Sunday, 15 August 2010

Foiled Again!

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This is one for T-Heads! My earlier post about the T in Circle-like boat on a camper trailer got me scratching my own head. Is the boat [Nylint brand] in the Montgomery Ward catalogue really the same as my T Hydrofoil [above]?
When the two boats are placed together as above you can see that they are the same design - top is Nylint [I've erased the trailer for clarity] and bottom T in a Circle Hydrofoil.
Here's the same comparison only this time I've left the Nylint trailer in [top] and used the same brown decked version of the T in a Circle Hydrofoil [bottom].

It's strange though. When you look at old Nylint catalogues like the one below the green Camper is shown with a completely different boat and no Dune Buggy in sight [probably off chillin' somewhere!]
 
And the boxed toy itself is clearly does not include the T in a Circle boat but rather a green and red yacht[Box, Camper and boat below]. So the search goes on for the mysterious Nylint/ T in a Circle boat.
 
 There's better news on the T in a Circle Hydrofoil box art though T-Heads!
Here it is in close-up from the box top and sides below.
Googling Hydrofoil art I first thought that Wilf Hardy's 'Hydrofoils' below [AllpostersUK] might do the biz but despite it's obvious 'box art' qualities it's just too dissimilar.
But it's that stalwart of British illustration Look and Learn comic that has come up trumps once again! With technical help and a licence to publish from Laurence Heyworth, MD of Look and Learn, here we have the cover of Issue 71 from the 25th May 1963 titled 'Ships on Skis'.
Comparing the Look and Learn and T Circle Hydrofoils [below] we can immediately see that, save a few differences, they are virtually the same illustration - even the j! Yes! Land ahoy! I love it when a plan comes together! All we need now is the artist's name - Look and Learn don't know!

6 comments:

  1. not sure last comment worked.

    Artist may well have been Roy Cross, who worked on this sort of thing for Eagle, Swift and Look and Learn (as well as Eagle cutaways)before becoming Airfix box lid artist. Looks his style.

    Andy.

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  2. Good lead Andy. Wonder if Roy Cross is still alive?

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  3. Woodsy-

    Yes I think he is, although I reckon he did the Look and Learn art, not the toy box.

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  4. Found a gallery in Salem Mass USA thatb sells lots of Roy Cross's art and asked them to forward an email to him about the Look and Learn art. You never know but that entire generation of artists is fading fast.

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  5. The hydrofoil typeshown on the Look and Learn cover and toy box art is the Supramar PT20 that was mostly built by Rodriquez in Italy but also other shipyards like Hitachi Zosen in Japan and Westermoen Hydrofoils in Norway. They had various superstructure configurations. Early models had a short raised wheelhouse (like in Look and Learn cover) while others had larger raised centre cabin that also accommodated passengers. The artwork may have been based on a photo of such a hydrofoil passing.
    Martin Grimm, International Hydrofoil Society

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    1. Thanks Martin. That's really very informative. Thanks for taking your time to look at the post so closely. Your Hydrofoil Society sounds fascinating!

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