A Princely Sum

I saw this book at our friend's house. Prinz Eizenherz, which she got for 3 Euro. It's not a comic I know but it rang a bell.

Years ago I recall picking up a Dutch comic called Prinz Valiant, which I assume is the same? I got it because it was listed in Dennis Nicholson's Gerry Anderson Collectables Guide 1994 under the Zero-X section.

Do you know either of these, Prince Eisernherz or Prinz Valiant?

Readers' Andersons: 2. Rob's MSV 2.0: Mars Scout Vehicle

Woodsy,

Here is my reimagining of the Captain Scarlet MSV kit by Imai. I call it “MSV 2.0: Mars Scout Vehicle.”

I tried to make the vehicle look like the cousin of the great Zero-X, assigned to scouting missions on Mars.

Fandersons may find it sacrilegious, but I hope some of you “get it.”

Rob C

USA

Classic Japanese Space Ray Guns | toykarma

Years ago we covered all the fab toy Japanese guns that had Thunderbird's Zero-X on them. 

Here's another different medley of amazing Japanese ray guns from other TV shows like Ultraman and Godzilla.

The toy are sumptuous and the box art just terrific. See what you think.

https://toykarma.com/2012/06/22/classic-japanese-space-ray-guns/ 

Zero-X Assembly Procedure Reimagined!

Check this out on You Tube!

https://youtu.be/EV4jhV96frU?feature=shared 

What do you think?

Watch "Zero X Assembly Procedure Reimagined! Compressed" on YouTube

I liked this! Do you?

https://youtu.be/EV4jhV96frU?feature=shared 

JAPANESE JEWELS: GLICO TOYS

 Japan's sweet Glico toys are in a class of their own!

Here's another online sample. Enjoy!

Toovey's OX Mystery

https://www.tooveys.com/lots/350506/a-secret-sam-spy-and-gun-set/ 

I was checking out this Century 21 Toys Zero-X on Toovey's auction site when I said 'Whoah!'

What are those strange box-like thingies to the left and right, one green and one brown?

Any ideas readers?

ZERO-X ANIMATED

This pretty cool, an animated version of the Zero-X launch! What do you think?

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JaWIKlpH3Q

ARTHUR'S PROMETHEUS AND THE OX WING

I was blown away by this cover art for Arthur C. Clarke's Prelude to Space from the 1950's. 

Just look at that ship! Its basically a set of super wings!

Don't know the artist but that huge jet-tipped hyper wing totally reminds me of the wings of our fave Century 21 space plane, the Zero-X!

Check it out! 

Below is Imai's plastic wing from their vintage OX Mars Explorer set. 

Its a dead-ringer! What do you think?

Clarke's amazing lunar plane is called Prometheus and predates the Apollo programme by over a decade. 

Prometheus is made up of two sections, Beta and Alpha, and flies to the moon and back in a certain way involving separation.

The novel, Clarke's first, written in 1947 and published 1951, concerns Dirk, a journalist for Interplanetary , who is sent to England and Australia because ...

 'The world's first lunar spacecraft is about to launch. The ship, Prometheus, is built from two separate components -- one designed to travel from Earth's atmosphere to the Moon and back, and the other to carry the first component through Earth's atmosphere and into orbit.'

Wiki describes the Prometheus' separation manoeuvre thus:

 'Beta is a nuclear-powered flying wing which carries Alpha into orbit .... Alpha separates from Beta' 

[above is an extract from a fuller description here]

This could almost be a description of the Zero-X uncoupling from its wing units in space, which we can clearly see in the movie Thunderbirds Are Go 

[courtesy of You Tube]!

Later editions of the book gave Prometheus a chromed finish 

but I still prefer the early cover art with the mega wing!

What about you?

JAPANESE ZERO-X: MESMERISING MAKER

I could watch - or listen to - this Japanese chap all day. Not to mention, he has a fine Zero-X Imai model to unbox and fit together! What a Christmas morning that would be!

Anyone ever get one of these models?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-BxPq3r1P0

ZERO-X DOWN UNDER: LOOEY'S OXMAS UPDATE

Hello Woodsie,

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Here's my "what we did this year" card. It's probably not spacey enough for Moonbase, but you can blog it if you like.

I've been very busy this year, but computer work takes up so much time.

The Zero-X project has had some cool stuff done but it has been REALLY hard going. I have worked over every element at least four or five times to get something up to the standard I expect.

I'm in the process of cutting out the MEV windows* and I've drawn up etch line patterns to engrave into the hull panels, but everything takes so long and is quite dispiriting when it doesn't work.

I mention Art Toy snap joints on the card, but I still haven't got something in my hand that satisfies me.

* I can see they are not right on the corner edges, so more work there!

Here are some work in progress screen shots so you can see how I'm going. Those caterpillar tracks were done again and again...

Anyway, here's to an exciting 2023!

FAB and Keep on Bloggin'! 

 Looey

Oz

P.S. here's an interesting blog I found on a link through Pinterest...

http://mikuni-model-kits.blogspot.com/2020/06/blog-post.html?m=1

ANIMATED ZERO-X

I love Marcus Morgan's OX animated clip based on Thunderbirds are Go. What do you think?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JaWIKlpH3Q

THE IMAI ZERO-X MARS EXPLORER

Take a look at this Japanese fan's unboxing of the awesome Imai Zero-X Mars Explorer.

Do you have one of these beauties?

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-BxPq3r1P0

PUTTY IN MY HANDS

This set has appeared before on MC but I couldn't resist some more shots borrowed from Yahoo Japan.

Talk about Supermarioplasticisation!

I loved plasticine as a kid and that Zero-X mould would have made my day.

Yours too?

THUNDERBLUE?

 I've often wondered if there is such a thing as Thunderbirds blue?

Here's the Wombat on the rolling road. Its a quite wonderful blue shade.

Not as good a picture but here's Zero-X again in a beautiful blue colour.

Its very hard to tell but would you say they are the same blue that the modelmakers at century 21 used for both?

CENTURY 21 TOYS ZERO-X VARIATIONS: OBSERVATIONS BY ARTO'S FRIEND

Long-time Blog contributor Arto recently contacted me.

His Belgian friend told him about some interesting differences on his C21 Zero-X's.

In 2020 I posted about a strange metal clasp on the neck of the OX body below the holes where the MEV inserts.

https://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2020/05/unusual-zero-x-mev-attachment.html

Arto's friend's example has only a metal screw where this metal clip for supporting the MEV would be. You can see it here bottom left.

It just might be that the metal clasp has been removed and only its screw has been left in place on some OX's? What do you think readers? How's your OX looking?

But his friend's observations about plastic clips on the MEV are even more interesting. 

The upper part of the MEV has a pair of plastic clips on the inside of the long sides. Arto's mate thinks they're to keep the halves better together.

Do any of you have your Zero-X handy? Does your example have these clips on the sides of the MEV?

Arto's don't.

Yours?

ZERO-X INSIDES

 I've been photographing the insides of some Century 21 Toys Project SWORD toys for a reader.

One was the fabulous Zero-X.

Here's the outer box.

The inner packaging.

The contents [not original inner packaging].

The white Supremo badge in its tissue.

The inside of the MEV.

The workings of the motor.

This long metal piece with a black plug popped out. Its attached to a wire. Unsure what it is.

The same for this long strip with an eye hole. Again wired. No idea what this is. It maybe linked to the above.

There's also a hole on the inside and a corresponding hole on the baseplate beneath the top left screw. What's that for? oil?

Any ideas?

Need A Real Captain Paul Travers For Your Century 21 Zero-X?

Spotted by long-time reader and blog friend Arto, check out these amazing puppets on auction this week!

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/116204535_thunderbirds-are-go-an-original-captain-paul-travers

https://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/116204536_captain-scarlet-and-the-mysterons-an-original-captain

Will you be bidding?

Fear not! I won't be!

Zero-X Plasticine Mould From Japan

Hi Woodsy

I stumbled across this on Yahoo Auctions Japan and it looks like the Japanese equivalent to the UK's Harbutts Plasticine sets. In the top left corner the red plastic mould is Zero-X!

Terry H

ZERO-X: PLANET OF BONES ON ANDERSON ENTERTAINMENT

Check out this cool multi-part TV21 strip story about our fave mars ship Zero-X on the Gerry Anderson Official site via You Tube.

Art by Mike Noble no less!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VG3bywwQUs

What do you think?