IS THIS THE BACKSTORY OF PROJECT SWORD?

Knowing human nature, he fears what the desperate lottery losers might do. As a precaution, he has stockpiled weapons. His fears prove accurate. His much-abused assistant, F, tries to get himself included in the crew at gunpoint, only to be shot dead. During the final night, the selected passengers and animals are quietly moved to the launch pad to protect them from any more violence.

Shortly before takeoff, many of the lottery losers riot, taking up weapons to try and force their way aboard. H stays behind at the last moment, forcibly keeping S from boarding as well in order to lighten the spaceship. With an effort born of desperation, Stanton stands up and starts walking in a futile attempt to board the ship before it takes off.

From space, the ship's television monitor shows Earth's collision with B. H's sacrifice proves to be crucial, as the fuel runs out too soon and R glides the ship to an unpowered rough landing on Z. The passengers debark and find the planet to be hospitable. Remains of an alien civilization are also visible in the distance.

IF SWORD WAS A CONCEPT ALBUM THEN BOWIE WOULD HAVE MADE IT

Think a dying Earth. Think chaos. Think Casuals. Think a rescue lottery. Think martial law. Think SWORD. Think Bowie!

"And in the death

As the last few corpses lay rotting on the slimy thoroughfare

The shutters lifted in acient Temperance Building

High on Poacher's Hill

And red mutant eyes gaze down on Hunger City

No more big wheels

Fleas the size of rats sucked on rats the size of cats

And ten thousand peoploids split into small tribes

Coveting the highest of the sterile skyscrapers

Like packs of dogs assaulting the glass fronts of Love-Me Avenue

Ripping and rewrapping mink and shiny silver fox, now legwarmers

Family badge of sapphire and cracked emerald

in the day of the dog

the year of the diamond dog

this aint rock and roll its genocide"

David Bowie: Future Legend from the Album Diamond Dogs 1974.

And here's an interesting re-use of the name,

Diamond Dogs, Turquoise Days

ULTRAMAN'S FLEET BY ROCKET PUNCH

1

2

3

4

5

6

Hi Paul, here are some pictures from my archive which may be of interest to the blog. They are of lifting body inspired craft from two Ultraman series. Photos 4 and 5 are of the Mini VTOL from the 1966 Ultraman series. Of the two main craft in the series this was my favorite. I'm constanly looking for more versions to add to my collection. Photo 6 is of my entire mecha and prop toy collection from the 1966 Ultraman series. The second and third photos are the GUTS Eagle Alpha from the 1997 series Ultraman Dyna. It's the first component of the three part GUTS Eagle. GUTS stands for Global Unlimited Task Squad. Photo 1 shows how the Eagle in its fully combined form. Enjoy.

Best,

Rocket Punch 

Fabulous RP. Beautiful toys! Anyone else collect Ultraman? Woodsy

JOE RECEIVES THOUGHT PATTERNS FROM BIG RAT

Anderson supercollector Steve, proprieter of the fabulous Vintage Thunderbirds Toys site, has sent in pictures of two of his latest fab acquisitions:

The Pedigree JOE 90 Doll, boxed, shrinkwrapped and looking very Austin Powers. Ooh, yeah baby!

And the Smiths Crisps Thunderbirds packet

Fantastic Steve! Thanks for sharing. For more of Steve's gems browse his brilliant website.

SWORDAIKU Parts 1 and 2

The cold gantry falls:
The sloshing fuel ignites,
Fsssssst!

by The Philosophic Woodsy


Bright stars beckoning,
Rocket poised ready:
Whooosh!

by The Philosophic Toad

BASHO's FROG

The old pond,


A frog jumps in:

Plop!

 
 

Basho's famous Haiku - there are many translations. For the Philosophic Toad in us all!

DAY - F - RAN TOYS CHECKLIST

DAY -F- RAN of Hong Kong was an obscure toy manufacturer who, like 2001 and CHIBI, dabbled only once in cloning a SWORD toy. So which of the most copied star turns -PF3, Space Glider, PF1 - did they have a go at? Well it was a rather cheap-looking but strangely attractive orange Space Glider. It came in a window box with classic boxart. Perhaps the quaintest feature, certainly on mine, is a flower sticker just behind the cockpit. It lends it a psychadelic air - a hippy glider!

The only other Day F Ran toy that I have come across is a carded GRAND PRIX Speed Roll Racers no.7954 (Ebay US February 2010).

Rolls Royce Silver Shadow #13102 Ebay summer 2010

September 2010: Day F Ran [Day Fran] DIANA DOLLS found on the marvellous WHO's THAT DOLL site: Dolls and Fashions and Petite Fashions [like the one pictured from the site - Day Fran logo top right]

September 2010: More Day Fran outfits, this time for LISA on Kat's Overzone [can't actually see the Day Fran logo anywhere but they're refered to in this Face Book page]. The Face Book writer makes the following interesting remark about dolls, which could so easilly atranslate to SWORD toys as well: "Realistically, of course, there were probably only a handful of 6½ inch doll makers and clothing makers in Hong Kong at the time, which is why there is so much cross-over between the different lines."

September 2010 Superman Radio - Ebay [2006] - "a portable solid state transistorized Superman radio dated 1973. Distributed by Day-fran Toy Company, Cambridge, Mass and made in Hong Kong. Never used because I was an anal little boy that kept everything in the box! It does not have the earphone." The "Cambridge, Mass." reference is interesting!

 

September 2010: OLD DANIEL BOONE POSEABLE 8" DOLL.THE BOX HAS SOME DAMAGE BUT,THE DOLL AND HIS CLOTHS ARE IN VERY GOOD CONDITION. HE IS FROM THE HERO OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION COLLECTION.THE BOX SAYS;IT WAS MADE IN HONG KONG FOR THE DAY-FRAN TOY CO.CAMBRIDGE MASS.THERE IS NO DATE ON IT.THE REST OF THE SERIES NAMES ARE;BENJAMIN FRANKLIN,JOHN PAUL JONES, PAUL REVERE,THOMAS JEFFERSON,MARQUIS DE LAFAYETTE,GEORGE WASHINGTON,PATRICK HENRY AND NATHAN HALE.ITEM NUMBER 5929433975 IN MY EBAY STORE [2004]

PS. I've found pics of Heroes of the Revolution online [Ebay] but they may or may not be Day Fran. Certainly the logo on the bottom left of the last pic doesn't look like the classic curled f Day Fran logo [or could it be a DF on it's side?]

Any more Day F Ran (or Day Fran/ Day Ran) toys or information out there? I would love to hear about them and add them to this ongoing checklist.

SWORD HAIKU

A long trip,

the pilot flicks,

Zoom!