NASA GLIDER ORIGIN BY PAUL VREEDE

Here's a first and really excellent Timeline contribution from Spacex enthusiast, Paul Vreede:

Hi Paul, (As mentioned to you before) I'm thoroughly amazed and delighted with the deluge of TV21 art on your blog, illustrating where Spacex toys found their inspiration. I truly admire the dedication of Mr Philosophic Toad in what must've been a huge effort in research. One of the delights on show is the Eagle comic showing the inspiration for the Spacex Nasa Glider/Lifting Body, for it provides the missing link between the toy and a real-life spacecraft.

Here's a picture of the Northrop M2-F2 Lifting Body, which first flew in March 1966, two months before the publication of the comic strip (public domain picture from NASA). I think the similarity is obvious, in general shape and particularly the nose detail.If I compare it with my Spacex Lifting Body then that has a third fin that looks quite a lot like the one on that model from the NY World Fair shown on your blog awhile back.

So perhaps the people behind Spacex did want to have something a bit more generic, especially since designs competing with the M2-F2 had a third fin.And M2-F2 would gain one later in life as well (though in mid-1970, when I think the Spacex toy was probably already made) to help with stability problems. Sadly M2-F2 crashed, injuring its pilot. The crash was filmed, and eventually used in the opening titles of the Six Billion Dollar Man TV series. M2-F2 proved repairable though, and re- emerged months later and a fin richer as M2-F3, visible in the other NASA photograph with two of its contemporaries.

Best--Paul

More fabulous research from Paul to come. Nice one Paul! (PS. some Lifting Bodies YouTube footage at the bottom of the blog)

SCOUTING FOR INFO BY WOTAN

WOTAN has written to the blog and sorted another Timeline point:

Trawling through my archives for info for the blog, i came across
an article found by my good friend Kim (philosophic toad) - a page from Tv21 ( 21 January 1967) showing a range of early 'space glider' Lifting Body concepts from NASA. Fabulous in itself as it shows some of the early ideas and skunkworks proposals A) for re-entry vehicles such as the
X-24 variants D) and the british MUSTARD (doesnt look that hot to
me) ships B, i suddenly noticed the three shot picture on panel C). Apparently a 'space ferry' concept, the design is almost identical to
the Project Sword Scout 2, even down to the small integral tail fins
and variable geometry wings!! Another design source nailed! (Scout 2 via
ebay) (TV21 courtesy K. Stevens)

PLEASURE CRUISER CONCEPT ART

Hello Paul, here's another entry for the Timeline. Something very like the
Spacex Pleasure Cruiser appeared in a comic strip in the Boys' World Annual
1968. Bear in mind that annuals were usually prepared in the first quarter
of the year, sometime before the annual would appear in shops.

The Philosophic Toad.

Concept Art for Spacex Moonbase and Space Glider/ Lifting Body

The Moon Town article from TV Century 21, dated October 30 2065 (1965) - clearly the basis of the later Spacex Moonbase. Courtesy of the Philosophic Toad.

From Eagle, dated 2nd July 1966 - early artwork of what was to become the century 21 Space Glider and the Spacex NASA Glider/Lifting Body. Courtesy of the Philosophic Toad.

NOVA CONCEPT 1962

The Philosophic Toad has added this Nova concept to the timeline too - from the 1962 book "Space Flight" by Maurice Allward, from the "Do You Know about?" series.

SUPER JANUARY CLOSES WITH MORE EBAY SWORD AND SIMILAR

P3 HELICOPTER 1966 PRE-SPACEX DRAWINGS IN TV21

Continuing the Philosophic Toad's brilliant entries for the Timeline, courtesy of Shaqui Le Vesconte, here are 4 pages of Special Agent 21 from the May 1966 TV21 showing early drawings of the P3 Helicopter, which later became the SPACEX toy. Excellent!

There's currently a carded one - above - on Ebay plus lots more from the same Italian seller.

A FERRY HAPPY BIRTHDAY BILL (WOTAN)!

PAINT THE TOWN RED!

WOODSY

TV21 TIME: SPACEX FORKLIFT, TRACTOR, NUCLEAR FRIEGHTER AND LUNAR TRANSPORTER

The Timeline is generating some brilliant responses from bloggers. I'm amazed how many SPACEX designs debuted in TV21 before hitting the toy shelves. Did Century 21 sell the designs to Tri-ang? Anyways, I'll update the Timeline this week as soon as I get some time(line). Following yesterday's fabulous entry from the Philosophic Toad (more to come from Philo.. on Moon Prospector and P3 Helicopter!), Mike takes up the TV21 thread with this fantastic piece:

Hi Paul,

I was intrigued by the Sword/ Spacex timeline on the blog.
I thought I'd add a few things to the list. I suppose it should be worth
mentioning the Lockheed Moonbase from 1962 which so inspired
the people behind Spacex, that they just put a picture of that on the
back of the bubblepack cards instead of the actual model. As the back
of bubblepack declared, "authentic designs created by scientists in man's
quest to reach the moon and beyond ", but of course as we know, it wasn't
just scientists who had their designs plundered...

One or two blog readers might be interested in a few other Spacex
inspirations from TV21 not mentioned on the list;

In issue 72,
a Fireball XL5 strip drawn by Mike Noble clearly shows Nuclear
Freighter NF2 (or something very much like it) being attacked and boarded.

In issue 87, A piece of artwork, drawn by Eric Eden shows
Tractor T-5 pulling a Viking long boat.( Although, to be fair Eric may
have been inspired by Eddie Houseman's tractor in the Thunderbirds episode
'End Of The Road' ).

In issue 97, and another Mike Noble
Fireball XL5 strip, we see what must be the basic design for Forklift 7.
The main difference being that Noble's design is a hovercraft type vehicle, as
opposed to the wheeled version we are familar with.

Finally,
leaving the TV21 inspired toys which only seemed to influence Spacex stage one
toys, I move on to Spacex II models, which to be honest, I only really found out
about after reading the blog, so my knowledge of them and their designs are
fairly limited. However, after seeing a picture of one Spacex II toy, the
L.T.10 , I recognized it as the asteriod shuttle in the Japanese
film The Green Slime.(1968).

Cheers, Mike

FERRY INTERESTING

Here's the first of what I imagine will be a fabulous new album of pictures of the awesome Century 21 Nuclear Ferry from one lucky blog reader. It looks simply wonderful. I definately didn't have one when I was a kid - my 'trump card' was Zero-X. I wonder how many of these were actually sold in the UK? I imagine very few indeed. The last two seen on the Net were both located in the Far East. Perhaps they were a warehouse find? This makes sense when you read this Hong Kong Ebay US seller's description of his Dyna Soar currently for sale:

Rare old stock found in my warehouse. 60's made in Hong Kong
for Century 21 Toys Limited plastic series.

1966 ARTWORK BY ERIC EDEN IN TV21 SUMMER EXTRA

Thanks to Shaqui Le Vesconte's excellent research, the Philosophic Toad has sent me these fabulous pages of 1966 TV21 artwork for the timeline. They are so totally fab I had to post them up proper. Way before SWORD and SPACEX toys emerged we have brilliant concept art for SWORD Hover Tank, Sand Flea and Snow Train( AKA The Beetle/ Thunderbird 7) and SPACEX Nuclear Pulse and Needleprobe. The other designs would have made great toys too!

If you want to see more great TV21 artwork like this then I recommend a visit to the amazing Gerry Anderson Complete Comic History - details at the top of the blog.

Nuclear Ferry Blues and the Dyna-Soar by Darth

Darth got in touch:

Well Paul I cried myself to sleep. I got knocked out of the Nuclear Ferry thing
in the last thirty seconds. I sure hope that at the very least it went to one of
the people who frequent your site and not just some dealer somewhere. If I had
won it I was going to send it to Bob McCall and have him sign it. Anyway,
attached are some pics for you. This is a Dyna-Soar model cast at the Boeing
machine shop in Seattle from the original final design from 1963. As you can see
it has been rather nicely stuck on an oak stand that looks exactly like the
stand used when they rolled out the real full size prototype in Las Vegas back
in the early 60s. It's also signed by a Dyna Soar test pilot.

I cried too Darth! Love the Dyna Soar model. A similar one, unsigned, ended on Ebay US recently.

CENTURY 21 NUCLEAR FERRY PICTURES

Well like most of you I'm in a post- Nuclear state. The Ebay Nuclear Ferry made a staggering price - £580 ($810). Someone will be very happy. Bidding bloggers have told me that bidding was very very tight and it all went to the dogs in the last few seconds! Let's hope the lucky owner is a true swordhead and puts the Ferry in pride of place at the head of the fleet. Pekoday, the Hong Kong seller, very kindly sent me a couple of extra pictures, which didn't appear on the listing (those that did are all here) - the two at the top of the group. The third pic from the top (with the ruler) is for comparison and is from a different auction, Yahoo Japan, in 2008. The picture of the box below it is odd - it would appear that a side of the box is just blank brownish card or the lid has a whole side missing? Still it would be like owning a Picasso!