Balsa-wood salesmen are probably fighting Styrofoam constantly, but in this case we’re talking full-color, Styrofoam glider models of a whole bunch of classic fighter planes. All good fliers, with 7-1/2” wingspans and nose guards. You’ll get (4) from a squadron that includes Lockheed C-130E Hercules, Mitsubishi Zero, Grumman F6F Hellcat, Spitfire MKI and scads of other vintage birds. Great birthday party treats.

This monster magnifier on a gooseneck stand doubles as a reading lamp. The 3-1/2” dia, 3.5X magnifying glass is surrounded by a bright 12W 1200 lumen LED ring of lights, all on a 12” gooseneck rising from a 6-1/4” x 5-1/4” x 1-1/2” thick base with a 4-foot power cord. The magnifying lens has a flip-down cover, which converts it to a reading lamp.

Essential if your peacock is molting, but made to be fashion statements like hair extensions, except made from a genuine 4” long peacock feather, augmented by a dyed mystery feather or two, all attached to a 1” hair-clip on a 4” string. The package assures us these are “Meticulously Hand-Crafted by Trained Artisans.”

Yes, boys and girls, Fluxx, the card game with the rules that keep changing, now adds the Doctor (Who?) version, and they were made for each other. Includes, of course, plenty of time-travel and regenerations of the Doctor, K9, and Gallifreyan technology, but beware of Cybermen, Daleks, Weeping Angels and the Master. Includes the standard 100-card deck, and instructions for 2-6 players ages 8+.

Bug collecting 101 for the budding entomologist. This bug-viewing kit has a 6-1/4” dia base with a 1.5X acrylic loupe on a swiveling arm that rotates over (6) clear plastic 1-1/4” dia canisters with snap-off lids. Catch critters, put them in the canisters and study them via the lens. Focal length can be adjusted, and the arm folds down to hold the canisters in place for travel.

A remake of The 39 Steps but 99,960 steps longer? Don’t be silly--this is an old-school pedometer that counts your steps right up to that last milestone stride. Will measure the same stretch in miles or kilometers. You can set your weight from 60 to 300 pounds (also in kilos) and your stride length, and it will count your burnt calories for you. Has a belt clip and flip-down feature so you can read the 1” LCD screen and see how many doughnuts you’ve walked off. Includes a clock and replaceable battery, and measures 2-9/16" x 2-7/16" x 1-3/16" in silver and blue plastic.

Like bears, but in magnifying glasses. Our each is a trio of Sherlockian magnifiers in chrome-plated steel: one at 5X, 1-5/8” dia on a 2-3/4" handle; one at approx 4.5X, 2" dia on a 2-3/4" handle; and one at approx 2.5X, 3” dia on a 3-3/8” handle. Crime-solving for the whole family.

Here’s a replacement, no-frills power cord for most shavers, boomboxes, TVs, etc. Measures 6-feet long with an 18-2AWG cord, and a 2-pin, shaver plug.

Nice multipurpose wheel measures 4-7/8" dia x 1-1/4" with a gray plastic wheel and a hard rubber tire with straight-line treads. The 7/8” dia hub is flush on one side, and protrudes 3/8" long on the other (inside) with a 3/8” bore all the way through.

As long as they weigh one pound or less, you’re in business with these Scotch® brand self-adhesive, black hook-and-loop fasteners from 3M. These are expensive little buggers in bix box stores, but not here. Measure 7/8” square, and are rated for 1-lb per pad, so your heavier hang-ups will need a couple. Mfg says made to stick on “most painted, varnished or otherwise sealed surfaces.” Our each is a pack of (12) pairs.

Bring back cursive writing with this 40-sheet, bound writing tablet for kiddies, with 1/2” blue rules divided by a dotted line to help place ascenders and descenders. Pages are 10” wide x 8” long, and the inside cover has both cursive and print alphabets in upper and lower case. For grades 2 and 3.

This is our second Bulgarian army medic’s kit, but this time it’s full of Bulgarian medical supplies. The 12-5/8" x 10" x 5" hard-shell case has a fold-out tray with assorted serum bottles with caps (sans sera), cotton batting, gauze, a tourniquet strap, scissors, tweezers and bandages. Cold-war era, but in impressive condition. In dark green, with a leather red cross cut-out on the front, slide closures and adjustable shoulder and waist straps. A great collectible item!

Actually no, but you know what adhesive tape is, don’t you? You’ll get (2) rolls of it here, waterproof white cloth medical tape, 2” wide x .011” thick on 10-yard rolls. Made in the USA, to bandage American owies.

You don’t even have to open this mouth to see what’s going on inside. Our anatomically accurate Lindberg plastic 3-D model of the human oral and nasal parts and cavities shows (21) parts in cross-section, including nerves, glands, arteries, tongue and much more. You build it and add glue and paints. Will be 11” tall on its included stand when finished. For ages 10+. Made in the USA, so it’s an American mouth.

The briefer brief case, which could just as easily be a purse. Wethinks it was meant for iPaddies of some sort, but it’s a honey in French blue nylon. Measures 12-1/2" x 9" x 1" with 7" deep zippered pockets on both outsides, one with pockets and pen-holders in the pocket, and a padded, zippered black interior. Includes a pair of handles plus a detachable and adjustable matching shoulder strap.

Make roll-on deodorant for gerbils. Or use these 2ml clear glass bottles to dispense essential oils, samples or anything you want to provide in very small quantities. Bottles have a 9/32" sleeve with a 1/4" steel ball, and measure 9/16” dia x 1-3/16” tall, including the threaded black plastic screw cap. Bottle, ball and cap come unassembled.

It’s the perfect watch to wear with your cat’s pajamas. The happy cat dial is only enhanced by the vinyl leopard-skin band, and no, there were no vinyl leopards harmed in the production of this quartz watch. Runs on a thoughtfully included button-cell battery.

Because the little buggers keep disappearing, you could use this bunch of 1/4” chromium-vanadium replacement driver bits, including 2-1/2" long 3/16" & 1/4" slotted, Phillips heads in (8) sizes from 2” to 4-1/4”, a 2" socket adapter and a rubber belt-loop holder for the whole bunch.

This nicely made 13-piece file set has a dozen diamond-encrusted files at 2, 4 and 6mm wide x 1-3/16” long with 120, 180, 300, and 400 grit surfaces. They all fit nicely into a colleted 4-3/4” long aluminum handle, which is included . Go rub something the right way.

“You can’t have too many spouts.” George Washington said that, pretty much, when he was installing the gutters at Mount Vernon. And it’s still true, which is why you’ll want this triple-spouted measuring glass from Anchor Hocking®. Has (3) sets of graduations (1-oz increments up to 8, 0.25 ml increments up to 250, and 1/8-cup increments up to a cup) each with its very own pouring lip. In thick, clear glass, but marked not for cooking or microwave purposes.

No switches, no flipping. Just the gentle touch of your finger is all it takes to activate this dimmer from RPP Devices™. Your basic household, hard-wired 120V dimmer, it’s good for up 600W, which is more than you’ve got in your lamps.

This 4" wide plastic bulldog clip has serrated jaws to hang on tight, and a light fridge-strength magnet on the back. We’ll pick five (5) from our selection of gray, light blue or bluish-greenish-blue clips adorned with assorted misprints. You can ignore the words. You can also ignore the magnet and just use them to reseal your nacho chips, which makes them chip clips.

A failed folk-rock group from the Summer of Love? No, a trio of pretty lepidoptera oscillating through many colors via the magic of fiber optics. They have a 3" wingspread and sit on a 1-1/2" dia base that holds the (3) included and replaceable button-cell batteries inside. You'll get (3), at least (2) different, along with self-adhesive tape to stick them somewhere. We like them as party lights, but they'd also be great on a hat.

This toggle switchplate light from iZoom® has (4) 2” long white COB LED elements to throw 480 lumens, enough to light a hallway, closet, staircase, bathroom--anyplace where you don’t want to curse the darkness. In white plastic, it measures 4-7/8" x 3-3/4" x 1" with a keyed mounting slot, (2) small magnets, or (2) pieces of double-sided tape as mounting alternatives. Includes a quartet of “AAA” batteries.

Or turn this versatile pivoting headlamp instead. From i-Zoom®, this lamp is a serious piece of equipment, not some disposable cheapo. Has high/low/flashing modes, precise slide focus and a max of a super-bright 350 lumens. Comes with (3) “AAA” batteries in a separate rubber-covered compartment at the back of (3) adjustable elastic straps. Will pivot down (4) clicks from straight ahead to straight down. Mfr says it’s good for a 5-hour cycle on fresh batteries. Fear not the darkness with this beauty.

You can start with our single aluminum tuning fork, 2-tined and 7-1/2" long. It vibrates at 256 hz, and is labeled "C". Or you can order the set that has (8) forks and a mallet with a rubber-tipped plastic head. The forks are labeled low-C to high-C and come in a fitted, latched wooden box. Unfortunately, C.J., who has perfect pitch, tells us that his pitch is more perfect than most of the tuning forks. He also says you can file the tips, tuning them to an electronic keyboard until they're perfect - and we think there's a certain cachet to telling people you tuned the forks yourself. But they are perfect, if you're using them for things like teaching principles of sound or driving the chihuahua crazy.

Choose either the 25- or 100-slide selection of 3" x 1" prepared microscope slides from Celestron®, both in sturdy hinged wooden cases. The selections include a wide range of bacteria; plant, animal and human tissue; insect or reptilian specimens; and a list of each of the slides.

Precision metal saw of the type usually known as a razor saw. It has a 4-1/2" long x 1" deep blade with very fine teeth and reinforcing down the spine. Complete with plastic handle. Excellent for cutting small metal tubes and strips for hobby work.

In fact, put (2) USBs in your buggy with this cigarette-plug adapter that converts to two standard USB outlets with a 2.1 Amp output so you and your passenger can get recharged together. We’ll pick one in a color that will either complement or contrast with your dashboard, and your eyes.

You say you've got the blues? Good. Now find another unhappy friend and get this duo of 2-1/3-octave harmonicas. They're in the people's key--C--and they're blues harps so they won't do a full diatonic scale, but they don't need to. Lucite frames with metal reeds and trim, they come in plastic carrying cases so they won't drip residual spit in the pocket of your nice skinny black suit.

Got coax snaking around your homestead? Someday the whole world will be wireless, but until then you’d best buy this box of (100) Gardner Bender cable staples. White plastic with a single nail for indoor or outdoor use, and if you can’t nail it all down with (100), your house is too big. For 1/4” coaxial RG-6 or RG-59 cable.

Our uber-slick, modern wall sconce is a COB LED that draws just 1W and throws white light up and down from a 3” long x 2-3/8” square hunk of brushed aluminum that’s open on the ends. (Yes, could be mounted to light to the sides, and yes, it could be a ceiling mount.) Has a pair of 1-1/2” torsion springs to pull it tight to the wall from behind. Operates between 85-265 VAC, so standard house current works but the light needs to be hard-wired. Includes a driver circuit and leads. From Lumicon.

Leather scraps, very assorted. Each 2-lb sack will have mostly small and a few larger pieces, from 4" x 16" down to 6" x 1-1/2", more or less and give or take, in odd shapes. Think coin purses and bracelets, not belts. Maybe a jacket for a hipster gerbil. Colors are cow-like in light and dark browns (and maybe even white if you're lucky). You get (2) pounds total.

These 2-1/2” plastic dragonflies are cute as the dickens, and have little 1/4-lb pull, 1/8” dia magnets on their dragonfly chests. Our each is a 6-pack in colors that include black, gray, deep red and goldenrod. They’re equally happy clinging to file cabinets and lockers.

Made for extended chemistry experiments, our really long borosilicate test tube is 18mm (23/32") outside dia. x an incredible 32" long, with no lip. (And we don't want any lip anyway.) No chemistry experiment? Feed strings of small holiday lights into a handful of them and create a dazzling light fixture. Or play the get-the-worm game with really extraordinary tequila shots!

Here's a cost-effective tester that lets you determine the electromagnetic field around power lines, appliances, computer and communication equipment and industrial devices. The hand-held instrument measures EMF radiation from 30 to 300 Hz. Single axis. The range is 0.1-199.9 mG and 0.01-19.99 uT, with an accuracy of +/- 4%. The 5" x 2-3/4" x 1" plastic case has a 1-3/4" x 3/4" LCD display and a switch to toggle between micro Tesla and milli Gauss. It's quick, easy and reliable, and when you see the EMF around your old monitor, it will give you one more reason to buy the new one you want!

The past meets the future with this 6-foot long cable that has a standard USB plug at the right end and a cute little Mini-USB plug at the left end. Or is it the other way around? You decide.

This bright headlamp has a 45-lumen LED (which is bright!), and comes with an elastic strap to put it on your noggin when you’re biking, spelunking, mining coal or fixing that leaky pipe under the sink. Measures 3” x 2-1/2” x 2-1/4” with a pivoting mount. In orange and black plastic, and you add (3) “AAA” batteries.

These perfect little clear-plastic canisters have snug pull-off tops. They fit into die-cut circles in a black foam pad for display or shipping, with the cut-out foam placed inside the canisters. The foam makes them ideal for safe storage and artful display of individual coins, seeds, insects, stones (precious, semi-precious, or gall-), baby teeth, locks of hair, or any number of tiny treasures. Or toss the foam and store small amounts of anything that doesn't need a screw top. You pick (50) small canisters at 1-1/4" dia x 11/16" deep, or (12) larger canisters at 1-3/4” dia x 5/8" deep.

Quick Links from Stanley® are zinc-plated steel chain links that can be slipped over existing, welded links and tightened with a thumb-nut. Measure 1-7/8" x 1/2" inside, and open to just over 1/4”. Rated for moving loads of 770 lbs, or a stationary load of 1500 lbs.