PROJECT SWORD TOP SECRET FILE OPENED: THE BEETLE/ SNOW TRAIN

Ah, the Snow Train! What a vehicle!

The original concept illustration for the Snow Train was by the great Eric Eden in the fabulous 1966 TV21 Summer Extra, where so many origins are.

It then morphed into the Beetle/ Snow Train duo for the 1969 Project SWORD Annual.

Above shows it brilliantly illustrated on page 12 of the Annual by Malcom Stokes in its 'heat shield' mode, a caterpillar-like mole-ship, which could 'fly' through rock, lava and magma. If you've seen the modern film The Core then its the same idea only much earlier! 

This Beetle mode is also captured in the Imai Thunderbird 7 kit, although this model can also open up to launch a small Booster Rocket. It didn't do this in the Annual strip, so I'm not sure if this is based on the TV21/ SOLO comic strip? I think Imai simply made up the name Thunderbird 7. There's no such thing in the show. Or?

The Imai kit originally came out in yellow [shown below in the middle] but was later re-issued in white.

The vehicle's 'Snow Train' guise, without the curved heat-shields, looks more like a Polar CAT with tracked carriages and is the star vehicle of one of the 1969 Century 21 Cut-Out Model Books.

In 2013 Reader Joe Murray sent in these brilliant shots of his Snow Train constructed from scans of the Century 21 Make A Model books. Its the only time I've ever seen it made up.

Have you got a Snow Train or Beetle? Did you read the strip in the SWORD Annual readers?

THE MIDORI SPACE TANK SUPER BEETLE

Woodsy,

Here is a terrific recent sighting of the Midori ‘Space Tank Super Beetle', in working condition, from famous Japanese toy collector Teruhisa Kitahara:

https://youtu.be/L7dl8O41Obk

Brings back so many fond memories of my Paramount “Astro Car”!

Rob C

USA

Thunderbird 7: The Blog Effect?

Bill talks about the blog effect now and then so when I saw this I wondered if this would be a case in point as the effect usually involves misquoting MC content.

Thunderbirds Wiki have a description of a Fantasy Thunderbird 7 at the bottom of their their JR21 toys section https://thunderbirds.fandom.com/wiki/JR_21_Toys_(J.Rosenthal)

The idea of a fantasy Thunderbird 7 is OK as it stands, as one was released as a model kit. But it was released by Imai and not JR21. The photograph shown is a one-off custom created by erstwhile blog contributor Ferryman for his own entertainment, which we featured here in 2009!

https://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2009/06/jr21-thunderbird-7-toy-and-custom-box.html

JR21 themselves never released a Thunderbird 7.

So is Thunderbirds Wiki's gaff the blog effect?

The Imai Thunderbird 7 is actually the Project SWORD Beetle, which I described many times on MC including here in 2014 https://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2014/04/new-origins-of-project-sword-toys.html

THE SNOW CRUISER

I always enjoy watching old reels showing fabulous vehicles. There were more amazing vehicles produced than I ever imagined and sometimes bring the visions of the TV21 artists to life.

I watched this clip on You Tube of the 1939 Snow Cruiser and immediately thought of the Snow Train, which featured prominently in the Project SWORD Annual.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUXq8NWh5vg&feature=emb_logo

I'm sure it will remind you of other fictional vehicles. I wonder what happened to the Snow Cruiser?

Did you have any snow toy vehicles?

HYPER HOBBY DASH AND PROJECT SWORD

This is the Hyper Hobby Dash magazine from Japan, 1998. 

I saw it on Noppin and saved these pics.

Here's the cover.

and here's one set of Imai pages, the left one featuring Project SWORD no less, in relation to Imai's yellow Thunderbird 7 model kit.

INTRODUCING THE CLIM BEETLE

This is the Spanish Beetle by prolific toy company Clim.

It reminds me of the Project SWORD Beetle or its un-shielded version The Snow Train [see the labels below for pics of these]

What do you think of it?

Have you anything like this?

THE WHEELS OF THE IMAI THUNDERBIRD 7

Today's fascinating discussion about the LP Moon Explorer Car tyres reminded of the mysterious wheels on another model I have, Imai's Thunderbird 7.

Its the orange ATV in the middle of some of my toys lined up here, next to the red LP Moon Explorer Car.

Here's the white version close-up, in which you can see the 5 spoked wheels inside the tread [image: akasikogouru]

They aren't the same as the other pod vehicles by Imai such as this Mole [image: akasikogouru] All the others lack 'spokes'.

Now it may be that the origin of Thunderbird 7's tyres lies in its own origin as a vehicle, namely the Snow Train by Eric Eden in the TV21 Summer Extra 1966

or the heat-shielded version of it, the Beetle, in the 1968 Project SWORD Annual. 

What do you think readers?

White Thunderbird 7 AKA Project SWORD Beetle

This is exciting for SWORDies like me.

This looks like a normal boxed Thunderbird 7 / Project SWORD Beetle by Imai.

But it contains the elusive WHITE version of the model!

The usual version is orange as pictured on the box.

I really like this white version and may look out for one in the future.

I think it was released in the 1980's.

I saw this beauty online and saved these pictures.

Have you got one?

You can check out the Japanese source yourself here

https://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/akasikogorou/71606956.html

THUNDERBIRD 7 PROJECT SWORD BEETLE FAN ART

Japanese fan painting of the Imai Thunderbird 7 box art. The TB7 or 

サンダーバード７号 was the Project SWORD Beetle, the heat-shielded form of the Snow Train.

JAPANESE SF BEETLES AND LUNAR CLIMBERS

Here's a nifty Japanese SF site detailing the various old models kits of the Beetle and the what we know as the Lunar Climber. Lots of colour pics of amazing kits here:

http://home.s00.itscom.net/nekonii/uma/tank/10myjosf.htm

THE MYSTERIOUS WHITE IMAI THUNDERBIRD 7 AFFAIR

Fellow collector Terry H recently alerted me to this auction in Japan of a Imai THUNDERBIRD 7. The interesting thing that Terry spotted is that its another of those rare white plastic versions rather than the standard orange. Here are the auction pictures:

The decal on the front says K.

The model number on the box is B-1833-1000.

THE IMAI PROJECT SWORD BEETLE MODEL: SIZE ISN'T EVERYTHING

I took these photos recently to show the size of the Imai Thunderbird 7/ Beetle model, [kindly constructed by Bill] compared to our freinds from Apollo Moon Exploring, LP, SpaceX and Project SWORD.

You can see that it - the orange vehicle with tracks and a remote control - is about the same size as the LP Moon Explorer [red Moon Bus] and the Project SWORD Scout 2 [yellow jet].

In fact it would make a good Scout 4 in the SWORD range, which would fit in with its Imai box art showing the Beetle coming out of a Thunderbird 2 pod.

I always thought of the Beetle, the shielded Snow Train, as a fairly large vehicle, especially in the SWORD Annual. But as we know, scale is a tricky thing and I am just enjoying my new SWORD Beetle model toy for what it is, a lovely toy.

MORE CHRISTMAS DISCOVERIES: WHITE PROJECT SWORD BEETLE TB7 BY IMAI

Browsing the amazing Japanese website, which in English is the Thunderbirds Merchandise Museum [I think], I found two new images of the Thunderbird 7 aka the Project SWORD Beetle [ the shielded version of the Snow Train]. 

The top one is the box art lifted off the 1972 Imai model kit and used on their model catalogue cover, as shown, of the same year. Its been placed on a simple blue background.

Much more exciting is this white version of the TB7 / Beetle, which I've never seen before. Its on the 1989 page of the site so I assume its not just a white painted model from 1972 but a late 80'd re-issue, which is amazing and another first for the blog. Anyone got this white version? Wonder what the box is like?