MORE PLASTIC MODEL T FORDS

 Yet more old plastic toy Model T Fords - at least I think they are! The plastic Secret Service! And both remote controlled!

Have you seen any more model T's?

Secret Santa: A Merry Model T Christmas From Will O!

Hi Woodsy. Santa and Father Stanley Unwin compare their vintage model T Fords!

Wishing you and all Moonbase readers a happy and peaceful Christmas. 

Will O.

UK

A REAL CLASSIC BENTLEY

 I keep seeing plastic toy Bentleys like the die-cast toy of Steed's car from the Avengers, which Scoop has previously covered fully here on MC.

For me there is something really appealing about plastic.

Here's another plastic Bentley in dark green, a 'Real Classic' and remote control.

And is that a plastic Secret Service Gabriel car on the box header too?

Do you know of any other plastic toy Bentleys?

Tenth Birthday Dossier: The Secret Service: Gabriel The Toy Car

We've featured the Dinky Gabriel die cast car a number of times on the blog.

Scoop covered it briefly in his 2012 post: 

http://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2012/12/dinky-gabriel-model-t-ford_10.html 

and in more detail in 2016:

 https://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2016/08/dinky-gabriel-model-t-ford.html

I've also been reading the superb Dinky TV and Space website, which has a brilliant page on the Dinky Gabriel toy car.

Something new, at least for me, are these similar toy cars related to the Dinky Gabriel shown here with the permission of Dinky TV and Space.

Does your die-cast Gabriel need a secret service?

Photos welcomed!

Tenth BIRTHDAY File: The Secret Service: Gabriel the Model Prop Car

From Model Cars magazine 1969.

What happened to this model?

Anyone know?

TENTH BIRTHDAY SPECIAL GUEST EXCLUSIVE: CHARLES BUSSEY'S SECRET SERVICE GABRIEL CAR

In 2012 I asked the question Where is the Gabriel Car?

Steve Zodiac mentioned a possible location but I didn't chase it up in 2012.

In 2014 Scoop photographed the real Gabriel at Andercon 2014.

Still I didn't follow this up.

Well,for the tenth birthday I did!

I tracked down the owner from an old car showroom photograph and .... got a reply and a clutch of excellent new photographs from a very kind Charles Bussey, who explained how he came to own Gabriel:

Evening Woodsy

You asked for a few details regarding Gabriel.

The few I have which my not already be known are listed below.

I purchased it from Heath Garage in Newmarket.

It was being sold on behalf of Mrs Grade who's husband was the boss of the TV company that produced Thunderbirds and Secret Service for the BBC.

That was in 1968 or thereabouts.

I have used it on a few Model T owners Club rallies but it has not been out for several years.

My wife and I took it to Coventry some years ago for a Gerry Anderson revival meeting where I drove it around the area.

The car was suspended in our old premises in Palace Street Norwich for several years and created a lot of interest from many areas of the public.

That is where someone from The Gerry Anderson organisation spotted it and got in touch.

Her last outing was to an exhibition in London a few years ago but it has not been used since.

I intend to have a drive in it before it is returned to storage. That will however have to wait until new Tubes arrive as three of them are perished and will not hold any air.

I hope this is of use to you and I hope the reunion goes of OK.

I do actually have a video of the car being used in Secret Service.

Best Regards

Charles Bussey

PS. The one thing that I know has gone missing was a one third scale prop model of Gabriel. It was searched for in the '90s but as I understand it was never found. Do you have any info on that.

GABRIEL MODEL PRESENTED BY ALAN PARTRIDGE

Hi Woodsy, Here is a MODEL CARS magazine cover from 1969 showing the model on display somewhere (?) Surely that is Alan Partridge in the background? - ha ha. Steve Zodiac

Dinky 'Gabriel' Model T Ford

This picture from Vectis is the Model T Ford from the little seen Gerry Anderson series, The Secret Service and was produced by Dinky between 1969 and 1971.

It was named ‘Gabriel’ by Father Stanley Unwin, the lead character, voiced by comedian Stanley Unwin in this quirky spy series which mixed puppets and live action. It carried the number plate T42.

Although, I did see it when it originally aired, The Secret Service wasn’t shown in most ITV regions.

The Dinky Model T was released with little promotion and more than likely, like the series sank without trace. It wasn’t your typical futuristic, gimmick laden vehicle seen in most Gerry Anderson shows so I wouldn’t have busted a gut to get one.

 

 

I got this Model T from a car boot sale some years later for around 50p.

As is well known to Anderson fans', the series was abruptly cancelled by Lew Grade following a test screening and ran for only 13 episodes.

And many of you will know, the full size version of ‘Gabriel’ can also be seen in the UFO episodes,’ Identified’ and ‘A Question of Priorities’