BLUE NUCLEAR PULSE - CUSTOM AND PRE-PRODUCTION MODELS - BY WOTAN

Paul

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I know I've got the MLP instructions - I'll send them on. I painted this blue Pulse years ago. It was really weird to see that old pic on the blog the other day! The box artwork (top) for the Pulse is my all time favourite piece of spacex art, I just wish the Pulse had been made in blue instead of that awful orange. If you look at the pic above theres a big crack in the front wing. I added a launch pad for the plane and replaced all the wheels with a smooth belly. I think the one in the JC Penney ad and the one on the card back especially are pre-production models. The card back one has a solid blue dome over the plane.

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WOTAN

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Just checking my pulse (s) now! Woodsy. Anyone got a decent close-up of the JC Penny Pulse and/or the one on the Spacex card backs?

MORE BUG PRAISE FROM FINLAND

Hi Paul,

Just in time before the May 1st eve celebrations, I managed to collect my copy of the Scramble Bug from the Post Office. Just awesome Paul & fellow Swordheads! This little IMAI must be one of my favourite off-SWORDs, and the elegant packaging fits it in nicely with the rest of the fleet. Thank you also for the dedication, I hope there is a little light blinking over Finland on the Project SWORD Moonbase World Map!

Cheers & Happy May 1st,

Arto

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Thanks Arto, glad you like it! Happy First of May from the Bug Team: Terry, WOTAN and Woodsy

SPACEBIRD SWORD PROBE FORCE 3 RED CANOPY VARIATION FROM TERRY HARLE

Paul, Great to see the blog exclusive scramble bugs were well received. Having recalled seeing this toy in a past feature on your blog it's slightly different in that it has red plastic canopies instead of green.

Regards

Terry

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Nice one Terry! I love the Spacebird range. Woodsy

LIMITED EDITION BLOG SCRAMBLE BUG FEEDBACK

Hi Paul,

Just a quick note to say the Scramble bug arrived today - Very, very pleased, a really nice little model and it goes so well with my Spacex stuff - and on top of that a nice little Sword box to keep it in - excellent.
Cheers
Mike

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Dear Paul,

Just to let you know that my Mini Scramble Bug was waiting for me when I got home last night. Many thanks for this, finally my nearest thing to a genuine Project Sword Toy. Although I'm currently got the highest bid on a Moon Prospector on Ebay which closes tonight. So who knows by this time next week I could have my first genuine PS Toy!

Regards

Keith

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Glad you like 'em! Woodsy

SPACEX MAJOR MOBILE LAUNCH PAD EARTH BASE DIORAMA BY MIKE BURROWS

Hi Paul,

I thought I'd send you a pic showing the layout of the diarama I produced for my MLP. Both Wotan and Paul Vreede have been very encouraging towards it and told me that it reminded them of Spacex playmats which came with Supersets in the 70's. I must admit until now I'd never come across these things before, but they soon put me in the picture.

Cheers
Mike

Wonderful! Spacetastic Mike! Woodsy

TARHEEL SWORD - MORE US PRICE TAGS

Here's two more of Darth's fabulous Tarheel SWORD collection showing US price tags from the 1960's. I think they say Woolworths. They've sadly gone bust and all but vanished in the UK. Are they still around elsewhere?

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To see Darth's entire Tarheel collection posted last year look here

T IN A CIRCLE AND CHIBI MOON PROSPECTORS

Here's the box fronts of the Hong Kong 'T' and Argentinian CHIBI Moon Prospectors. The prospector drawn in both pictures appears to be the same one. Note how SWORD has been translated into Argentinian at the base of the CHIBI box. As far as I know this is the only non-English SWORD logo line that exists. From my own collection.

T AND TARHEEL: TWO DIFFERENT COMPANIES BY ARTO

Hi Paul,

As a remark to the Tarheel case (posted previously), I was under the impression that there was a distinct manufacturer / distributor "T" between the SWORD issues and Tarheels proper which continued with the molds and added slightly different box illustrations. These were later adopted by Tarheel and repackaged with new box designs with photographed box tops. Or, alternatively, the "T"'s and the Tarheels were two parallel issues for different markets in different countries.

It is true that the "circled T" logo has a resemblance with the Tarheel "T with the Globe" seen on the box, but which came first? Maybe initial Tarheel "T" was designed to resemble the "T" logo already stamped on the toy moulds. (The logo which Tarheel was later to replace with their own featuring the two kids.) - Let me stress that this thinking is based on bits and pieces absorbed along the way and not based on any hard fact. But I would love to get to the bottom of this.

Cheers,

Arto

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Can anyone else help Arto with this? Fascinating, Woodsy.

SCRAMBLE BUG AND LUNAR EXPLORER WHEELS

Two of my favourite Space toys from the 1960's in one shot! Lunar Explorer and Scramble Bug -Great! And just look at those similar wheels! Just what you need for roving craters! Was there a shop were they all got their moon wheels like these!

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Lunar Explorer picture courtesy of Mark Bergin, Scramble Bug general internet.

TARHEEL MOON RANGER PRICE TAG

Here's another US price tag -$2. Wow! How much was that worth around 1967 I wonder? Picture courtesy of Darth.

CENTURY 21, TARHEEL AND T IN A CIRCLE MOON PROSPECTOR BRANDING CROSSOVER DISCOVERY BY ARTO

I recieved this really interesting piece about Tarheel today from blog reader and fellow SWORD fan Arto from Finland containing the first mention of 'Toys Are Fun' on this blog:

Hi Paul,

last week I talked to you about the "missing
link" between the three parallel toy lines that have issued SWORD toys,
that is, beside Century 21 itself, Tarheel, Inc. and the mysterious "T"
(referred somewhere as meaning "Toys Are Fun"). The case is even more
interesting than I remembered, since it is the Tarheel Moon Prospector that has
on its underside, not the Tarheel-style "T" of the box nor the other
Tarheel logo design with two kids hiding behind the letter T, but both
the circled T of the "T" issues and the Century 21 logo of the
SWORD toy line. To my knowledge this is the only crossover between all
three toy lines. Please find pictures attached. I will get back to you as
soon as I receive my Scramble Bug, just cannot wait!

Cheers,

Arto

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Excellent Arto! I always thought T was the same as Tarheel! Fascinating. There are some other T/Tarheel/ JR21 logo crossovers on the blog here and here.

Woolies and Towers Price Stickers

Couple of old US price stickers on vintage space toy boxes from my collection: top - Tarheel Nova III from a Woolies $1.29, bottom - NASA Probe Force 3 from Towers 87c. Don't know what the codes are at the top of the stickers. No real way of dating these stickers. Anyone got anymore old shop prices on thier toy boxes from around the world?

SPACEX DREAM FACTORY............... CARDED NUCLEAR FREIGHTER AND SALVAGE CRAFT

Presenting for your viewing pleasure, carded Spacex Nuclear Freighter and Salvage Craft. Well nearly! These are the models I made over the Easter break ( see previous bloglet) mounted on repro cards made in the Sword dream Factory by the skilled hands of WOTAN (he of the limited edition Bug box!). Carded up, they don't look half bad if I say so myself!

MOON TRAFFIC CRUISER 3

I love Moon Traffic. A lot of Spacex fans are very familiar with it but its been a late discovery for me. I had a Roxy moon vehicle way back in 1992 but didn't know it was Moon Traffic until a couple of years ago. Anyways I picked up this little beauty at the Pudsey Swapmeet in Leeds - the Cruiser 3. The card graphics has the moon close-up just like a Spacex card. The interesting thing is the fact that no less than 3 toy companies are involved! A knockoff with class! There's the ROXY cruiser itself; then there's the CLIFFORD card and finally there's the LP gold astronaut! Sort of a Woolies Pick 'n' Mix! They've even thrown in a reference to Project Sword with the words PROJECT M3! The cruiser itself is just wonderful - I covered the design differences with the Spacex Cruiser 1 previously on the blog. There'll be more Moon Traffic later.

BLOG EXCLUSIVE 6 - LIMITED EDITION PROJECT SWORD BOXED DIE-CAST SCRAMBLE BUG - SOLD OUT!

SORRY, SOLD OUT!

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SO HERE IT IS! A limited edition die-cast miniature Project Sword Scramble Bug in a blog exclusive box! This will make a fabulous addition to your Project Sword display cabinet. Sourced by international toy collector Terry Harle with the box created by space toy guru WOTAN, there are 5 of these available to Blog readers at £15 plus Postage/Shipping. Remember, there are only 5 of these beauties!

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The limited edition comprises of a 1970's Imai die-cast Scramble Bug in its original plastic bubble box, complete with coloured card base (which has bug graphics front and back) and coloured leaflet (tucked inside the base). All this is housed inside a limited edition Project Sword box professionally designed and printed on thin card. The toy is completed by a limited edition Specification Sheet, again professionally designed and printed on card.

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This limited edition is born from the passion of 3 bloggers and we are happy to make it available to fellow SWORD fans. The price reflects the basic costs involved rather than the effort that has gone into it and I'm sure you'll agree it is excellent value. We have not done it to make money and hope to create further limited editions in the future. Purchases will be limited to 1 per reader to share the joy! You know you want one!

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To purchase one at £15 plus postage - one per person - first come, first served - email me here and tell me where you would like the Bug sent and I will confirm the Postage cost. Payment can be by: UK ONLY by Cheque or Postal Order or WORLDWIDE by Paypal. I will give further details when you email and reserve your Bug.

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SORRY, SOLD OUT!

BIRTHDAY DEDICATION

My late great Mum Flo sadly passed away in 1977 aged 56. I was 16. The good die young so they say. It would have been her birthday today so I dedicate the day to her, my creator, kindred, inspiration and best friend. Happy Birthday Mum!

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pics: left 1960's Butlins with Mum and Auntie Terry, right 1970's Isle of Man with Mum and mate Gary ( pics taken by my Dad Piff!). Thinking of my Big Bro's Steve and Luigi and big Sisses Rene and Barb too, fellow passengers on the journey X.

SPACEX MAJOR AND GOLDEN ASTRONAUT NUCLEAR PULSE SPACE STATION

Custom blue Pulse by WOTAN

Is there a collective noun for several Space Stations? An array? A cluster? Anyways, I do love the Spacex Nuclear Pulse Space Station. I didn't have one as a kid in the 60's. I didn't have any of the Spacex Major fleet, only the smaller Spacex 1 stuff. Don't remember seeing it either but my memory is pretty moth-eaten! The bigger craft have been an adult discovery. The UK b/w advert and trade article (top two pics) highlight how the Pulse was part of the main thrust of Spacex advertising and one of the two well-advertised Spacex Major toys, along with the Mobile Launch Pad (MLP). It's interesting to consider how different it was for its cousin, the Photonic Propulsion Space Station, which had a similar comic strip advert campaign (together with the less usual portrait ad) but is much much rarer.

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The Pulse also makes it into a US Golden Astronaut Set advert, which appears in the JC Penny Catalogue (2nd to bottom pic). This really is a beautiful group shot showing the range's pastel colours at their best. I think I prefer the blue US Pulse but have no idea what its individual box looked like (I do have a set box pic). Was their ever a colour advert done in the UK and did the blue Pulse only appear in the US? Does anybody have a decent jpeg scan of the instruction sheet that came with the UK tray box, which I can post on the blog?

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Pictures courtesy of blog friends, the Philosophic Toad, WOTAN and Will Osborne, together with JC Penny and Ebay over the past few years.

CRASH TENDER BY WOTAN

Wotan here: inspired by Mike Burrows' fabulous artwork on the Rocket Transporter, I put pencil to paper myself over lunch to try and imagine how the Crash Tender from the Spacex line might look. There's not much to go on from the only image available*, on the card backs, so its mostly extrapolation. I reckon this one would have had the same larger wheels as the Molab, so it would be a bigger model - maybe about 14 cm long and hopefully a nice pleasant red and not that horrible spacex orange! I think the 'hose reel' at the back would be chromed and the ladder/spray jet would be moveable. Thats my two pennyworth anyway! Lets see how close I was when one turns up on ebay next week!

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*Woodsy here - there is another pic, probably the first, from TV21, in the Origin of the Crash Tender by Paul Vreede previously posted on the blog.6
I 'tender' my resignation - you guys are just too damn good!

UFO JEEP AND THE JOHNNY CAB

Just watching Total Recall on the box - Kuato, Quade and Venusville! Can't help noticing a similarity between the Johnny Cab (bottom pic), the one where Arnie rips out the Johnny driver, and the much older UFO Jeep (2nd from top). And that Mars Taxi (2nd from bottom) seems to have the front end of the SPV (top)! Basically Captain Schwarzescarlet! Did Captain Scarlet actually have a first name?

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UFO Jeep and SPV pics from the excellent Cloudster site.