Wierd Mag of the Sixties - 1

Horror of Party Beach

Warren Publishing

1964

MIKE B's BOOSTER GANTRY: The Inspiration

Paul,

I’ve attached a scan of the booster pad inspiration picture I used. It’s from TV 21 issue 212 from a story called Hide & Seek. I’m pleased the readers seemed to like it.

I’ve got another issue with a smashing Probe Force launch pad picture but until I get my hands on a Probe Force that will have to stay on the back burner.

Mike B.

Excellent Mike! I think there maybe a pic of the Booster Rocket gantry in the SWORD Annual as well. I'll have a skeg. Reader Andy B was wondering if the original NASA concept on which the Booster was based was designed to take off vertically. As far as I remember from previous blogs it was 'Ford Nucleonics' or 'Nutronics' EMPIRE as pictured below. Online sources describe the take-off thus: Aeronutronic's Mars flyby spacecraft design of 1962 had a total mass of 170 metric tons and would be launched into low earth orbit with a single launch of a Nova booster. This will take further research I reckon. Woodsy.

Who Controls the Past controls the Future: Who Controls the Present controls the Past

I've just been watching the afternoon News and the language describing the World economy is distinctly apocalyptic. The IMF have now down-graded their global estimates. I find it personally hard to know how to react to suggestions of looming economic meltdown. I find myself simultaneously enthralled by the increasingly doom-laden coverage, bemused by our inability to re-boot the system, a system 'we' created and control but also aware of my own fears as the faint whiff of dystopia begins to biuld. I can't decide if I should simply avoid News of any kind, live in blissful ignorance and carry on regardless or should I begin stockpiling canned food, bottled water and blankets!

With my cinematic hat on, it's inevitable that this proto-Depression, however it ends, will influence the content and themes of some future movies. Like layers in the rocks, cinema is of it's time: The 1940's had the War, the 50's Nuclear Tests, the 60's/70's/80's the Cold War, the 90's Global Warming and the Noughties, having begun with Terrorism as it's bete noire has become mired in financial stagnation. Each had their own iconic films capturing the Zeitgeist of the times. As we've already talked about before, Dystopian societies feature in many of them and I have compiled my own top ten. I have included some with 'alien' plots. See what you think. I found myself straying into Disaster movies! Comments/amendments/ obvious omissions/whole new lists welcomed! [naturally if Project SWORD had been made into a movie it would also appear in the list!]

1. Invasion of the Body Snatchers [original/re-make]
2. Doomwatch
3. The Day the Earth Caught Fire
4. The Time Machine [original]
5. When Worlds Collide
6. War of the Worlds [original/re-make]
7. Blade Runner
8. THX-1138
9. Escape from New York
10. Star Wars: A New Hope [original] - is this dystopian?

Rotor Show

Reader Arto reminded me about the cool Tarheel Super Copter. I managed to get the rotor lights working on my own example - looks like a Christmas tree! There'll be more to follow on this big Tarheel/ Durham toy. Anyone else like helicopters?

Tar on my Heels

This September has been a good month for rare Anderson toys made by Tarheel of Tarboro, North Carolina in the US of A.

First up was a rare example of the the American version of Task Force 1. Part of a bundle of space toys, pictured below [Ebay], this loose TF1 came in the classic Tarheel scarlet and sported the Task Force stickers. Despite having a missing fin tip and engine, it still got my heart racing.

WOTE actually texted me about it at work, which was a first and added to the excitement, as this is a definate gap in the Moon Base collection! This reminded me of the phone-calls we used to get years ago [on the landline!] when I was a keen birdwatcher [not keen enough to keep up the twitching though]. This is the first Tarheel TF1 I've personally seen on Ebay and I know of only one or two collectors who own one. Sadly I'm not one of them as, alas, my meagre budget ran out of steam early on as the lot went on to reach a final sale price of £121. I better get saving up!

The second Tarheel treat was possibly only the second outing that I personally know of for this toy on Ebay, the elusive Nova III. It's box end is pictured [Ebay]. Now fortunately I already own one of these great plastic spaceships, having bagged one along with it's two Nova stablemates, about five years ago.

The Anderson connection is less clear this time but we've delved into it before. Basically it's a deadringer for one of the models, which Brains makes for Gordon Tracy, in an attempt to design the perfect Thunderbird 6. Rejected, Brains throws it on the floor just as Scott walks through the door! You can see the carnage on You Tube below - around the 7 mins 6 seconds mark. Just slide the timer along to that and watch Brain's rage against the machine!



Eternity - It Will Last Forever

To be played immediately after the previous post of Vangelis/ Roy Batty. This is the stunningly beautiful musical and visual teaser for Gerry Anderson's proposed TV series Eternity. Who did the music and what happened to the show?

I've Seen Things

I love Roy Batty's Replicant lament in the 1982 movie Blade Runner. There are tons of versions on You Tube but I particularly like this one, which is a medley of Vangelis's music, movie footage and beautiful space graphics.

Tin Machine

I'm a sucker for Blackbirds. Well, any X-planes really. I often wonder what SWORD or SPACEX might look like in tin [sorry WOTE!], so this vintage tinplate YF-12 by Modern Toys [Vectis Auctions] tickled my fancy. Spacexy!

All Blackbirds are welcomed here. Even tin.