Moon Ranger: Possible Origin By Grif

Hi Paul,

This 1957 comic strip from the US Scout magazine "Boy's Life" has, I think, the origin of the Moon Ranger! What do you think?

Grif

[picture Google Books]

The Daily SWORD Personal Column

Single space dude seeks active earth girl. My interests are lunar torches, large rockets, LP records, fighting off horned green aliens and imitating Billy Blastoff. My long term goal is to keep my fresh-faced looks, whilst traversing the Galaxy in Probe Force 1. Reply to R. Rayder. Ref. PF1

Randy Rayder In Outer Space

This is a great stocking filler for the Swordie in your life, the Randy Rayder In Outer Space LP record. With its cool gatefold sleeve and comic strip featuring Probe Force 1, it's a must-have from the outer rim of the Swordiverse. Great fun to track down [excuse the pun], it can be found at online record stores. There's ususally one around somewhere going for a song. I picked this up during the summer. Yet to play it though!

What obscure space LP's would you recommend?

The Other Moon Ranger

Moon Ranger

Made In Japan

Looks like plastic and tinplate, a sort of half-dozer half-copter affair.

Picture courtesy of Guy Antiques

Hand Painted Christmas

Salvage from Christmas Past,

two cast Samurai models hand painted in the early Seventies by yours truly.

These are precious to me as very few of the childhood Xmas prezzies from my Parents have survived.

Have you still got some?

Annual Event

Back on the 25th December 1968 many of us will have unwrapped a cool Project SWORD Annual, especially in the UK. But what if Tarheel had brought out their own version for American Swordies? One basic change might have been to the front and back covers. Using the box art of the Tarheel SWORD fleet, here's my particularly poor attempt at the front one.

I'm sure someone can do a much better job than me!

PS. I've just thought, I'm unsure if my Mum and Dad wrapped my annuals at Xmas. I think they were left au natural. Like Selection Boxes. They were never wrapped. In fact now I think about it none of my Parent's prezzies were wrapped for my Brothers and me. They were neatly arranged on armchairs for my older sibs. Mine filled a sofa! [spoilt brat I hear you mutter!] Only those we got from Aunts, Uncles et al required unwrapping! Was this common practice?

Moon Maize

I've long wondered just what the strange material is that the Tarheel Moon Ranger is scooping up! My best guess is popcorn! What do you think?

SWORDEXMAS

Have a super Happy Crimbo everyone,

thanks for all your Sword support during 2011!

Woodsy and Wotan