Out of the Shadows

 

Some small time ago, Paul Vreede suggested that the Spacex Reconnaisance 2 ship might be based on the Blackbird SR-71 and the earlier YF12A spyplanes. Recent declassification of information by the CIA of photographs from Area 51 and the Skunk Works from 1963 show the precursor test vehicle - project OXCART or what would become the Archangel A12. 

OPERATION OXCART - ARCHANGEL A-12

 Sat upside down on a support pillar on a runway at Area 51, the test vehicle was designed to see how radar visible it was. Unfortuantely, soviet spy satellites overflying the area meant that the vehicle had to be frequently hidden in 'hoot and scoot' sheds as the satellites passed over. Due to infrared scanners and the heat of the desert, even after the plane had been moved, the difference in ground temperature would be noticeable from space and A51 technicians went to great lengths to hide the presence of the ultra-secret craft, including cardboard mock ups and heating the tarmac artificially to confuse the heat seeking cameras!

BLACKBIRD RADAR TEST

A great article on National Geographic shows the great lengths that the crews had to go to after an A-12 plane crashed in Wendover, Utah in 1963.

The super streamlined fuselage and silver finish have a much closer look and feel to the later Blackbird, but its unlikely the top secret OXCART programme could have directly influenced the Tri-ang designers, unless they managed to sneak past the security at the Skunkworks!

Excitement Building

System Chase Craft from Blakes 7

Scale modeller Kev Davies wowed me recently with more of his amazing work. Check out these wonderful creations with Kevins own captions!

Shado lunar module made from plastic and filler

Shado Mobile made from the wrong Tiger Joe tank (the small one, I'm now making one from the large one).

Skydiver from UFO, about 3.5 foot long and rather heavy

SPV made from wood and metal

TB1 made from plastic and car body filler,

TB3 photoshopped onto a background

TB4, made from wood and plastic and in need of re-making better

Boys World and the Pleasure Cruiser

During the heady days back in 2009 when we were all excited by new timeline discoveries. The Philosphic Toad made, for me, one of the most fascinating connections with the spotting of the Spacex Pleasure Cruiser in Boys World 1968 http://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2009/01/pleasure-cruiser-concept-art.html. I was recently lucky enough to acquire said Annual and thought it would be fun to post the full strip, 'Stealers of Men', which features the Pleasure Cruiser. To start with we have the cover and a few other bits and bobs too.

PS. This was originally posted when Blogger crashed two weeks ago. Any comments made then may have been lost sorry.

Lunar Climber Concept: Lunar Jeep 1 from Darth

Hi Paul, I found this magazine called "Flying Saucers" June 1968. It has what looks a lot like the vehicle that Paya made. Inside it just says "Lunar Jeep 1" nothing about an artist. The whole concept looks like it was a derivation of the McDonnell Douglas "LASS" thing where a Saturn IVB was landed on the moon with a large rover inside.
Cheers
Darth

Bon Voyage

I'm signing off for a week's holiday but to keep things Swordin' I've scheduled a few posts to appear during the week. Woodsy

Strato Ray Gun and Thunderbirds

"Be it known that we, Sidney Wasserman and Allen M. Sterns, citizens of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, have invented a new, original, and ornamental Design for a Toy Gun, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part thereof..." [extract: Ebay patent copy auction]

Looking at Wasserman and Sterns STRATO toy gun above it immediately reminds of the Thunderbirds pistol by Lone Star as featured on the excellent Vintage Thunderbirds Toys site and all its subsequent knockoffs like the Pilen and Rocket Gun versions [Rocket Gun pictured]. What's the story there then? Did Lone Star get a licence to use the design?

T Mercedes and the SWORD Box Style: the Origin?

This week I was thrilled to see yet two more fabulous T toys new to me and the blog - the Mercedes 300 SL in both blue and red versions as featured below [pictures: Ebay babalui].

Of great interest to me and the developing SWORD timeline is the model number and box design of the Mercedes. Numbered 361 it came immediately after our friend the T Moonbus numbered 360. A comparison of the side and end panels of the two boxes reveals a similar oval portrait design on the end flaps as shown below on the right.

We've already established on the blog the significance of the T Moonbus as the basis of the subsequent Century 21 toy, but could the T Mercedes box suggest a link? With its geometric red and yellow panneling could it offer a stepping-stone between the T Moon Bus to the C21 Moon Bus and all subsequent red and yellow C21 boxes? In short, might we have the origin of the SWORD box style?

See also the Topo Gigio post for an alternative view.

Sat'day Quiz

Easy one for a Saturday morning, can you name the SWORDized movie?