PROJECT SWORD on Paper: A Checklist

I'm going to have a go at listing SWORD on paper i.e printed books and important magazines [nothing . It will be a collector's checklist and is a work in progress. I don't intend to go into any great detail [search this blog or elsewhere online for specific items] but I will list the name and year of publication. A brief overview of the comics may be added later.

Historians talk about primary and secondary material. I'll use something similar refering to the first flush [or should be flash!] of SWORD publications as 'First' Sword and subsequent stuff written about Sword as 'Second' Sword [I'm sure that you can come up with more imaginative headings!].

FIRST SWORD: The Golden Age: The 1960's

TV Century 21 Summer Extra 1966: the most likely origin of many of the key Non - NASA spacecraft of the SWORD fleet can found over four pages in this amazing comic special. The vehicles, such as the Hover Tank and Snow Train, were drawn by the superlative Eric Eden. NB. There is no reference to Project SWORD in it but it's relevance is plain to see.

Project SWORD Annual 1968/69: both the peak and the epitaph of the SWORD project, this, THE Annual, is obligatory reading and reference material for the true SWORDhead. Colour strips, cut-aways, photographs and stories about all the major SWORD craft. If you can't read the comics then you must at least get hold of this.

TV21 Annual 1969: the second Annual in the SWORD library. Over roughly four pages of text and black and white pictures, the strategic importance of many of the SWORD craft is discussed including firepower, PF3 being the ultimate 'big guns'. The book also contains The Loyal and the Dead, a SWORD text story with a few excellent colour drawings. It really is well worth getting hold of for another view of SWORD.

Project SWORD Make A Model Book: Sand Flea and Scramble Bug: beautiful colour artwork covers, black and white text story with colour cut-out paper models of the two named vehicles, one of which, the Scramble Bug, was alreadt available as a toy but not the Sand Flea. One of two of these books, they are very collectable SWORD items in their own right.

Project SWORD Make A Model book: Snow Train and Hover Tank. This paper model book, one of two available, added these two craft to the play fleet as neither were available as toys [see above].

Letts TV21 Diary: black and white pictures of the Booster Rocket and Snow Train can be found in this vintage diary.

SECOND SWORD: the Silver Age; the 1970's/80's

Starlog Science Fiction Toys and Models Vol. 1: a black and white photograph of the SWORD Apollo Saturn can be found in this interesting modelling softback book.

Thunderbirds Merchandise Museum: Japanese book crammed with japenese text and colour photographs about Thunderbirds. There is a small section about Project SWORD if I remember rightly. I had it years ago but swapped mine for a couple of JR21 TB water pistols!

Japanese collecters book including photographs of SWORD Booster Rocket amongst others.

THIRD SWORD: the Bronze Age: 1990's/2000's/2010's

Playset Magazine September 2004 colour article about Apollo Moon Exploring boxed playset.

Project SWORD toys featured in Rob Godwin's interview/collection in Toy Shop magazine 4th February 2005 [The Final Frontier: Will Romano]

PROJECT SWORD, Fabulous Space Toys of the 1960's: 2007. self-published photographs of Paul Woods' collection of Project SWORD toys. Colour. Softback. Published via TESCO online photobooks UK. 2 copies printed. One with the author, the other with Bill Bulloch.

Model Auto Review Magazine # 242 7 May 2010 "Moon Prospectors" by Paul Woods [p.18]

FAB magazine, the magazine of FANDERSON 2010 - 2011: three consecutive issues featured lengthy articles and colour picture galleries about Project SWORD toys. Together they form a single comprehensive guide to the Century 21 toy fleet and all their clones and knockoffs over the years including many unusual collectables like records, books, rubbers and models. Issues 67, 68, 69, released to Fanderson members between 2010 and 2011. All three articles by Paul Woods [blog founder]. Pages 1 and 2 of article 1, issue 67 pictured. Issue 67 also includes a written reply by Gerry Anderson to my questions about Project SWORD.

THE ART OF S.W.O.R.D: my own book about the space and sci-fi art art which may have influenced the box art of the Century 21 Project SWORD toys in 1967. The book features many colour pictures of artworks and SWORD toys and boxes. The text comprises largely of correspendence with the author by space and sci-fi artists and relatives. The book is sold via BLURB, the print on demand online publisher. By invitation only by the author. For details email me, Paul Richard Woods.

UFO Chronicles Book. Japanese. 2012? Covers Project SWORD Century 21 toys and their Imai model equivalents from the UFO Base and Science series of models from the late 1960's and early 1970's. Lots of colour pictures including illustrations from the Project SWORD Annual. Japanese text.

SWORD FLEET CODEX

Fan-made deck of cards in the Top Trumps style. Designed and produced by Bill Bulloch with assistance from Paul Woods and issued as a Moonbase Central Blog exclusive limited edition gift in 2012. 25 colour cards depicted and described vehicles from the worlds of Project SWORD, SPACEX and other related toy lines. Issued in a plastic deck box [artist's proofs depicted].

Addendum:

Japanese site devoted to Gerry Anderson publications

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~eu3k-kbys/FAB2/book_menu.htm

TVCentury21 checklist of Anderson publications in Japan

http://www.tvcentury21.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=180:anderson-photographic-guidebooks-from-japan&catid=67:publications&Itemid=26#!/ccomment

Colossus Rex V. Probe Force 3

When I was a nipper my prize possessions [even if I didn't know it then!] were my Colourforms Outer Space Men. Packaged in a similar way to the cool cards of Major Matt Mason, they were simply awesome. I've not blogged about them much, largely because I don't have any of the toys anymore [and am unlikely ever to given their current valie] and there are some fabulous online sites devoted to them already, including a blisteringly brilliant one by the toys' designer himself, Mel Birnkrant, who includes his fabulous concept sketches, an amazing gallery of photographs, his series of never-released Outer Space Men 'Hot Wheel' type die-casts and a fantastic interview about the inspiration behind some of the figures. Mel's site is by far the best vintage toy site I have seen, wholly definitive as you would expect from the designer and an total inspiration. If only the designer of SWORD would surface and do the same! How marvellous that would be.

Coming back to my own childhood, what excites me is the thought that I played with Outer Space Men along with SWORD and SpaceX Craft, together with Major Matt, Callisto and Cap Lazer thrown in for good measure. Alas, it is only a thought and no matter how hard I try I cannot promote the notion into a memory!

Does anybody else remember Outer Space Men and heavens above, do any photo's exist out there of them mixed with SWORD or SpaceX vehicles?

Trollied

Whilst digesting the finer details of Apollo 18, which I saw at the local fleapit this evening, I noticed a poster in the foyer for what appears to be a must-see flick this October. From our friends in Norway I give you

TROLL HUNTER.

Scouting for Swordex

Another Thought

If we have only now managed to land on the Moon, is it a fair assumption, given that any other civilisation would be the same cosmic age as ours, that they too will have only just landed on their own Moon? Are we likely to have the same technology given that we all inhabit the same Universe at the same time?

I'm going to stop thinking! My head hurts! Time for work.

The Last Moonship of Summer

A rorschach of Moonships

Top: C21, Bottom: AHI

Anyone else got any AHI toys i.e Azrak Hamway of the US.

Boot Camp

Another slow day at the car boots, picked this up but I dont know if its worth anything. Oh and this too..

Thought Before Work

Mobile phones, Internet, Mars Probes, bionic limbs and so on. All the wonders of the modern age. Have most of the revelations of Science Fiction come true? Is Sci Fi now redundent?