JAPANESE SWORD: PROSPECTOR, CAPE KENNEDY AND MOON BUS ON FILM

This is an interesting British Pathe short from the 7th International Toy Fair 1968 in Japan, made even more interesting by some Project SWORD action from three of the range's classic toys. There's more toys besides. What can you see readers?

https://www.britishpathe.com/asset/238186/

Your Project SWORD film clips, home made or found online, welcomed!

PROJECT SWORD: LABEL-BODIED

A good example of how Dymo labels appeared everywhere in the Sixties is this obscure but important footage of a Project SWORD toys exhibition in London, which we've seen before on MC.

The various SWORD toys held by the two ladies have embossed label strips stuck to them, although I can't tell what they say; possibly 4 characters on each. An exhibition stock reference of some kind? What do you think? I bet they were hard to get off when it was all over!

Worthy of note is the totally unique white-coloured Nuclear Ferry at the very start of the SWORD display. Since seeing this film a few years back I've come to regard this white ferry as maybe a prototype before Century 21 Toys released the final blue version, but this is pure supposition on my part. What do you reckon?

What else can you see in this footage?

https://www.britishpathe.com/video/VLVAF0AA1XY8DDIO7HWY7BW5N7XGC-UK-DISPLAY-OF-SPACE-AGE-HONG-KONG-TOYS-OPENS-IN-LONDON/query/hong+kong+toy+display

THOUGHTS ON THE PROJECT SWORD FILM: A SPACE ODYSSEY PROMO?

Blog inspirer Rob Godwin recently made some insightful observations on the old Project SWORD display film we've featured here on Moonbase. The link to it is below.

He thought the video is amazing. Rob pointed out the images from 2001 A Space Odyssey in the background. He highlighted the Captain Scarlet cap gun stuck on the wall. He's never seen that white Nuclear Ferry anywhere. Rob noticed that there isn't a moon base, which may not have meant anything if the Nuclear Ferry was in prototype phase only when this was filmed. 

Rob wondered why Reuters would go and film something so obscure? In colour no less. 

Finally Rob speculated if this had anything to do with that announcement we had seen about displaying the toys at the time of the 2001 release, this is dated within days of the release of 2001.

What are you thoughts?

https://www.britishpathe.com/video/VLVAF0AA1XY8DDIO7HWY7BW5N7XGC-UK-DISPLAY-OF-SPACE-AGE-HONG-KONG-TOYS-OPENS-IN-LONDON/query/hong+kong+toy+display

PROJECT SWORD TOYS ON FILM 1968

The Reuters/ ITN Project SWORD toys display film we featured here a few years back is now on British Pathe!

Check it out! Its FAB!

https://www.britishpathe.com/video/VLVAF0AA1XY8DDIO7HWY7BW5N7XGC-UK-DISPLAY-OF-SPACE-AGE-HONG-KONG-TOYS-OPENS-IN-LONDON/query/hong+kong+toy+display

JAPANESE FILM: APOLLO SATURN ROCKETS

TOCHGI PROVENCE, JAPAN, 1969: A short film on the ITN Source website. Watch out for the Tomy Apollo Saturns, the forerunner of the Project SWORD version.

http://www.itnsource.com/en/shotlist/RTV/1969/12/05/BGY507190078/?s=moon%20toy

WHICH VINTAGE TOYS CAN YOU SPOT IN THIS FILM CLIP?

These are some of the toys I've recognised in the ITNSource clip I posted  a week ago:

http://www.itnsource.com/en/shotlist//RTV/1968/05/28/BGY506300558/?s=toys+AND+fair&st=1&pn=1

Century 21 Toys Project SWORD:

White Nuclear Ferry [first ever sighting]

Scout 1

Scout 2

Scout 3 [I think]

Moon Ranger

Moon Bus

Moon Prospector 

Probe Force 1

Task Force 3 

Scramble Bug  

Apollo Saturn  

Dyna Soar

Zero X

Booster Rocket 

Space Glider

more?

Others:

2001 A Space Odyssey background [ship?]

On the wall, JR21 Captain Scarlet carded guns, 

Project SWORD Cape Kennedy Box top

Redbox boxed Space Action Astronaut figure:

T in a Circle Amphibious Car:

Boxed helicopter - make?

What else can you see readers?

THE GREAT WHITE NUCLEAR FERRY MYSTERY

The white Nuclear Ferry seen at the start of the ITN film blogged recently is fascinating and its totally taxing the brains of SWORDnuts like Arto and me.

Why white when the handful of toys we know of in private collections are all blue?

A pre-production sample? A prototype?

White does make a lot of sense though! Virtually every Ferry ever illustrated - see below - appear to be white [except the SpaceX miniature]. The original Bob McCall  illustrations in LIFE magazine and Look and Learn Comic are all white!

Most importantly, the original 1963 painting by Bob McCall, Earth to Moon Shuttle, shows a white Nuclear Ferry, where it hangs in the collection of the University of Arizona Museum of Art - look here.

Similarly, the box art and Official Manual released with the 1967 Nuclear Ferry toy by Century 21 Toys both show a white Ferry.

So why the last minute change to a blue toy?

Was it to tie in with the blue Zero-X and the blue Dyna-Soar?

Was there excess blue plastic from the above that needed using?

What do you think?

*

PS. Bill made this uber-cool white Nuclear Ferry model, which we blogged in 2008!

NEWLY DISCOVERED PROJECT SWORD FILMS 2

Further exploration of the ITN Source site has revealed yet more Project SWORD clips! Yay!

Japanese 7th International Toy Fair 1968 [thanks to eagle eyed Paul Vreede!]

http://www.itnsource.com/en/shotlist/RTV/1968/10/17/BGY507050309/?s=moon%20toy

Japanese Toy Makers of Tochgi Province 1969

http://www.itnsource.com/en/shotlist/RTV/1969/12/05/BGY507190078/?s=moon%20toy

What can you see readers?

NEWLY DISCOVERED PROJECT SWORD FILM FROM 1968

In the summer of 2013 I saw the following description online of a short film held by ITN News Source:

"ONE OF THE MOST SOPHISTICATED DISPLAYS OF SPACE-AGE TOYS EVER SEEN IN LONDON WAS ON VIEW AT THE HONG KONG TRADE CENTRE TODAY (TUESDAY) WHEN THE CROWN COLONY'S TOY MAKERS LAUNCHED A BIG DRIVE FOR THE BRITISH MARKET. THE HIGHLIGHT OF THE DISPLAY, WHICH LASTS UNTIL 14 JUNE, WAS REPLICA OF THE SURFACE OF THE MOON, LITTERED WITH SPACECRAFT OF ALL KINDS. 

THE MOON TOY INCLUDED NOT ONLY ROCKETS AND SPACESHIPS BUT ALSO A MOON PROSPECTOR WITH A ROTATING SCANNER AND SEARCHLIGHT, A MOON BUS FOR TRANSPORTING MEN AND EQUIPMENT, AND A SCOOP SHOVEL FOR OBTAINING GEOLOGICAL SAMPLES. THERE WERE NO CHILDREN AT TODAY'S OPENING - ONLY BUSINESSMEN AND NEWSMEN."

As soon as I saw the names Moon Prospector and Moon Bus I knew that this was Project SWORD and got in touch! Alas, despite pleading blog poverty, over a six month period in 2013, the ITN Archive were charging £150 to put the clip on DVD and even then only for personal use! I was gutted and forgot about it....almost.

Fast forward nearly three years to February 2016 and ..... hold the bus! Checking the ITN site for any change in the price I was AMAZED to find that they now provide public previews of their film clips, including the Project SWORD short! Yes! Result!

So without further ado I am truly excited to bring you the link to ITN Source Clip BGY506 300558 0.You'll find the film video preview about half way down. Click on it and expand to full screen! The film is just shy of 2 minutes long and appears to be silent. The date of the film was the 25th May 1968. There are more technical details on the ITN page.

Not only is the film a Project SWORD toy bonanza, there is also a WHOLLY NEW toy 'variation', which is just sensational! Its featured at the beginning, at the 7 second mark for a mere 2 seconds, but boy oh boy! Don't blink or you'll miss it.

Enjoy readers, it doesn't get much better than this! Observations/ identifications/feelings and remarks really welcomed. What can you see?

ITN SOURCE PROJECT SWORD FILM CLIP [click]