I'm going to have a go at listing SWORD on paper i.e printed books and important magazines [nothing . It will be a collector's checklist and is a work in progress. I don't intend to go into any great detail [search this blog or elsewhere online for specific items] but I will list the name and year of publication. A brief overview of the comics may be added later.
Historians talk about primary and secondary material. I'll use something similar refering to the first flush [or should be flash!] of SWORD publications as 'First' Sword and subsequent stuff written about Sword as 'Second' Sword [I'm sure that you can come up with more imaginative headings!].
FIRST SWORD: The Golden Age: The 1960's
TV Century 21 Summer Extra 1966: the most likely origin of many of the key Non - NASA spacecraft of the SWORD fleet can found over four pages in this amazing comic special. The vehicles, such as the Hover Tank and Snow Train, were drawn by the superlative Eric Eden. NB. There is no reference to Project SWORD in it but it's relevance is plain to see.
Project SWORD Annual 1968/69: both the peak and the epitaph of the SWORD project, this, THE Annual, is obligatory reading and reference material for the true SWORDhead. Colour strips, cut-aways, photographs and stories about all the major SWORD craft. If you can't read the comics then you must at least get hold of this.
TV21 Annual 1969: the second Annual in the SWORD library. Over roughly four pages of text and black and white pictures, the strategic importance of many of the SWORD craft is discussed including firepower, PF3 being the ultimate 'big guns'. The book also contains The Loyal and the Dead, a SWORD text story with a few excellent colour drawings. It really is well worth getting hold of for another view of SWORD.
Project SWORD Make A Model Book: Sand Flea and Scramble Bug: beautiful colour artwork covers, black and white text story with colour cut-out paper models of the two named vehicles, one of which, the Scramble Bug, was alreadt available as a toy but not the Sand Flea. One of two of these books, they are very collectable SWORD items in their own right.
Project SWORD Make A Model book: Snow Train and Hover Tank. This paper model book, one of two available, added these two craft to the play fleet as neither were available as toys [see above].
Letts TV21 Diary: black and white pictures of the Booster Rocket and Snow Train can be found in this vintage diary.SECOND SWORD: the Silver Age; the 1970's/80's
Starlog Science Fiction Toys and Models Vol. 1: a black and white photograph of the SWORD Apollo Saturn can be found in this interesting modelling softback book.
Thunderbirds Merchandise Museum: Japanese book crammed with japenese text and colour photographs about Thunderbirds. There is a small section about Project SWORD if I remember rightly. I had it years ago but swapped mine for a couple of JR21 TB water pistols!
Japanese collecters book including photographs of SWORD Booster Rocket amongst others.
THIRD SWORD: the Bronze Age: 1990's/2000's/2010's
Playset Magazine September 2004 colour article about Apollo Moon Exploring boxed playset.
Project SWORD toys featured in Rob Godwin's interview/collection in Toy Shop magazine 4th February 2005 [The Final Frontier: Will Romano]
PROJECT SWORD, Fabulous Space Toys of the 1960's: 2007. self-published photographs of Paul Woods' collection of Project SWORD toys. Colour. Softback. Published via TESCO online photobooks UK. 2 copies printed. One with the author, the other with Bill Bulloch.
Model Auto Review Magazine # 242 7 May 2010 "Moon Prospectors" by Paul Woods [p.18]
FAB magazine, the magazine of FANDERSON 2010 - 2011: three consecutive issues featured lengthy articles and colour picture galleries about Project SWORD toys. Together they form a single comprehensive guide to the Century 21 toy fleet and all their clones and knockoffs over the years including many unusual collectables like records, books, rubbers and models. Issues 67, 68, 69, released to Fanderson members between 2010 and 2011. All three articles by Paul Woods [blog founder]. Pages 1 and 2 of article 1, issue 67 pictured. Issue 67 also includes a written reply by Gerry Anderson to my questions about Project SWORD.
THE ART OF S.W.O.R.D: my own book about the space and sci-fi art art which may have influenced the box art of the Century 21 Project SWORD toys in 1967. The book features many colour pictures of artworks and SWORD toys and boxes. The text comprises largely of correspendence with the author by space and sci-fi artists and relatives. The book is sold via BLURB, the print on demand online publisher. By invitation only by the author. For details email me, Paul Richard Woods.
UFO Chronicles Book. Japanese. 2012? Covers Project SWORD Century 21 toys and their Imai model equivalents from the UFO Base and Science series of models from the late 1960's and early 1970's. Lots of colour pictures including illustrations from the Project SWORD Annual. Japanese text.
SWORD FLEET CODEX
Fan-made deck of cards in the Top Trumps style. Designed and produced by Bill Bulloch with assistance from Paul Woods and issued as a Moonbase Central Blog exclusive limited edition gift in 2012. 25 colour cards depicted and described vehicles from the worlds of Project SWORD, SPACEX and other related toy lines. Issued in a plastic deck box [artist's proofs depicted].
Addendum:
Japanese site devoted to Gerry Anderson publications
TVCentury21 checklist of Anderson publications in Japan
I think you ought to include your own FAB articles too. Future collectors will refer to them.
ReplyDeleteBy the way ... SWORD on paper ... is that a paper cut?
ReplyDeleteAnd perhaps add the Memorabilia Guide?
ReplyDeleteDo you think so Toad? There's a few articles that could go into a Bronze Age section.
ReplyDeleteAs for paper cuts - in the same category as bramble thorns - small but excruciating!
Yes, definitely. It's important that you include it, don't you think?
ReplyDeleteI don't know how well known FAB is outside of Fanderson or those of us with an ongoing interest in SWORD.
Someone could come new to the hobby or new to an interest in real information on the toys, and be unaware of your articles. So, yes, you need to include them in the paper-listing somewhere. By all means add a third category if necessary. But include them.
Wilco Toad. Started a third section. Can't get the text to wrap round the pictures now. Blogger is a pain sometimes! Do you of any Spacex articles at all?
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear it, Commander.
ReplyDeleteSpaceX articles in print? None come to mind (but it's late ... I can barely think). There are the illustrations of the Tractor, the Needle Probe and the Nuclear Pulse in that Special.
Cool stuff, especially the Space Toys article! Yes, even the stuff for FAB needs to be cataloged. I'm new to SpaceX/Sword toys, and while I've enjoyed Space: 1999 since I was a kid, I've never really seen any other Anderson stuff except on the web or in books and magazines. This stuff is cool. And by 2050, there'll be a whole bunch of new fans out there. Your stuff will be historically important artifacts and your blog here will be a treasure trove.
ReplyDeleteGordon Long
(nods) exactly. That's what I was thinking.
ReplyDelete