T AND THE MOONBUS

Earlier in the summer I posted this SWORD ID CHART from SOLO Comic July 22nd 1967. As reported then the Moonbus at the bottom appears to have a T in a Circle logo on its nose.

I asked if readers who had the T in a Circle MOONBUS might share pictures and opinions so here we go. First up we have Arto "I myself have been under the impression that "T in a circle" came first, and some of these models were later included into the SWORD fleet. In this light, the picture in Solo could very well be of a transitional model, taken for promotional purposes.

However, the "T in a circle" Moon Bus does not have the "T" emblem on the nose, but a sticker similar to other versions. Or perhaps there is still one "T" Moon Bus version to be found? On the other hand, when comparing the SWORD Moon Bus proper and the Tarheel one, the toys are plain similar. Both have A Century 21 Toy logo underneath, and red SWORD stickers on both sides. Therefore it would seem that the SWORD Moon Bus was simply repackaged for the U.S. market as a Tarheel toy".

And his beautifully boxed Tarheel Moonbus below

And a brilliant shot of all 3 known makers' boxes below

And WOTAN  (T in a Circle and Spacex Moonbuses below) "First impressions though - theres deffo some kind of 'T' on the moonbus (in the ID guide. Ed), and re. the others in the ID guide Booster rocket - thats the prototype again, looks to me like the forward cone behind the jet/shuttle has a light inside. Paint scheme reflects the Man in Space pic. Probe Force three looks a bit wobbly, the weapons handpoints under the wings look different - but then I've only got the NASA version to go by! Task Force - these look like balsa or paper prototypes - shapes utterly different, wing tips are sharper and cockpits are stuck on like bits of blu-tack! Scramble Bug - photo looks like its been hacked out with plastic scissors, but that seems to be the 'legit' toy."