DENNIS NICHOLSON GERRY ANDERSON MEMORABILIA GUIDE WORLD FIRST!

Dennis Nicholson, author of the 1990's seminal GERRY ANDERSON MEMORABILIA GUIDE has written to the blog: ' Paul hello, sorry, no additional information about the Moonbase Playset whatsoever. I have attached a few images of ‘knock-off’ Sword toys, you may already have all the details. Plus I have included a ‘WORLD FIRST’... The original idea I had for the cover of the Gerry Anderson Memorabilia Guide. It is Brains reading it, see attached image. But decided against it. The puppet lives in Australia, so was able to photograph it. Also included below is my preface in the book why I started collecting. Cheers, Dennis'



"This publication is the culmination of a "little" project I began back
in 1965, though at the time I really was not aware of what it would lead
to!Gerry Anderson's Fireball XL5 was screening on Australian television and I
was being taken for the ride of my life! Christmas that year (at least for me),
came in September when a school chum showed me a copy of a comic titled TV
Century 21, (Dateline July 3 2065)."Wow! Colour pictures of XL5.. and
Stingray... and Lady Penelope...who's Lady Penelope? Mum 'look! Win a Fireball
Rocket.., entries to arrive no later than Thursday July 8th... Oh no, it's
September!" Australia was so far from Anderson-land that it took three months
for issues of the comic to arrive by ship. Only after constantly pestering our
local newsagent did he finally understand my need for regular supplies. I would
read each issue from cover to cover. Each and every photograph was studied in
the minutest detail as I ardently cut them from the hallowed pages, and later
pasted them into scrapbooks so I could absorb them all at the turn of a page. (I
still have those scrapbooks, all 22 of them).To think that I could own a model
of Fireball XL5, as advertised in TV Century 21, was almost beyond my
comprehension. But when I saw one sitting in Boag's Bicycle and Toy Shop window
the adrenaline rush wouldn't allow my hands to get my pocket money on the
counter fast enough. The grey plastic miniature was mine ...albeit only for a
short time. My exquisite toy ended its useful life entangled in an overhead
power line, never to... cruise along the Milky Way, or land upon the Moon again.
My first keepsake, my first collectable was no more! Then another advertisement
caught my eye.. Lincoln International's remote-control Stingray toy! Stand by
for Action!!!Every collector has their own "how I started" tale, but from my
experience it never seems to be a planned event, it just happens. You are swept
unconsciously into the world of "the chase" where you pursue itemsbecause you
MUST add them to your cardboard-boxed conglomeration. More often than not, once
an item issuccessfully acquired it becomes somewhat of an anti-climax, the real
challenge was tracking it down inthe first place ... ..and now for the next
one!"Let me state that this publication is a Guide to Andersonalia, not an
encyclopedia. Every item listed has, in all attempts, been researched as
thoroughly as possible. Many have come and gone in my own personal collection,
others have been traced to the collections of many a devoted fan worldwide. In
wanting to include illustrations of the vast majority of items listed I have had
to use some images which are extremely low in quality due to their origins. But
I'm hoping you will agree that it is better to see some semblance of picture
than none at all. Also tracking down (and verifying) many of the items
themselves has been, to say the least, an exercise in extreme patience and on
more than one occasion utter frustration. So it is only fair to say that whilst
I have made every possible attempt to make sure all the information within these
pages is correct, some of you may find an error, or an omission. For this I can
only say..."Show me a collector with EVERYTHING, and I will show you a person
with no challenges left!"To all the fans of Gerry Anderson's many works, whoever
you are... wherever you are, this book is dedicated to you...May the search
continue!"

Thanks a lot for the memories and the World First Dennis! Paul