IN DEEP, FAR OUT

Woodsys earlier post about the Ice Fountains of Enceladus and the seas which may exist on the moons of the gas giants got me thinking about the kind of submersibles that might be used to visit these hidden seas. Recently, I followed a blog about a prototype robotic probe which was being tested in the deep sinkholes or 'cenotes' in Venuzuela. The robotic device is a testbed for equipment which could be used on a probe which would venture into the seas of Europa.

The blog is very interesting - although the field tests are now over: http://www.frc.ri.cmu.edu/projects/depthx/ and shows the cool saucer like vehicle.

I love a good submarine and inspired by the DEPTHX, i decided to make a few minisubs of my own. The top pic shows a couple of rough scratchbuilt subs made of playmobil parts, scrap kits and gum capsule lids. Below are a pair of Matchbox Mega Rig Rescue subs and a pilot figure.
Next we have a slightly larger two man sub, made from a sweet premium toy.
Below is an american mail away minisub - possibly on offer from a cereal. Anyone any idea which one ? Its called a Sonar Sub and is battery powered and came with instruction sheet, which sadly reveals nothing about the maker.

Finally, a little scratchbuilt ROV (remote operated vehicle) - a litttle like Big Geek in the Abyss, a Kinder Egg Deep Diving suit and our friendly Matchbox pilot.

THE ART OF MIKE TRIM

I've not got Mike Trim's book but it looks great in this promo. Anyone got it? Any reference to SWORD or Century 21 boxart?

CATCH OF THE DAY: LUCKY JIMSON

Today's catch at the local boot sale is shown above: Lucky Fire Tender, Jimson Flour Truck, FK Missile Launcher (like the Spacex Cricket), VW Breakdown Van, Red Cab, die-cast Renault and battle-damaged DINKY (Ta Sean!) SPC (did they come in black?) together with a VHS Video of Thunderbirds Are Go and a couple of Big Box VHS Video's, which I collect. Not a bad hawl.

DESPERATELY SEEKING MECHANOIDS

I received this cry for help from reader eviled the other day. Eviled now knows the toys are Cherilea Mechanoids but can't find the particular set he had - described below - can anyone help Ed? I have highlighted the colours Ed is looking for.

I have been remembering another space toy I had as a kid (I'd say 1969-71), and have been searching your site and online high and low for it but have never found it.It came in a transparent plastic faced box and consisted of two grey spherical spaceships, approx 3 to 4ins in diameter, each having four red legs with a little booster rocket inbetween them. The spheres opened in half, horizontally, and had a black ladder up to the lower part and what looked like black retro rockets on each side. There was a black round antenna/receiver type thing on the top of each sphere.They came with four space figures, approx 3ins in height who had some removable strap/equipment type things on them. I am sure one figure held something like a hose from a backpack. I think their main colour was white but there were green details.Does it ring any bells with you? I would LOVE to find this set again and see it! If it doesn't, I could draw it and scan it and send it to you. I remember it very well and think I could produce quite an accurate scale image of it.I am sure this set has some place in the long line of space toys that your feature on your website.All the best, Ed.

ROLLOUT 1972

Taking  a cue from Maverick Collecting's suggestion that press photo's may have influenced space box art I looked into Robert McCall's ROLLOUT above. Painted in 1964 originally for LIFE magazine, it pre-dates the construction of the Vehicle Assembly Biulding (VAB) pictured in it by at least a year. As such it was an artists's impression completely. So I was amazed to find the NASA photograph below. Uncannily similar it pictures Apollo 16 in 1972, eight years after McCall's painting! There will no doubt be many photo's of one of the many Saturn V's emerging from the VAB but this is the only one I could find online.

Pictures: top - Look and Learn under licence, bottom - NASA.

LP AND JOHN GLEN'S PORTRAIT

Taking up WOTAN's suggestion that the LP circular astronaut logo might be John Glen I have started a scout around for the original image. I'm getting close but I just can't find the photograph with the US flag positioned at the back in the same way. Can anyone help?

THE ICE FOUNTAINS OF ENCELADUS

I've been re-watching Prof Brian Cox's fabulous TV series The Wonders of the Solar System and thought I'd post a few of my favourite images. First up is this amazing shot above, a false colour Cassini image, back-lit by the sun, which illustrates the jets of fine icy particles erupting from the south polar region of Enceladus, the moon in Saturn's E-Ring and one of it's sixty-one moons. The plumes shoot unbounded into space and must be an awe-inspiring sight. Scientists believe that Saturn creates friction and thus heat deep in Enceladus's pole, which in turn creates forces like tectonics on Earth. Rather than magma as on our own planet, on Enceladus it is water that erupts from within in limitless geysirs instantly turning to vast fountains of ice shooting through space and even forming one of Saturn's frozen rings. Imagine flying through a band of snow and diving into the Enceladan ocean deep within it's fissured surface. Gobsmacking!

Which SWORD/ SpaceX vehicles would get us there, through Saturn's rings and into the moon's sea do you reckon?

Picture: NASA

ROBERT McCALL'S ROLLOUT AND LP

Since posting Robert McCall's wonderful ROLLOUT picture last month I have been on the look out for other toys where it may have been used for the boxart. No great breakthroughs I'm afraid but one similar illustration does appear a set of LP space toys, which I assume are 'Space Exploring' - see below (courtesy of Mark Bergin Toys)

The rollout-esque illustration, with it's attractive blue sky, to the right of the box appears at a different angle to Mr. McCall's yellowed original in Look and Learn or that which appears on the SWORD Cape Kennedy Set. It is also outside and beyond the confines of the Vehicle Assembly Biulding. I have zoomed in on the LP illustration below and also flipped it to help comparison with McCall's but the quality is too poor to see any detail. See what you think. If anyone has better pictures of this LP set, including the sides we can't see, I would be more than happy to post them for readers to enjoy. I am also interested in the origin of the small circular astronaut picture to the left hand side of this LP box if anyone knows.

"Rollout" under licence from Look and Learn 2010

SATURDAY BREAKFAST BROWSING

Saturday morning at Moonbase Central. The sun is shining and UK air space is closed for another day as Iceland's volcano once more reminds us of the awesome power of Mother Nature. Having stayed in that wonderful country last year I just hope that it's resolute people come out of this okay. On a lighter note, the Daleks make their re-appearance tonight in the new series of Dr. Who on TV. I was a great David Tennant fan and I'm finding the transition to Matt Smith hard. That said I was never keen on the overtly London-centric episodes, particularly when set permanently in an over-sentimentalised kind of World War Two. The best stories were on other planets and my favourite Tennant was about an extra-terrestrial Satan trapped in a vast chasm. Huge, sweeping and scary! What's your favourite Who episode?

Sipping my second cup of coffee browsing through Ebay a few titbits have caught my eye for the blog. First up on Ebay US is this interesting space jumble. Besides Major Matt, it's the Bandai Thunderbirds Recovery Vehicle that I like. Good one for spares for someone who is a budding Brains in the Tracy garage!

Second is this interesting Greek set of toy ASTRONAUTS by PETALO. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the contents as my brain said 'miniature SWORD Moon Base Set!" but it isn't. Clearly based on the LP Astronauts this set appears to be a strange mix of Timpo-like fort-style or Nissan-hut type biulding, a piece of wall (or sandbags?), a sign of some sort, four small jets on circular sprues and fourteeen LP'esque astronauts. How very odd, a sort of Wild West Moonbase! And I love the boxart! The larger astronaut is in LP 'Travolta' dance-move mode and looks like he's just clipped his buddy on the back of the helmet! You can see the box side but I can't read the blurb. Anyone? And when did the 'CE' symbol appear on goods? Petalo have other soldier sets on Ebay too and they look modern. This set is expensive but I reckon if you wanted one it could be found cheaper than this.

And lastly, one of my favourite toys that I never had as a kid but wish I had and would love it in the Moonbase fleet garage now, The TRANSCONTINENTAL EXPRESS BUS by OK. Now this toy has pedigree as we've previously discussed on the blog with it's appearances in various Gerry Anderson TV show episodes. Clearly Century 21 modelmakers were able to get hold of it, presumabley in a Slough toyshop, but I'd never seen one until a couple of years ago. Where they common in the UK or Europe? For me it's a thing of complete beauty and imbued with TV glitz and mystery!

HOPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE TOAD

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TOAD!

Blog friend The Philosophic Toad had a birthday this week. I'd like to wish Toady many happy tax returns and a SWORDtastic year to come!

Thanks for all your support of the blog over the last year and a half,

Woodsy

PS. Toad has sent this cool drawing he recieved as a card from Shaqui. It's MEVellous!