TV21 SWORD TEXT STORY: EX-CAPTAIN MORGAN

TV21 Issue 197

26th October 1968

With deepest gratitude to the Toad for providing this scan

To adjust size please use your zoom.

More Next Week!

Mike B's Airbus

Hi Woodsy, I don’t think I’d be alone in getting a buzz out of watching planes take off and land and the overall size and details of an airfield - like a full size diorama!

Most of the aircraft using Fuerteventura Airport are A320 Airbuses, which are popular with the short haul holiday airlines, so, chances are most of us would have flown in one . I think they are a compact and attractive aircraft although you do feel a bit cramped when you settle in your seat. Still, It’s the nearest I’m going to get to being a spaceman!

Anyway, hope you like the photos

Mike B

Mystery on Cloudbase

Hi Paul, I've attached photo that might be of interest - it's from the letter page of TV21 # 196 cover date October 19th 2068 (1968!). As you can see the lucky lad has excellent taste with his Dyna-Soar in pride of place and Probe Force 2 lurking to the far right of the photo.

There's also the Dinky SPV and the J.R. TB1 and TB3, but what has always puzzled me is the Spectrum Cloudbase that dominates the photo. As far as I know the only Cloudbase models of this era were the Bandai friction drive version and the Imai Model kit both of which would be far to small to fit in the scale of the other toys pictured. My only solution is that it was a home made model, but the quality seems too high for that (note the Spectrum writing on the bottom of the command tower and the overall detail).

So does anyone have a better answer ? Is this a lost Anderson toy ? Did a Vivid Imaginations Cloudbase from the early 1990's drop back in time ? Or did he just have very talented parents who built it for him ? This photo has puzzled me since I first saw it "live" when I was six years old, so if anyone can identify it I'd love to know !

Hope the 2nd part of the SCAPEGOAT Sword story helps, and keep up the great work with the Blog !
Best wishes

John Croot

BLACK HOLE GLIDER

For the total Cygnus X-1 experience

listen to Rush's epic track of the same name:

Cygnus X-1.

[don't rush though! It's 28 minutes long!

Well it was the Seventies!]

Xmas Ad-vent

 Recent forays into various old British comics unearthed a rare treat when I found a copy of a scanned Buster comic from December 1969 on the rather fabulous 'Scanarama' group. Previously unseen, the ad shows the Booster Rocket in a monochrome version of the lavish painting featured in the annual. Its supported by the staple Prospector, Scramble Bug and Glider and includes one of the last SWORD toys to be released from the Scout trio.

TV21 SWORD TEXT STORY: SCAPEGOAT PAGE 2

Hi Paul - John Croot here - just saw on the blog you were missing the 2nd page of "The Scapegoat" Sword story, so I managed to get a scan of it. Hope the quality is good enough. John. Hey John, that's so kind! Thanks a bunch! What a treat! Note for readers: Blogger does not seem to accept too large a picture size anymore so this is the biggest size I can post this story. Once you've clicked on it. please use your own zoom to enlarge. Ta. [here is the earlier Scapegoat page 1]

Remote Possibilities

Like you I knew that the 2001 remote control Space Glider came in two versions, the standard red NASA form [top left] and the white Spirit of America [top right]. It was this only this week while inspecting the picture of the white Spirit box that I noticed TWO more versions! There appears to be a a red Spirit of America glider on the box side [bottom left] and a different white NASA glider with rainbow flame trim [bottom right]. Has anybody got any of these gliders?

A Dream of Ferries

Wote's cool post about the black and white drawings of the Nuclear Ferry Toad's found  in TV21 reminded me of these illustrations of the front passanger cab by Raul Mina Mora. Most likely influenced by TV21 Mora's were published later in 1972. We've blogged about these before and borrowed the art from the superb Dreams of Space blog run by our friend John Sisson, but it seemed a good time to show them again.