IMAI SPECTRUM COPTER

Imai made some magnificent model toy kits in their time and this Spectrum Helicopter is no exception! Here's some footage of it working in its Japanese home.

 Have you anything like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6US7sOT5aY

COLIN FORSEY OF THE SPECTRUM

Remember the old Gerry Anderson connected beat group, The Spectrum?

Here's some info about one of its members now in the USA.

https://www.newsbreak.com/oklahoma/el-reno/lifestyle/1606229362225/how-a-living-relic-of-the-british-invasion-ended-up-building-a-recording-studio-in-downtown-el-reno

https://fullarmourrecords.com/

an imai spectrum helicopter

Its not often we see a working SPECTRUM Helicopter toy but here's one.

Its the Imai model kit courtesy of You Tube in Japan.

have you got a working Imai model readers?

I'M MYSTERONISED BY TARHEEL'S PROJECT SWORD SPECTRUM PATROL CAR

A fortnight ago today we had the revelation of a new Project SWORD toy, the boxed Tarheel Project SWORD Spectrum Patrol Car shown in the centre of the above picture.

The toy, in its classic Tarheel SWORD photo-box, was found in the Captain Scarlet toy display of the Hamilton Toy Museum in Callander, Scotland. It is still there in the cabinet.

Since its discovery I have been pondering one question; why did Tarheel do this?

Tarheel was an American toy company. It did have links to Japan and Hong Kong but ostensibly it released toys in its home patch of North America. This included its Project SWORD range borrowed from Century 21 Toys.

Its SWORD offer comprised of 10 vehicles: Task Force 1,2 and 3, Probe Force 1,2 and 3, Moon Bus, Moon Ranger, Moon Prospector and the Space Glider. Unlike the UK, there was no TV21 comic to back it up in North America so the toys were sold without any back story.

None of Tarheel's American SWORD toys had any connection to Captain Scarlet either as far as I know. In fact the only Century 21 Project SWORD toy vehicle with any connection was the Zero X, although no mention of this was made on the toy's UK box.

According to Wikipedia Captain Scarlet was broadcast in both Canada and the US in 1968. So North American kids will have had some idea about the show and its fleet of vehicles. How popular or widespread it was I've no idea but maybe an American reader may do.

So, theoretically at least, the Spectrum Patrol Car [SPC] itself will have been known to some North American kids. 

According to Deniis Nicholson's Anderson Memorabilia Guide the Century 21 Toys version of the SPC was sold world wide. It's likely that the Tarheel version is simply a repackaged SPC from Century 21 Toys [it certainly looks like one] but this has yet to be confirmed by the Museum, which they will hopefully do in November [did it come with the C21 accessories I wonder?]

Canadian fans will have been able to pick up plastic model kits of the SPC through Canada-based company Paramount and Imai stock in general may have been sold world-wide.

I don't think the Dinky version was available in the US [correct me if I'm wrong readers] but may well have been in Canada. 

Dinky's SPC in particular was a common site during the Sixties in UK kids' toy collections so any presence it had in North America will have raised its profile as a cool vehicle with some kids there too.

All in all it must have been a brave move by Tarheel to release an SPC even if it was only repackaging a C21 Toys model. 

Project SWORD can't have been well known to North American kids and eventually Tarheel dropped the branding altogether from its other 'SWORD' toys. 

My guess is that Tarheel were relying on some North American kids knowing about the SPC from the TV and jumped onto the Spectrum bandwagon however small it may have been. 

As far as I know it didn't release any other Captain Scarlet toys or any Anderson toys beyond its SWORD range, so their photo-boxed SPC remains a unique and quite wonderful crossover toy.

What do you think readers?

THE SPECTRUM : LONDON BRIDGE IS COMING DOWN 1968

Further mod beats from those cockney Captains The Spectrum.

Courtesy of elofan 567, You Tube.

THE SPECTRUM: MUSIC SOOTHES THE SAVAGE BREAST 1968

Gerry Anderson's own version of the Monkees, The Spectrum, released Music Soothes the Savage Breast in 1968. 

Courtesy of Rare Musicman, You Tube.

What do you think readers?

THE SPECTRUM: PORTOBELLO ROAD - COMES THE DAWN 1967

Gerry Anderson's boy band The Spectrum released Portobello Road/ Comes The Dawn in 1967.  Courtesy of Sids60ssounds, You Tube.

I actually like Comes The Dawn.




Here's some old footage of The Spectrum being lads about town courtesy of You Tube.

What do you think readers?

FIRST BIRTHDAY MEMORIES AND THE SPECTRUM - CAPTAIN SCARLET THEME 1967

Ever since I watched Captain Scarlet I've loved that poppy theme tune played here courtesy of philo1978, You Tube. Only later did I discover it was performed by The Spectrum, a sort of Gerry Anderson Sixties boy band.

Oddly enough, the Spectrum featured in the blog's first birthday six years ago back in 2009.They featured on this photographic message from Century 21 model maker Alan Shubrook. Alan also donated several prints of the photograph as prizes for readers that year.

The Spectrum are sat front left next to a Project SWORD Moon Bus. Not sure who all the staff are. The competition that first year was to name every C21 toy shown in the picture! A reader did it and won a signed print! 

Would anyone like to see the winning list of which toys are in there again?

VINTAGE SMORGASBORD OF THUNDERBIRDS AND THE SPECTRUM POP GROUP

Here's a smorgasbord of odds and sods I've seen online this year. Think of the music to the Gallery on Vision On when browsing through!

Above: Trio of red space vehicles including a neat clockwork Space Car with a light green dome. Not sure if I've seen a red one before.

Above are a set of Dutch Thunderbirds paper cigar bands I recently auctioned on the Bay. I recall these from my youth although I din't smoke cigars. Far too young! My Dad must have had them. For some reason I'm seeing plastic cigars in my mind too. Did they come on them too?

Above is a catalogue page showing various Tomy toys and intriguingly what looks like a T in a Circle Space Rocket?

Above is the front page of MOON CITY, a horror strip from the seminal CREEPY magazine of the 1960's. I treated myself to a modern Dark Horse bound collection of the first half dozen comics a coupla years ago and Moon City is in there and choc-full of cool space vehicles like this Scramble Bug style digger and a Nuclear Ferry!

Above is a medley of pocket money toys including the red knife, which I definitely had as a kid. For some reason I recall it being from a toy camping or a cowboy set. What is the design?

Above is a Spanish record from the Andersonised pop group The Spectrum. Dressed in Captain Scarlet show uniforms, we saw the Spectrum much earlier on the blog in this Century 21 staff portrait courtesy of Alan Shubrook. Anyone heard their songs?

CUSTOM JR21 SPECTRUM HELICOPTER BOX BY FERRYMAN

CENTURY 21 POP: THE SPECTRUM

Years ago I posted this ace photograph on the blog with the kind permission of Alan Shubrook, Century 21 model maker. It pictures C21 staff, lots of Project SWORD toys and The Spectrum pop group sat at the front dressed in Captain Scarlet TV show uniforms.

 

So I was chuffed this week when I saw this Spanish record by The Spectrum dressed in the very same get-up. What a marvellous Xmas prezzie it would be! Does anyone know if there was a UK record by them with a picture cover like this?

 

 

For more festive conversation about Gerry Anderson's creations, Zero-X, Johnny Seven and enough vintage toys to stuff all your socks with, then tune in tonight at 8pm UK time for the Xmas SWORDcast with Bill, me and all the trimmings on Radio Celtica this evening.