So please enjoy, not the Cockerel Mix, but the Belch Mix! In all seriousness though, his vocals get crazy good towards the end. I hope you enjoy this little moment captured in time.

I'll be back soon with my review of The Spectrum - the ZX Spectrum clone from RGL...

KITTesla is up for grabs!

I'm not going to advertise this too widely because I feel the KITTesla content has run its course on the channel, however I did want to offer you guys the respect of letting you know that the vehicle is now on fleaBay as an auction, just in case it was something that one of you had been dreaming might happen.

Auction: https://ebay.us/Nxw4sQ

Full disclosure: The reserve price is $60,000, which is about $36K less than I ...