Twenty First Century Booster

 Here's the original Century 21 Toys Project SWORD Booster Rocket from 1967.

It was battery operated with mystery action.

The blue fuel tanks all detached. 

The large coffin box is illustrated with a rendition of Ed Valigursky's LIFE painting. The box included a paper SWORD manual and a plastic pin badge.

The rear red exhaust bell lit up and the silver exhaust rod detached.

The front miniature space plane was spring loaded and could be ejected, a very neat feature of this impressive toy, one of the larger ships on the SWORD toy fleet.

Do you have one?

Images courtesy of Sally Antiques.

Before The Earth Explodes | #4591030255

Reading this old sales item description you'd be forgiven for thinking it was a summary of the apocalyptic Project SWORD backstory!

I've no idea what this is, but I guess it must be a book.

Anyone know? 

https://share.google/6BwjjoNorlI1iKKWp 

Ed's Century 21 Project S.W.O.R.D. Official Manual

Woodsy,

I got a new toy in which this Project S.W.O.R.D. Official Manual was in. The manual is fragile, and the paper has darkened considerably (I'm assuming it would have been white originally?). I don't recall seeing this on Moonbase before, but I could be mistaken.

From Vegas Base

Ed

MOLAB Test

https://youtu.be/44hApNzmS_Q?si=a_Q1bDilOpw9mrD5 

This is the same vehicle in the Project SWORD annual 1967, there called the ANT.

Wandering in Eden: My Home-Made Sand Flea

I've always liked the original Sand Flea designed by Eric Eden seen here in the 1966 Thunderbirds Summer Extra bottom left.

I thought I'd have a crack at making one.

More of an impression than a replica.

 

I opted for a darker blue as I had it in.

The main treadwheel at the front is too big really but I had a green rubber band that slipped perfectly over a Vosene bottle cap.

I looked for a plastic doughnut in our Granddaughter's kitchen set but no luck, so I glued together two plastic crate wheels. They're not big or balloony enough really.

The rear armature is an old plastic house-phone cut down to size.

More of a lunar super bike than the Sand Flea, hope you like it.

The A N T

Check out this amazing old footage of a test run of the real NASA concept vehicle that the Project SWORD Annual called the ANT.

It looks great doesn't it!

What a Century 21 toy it would have made!

 https://youtu.be/44hApNzmS_Q?feature=shared

SPACE ANTS

I love this old shot of the Grumman MOLAB concept. SWORDIES out there will know this vehicle as the ANT from the Project SWORD Annual.

It would have made a great toy!

Below are some sketches by space guru Krafft Ehricke, which include what look like ANTSs too.

 Have you any ANTS readers?

THE NEW SUPERON

I've always been interested in the lesser vehicles sketched in the Project SWORD Annual like this Superon/ Yellow Fox lookalike.

The Superon/ Yellow Fox has appeared on Moonbase many times, for example, in 2011 here:

https://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2009/11/plastic-toys-used-in-thunderbirds-city.html

It's clearly a fan favourite because UNCL have released the Captain Scarlet Yellow Fox as a new kit, one of a number of new ones.

If you get one and make it then do send us pictures!

Here's UNCL's built model.

image: Toy Heroes

I don't think its ever been released as a toy like a die-cast or a Pod vehicle. Has it?

WILL OS' TV21 ADS AND ANNUALS

 

The TV21 ad for the TV21 and Captain Scarlet annuals and the and the actual annuals themselves.

Have you got them too? Did you have them as a kid?

Will Os

UK

Syd Mead's Project SWORD?

 I'm continually blown way by the late American futurist Syd Mead's fabulous vehicle concepts like his early '60s US Steel ads. It staggers me that he could think these up as the 1950's were just fading. Do you like them?

There's something Meadish in the vehicle illustrations of the Project SWORD Annual 1968. Maybe the Century 21 and TV21 artists were inspired by Syd? What do you think?

CLIM EVERY MOUNTAIN

 Its not often you see a vehicle built around just one or two wheels that isn't a bike.

Here's a good one, Clim's Explorex from Spain, perfect for ascending craters and hills.

Its a remote controlled double-wheel rickshaw with space for 2 figures at the front.

These 2 guys remind me of Iron Eagle action figures a bit. I assume they can come out and be played with.

Clim did some amazing toy space vehicles. Have you got any or did you?

There's a single wheeled space rover on the cover of the Project SWORD Annual, which I always thought would have made a great toy. But would it have stood up without falling over?

MARJORY DAWD

I've always liked the Sea Sword that appears briefly in the Project SWORD Annual. 

Its a largely a ship but can also travel on dried channels as you can see above.

It would have made a great toy from Century 21 Toys!

Always on the look out for possible stand-ins for the Sea Sword this week I spotted a gorgeous toy craft that might well do.

With its Jet Gyro engines its like something out of Thunderbirds - this East German hovercraft is the business [this pic has been flipped]

Its by a company called Anker.

What do you think?

PS. there is a real craft called Sea Sword from South Korea. Unmanned and military and rather ominous.

THE ASTRONAUT LUNAR EXPLORER BOX ART

 I saw this toy box art and thought wow!

It reminded me of the cover of the Project SWORD Annual!

Have you seen any artwork like these two?

GERRY ANNUAL

Today we,re visiting Barter Books. It’s one of the biggest second hand bookshops in the UK. I may have blogged it before as we,ve been a few times over the years.

I found my first second hand copy of the 1967 Project SWORD annual in a similar but smaller shop called Cuvvins in Whitby 30 years ago. I still have it. My original childhood copy is long gone.

I,ve picked up a lot of Gerry Anderson annuals like this over time. 

Have you any Annuals, GA or otherwise? Where did you get them? Email me some pictures for the blog.

GRUMMAN LSS ROVER ON FILM: THE PROJECT S.W.O.R.D ANT

 Oh my God! I have been checking for footage of this old rover for ages on YT.

Here it is!

Project SWORD called this vehicle the ANT in the 1968 Annual - click on the labels.

It would had made a fab Century 21 SWORD toy!

Do you agree?

Has anyone seen this rover in the flesh?

HOWARD ELSON GACCH INTERVIEW

From the depths of the internet here's something of interest to TV21 fans maybe. An interview with editor Howard Elson that appeared 14 years ago on the sadly missed GACCH website.

Courtesy of the Wayback Machine, this is Howard's Way: 

https://web.archive.org/web/20160310092940/http://www.technodelic.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Interviews/Elson01.htm

This is Howard in the famous polo-neck line-up featured in the 1968 Project SWORD Annual, which some of you may have.

Howard's own website is here http://www.howardelson.co.uk/index.html?_ret_=return

DRAWN SWORDS

Another Project SWORD re-post from 2010. Enjoy!

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Similar to '21 Gun Salute' yesterday, 

here is a first look at the SWORD vehicles that made it onto the pages of SWORD books [Make a Model, TV21 Annual, SWORD annual] but not to the toy Century 21 workshop, mores the pity, as some are really quite awesome. 

See what you think. Some of the craft I've named myself for fun.

Hanger Unit 5

Hovercar

Armoured Car

Casuals MSV

Gun Truck

Dome Car

Casuals Fleet

Casuals Fleet Description

SWORD Howe Hovercraft

Emergency Fleet

Sky Scout

Rover 3

Crane 9

Ladder 12

Taxi 1

Taxi 2

Sea Sword

Crushed Bus

Repair Pack 3

Group 1 Taskforce

Group 1 Jet

Skid 205

Sword Tank

My favourite is the Sky Scout. 

What's yours?

Are there any SWORD or Century 21 vehicles that you feel need more attention?

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All pictures: Century 21 Publications.