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
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