Another mainstay of the sixties and seventies playtime were Action Transfers. Letraset made hundreds of inexpensive sets, consisting of a background card and a sheet of rub-down decals to apply at your discretion on the base. The series ranged from small pocket versions to large foldouts about 14" long, to big panoramas and booklets. I loved them and eagerly collected all the space themed ones over the years. Sadly, none survive to this day, but the wonderful website
SPLAT Action Transfers have meticulously documented all of the companies output.
To go with the Spacex art day, I have 'borrowed' some of the imagery from the site to create an imaginary set of Triang Spacex transfers! If only!
So utterly cool Bill. How could we make this? What's the process?
ReplyDeleteHa! I love it! Moonbase International Action Transfers! SFZ
DeleteLovely work! Custom made rub down transfers are possible, but I imagine the costs (like custom made GAF Viewmaster reels) would be prohibitive!
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone remember the first release of the Star Trek TMP Enterprise? It featured rub down markings, instead of water slide decals. I imagine it would have been nerve wracking to apply them as there would be no repositioning possible! Also that kit featured prismatic hologram inserts for the warp nacelles, but I digress.
The Action Transfers art of the toppled LEM instantly reminded me of the cliff hanger ending to the first Episode of "For All Mankind". In this alternate reality Apple tv series, Alexsei Leonov is the first man to walk on the moon and Neil and Buzz are playing catch up. The final image shows their LEM in an identical pose and NASA has to work out how to bring them home.
FAM is one of my favourite recent shows.
Have you seen it, Moonbasers?
ive tried several times to get into FAM, but the tedious soap opera melodrama that ties the action pieces together puts me off. Its like Peyton Place in Space sometimes! B
DeleteFor me, in the '60s and '70s, Letraset meant model airplane markings. I never realized they made space related transfers.
ReplyDeletemodel aircraft decals are all waterslide, Ed. These are dry transfer, made by positioning them on a base and then gently rubbing the sheet with a pencil or special burnisher. Much easier than waterslide! Bill
DeleteBeg to differ Bill, but Letraset made dry transfers for aircraft as well as armor and model railroading. You can still buy vintage sheets on fleaBay. As well, Squadron (a huge mail-order hobby supply store specializing in military models) offered dry transfer sets under the "Squadron / Letraset" banner.
DeleteLetraset made their name with lettering transfers for graphic design. you could but a whole sheet of a particular font for paste up of a layout for a design, which was then ohotographed to make a printing plate. with the advent of desktop publishing in the 90’s, the bottom fell out if the market. Bill
ReplyDeleteTell me about it Bill.
DeleteWe used to use letraset for our Dr Who and Red Dwarf model spaceship logos and names, on their hulls. However, it became such a reduced set of fonts that they did, we had to write them in Word, on our PCs, print out their names, on backgrounds of the same colour as the ships, and glue or double side them on.
What a palaver !
Fabulous mock up of the transfer sheet, by the way.
DeleteIt was a regular journey for me when I was in art college at the end of the seventies, to ho buy the latest Letraset catalogue, so I could trace out the various fonts and scale them up by hand for the various design projects. made me appreciate the rigours of typography though! Then when I got a job as a designer with the local NHS, id be off to town to buy sheets of Letraset - padding the order with a few sci fi fonts for me - and getting the money back from petty cash! Bill
DeleteArtrageous Bill !
ReplyDelete