Cheap and Nasta

I love the header art on this old bag of NASTA spacemen. It looks like something from Space Odyssey 2001 don't you think?

Picture: Ebay

Optimus Time

Went to see Transformers: Dark of the Moon on opening night yesterday. It was packed and there was a great atmosphere. As expected it was stunning cinema with some truly jaw-dropping images. The star of the show for me was Shockwave's huge drilling decepticon capable of shredding biuldings. Michael Bay really has got his effects down to a tee. Anyone else seen it?

Spanish Stroll

I regularly take strolls around Spanish cyber-space. I usually search for Juguete Espacial. More often than not I end up on Mercado Libre the auction site, which covers the Spanish-speaking world particularly Latin America. Above are a few snaps from one of my recent forays.

Tales of Terra

The old German pulp mag Terra [and Utopia] was a treasure trove of great covers. Like many other mags, we find similar images and names on toy box art. Here's just a few Terra tasters:

1. Top left 'Turme strahlen den Tod' [Towers beam down Death]. The cool jet design was a staple for Gakken toys and also turned up on the Space Ship X-5 box. But what is that jet design? Is it a stileto or complete fantasy?

2. Top right: "Atombrand am Sudpol" [Nuclear Fire in Antarctica]. I suppose artists everywhere loved to capture the blast of jet engines. I've thrown in two drawings by SWORD artist Malcolm Stokes for good measure.

3. Bottom: the trouble with titles! The Terra title 'Mond Prospektor' means Moon Prospector but is actually a re-titled 'The Trouble With Tycho". There was a 'Moon Prospector' in the english-speaking pulps, one we've seen before on the blog - the fabulous laser tank cover by the great Kelly Freas and words by William B.Ellern. The story was an official part of the Lensman universe.

More pulp art welcomed folks!

Turn't Telly On Mum

As a Sixties anklebiter in England the TV was ruled by Thunderbirds. But despite us only having three channels [how many did our US and European friends have then?] there were tons of other great kids programmes all vying for our attention: Scooby Do, Marine Boy, Top Cat, Flintstones, Herculoids, Frankenstein Junior and my own favourites, Spider-Man and the Impossibles on Saturday mornings. Here's my treasured Annual that went with the show.

The Seventies were just as good: Hong Kong Phooey, Wacky Races, Spot the Pigeon, Star Trek, Children of the Stones, Rhubarb, Hair Bair Bunch and loads more [please insert your own!]. The cop shows from the US were required viewing too as I turned teenager in 1973 and could stay up till 10 I seem to recall. My top six would be 6. Kojak 5. Ironside 4. Canon 3. Harry- O  2. The Streets of San Francisco and easilly at number 1, Columbo. I was saddened to hear that the superb Peter Falk died over the weekend aged 82. Feels like a whole generation has gone.

The Eighties weren't my decade for TV as I was busy growing facial hair. I did notice a few cartoon shows though: Brave Starr, Masters of the Universe and Thundercats. I suppose for Eighties kids the debate rages on as to which was the best!

Everythings a blur after that as I switched off!

What were your favourites in your part of the world?

Pyro C

More cool X-300 Cruisers!

Pulp covers and

Interplanet Cruiser tinplate, circa 1955 Made in Japan [Ebay 2011] price tag approx. $1000!

Damocles Arrives Today

Well life imitates art once more today as you may recall my serialised 'strip' mockumentary about an asteroid strike on Moonbase and our very own Mr Woods being MIA. But today apprently a real asteroid about the size of a large bus is due to skim Earth at a mere 7,500 miles distant. 2011 MD as it is named was discovered just last Wednesday on close approach and should be visible to amateur astronomers using moderately large telescopes on 27 June.

Well its been fun, so long and thanks for all the fish...

Nice and Tender

Hong Kong toys were eclectic affairs. Case in point is the cool JR21 Airport Crash Tender.  Owner Ferryman takes up the story: "My JR Crash Tender is marked Lucky Toys. I also have Telsalda and NFIC boxed versions which are slightly smaller and friction driven. These friction drive ones are both marked NFIC."

So that's JR21, Lucky and NFIC! Did JR21 at least do their own box art [above] or is that from another toy as well? Anymore for anymore?

Crash Tender Pictures courtesy of Ferryman and Lucky horseshoe logo - inset - courtesy of Ebay.

Gattlestar Balactica

Next on my summer reading pile, after Batman, is Battlestar Galactica, the novelisation of the film. Anyone read it? What's the basic plot?

Art of Toys

Well it was a humid Friday night on Moonbase and the space curry was cracked open to celebrate another lunar weekend. My favourite post-dinner pastime is searching for space toy box art with SWORD or SpaceX connections. My new offerings from cyberspace are:

Cosmic Water Gun: a large plastic water rifle made in China in the 1970's. On the header card you can just make out the black silhouette of the MOLAB as featured on the cover of Rocket Stories [artist: Alex Schomberg]. You can see the original on the cool Main Street Toys site. No other image found of this toy.

Metralleta Rayo Spacial: a 37 cm-long tinplate space rifle seen on the cool Mark Bergin Toys. Made in Spain by JYE. It's not often that our pal the X-20 Dyna Soar gets a look in on box art but here's one - top right corner of the box side. Here's a close-up below.

Deutsche Tee: the German T Saturn 5

Blog reader Ferryman has sent in these great clear shots of his German T in a Circle Saturn 5 Rocket from the 60's. The logo and model number (425), top picture, appears on the underside of the rocket but not the box. There are two other versions of this toy that I'm aware of, the Apollo X and Apollo 11, made by a variety of manufacturers including T in a Circle. I remember passing one up years ago at my favourite little vintage toy kiosk in Whitby - I didn't know what it was at the time! Got one now though!

Saw one at the Isle of Wight Toy Museum in Godshill last month too, along with a really fine collection of mint boxed JR21 Anderson toys. Well worth a visit!

The Old Prospectors Early Summer Caption Comp

Okay SWORDies, Wimbledon's on the telly, the village gala's on and it's getting warm. That can only mean one thing, it's Summer and it's time for another crazy caption comp!

So, what are the Old Prospector and his Donkey thinking or saying?

Hover Craft

Since my early days of looking into and collecting SWORD and SpaceX I've been aware of the knockoff miniatures by Hover. An old contact caled Mark Mclellan sent me two pictures of his carded Space Adventure and Space Glider [top left pair]. The mighty WOTAN also had a loose blue Space Glider and amazingly a loose Lunar Rover. Some time later when Ebay came along I found the Moon Base set from the series [bottom pair]. But frustratingly I've never seen a full carded set of the vehicles, so in the spirit of Blue Peter I've got stuck in and ..here's a set I made earlier! The top right threesome are my poor attempts at imagining what a carded Hover Lunar Rover, Scramble Bug and the Blue Glider might look like.

But better still would be pics of the real McCoys! Anyone?

WOTAN Butts in:

 Heres a real blast from the past - probably about ten years ago when I first found the internet and made my initial forays into email, I sent Mr Woods a series of duff photos of my spacex and other stuff. This was the first time I had found anyone who actually knew anything about Spacex since the early seventies and formed the basis of a lasting friendship. A day or two later, I got a call from a rather entusiastic man in Holland who Woodstock had forwarded the photos to and since then I have been great friends with Mr Paul Vreede too. From such small beginnings..  Paul V subsequently carved up the series of photos and created the composite photo above, complete with numbers. This is the only extant photo I have of the Hover Rover, with its wooden base. Just for sake of completion, here is a key to the numbers:

1. Small Army Cricket

2. Blue Box AP EX Shuttle copy

3. Sword Badge

4. Spacex Badge

5.matchbox rocket

6.Roxy prospector

7.Hover Lunar Rover

8.Hover Glider

9.-12 LP Moon Vehicles

13.LP Rocket Transporter (rip off of large deluxe version)

14.LP Rocket (4")

15.-18 -assorted golden astronauts, aliens 

19 small astronaut from large blue LP rocket

21 Ap Ex space station - with spacex Moon base legs glued on!

Planet of the Aurochs

Unsure if this worked!

Maybe a load of bull!

Putting this image together made me consider a different type of SWORD Annua, one based around SWORD adventures on different planets, like Star Trek, rather than its focus on individual Spacecraft and their fate largely on a dying Earth. Do the SOLO and TV21 comic strips venture beyond Earth? I don't have many of them so I shall have to consult the GACCH website to answer that!

Boats, Moonliners and Hydrofoils

A postcard from reader Ferryman's toy cabinet including the Strombecher Disney Moonliner and the T 'Little Brother' Cruiser with it's superb deck canopy and box art.

Trailer Trash

Can't wait to see Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon this summer at the Pictures. It looks stunning and the throbbing music sounds mesmerising judging by the film's trailer. The Rise of Planet of the Apes looks interesting as well, although I've yet to be convinced by both human and ape CGI faces. Still WETA are involved so it should be good. Saw Stake Land last night - a sort of cross between Blade and 28 Days Later. I enjoyed it. Anyone seen any good films of late or looking forward to something at the flicks or DVD?

JR Hardly

Woodsy,

To follow up the SWORD "knock-offs", here are some Anderson versions I have come across recently on the 'net. The 'new' version of Thunderbird 5 makes me wonder, did the original JR toy adapt an exisiting flying saucer model? It bore surprisingly little resemblance to TB5. I was particularly taken with the art for the ex-Stingray water pistol, which shows it zooming through space!

Andy B

Probing the Depths

Midsummer Mysteries

Well it's Midsummer and I've been pondering some of the small mysteries that the blog has thrown up. Nothing huge like where's the Moonbase Set but just the little things. I'll kick off with something WOTE sent me ages ago. Here we have an, as yet, unidentified set of tea or cigarette cards, which include our friend the Moon Prospector. Here it's called the Rotating Geophysical Laboratory. Anyone got any idea what this space card set is?

Next up is another one from the mighty WOTAN. In an earlier post about colouring books the Wotester mentions one he had in 1969/70, which included a Moon Crawler to be coloured in. You can read Wote's original account here in his Colour Me Happy. Again, any ideas what this book was Swordies?

Third we have a photo mystery. Last year I won these two black and white glossy photo's on Fleabay. They were from a German seller who described them as promotional pictures for use in the trade back in the late 60's. Obviously I bought them for the SWORD duet in the top photograph but has anyone got any clue as to what the bottom piccy full of large toy rabbits might be? It's clearly some sort of toy fair or shop. The two kids look oriental. Ideas on a postcard please! I can post a better picture if that might help?

Last but not least was a short reference in Comments perhaps, which I now can't locate [comments can't be searched], by a reader - maybe Grif or Yorkie [sorry guys, I just can't remember]. The reference was to a trading or tea/ cigarette card from a space series which depicted a scramble bug. I don't remember any more than that but would love to know which series and card it was.

Solutions to any or all of the above mysteries will be posted as they flood in! Get your thinking caps on! Thanks in advance.

Double Takes

Just the other day I came across this great colour impression of Wernher Von Braun's Mars Ship [above left]. The artist is unknown but it bears an uncanny resemblance to Ed Valigursky's Booster Rocket [above left].

Above we have a series of beautiful pulp book covers by Emsch including his cool Booster/ TB2 hybrid!

Finaly here's some Cosmo box art from Japan of a remarkabley Angelesque space jet flying from what appears to be the Death Star!

Midsummer Night's SWORD

© Look and Learn Midsummer's Greetings Just wanted to wish all our readers a happy and mystical Summer Solstice on this the longest day. Woodsy Woodsy moonzero@moonzero.freeserve.co.uk

Click here for an online version of this card if you cannot see the images.

It's Ideal Again

This 1950's [?] Ideal X-19 Space Fighter Transport recently graced Ebay US. It sold for a staggering £940, well over a thousand dollars. Is it really that unusual? I know very little about this American toy except for covering it a year ago or so on the blog as it looks sort of similar to the later JR21 Rocket Transporter. Paul V reminded me about this recently. Did Ideal sell this toy outside of the US?

Won't Get Fuelled Again: The Apollo Moon Exploring UFO Russian Tanker Affair

Over Easter I treated myself to Derek Medding's superb book, 21st Century Visions, which was going for a song on Amazon. I wasn't dissapointed and have been poring over it ever since. One of the vehicles mentioned is the Russian surface rover shown above [bottom left and right]. It appears in the 1973 episode of UFO called The Responsibility Seat, which you can watch via You Tube [pops up around 4.52 mins].

Around the same time I was also lucky enough to take possession of an Apollo Moon Exploration boxed set, [pictured top right along with a US catalogue ad], which I've been after for years. Inside is a nifty red fuel tanker [pictured top left], which also came carded as part of the 1970 Apollo Moon Exploring range [pictured top centre].

I couldn't help but notice a similarity between the UFO Russian moon rover and the Apollo fuel tanker. Or am I just seeing things as per usual?

Moonship Passes Saturn

Late night fiddling again!

Reconnaissance Space Tank

During the mid-1990's I stumbled across an old toy shop at the top of a funicular railway near Bradford, Northern England, called Shipley Glen. The shop was a treasure trove of 1970's old stock. I bought about £20's worth of bits and bobs like mint plastic Archery sets, Super Hero bike decals, plastic ray guns and tons more. The prices were dirt cheap and everyone was happy. One of the toys I didn't buy but now regret [sound familiar?] was the Reconnaissance Tank pictured above [courtesy of Vectis]. Made in China and distinctly plasticy, I do like the design, a sort of space steam iron! Unlike tinplate, there aren't that many plastic space tanks and for some reason it's TB2 pod vehicle-looks remind me of the SWORD Hover Tank in a kooky kinda way! Anymore plastic space tanks out there folks?

PLASTIC TOYS USED IN THUNDERBIRDS CITY OF FIRE AIRPORT RESCUE FLEET

In this shot from of the Thunderbirds airport fire and rescue fleet we can see that those crafty modelshop chaps have raided their local toy store near Century 21 studios in Slough! (picture borrowed from the Space 1999 Eagle Transporter Forum. Thank you.)

First up we have the tender tug

and in it's original form, the plastic AQUACAR by Marx

Next up the tender cab

and in its original toy form, by HSi of Hong Kong, seen below loose and boxed, which we have blogged about before

Incidentally I've found what is clearly a similar toy, the ELEKTRO AMPHIBIO by SCHUCO, which came in a variety of colours. This is almost certainly also the original on which T Toys [Tai Hing] based their own Amphibious Car. Not sure of either were used by the Century 21 model shop?

and finally the Superon tanker car

and in it's recycled yellow Yellow Fox prop being displayed at Fandercon, which you can read more about on the excellent Gerry Anderson Props site.

Well it's not really a toy this time but there is a connection to PROJECT SWORD as the same shaped truck appears in the 1969 SWORD ANNUAL (there is also a slight look of the BEETLE with its heat shields up). Did it appear in any other SWORD or Anderson strip?

Anymore hidden toys out there in the Anderverse Swordies?

Pictures originate from Space 1999 Eagle Transporter Forum, Ebay and VECTIS.

Nyrath's Space Command Ship

These fabulous images have been created by reader Nyrath.

You can see his entire flickr gallery of these images in much clearer detail here.

FAB!