THE SNOW TRAIN

We have lots of the white stuff here at Winter Moonbase!

Probably my favourite snow pics ever sent to MB are these from 2013.

In 2013 reader Joe Murray has sent in these brilliant shots of his recently constructed card Snow Train. Joe made it from scans of the Century 21 Make A Model book and its the first time I've ever seen it made up.

Joe says "in the polar regions of this planet, the Snow Train has been trudging along. From the center of the blizzard in Connecticut, U.S.A".

THE MINI ANASTASIA TRAIN SET BY BURGER KING

I came across this wonderful mini train set, and thought it would be of interest to all those readers who like to combine Christmas and toy trains. The top of the locomotive and all the carriages being topped with snow.

Anastasia was a 20th Century Fox animated movie, which came out in 1997. It was based - pretty loosely by the looks of it - on the life of Grand Duchess Anastasia (youngest daughter of Tsar Nicholas II), who was rumoured to have survived the murder of her family following the Russian Revolution in 1917.

The Burger King fast food chain released a series of toys to go with the film, and this mini train set was one of them. It is powered by a single AA battery which fits inside the locomotive.

There are six pieces of black plastic track (four curved, and two straight), which clip together. The track even includes moulded ballast.

The train consists of a locomotive, with a 2-6-2 wheel arrangement. The toy actually runs on four small wheels hidden in the underside.

There is a tender; a passenger carriage; and finally a guard's van (caboose). Manufactured by Equity Marketing, Inc., Los Angeles, California, but Made in China.

The underside of the locomotive says MFG for BKC - TM & © 1997 FOX - MADE IN CHINA. This is followed by a group of letters and numbers I cannot read.

Oddly, there is no mention of Burger King anywhere on the packaging. The instructions for changing the battery are printed on the back of the box.

This You Tube video shows the set in action. It also gives an idea of just how tiny the set is - the oval of track being about 18 inches across.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=UzH6wHLNizI

A great looking toy.

Six photographs from Worthpoint and Ebay.

Paul Adams from New Zealand's Summer

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?

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 RIPSAW: A GIANT TOY IN REAL LIFE?

Well, this Ripsaw seems to be a mixture of some fine old toys and then brought to life!

Maybe Big Trak?

a bit of the Project SWORD Moon Ranger?

and the Jetson's moon ranger?

See what you think. 

Do you like the Ripsaw?

https://youtu.be/prmrok1PQno?t=311

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

Snow Joke Mister Tracy

I really did nearly need Thunderbird 2 this snow-filled afternoon!

Just had a winter nightmare of a dog walk with Blue boy!

It started badly and got worse!

1. Missus Moonbase took my house and car keys shopping by mistake

2. Spare house key found but the spare car keys only open the boot on my car so it meant climbing over all the seats

3. The country lane to the fields was covered in slush and black ice

4. It was unusually dark in the countryside but the dog walk was fine

5. Then I reversed to leave the lane only to get stuck behind a iced hump of ground!

6. No amount of revving worked. Rubber was burning.

7. The boot of my car was just three feet from a stream and pushed into brash and bramble

8. I wrestled through the bramble to get to two old large foot-well mats in the boot

9. I placed one tightly under each rear tyre

10. I revved again and thank goodness, the tyres bit and off I sped off into the pitch black leaving the mats behind!

11. I also left the boot door wide open but didn't know. Blue was in the boot!

12. I drove gingerly down the icy lane looking for somewhere else flat to turn around

13. I reversed into a farm entrance and heard a clunk but thought nothing of it [I'd reversed the boot door into a high farm gate]

14. I drove slowly back down the lane direction home

15. I passed two torch-bearing dog-walkers who shouted 'Your boot's open!'

16. I pulled up, looked at a cold Blue and shut the boot remembering not to shut the driver's door or else I'd be stuck outside

17. Got home! Adrenaline still pumping!

18. Had a beer! Blue had tea.

What would you have done?

Kev's Thunderbird 1 arrived just as I'd left!

[pic: Kevin's scratch built Thunderbird 1]

project sword snow train model

Century 21 card model constructed and photographed by Joe Murray

Connecticut

2014

snow train: the only way to get to work this december 1st

Have you got any toys like this?

he peered through the snow with eagle eyes

There is a strong threat of snow in the late afternoon air here in West Yorkshire. Blue boy is hankering for a run on the frozen hill.

Its freezing enough for snow. It is the first of December tomorrow after all.

I don't specifically recall many toys that were made for snow when I was a kid.

The exception were those ski-based uniforms that Action Man and his chums wore when the weather turned frosty.

I can vividly remember sending my Arctic Patrol Action Man, all dressed in white, skiing down the slope of our snow-covered tarmac drive. He managed a decently long snow plough before veering off into the verge for some apres-ski.

It was a great sight seeing him fly down the powdery incline with his white rifle strapped to his back and the glint of the just-come-on sulpher street light in his green goggles. 

Those skis worked really well and the Arctic Patrol kept the wolves from the door over many winters in the Sixties.

Did you have an Arctic Patrol Action Man or indeed any other snow toys?

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.

IT COULD BE STRAIGHT OUT OF THUNDERBIRDS: ETF HAUL TRAIN

Amazing clear footage of the Haul Train on You Tube by ETF of Germany.

Could easily be the Project SWORD Snow Train!

What do you think?

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?

SNOW TRAIN ORIGIN: THE LE TOURNEAU LCC 1?

In 1966 the greatly talented Eric Eden  gave us our first look at the Snow Train in the TV21 Summer Extra. This mega craft went on to feature in both the Project SWORD Annual and its own Make a Model book in 1968. Where, if anywhere, did Eric get inspiration for his amazing vehicle?

How about this readers? In 1954 the Texan heavy vehicle company Le Tourneau built the Snow Train or LCC 1 for the US Army. There are many variations of it and here are a few pictures I've seen on the web. What do you think?