It did come with an attractive box and display plinth, though.
I can still remember watching The Secret Service when it first appeared on TV towards the tail end of 1969, but I've no idea how I found out about it. Apart from my own local TV channel, Granada, it was only shown on a couple of other regional TV channels in the UK. so there was certainly no big publicity push, but somehow I did manage to watch all of it's thirteen seldom seen episodes.
I remember enjoying it, seeing how it was another Gerry Anderson production. The models and sets were the best Century 21 had produced up to that point, and I was already aware of comedian Stanley Unwin and his ' 'Unwinese', but, even as a youngster, I found it a bit pedestrian, and the long shots of live actors did become jarring after a while.
But the big let down was that the 'hero' vehicle was just an old vintage car - charming perhaps, but not very exciting.
Subsequently, I never bothered picking up Dinky's 'Gabriel' model at the time. It was hardly the imaginative futuristic vehicle that I'd come to expect from Gerry Anderson's other Sci-fi creations.
I did find this knocked about example, many years later at a car-boot sale, which I bought for fifty pence. I know it's not perfect, and I know there's many collectors out there who do enjoy this model, and proudly display it, (more than likely next to their Dinky 'Stripy' Minis from Candy and Andy.) and that's fine of course. Maybe it's appeal is the very fact that it is so different to the other 'hero' vehicles in Gerry's series.
But the big let down was that the 'hero' vehicle was just an old vintage car - charming perhaps, but not very exciting.
Subsequently, I never bothered picking up Dinky's 'Gabriel' model at the time. It was hardly the imaginative futuristic vehicle that I'd come to expect from Gerry Anderson's other Sci-fi creations.
I did find this knocked about example, many years later at a car-boot sale, which I bought for fifty pence. I know it's not perfect, and I know there's many collectors out there who do enjoy this model, and proudly display it, (more than likely next to their Dinky 'Stripy' Minis from Candy and Andy.) and that's fine of course. Maybe it's appeal is the very fact that it is so different to the other 'hero' vehicles in Gerry's series.
Great photos as ever. Got to say my experience and views on the show are exactly the same as yours!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kev, yeah, it's no real wonder that Lew Grade cancelled it after seeing just one episode.
DeleteBeautiful photos scoop. I quite like that car but like you I,m not a vintage car fan. Yesteryear never did it for me like super fast. Is the Gabriel t the same as the basil brush car? And those big big trains look extra cool in the background! Very century 21 studios!
ReplyDeleteThanks Woodsy.
DeleteUnsurprisingly, I'm not over familiar with the Basil Brush car, so I'm not sure - Boom, boom!
The Big Big train had to get a look in considering it was you who put me on to it.
Ha ha. The chap who did the vicars voice -I forget his name - I heard him on an old classic rock album recently, ogdens nut gone flake by the small faces. He must have been a hot commodity in the sixties.
DeleteThe chap was 'Professor' Stanley Unwin, Woodsy, and he helped take that album to number one. : D
DeleteAh yes, the gibberish guy. Small faces getting him on their album reminds of blur doing the same with Phil Daniels on the park life album....and single. Very savvy. He was the slick young mod in the who-inspired film quadrophonia. A scooter boy. Now what would Stanley unwin say?
DeleteJust checked the dinky basil brush car. It's not a model t ford. Dinky did release a merry Christmas model t, replacing Stanley with Santa. Having just googled they also made a model t with a period couple sat inside enjoying the ride. Not sure which came when in all these.
ReplyDeleteThe full sized model T from Secret Service also cropped up in UFO as a Harlington Straker Studios prop!
ReplyDelete