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!

CLASH OF THE TITANS

Saw the re-make of Clash of the Titans in 3D last night. SamWorthington, Liam Neeson, Nicholas Boult (About A Boy). Made in the modern monochrome palette and bristling with CGI, it hasn't done anything to change my view of modern re-makes. The star of the show remains the huge hellspawn of Hades, which is brought forth with the cry 'Release The Kraken', a phrase which I'm sure has multiple usage possibilities in daily life!

Anyone got the toys pictured below from the late 1981 film starring Harry Hamlin and monsters by master Harryhausen?

picture via Lost at E Minor

Houston, ive got a problem too..

Before we start, dont panic. Im only stranded in darkest lancashire, not space. My problem is only one of identification.

Ebay always reminds me of a tall, heavily loaded apple tree. You can stretch and climb to reach the highest apples, only to find that someone else pinches them before you. Or even worse, that the fruit that youve struggled to reach has a worm in it! Sometimes you find the sweetest fruit hanging on the lowest branches, within easy reach.
Ive just had a browse of the windfalls and bought two unusual toys for a few pounds. Trouble is, im uttelrly mystified by one of them. Advertised as "Triang/Marx?" Aircraft Carrier, i received this cool toy just this morning. Its about 15", has no makers marks at all, not even the obligatory "made in Hong Kong". It seems to be almost complete apart from the aircraft! At one end is what seems to be a launcher for a copter. Inside is a elastic band attached to a string which whirls the little red gear on deck. This looks very similar to the type of mechanism on the Triang Helicopter Launching Railcar. Does anyone have the slightest idea of age or maker ?
Next up is a slightly less mysterious toy, a Jimson Space Cruiser. I had thought I might have discovered another addition to the J21 'X' Series, but to no avail. Its a nice toy, if a little too retro for my tastes. Anyone recognise it ?

HOUSTON, WE'VE GOT A PROBLEM!

Back in April 1970 I was a typical 9 year-old boy of the time interested in a wholesome mix of Oxford Bags, Ben Sherman shirts, monsters, girls and space travel. At the same time three intrepid Astronauts blasted-off to the Moon on Apollo 13 and the whole world watched with bated breath. On April 14th the statement "Houston we've had a problem" was uttered, later being changed over time by popular culture to one of the most iconic of all space phrases "Houston we have a problem". You can find the original on Wikipedia together with the attractive mission insignia (above), which means "From the Moon, Knowledge". I was also interested to read that the 1995 Howard/Hanks movie started a resurgence in interest for the space program. Is that the case? I don't remember that!

One of our fellow readers, Darth, has been busy this week speaking on Canadian TV about Apollo 13 as part of the 40th Anniversary celebrations. Some of the interviews took place at the Canadian Air and Space Museum, where Darth's Project SWORD collection is on display as well! You can see Rob (Darth) here.

In many ways Apollo 13 and 1970 signalled the beginning of my growing-up, as I entered my second decade age 10 that Christmas. I would love to see cinefilm footage of that festive season to see exactly what I got but none exists I don't think. At some point in those first few years of the 1970's I discovered Kung Fu, Saturday Morning Top Rank Disco's (where we drank Slushies and wore platform shoes!), received my first bottle of Hai Karate After Shave to combat encroaching bumfluff and on Christmas Day 1975 drank my first glass of beer in a pub with my Dad and two brothers only then to slump in the Breakfast room chair and sleep through the Queen's Speech (photographic evidence of this exists!). Alas I fear that during this rite of passage during the early 70's, as I 'adolesced' completely, my interest in space travel waned significantly and through some covert operation carried out by my Mum my entire collection of toys dissapeared from my bedroom. Mum must have exposed me to a Men In Black-style Neurolizer as I have no memory of this presumably drawn-out nocturnal removal process whatsoever! How do they do that?

Sadly our family life came to an end in 1977 and as I've got older the stuff that filled my tender years, like many of my generation, has become increasingly poignant and important to me as I face up to a rapidly approaching and somewhat daunting Decade Number Five!

SPACEX AUCTION AT VECTIS UK

The above large lot of carded Spacex is being auctioned at VECTIS UK on the 20th April. Have a look here.