PROBING THE DEPTHS: PROJECT SWORD PF3 FAMILY TREE

 My best guess as to the steps that were taken before Project SWORD's plastic friction Probe Force 3 appeared in 1967.

(* The Green Monster was a real rocket car]

Have you got anything like this?

EXCLUSIVE! THE MISSING JAPANESE PROBE FORCE NO.3 BOX ART

The Spacebird No.3 is one of several clones of the Project SWORD Probe Force 3 toy.

For years this has been the only and restricted view we had of the Spacebird No.3 box top from Japan.

Not anymore, owing to the immense kindness of blog reader Terry Harle, Moonbase has received this amazing example of the box and the toy!

Here's the box top in all its glory!

Released by Maruman or MAN of Osaka, Japan.

Within lies the toy too.

In this case the silver Spacebird and not the white one originally seen.

A beautiful craft.

The engine cover is light green.

The rear exhausts are red.

All in all, a wonderful addition to the Moonbase fleet thanks to Terry and a huge box art mystery solved!

What do you think?

OPERATION FINLANDIA: A BIRTHDAY DOSSIER

Earlier in the year Arto got hold of the Probe Force 3 forerunner, the Hover Rocket XL9.

Sadly it had no fins.

Wanting to see it complete for Arto I whipped up some plans based on known examples and sent them to someone who's fab work we know!

Modelling maestro Kevin took it from there and from nothing he created three lovely new red fins complete with riveting!

Here they are tested on Kev's own Probe Force 3.

and fin-ally here they are looking just great in situ on Arto's new Rocket XL9 ....

... in Helsinki Base,

Finland!

OTAKI MONSTER CAR 1964

I've always liked the brown and yellow Otaki kit Monster racing car after it was discovered as the likely source for the Project SWORD Probe Force 3.

Here's a great shot of it built up in an old Japanese Otaki kit catalogue from 1964, 3 years before the UK's Century 21 Toys released its Project SWORD range.

https://boxartden.com/collections/gallery/index.php/Vintage-Model-Kit-Catalogs-1950-1999/Otaki/Otaki-1964/Otaki_1964_Page_11-960

Check out the brilliant website Box Art Den for more catalogues and kits. Link is above.

Have you got this Otaki kit?

COMPLETELY NEW TO THE BLOG! ARTO'S HOVER PROBE FORCE 2

My friend and uber-Project SWORD collector Arto has recently bagged from Canada something entirely new to him, me and blog, the Probe Force 2 released by Hover. 

It may well be the only one known!

Always likely but never before seen, this Probe Force 2 completes Hover's trio of Probe Forces. The boxes can be seen as direct copies of the American Tarheel photo-box versions of the Century 21 Toys originals.

Note there is no mention of Project SWORD on these Hover toys. For views of the other two then just click on the labels.

Thanks Arto for sharing this unique find with us!

Have you got anything like it readers?

OTAKI PROBE FORCE MONSTER

Have a look at this old Japanese Otaki 1964 kit catalogue. On page 11 is the Monster Car, the brown one with 45 on it. Project SWORD toy fans who have read MC for a while might recall that this is the origin of the Probe Force 3 in 1967. From a Monster car to a space plane!

I have one of these kits. Do you like it?

https://boxartden.com/collections/gallery/index.php/Vintage-Model-Kit-Catalogs-1950-1999/Otaki/Otaki-1964/Otaki_1964_Page_11-960

JAPANESE SPACE BIRD

What a beautiful toy.

Have you got one?

ALIBABA JETS

Every now and then I look at Alibaba.

I clocked these Chinese plastic planes and thought, hmm, they're a bit like my old pal the Project SWORD Probe Force 3.

Do you check Alibaba?

THE SQUADRON OF PROBE FORCE THREES APPROACHED TITAN

OTAKI MONSTER CAR

I love this old ad I saw on Yahoo Japan.

It shows three of Otaki's model racers.

The brown one is the monster based on the Arfons Green Monster.

Century 21 Toys Project SWORD Probe Force 3 is based on this kit.

The green racer is superb too and could easily be a space toy!

What do you think of them?

TENTH BIRTHDAY NEW SWORD SIGHTINGS: PROBE FORCE 3 MEIJI STICKER

Japanese Meiji candy sticker depicting Project SWORD Probe Force 3.

Donated by Terry H.

Can anyone read the rear of the sticker?

REMCO ROCKET CAR

Always on the look out for rocket cars here's an interesting one from Remco.

Its the rocket attachment  from their Swap Mobile range.

Rocket cars interest me, aside from their obvious charm, because the Probe Force 3 from the Project SWORD range most likely originates from the Arfons Green Monster jet car.

Here's a full boxed set of the Swap Mobiles I saw online showing the different attachments, which all look very cool indeed.

Have you any of these toys?

*

PS. Bill B has his own personal rocket car story,  the Corgi Jet Car, which he posted on the blog 5 years ago

http://projectswordtoys.blogspot.co.uk/2013/11/corgi-jet-dragster.html

DAIYA ASTRO SPACE RACER AND PROBE FORCE THREE

Ages ago I established the likely link between the Otaki Monster car kit and the Project SWORD Probe Force 3. The origin of them all is the Green Monster car, famous in US rocket car history. Here's a short film courtesy of You Tube.

Now here's some footage of the Otaki Monster Car kit from Japan also courtesy of You Tube.

And finally a You Tube clip of the Daiya Astro Space Racer tinplate car, another likely relative of Probe Force 3 and the Otaki Monster car, as they all share the similar bulbous engines and lateral exhaust vents.

To finish here is a nice shot of the Probe Force 3 itself released in 1967 by Century 21 Toys.

Are there any more similar rocket cars readers?

the New Year bird

This is one rare bird I would like this coming New Year, the cream Spacebird no.3 by YT of Japan, a gorgeous variation of the Project SWORD Probe Force 3.

Anyone got one?

poster boy: the origins of probe force 3 in posters and ads

Where it all began, the Arfons Green Monster super jet car.

Next up was the Otaki Green Monster model car

Then came our pal the Probe Force Three!

A FORCE OF NATURE

I noticed the box art on this Japanese space rifle on Ebay [pamclay1] had a Thunderbird 1 lookalike. then I noticed that there's a small jet at the side. Could this be a Probe Force 3?

Sticking with the PF3. this green japanese toy caught my eye. It does have similar lines and features to the Probe Force 3 too.

What do you think readers?

THE BIRTH OF PROJECT SWORD PROBE FORCE 3 ON FILM

Last year I established the likely link between the Otaki Monster car kit and the Project SWORD Probe Force 3. The origin of them all is the Green Monster car, famous in US rocket car history. Here's a short film courtesy of You Tube.

Now here's some footage of the Otaki Monster Car kit from Japan also courtesy of You Tube.

And finally a You Tube clip of the Daiya Astro Space Racer tinplate car, another likely relative of Probe Force 3 and the Otaki Monster car, as they all share the similar bulbous engines and lateral exhaust vents.

To finish here is a nice shot of the Probe Force 3 itself released in 1967 by Century 21 Toys.

Are there any more similar rocket cars readers?

GLICO MONSTER CAR AND WOMBAT

Woodsy,

Have a look at the Japanese photo attached and in particular the little yellow vehicle bottom centre - what does it look like? * Mini Wombat looks good too.

Terry H

* possibles are: Project SWORD Probe Force 3 or maybe its forerunner, the Otaki Green Monster Car

A PLASTIC OTAKI TOY RACING CAR

Last year I found the connection between the Otaki monster car [above, purple] and the Probe Force 3. I've wondered since if any other Otaki Monster cars existed as toys rather than model kits. Looking at the above catalogue page there's another Otaki racer kit pictured, to the right in green.

Well, fortuitously I also found this plastic toy on Yahoo Japan which looks just like the green racer, particularly from the side view below [I'm unsure if the typed company name is the toy manufacturer.]

Could it be just a matter of time before we find a plastic toy version of the Otaki monster car and therfore a toy relative of Probe Force 3?

ALL THE PROBE FORCE 3's GALLERY

Continuing my galleries of entire SWORD fleets, here are all the Probe Force 3's I know of*

Top to Bottom Left to Right:

Otaki Green Monster [origin]

NASA white, HOVER white, Space Bird silver with red and green blisters,

Yellow and Purple Century 21, HOVER remote control, JR21 XL9 [ also HOVER XL9],

Century 21 Probe Force 3 [also Tarheel version],

Space Bird silver with all green blisters,

Space Bird silver with all red blisters,

Space Bird white.

* I have not included the two rubber and hard plastic miniature Probe Force 3;s from Japan.