THE NEW NASA PROSPECTOR MINING SCOUT CONCEPT

 I like this new Prospector design concept by Marc Senger.

It even folds up and takes off! Do you like it?

THE TARHEEL COVER: MAKING AN IMPACT

The recent revelation that was the American Tarheel Project SWORD dealers catalogue I've been pondering the possible origin of that strange and huge disco ball on a stand to the right.

More to the point, I've been pondering the spidery base it has and I believe its this... the surface lander baseplate of the Moon Prospector concept shown here in 1961 in Newsweek a cover painted by Jo Kotula. You can just see half of it behind the Prospector.

Here's a much clearer NASA concept drawing, where the baseplate is very distinct, the legs spread out like a spider. NASA called it an Impact Absorber, a device to assist in landing the Prospector - the Roving Vehicle - on the Moon as part of the SURVEYOR programme. It would have made a great toy accessory [anyone care to make one?]

The bendable legs are even clearer in this related 1960 NASA  concept, the Stationary Packet, where the Prospector has yet to disengage from the plate and rove. 

The bent legs are almost a mirror image of those beneath the big 'disco' ball on the Tarheel SWORD cover above.

I can't ID the Tarheel disco ball and its lollipops but I think this explains their spidery base.

What do you reckon readers?

ED'D SWORD DAY MOON PROSPECTOR

Woodsy and Fellow Moonbasers,

Here's my sample of the iconic Moon Prospector. It's interesting to see just how big these are after collecting Tri-ang Spacex toys for so long. For size comparison, the astronaut in the last photo is a 60mm figure from LP - it's one of their larger figures to be sure.

From Vegas Base

Ed

HAT-TRICK! A THREE BRAND MOON PROSPECTOR

There's a lot of Hong Kong mash-ups out there and we've seen a few right toy/ wrong box Project SWORD Moon Prospectors over the years.

This maybe the first one I've seen involving all three main brands of the Moon Prospector.

This example I saw on Ebay has a Tarheel box and a toy co-branded T in a Circle [Tai Hing] and Century 21 Toys!

Located in Texas, USA, its got all three!

Check your own prospectors; let us know what branding they have.

A BOX OF T for the New Year

Project SWORD Moon Prospectors are always fun.

I had one as a kid back in the Sixties.

Here's the T in a Circle [Tai Hing] version I saw on auction.

 

Its always worth checking the branding on the toy itself.

This one is Century 21 Toys.

Looking again at the box there are no UK patent/ registration details.

I've seen T in a Circle Prospectors in a T in a Circle box too.

I reckon these are all crossover mash-ups when Century 21 Toys likely teamed up [bought?] T in a Circle, which we've discussed before on MC.

Have you got a Century 21 / T in a Circle mash-up?

All the best for 2024!

BACK TO BASE

I loved this modern moon living artwork when I saw it on Hackaday.

The moon vent reminded me of the spider-like baseplate that underpinned the original Moon Prospector concept, which appeared in space journals in the early Sixties.

Here's just one from Newsweek 1961. The baseplate is just behind the vehicle. 

I always think it would have made a great accessory to the Century 21 Toys Moon Prospector toy.

A CENTURY OF T

 As a Brit I love T.

This T in particular.

The T in a Circle/ Tai Hing Moon Prospector I aw a while back on auction, so I saved the snaps.

Of note is the design number usually seen on these boxes, here missing from its normal bottom right position.

This omission has been discussed before on MC in the early days when many early readers were involved in contacting the National Archives at Kew for patent details of various space toys.

These early T Prospectors and its stablemate the Moonbus paved the way for Century 21 Toys to licence it with a design number and slap on the Project SWORD kite brand.

This particular example went even further and is a Century 21 Toys Prospector no less!

Have you got a T in a Circle  Prospector?

TYRED PROSPECTS: DURHAM AND TARHEEL BALLOON WHEELS

 When I saw this Durham Super Serpent I thought it looked familiar.

It wasn't the box, which is really quite nice.

But it was those tyres. They really looked familiar to me.

and here's what it reminds me of, the toy Moon Prospector's tyres, one of which is shown close-up below. Seeing it like this its clear its not the same but maybe related. As I don't own the Durham Serpent I can't compare the size of the two tyre types.

Interestingly Durham was associated with Tarheel Inc. who did indeed release the American Project SWORD Moon Prospector in 1967.

Have you got either of these toys?

MODEL PROSPECTS: NASA'S DISPLAY PROSPECTOR

 I adore this old NASA technical model of the Moon Prospector.

I particularly like the very long thin booms and the vehicle's overall flatness and sleekness, which I don't think any of the many eventual chunkier toy versions really captured.

I assume the device on the wheel was simply to allow the model to be stood up for display purposes as shown above. Would you agree?

THE 1962 AEROSPACE YEAR BOOK

This is an interesting book on aerospace from 1962.

There's even a Moon prospector on page 58.

Its a PDF.

https://www.aia-aerospace.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/THE-1962-AEROSPACE-YEAR-BOOK.pdf

UNUSUAL STICKERS ON A MOON PROSPECTOR

I saw these unusual stickers on an old Century 21 Toys Moon prospector on auction this year.

The worn box lid has a rectangular sticker stating Q 27 5/1 I think and the toy itself has a small red sticker on the base reading 137.

What do you think they are readers?

SEARCHING FOR THE MEANING OF CHRISTMAS

PROSPECTING

EARTH.

FINDING
MAGIC.

making an I M P A C T

Years ago I blogged about a possible custom toy impact plate for the Moon Prospector.

Testing a few household objects, I tried out bases for my SpaceX Moon Prospector.

These tests all follow my old custom concept 

.... itself inspired by Joe Kotula's cover art on Newsweek 1961 showing the surface landing impact plate just behind the Prospector.

What would you use as a star-shaped impact plate?

STATIONARY PACKET AND ROVING VEHICLE: THE TOYS

I've been enjoying looking through this old US Army report about vehicles related to the Moon Prospector. 

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19730064135.pdf

In particular I was taken with these three pictures, which depict what's called the Stationary Packet - a Prospector without wheels - and the wheeled version of the Prospector, here called the Roving Vehicle.

So inspired was I by these two types of prospector lander I had a go them myself versions using my toy vehicles.

Toys used are my Project SWORD Moon Prospector and SpaceX Lunar Module.

Artistic licence has been used, For instance the water on the moon!

The landing vehicle slot below is our de-humidifier!

See what you think.

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