While browsing through the Project Sword blog I found
something that looked vaguely familiar which sent me scrambling for my DVDs. It
was Woodsy's post on the Strato Ray Gun toy which reminded me of a full size gun
used in an episode of Captain Scarlet. However, comparison with the episode in
question, Crater 101, showed it was close... but not identical!
Undeterred, this
set me off on a late-night Google image search into the world of toy guns and
water pistols which, via a few interesting detours, eventually led me to the
Lone Star Stingray gun. It's one of those toys which had little or no relation
to anything on screen, and which had been issued, at various times, as a Dan
Dare gun and a Batman gun.
above Batman pistol picture:
Vectis
The barrel of the gun has been changed with the addition of a transparent front section, other bits have been removed but the rear part and the back of the handle are unmistakable. You have to be quick to catch it, it's only on screen for a few seconds. With the use of so many full size guns in the Andersons' puppet series, I suspect it's not the last toy gun that was converted for use on-screen - in fact I'm sure I've seen the occasional water pistol in Stingray.
I sense long hours of picture research looming - as Colonel White might say, 'We must steel ourselves for the road ahead!'.
Richard Farrell
Publisher, Andersonic Fanzine
The Merit toys sonic gun was used unaltered as the sidearm carried by the 'Tomorrow People'.
ReplyDeleteGreat research Richard! It must have been a puppeteer's hand in that silvery glove, which I understand was customary for the close-ups. Whose I wonder -
ReplyDeleteCheers Arto
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Toy Gun Play Sets