SET THE CONTROLS FOR THE HEART OF THE SUN

Well im back in the land of eternal twilight again having made the crossing to sunny Cyprus for the last 10 day and just caught up with the blog action.

Having previously bought my spacex nuclear ferry from a cypriot ebayer, I was half expecting to find a sleepy little toyshop tucked away in the hill, chock full of old toys, but to no avail. Saw the Pope blast through last Friday and got roasted by constant sun, but the closest I got to space was seeing a beautiful meteor light up the evening sky, trailing green flame as it fell.

Back to work tomorrow!

Wotan

MIKE DELAMAR'S SCRATCH FIRE TENDERS NEARLY COMPLETE!

After two years of work the talented young modeller Mike Delamar has nearly finished his fantastic scratch reproductions of this fleet of Thunderbirds Fire Tenders. As covered before on the blog, Mike's is truly awesome work. Century 21 would have snapped him up back in '67 for certain! If you want to follow the last few posts on Mike's Eagle Forum thread then look here from time to time: http://www.eagletransporter.com/forum/showthread.php?p=156478#post156478

FANTASTIC - A POWER COMIC!

I've been sorting out spare comics to sell on Ebay/ Amazon and come across one of my favourites, FANTASTIC. Here's a few images from my small collection. It was a weekly UK [only?] comic I got back in the Sixties. Most of theses are dated 1968 [was it out in June 1967 along with SOLO?]. FANTASTIC was just that, stuffed with great super-hero strips [including Prince Namor and the  original X-Men, with a lycra-cladded Beast], ads for stamps/wayfinder shoes and Kinky/Choc Top Woppa/Sky Ray lollies and wonderful free gifts. I can remember the 'target gun' [with elastic band] and the Apollo capsule as if it were yesterday! And Gerry Anderson got a look-in too - check out the TB6 movie/ Cap. Scarlet ad. Anyone else like FANTASTIC or similar comic?

 

 

 

 

 

 

YOUNG IS A WORLD, BUDGIE 1972

It's pouring down outside. Just right for this pensive track from Budgie on their wonderful SQWARK album 1972, YOUNG IS A WORLD. BTW the cool rocket-skull jet on the LP cover is by Roger Dean, cover art meastro of the Seventies. He made a model first. Some of his other models include toy elephants with tank heads! His art book 'Views' is one my most prized posessions from my teenage years along with the similar 'Studio' showcasing Berni Wrightson and other young artists. As for Budgie, they were my rock hero's back then and I thought Tony Bourge was the best lead guitarist I'd ever heard and similarly Burke Shelley on bass on vocals [the drummer I remember is Pete Boot - also brill]. I knew every riff and lyric up to either If I were Brittania I'd Waive the Rules or Bandolier, whichever was the later LP. Sadly I know nothing after that, which is how it went for all my fave bands. I just stopped at a certain point. Is that the same for everyone?

MOON PATROL MADNESS

Earlier on the blog I posted glimpses of the murky world of Atari Moon Patrol, a cult video game from the 80's with a central vehicle not dissimilar to the SWORD Scramble Bug. In the last foray we bagged Moon Patrol Muesli! Well here are a few more deep-space trawls of Moon Patroldom, where things get even weirder!

First up, vintage Moon Patrol Key Chain or modern version Key Fob

and then theres.... 

an image of a new game version - the 'Bug' looks a bit like the Century 21 Lunar Climber without the legs!

Now it's getting strange - a Moon Patrol dirt garden! Not sure what the sign says.

Wow! Moon Patrol slurpee cup - top middle. Cool! Anyone got one?

and yes, you can even get the T-Shirt! Version 1 above, Version 2 including a Bib!  and Version 3 below.

You can even see the above Version 3 shirt being made!

But best of all has got to be the Moon Patrol Cup Cake!

I rest my case, fans will do just about anything!

Images: original links as shown.

TEN TASTY TREATS

Here's a few sweeties from the Selection box that is Ebay. You may have seen them already - some still live. From left to right:

1. Red Hovercraft Tank by MMF

2. Joustra jet [reminds me of Zero-X!]

3. T in a Circle Luxury Yacht [ I have one - for the T nut! beautiful]

4. Hippo Apollo Exploration Set - neat! Has anyone got one of these? Who are Hippo?

5. Saturn 5 toy - looks like the T in a Circle Saturn 5/ Apollo 11

6. Sears Rocket Base - Wow! The early version of SWORD's Apollo Rocket/Cape Kennedy Set [we get a mention too!]

7. Buck Rodgers Starfighter plastic knock-off

8. Moon Ranger flying saucer - Clifford version [like the T in a Circle one]

9. Hoover jet car - missing the tail-fin/ canopy but has all the lights and cool little pilot

10. LEM by mego - the folks who brought us the Space Tract Space Glider [with the rear sphere]

BOSTON - MORE THAN A FEELING

Not everyone's cup of tea, I love BOSTON's Seventies' fuzzed riffing and perfect pitch. Hard to beat on a warm June evening. Classic space cover art too!

MOONBASE CUSTOM SCOUT FORCE DELUXE BOX SET

The Scouts and Probe Forces would have made great box sets like the 7 in 1 Billy Blastoff set. Here's a bit of wishful thinking blending Century 21 box art with a Tarheel box frame. Alas, neither Tarheel nor T in a Circle made any of the Scouts but one of them had a go at the Probes. Quiz question: Which and which?

WOODETTE TOMIC ROCKET AND PROBE FORCE 3

Above is a toy I've only recently become aware of - the WOODETTE 'TOMIC ROCKET. A mixture of plastic, steel and rubber it looks like a V2 to me. Apparently clockwork and measuring 15"L X 3"W X 2.5"H.The box declares it's '"The most modern means of propulsion-brought to young America in a sturdy action-packed mechanical toy"-*It screams as it races across the floor!, *A shower of sparks fly from the tail!, *When paper cap is used, an explosion ocurs when the rocket hits a target!". There are examples online and the one above is on Ebay. It looks vintage but is it? Does anybody know? It bears a  resemblence to this early JR21 version of Probe Force 3 below, which surfaced in 2009 and reported on at the time. Anyone agree?

HORSLIPS: THE MAN WHO BIULT AMERICA

Moonbase Jukebox request from reader Mike.

Nice!