Reader Ferryman has kindly sent me pictures of his rare 2001 Space Odyssey toy collectables. Ferryman explains "In case you don't know about the Twinch Squad suits [pictured above and two close-ups below], they were hand made to order in Spain in 2001. Forbidden Planet even had some in stock for a very limited time. They sold quickly! The boxes are also hand made and are simply plain black on the outside. Suits came in Red, Yellow and Blue and there are reports of the silver version but I've not seen evidence of it."
"The original Madelman suit is unlicensed but actually says Astronauta - 2001 on the side of the box. The reissued version [pictured two down]was released by Altaya in Spain in about 2005 and was only available as part of a magazine collection. These are already very sought after."
Ferryman has also sent these pictures of his Aifix Orion box and blister-carded Japanese 2001 tri-jet of unknown make. Wonderful! Thanks for sharing Ferryman!
Postscript:
I have found this Madelman variation in my photo archive. It appears to be licensed as MGM's logo is on the box. I love the Robert McCall 2001 Space Station art used for the backing. Wonder what's on the rear of the box? I'm unaware of the origin of this picture so I apologise if it is yours [do let me know].
Lovely little overview of the 2001 merchandise. The Twinch Squad outfits are lovely and I do have images of the 'Clavius' silver version so they were produced. The bloke behind them though was not the greatest guy on the planet. He left many out of pocket and without the suits and for others at best he took literally years to supply. He was looking to expand into doing Gerry Anderson suits too from UFO and SPACE:1999 but given his reputation the people he approached who owned original screen used suits avoided him like the plague. He did me over once too for another Sci-Fi related project too so I know personally what he is like. A shame really as these suits are breathtaking. Love the little Madelman figure too. I have the re-issue from a few years back and he stands proudly alongside MAJOR MATT MASON and my other Astronaut figures. Thanks again for the effort taken with a great little piece
ReplyDeleteJim Lewis
Thanks for the cautionary tale, Jim.
ReplyDeleteWhat size are these?
I have been told the Airfix Orion was actually made using the moulds form an American company, presumably under some form of licence.
ReplyDeleteThese are gorgeous. What a shame the guy behind them was a crook.
ReplyDeleteOn a related note, a company called Executive Replicas had this prototype on display at New York Comic Con in 2009:
http://www.collectorsquest.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/kier_dullea.jpg
This was made with Dullea's approval of his likeness being used -- these guys were law-abiding -- and the company hoped this would help them get the merchandising rights, with this display as a teaser to pique interest, but no such luck. Along with the Bowman figure, the company displayed an EVA pod at the same scale:
http://www.sideshowcollectors.com/forums/showthread.php?p=1455750
Thanks for the thumbs-up everyone, which I'll pass on to Ferryman if he's not reading this. That EVA project looks amazing Richard. It's strange that there wasn't an EVA toy in the Sixties tied into the movie. You'd have thought that Century 21 Toys might have sought an MGM license for some sort of toy seeing as 2001 featured so prominently in the SWORD Annual. As a complete aside there's a great quote on the forum link you gave - "A good discussion is like a miniskirt; Short enough to maintain interest and long enough to cover the subject"! Sorry girls.
ReplyDeleteThe COUNTDOWN strip in the comic of the same name featured space suits and vehicles licenced through MGM so the film didn't go totally un-noticed by the Anderson crowd and as you say featured in the SWORD annual too.
ReplyDeleteIt is a shame the fella wasn't totally level with people with the suits. At least I was only down a couple of discs of scans of box art for the Rosenthal and Dinky toys. In return I was promised some Madelman boxes featuring the full MGM endorsed artwork. Still waiting three years down the line! Worse though for blokes who paid money for suits and received nothing
Jim Lewis
"A good discussion is like a miniskirt; Short enough to maintain interest and long enough to cover the subject"?
ReplyDeletePfffft ... just shows the short attention spans of men. (waits while they go back to the beginning of this sentence to refresh their memories.)
On the contrary, a good discussion ought to be long and satisfying, explore all the ins and outs of the matter, and not reach a conclusion too quickly. (blushes)
And remember, some Photographs from 2001 were used in TV21's "Saturn Probe".
ReplyDeleteAs for that guy ... you might have suffered only a small loss, Jim, but the disappointment was real. I'm sorry for that. And people like him can make people reluctant to deal with decent creators.
ReplyDeleteAre those Saturn Probe 2001 pics on GACCH Toadster? Is there an artistic link bewteen Saturn Probe and SWORD by any chance? The same artist[s]?
ReplyDeleteAs for your description of a good discussion Toad - good grief - my glasses have steamed up!
ReplyDeleteDon't think those pics are, Woodsy. I'll see if I have them. But I do know they are nothing you have not seen before elsewhere.
ReplyDelete