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Wednesday 23 August 2023

CRUISIN' FOR A CHOOSIN'

 Further mental splashing in the wet stuff got me thinking about toy cruise liners.

Are there any?

I found this impressive mystery action cruiser from China. Complete with multiple decks and lights, it took me right back to getting my bump'n'go space toys in the 1960's! What do you think readers?

https://es.aliexpress.com/i/1005003183042771.html


I was also impressed with this model concept for a futuristic liner by design consultancy frog design I saw online [their image].

Its sleek curves and chestnut - cream colour scheme really do it for me! You?


For sleekness I still don't think you can beat the old Victory Industries Vosper Triple Screw Yacht model below, as used by the Century 21 modellers in Gerry Anderson's shows. Are there other boats and ships in Thunderbirds and the other Gerry Andersons?


Have you got a Vosper? Have you got a sleek boat or ship?

Are there any futuristic ships in TV shows and films?
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15 comments:

  1. Scott Kellogg8/23/2023 5:06 pm

    Oh, the Ocean Liner toy looks fantastic! Would love to see something like that in a swimming pool after dark, with all the lights sparkling off the water and reflecting around the bottom of the pool. :)

    Vosper Yacht huh? That's neat!

    I always thought that the speed boats in Thunderbirds and Joe 90 looked a little more real than the Science Fiction craft they fielded. It makes sense. Building a plane that's going to hang suspended on strings for the camera is one thing.

    Building a boat that maneuvers by propellor around the filming tank is something else.
    As I recall, those things could really zip along in the shows. It'd be hard to build something that would be that quick on the water.

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    1. WOODSY8/23/2023 7:28 pm

      yep, Century 21's Derek Meddings and his team made the fantastic look real way back then Scott I agree. The size of the water tanks looks scary in the old photos so yep, safety and practicality will have been paramount with the water models I guess... and the explosion scenes too!

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  2. Paul Adams from New Zealand8/23/2023 7:18 pm

    Those are really nice, especially the Ocean Liner toy with lights. The German die-cast toy maker Siku do several metal and plastic ocean liners. Revell Germany also do some ocean liner kits in various scales.
    Further back, there was the Glamour Gals doll range by Kenner, which included the Ocean Queen cruise liner. This was like a dolls house, with two internal decks for the ship. I sent you an article on this a while back. A very impressive toy.

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    1. WOODSY8/23/2023 7:30 pm

      Thanks for the article Paul. Its in my holding folder. I'll dig it out. Thanks for the info about the Glamour Gals.

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  3. Ed and Bettina Berg8/23/2023 10:41 pm

    Cool pics Woodsy! As much as I enjoy space and airplanes and Batman, somehow a 'few' boats have entered into the collection over the years. Most of them are of the clunkier warship design like frigates, freighters, LCT's or destroyer's. I do have a couple of 'sleek' boats though.

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    1. WOODSY8/28/2023 1:03 am

      What's an LCT Ed?

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    2. Ed and Bettina Berg8/28/2023 3:04 pm

      Landing Craft Tank - the type of boat used during beach landings to transport anything that would fit in them up to and including tanks.

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    3. WOODSY8/28/2023 4:08 pm

      Thanks Ed. Yes, I know those craft. There's DUKW's as well arent there.

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    4. Ed and Bettina Berg8/28/2023 5:34 pm

      Yes. DUKW's were meant to haul troops not vehicles. I've sent some pics of landing craft and DUKW's to the chat group. BTW I rode in a WWII surplus DUKW when I was a kid. My dad took us to see the Wisconsin Dells and they had tours on the river using DUKW's.

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    5. Ed and Bettina Berg8/28/2023 5:36 pm

      The name DUKW comes from General Motors Corporation model nomenclature:

      D, 1942 production series
      U, Utility
      K, all wheel drive
      W, tandem rear axles, both driven

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    6. WOODSY8/28/2023 8:18 pm

      I did not know that! Thanks Ed! You're a mine of information!

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  4. lewis p morley8/23/2023 11:23 pm

    Hmmm, futuristic ocean liners...
    Apart from the lovely design work Frank Bellamy did in his Thunderbirds comic strip, they are fairly sparse on the water filmicly speaking...
    But of course there is The Big Broadcast of 1938 and it's obvious inspiration, the ocean liner concept by Norman Bell Geddes...

    http://www.modelshipsinthecinema.com/2021/04/the-big-broadcast-of-1938.html?m=1

    https://norman.hrc.utexas.edu/NBGPublic/details.cfm?id=211

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    1. WOODSY8/28/2023 1:04 am

      All new to me Looey but what an education! Thanks for sharing those incredible links!

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  5. Anonymous8/24/2023 8:44 am

    Ive just picked up two of the Topper De Luxe Reading Task Force boats, (sic) which will be restored and blogged vvery shortly! Ive already got more complete versions, so these will be slightly modified versions to expand the fleet! Bill

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