Of all the JR21/Century 21 Toys released during the 1960s those for CAPTAIN SCARLET AND THE MYSTERONS are amongst the most sought now and are also someof the most authentic too. Although clearly a toy in every sense of the word the ANGEL AIRCRAFT, as it is described on the box art, however displays a great deal more detail and authenticity than one would perhaps expect for a child's plaything. One of the first things even the most casual observer will notice is that the overall sleek, slim dart-like look the original Medding's designed miniature enjoyed is still largely apparent with this toy. A small rounded end doesn't detract from the gorgeous aerodynamic contouring of the design of the toy. However it gives a cursory nod toward child safety regulations which although not as stringent as those enforced today were still clearly to be adhered to back in the 1960s.
Authentic decals and surface detailing again give this the look of a model-kit rather than a toy and this is testament to the vision those at Century 21 Toys had for these things. To give some genuine play value to the toy rather than it just being a pleasing display piece to older kids a removable friction motor was added as a sort of undercarriage. The facility to 'fire' missiles was also there too so again any little boy presented with one of these would have little issue with it being "flown by a lady".
To the adult collector perhaps the most intriguing and novel aspect of the toy is the ability to remove the pilot figure in the same way as the characters would have in theTV show itself. The control panel displays far more detailing than was ever required and Century 21 even went as far as to make the pilot a very clearly female character too rather than using a standard male pilot likely readily available in a warehouse out in Hong Kong.
The only criticism that can be levelled at the toy is that in the hands of a boisterous child the Angel Aircraft would hardly survive more than a few hours play time. I must admit myself that as a middle-aged bloke I find it difficult not to want to throw this toy around replicating some of the death-defying manoeuvres seen on screen.........but I won't!
Jim Lewis
Nice post.
ReplyDeleteI had an Airfix "Angel"...always remember mucking up the decals!
But it is a lovely design.
Had this one and the SPC. I thought it was great that the clip on motor could be removed, as wheels on planes and rockets always ruined the shape for me (JR21 TB1 for example). The nose detached too which was cool as in one of the Scarlet annuals an Angel interceptor is converted to have a laser gun on the front, so I could pretend it was that one too. An awesome toy. Had multiple Airfix Angels too, but could never get that blunt nose (so the kiddies didn't poke their eyes out) looking quite right on these. Why oh why did all my stuff get thrown out? Sob.
ReplyDeleteIs it possible that the Airfix box illustrator Roy Cross did the JR21 box too?
ReplyDeleteBeautiful toy by the way Jim! It's amazing that such fragile playthings have survived!
Oh, I loved that Airfix Angel Interceptor. Wish I had one.
ReplyDeleteThe JR21 version looks stunning. Go on, Jim, let yourself be a child for an hour or two. I promise not to tell anyone. Zoooooooom!
I doubt that Cross did this artwork. To be honest his work far surpasses the stuff seen on the JR21/Century 21 boxes.
ReplyDeleteJim Lewis
The artwork for this,the SPV and the SPC is the original artwork you saw on most of the merchandise at the time and was also on the Captain Scarlet merchandising sheet sent out to suppliers at the time (and the larger sheets that appear to have been printed and supplied only to the TV Century 21 comic artists) The vehicle artwork on the sheet also includes the MSV, The Spectrum Helicopter and Cloudbase. The artist remains unknown unfortunately.
DeleteIn terms of this stuff surviving I have a long story which Iwill try and keep short. I lived as a child near Elephant and Castle South London. A guy had a toy stall in a local market. My mum always bought my Anderson stuff from him. Anyway as a collector in my early twenties during the mid 1980s I visited the market again and saw this old guy still had a stall. I asked if he happened to have any old toys from the 1960s and for the next year he appeared each Saturday with something for me. Turns out he was the 'repairs/maintenance' man for JR21 who had a warehouse near London Bridge. He managed to 'keep' a ton of their stock and as Anderson collecting and Fandom developed during the 1980s began to sell the stuff he had. In effect most of what I have is unsold stock never having been in the hands of a child.
ReplyDeleteJim Lewis
Wonderful story Jim! Was it John Churchwood? He must have known Jack Rosenthal, eh?
ReplyDeleteYep!
ReplyDeleteFascinating stuff. Any chance of a blog entry on Jack Rosenthal? What is known about him?
ReplyDeleteSean
It's something I've always wanted to do but I know more about the toys than I do about the man. I'll get together what I know. Maybe Jim can help shed some light on JR too.
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Toy Aircraft Carrier
Remember talking to John Churchwood many times by phone in the early 80's.
ReplyDeleteYes, he was something to do with the returns dept at C21 Toys.
As these were flimsy toys with lots of things to go missing or break easily, i should think many,many items were returned or as interest from shops waned--items were returned to C21.
He could always get you anything Century 21 toys-wise, but he would always try to get you to buy unboxed stuff first and really ramp up the prices up for boxed items ------ i don't blame him,if i had all the stuff he supposedly had, i'd probably push the unboxed stuff first too TBF.
Fantastic memories Anonymous. The returns dept of Century 21, its the stuff of dreams! I assume that he was selling the C21 toys himself and not for Century 21 themselves? Did he advertise or was it a case of knowing his number? I wonder how many people bolstered their collections through Mr. Churchwood? I understand his daughter carried on the family business at the Sandown Toy Fair right up to recently.
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