LEMme See

Spectrum Steve kindly stepped in when I requested photos of the 4D Puzzles in the posting No, It's Not Time ...

I wasn't too impressed by the Command Module I bought from Hobbycraft, but the photos Steve sent show the LEM is a much nicer model.

Thanks, Steve. And apologies for the delay in putting them on the blog (a little holiday being the reason).

Rockets and Stuff

Flotsam from recent voyages through Noppin, the Japanese Auction service site. I particularly liked the small silver badge which looks a lot like a Probe Force 3!

SPV Secret Trailer Contents

So when is an SPV not an SPV? Simple, when it's a boat! The 'Captains Boat', a rare japanese offering features the Spectrum roundel on the fron and the letters SPV at the rear. Cranking the handle winds a friction motor allowing it to speed through the bath water!

Andy B sent along a couple of scans from issue 1 of TV21 which shows some glorious Rob Embleton artwork of the vehicle itself, in the first appearance of Captain Scarlet, which he theorises, may have actually predated the transmission of the TV series by a matter of weeks. The frames also show the SPV in amphibious mode, coursing through the water in pursuit of a Mysteron threat.

Perhaps Captain Blue had to nip out and wind the handle before they ventured into the water !

The japanese market was flooded with models of the SPV, most of which may have been unlicenced copies, hence the creative use of the name and likeness.

 

Another common theme in japanese toys is the 'super-deformed' version of a character or vehicle, making a 'cute' style model. These more recent releases show a boxed set including the Angel and SPC.

Eidai Grip made a series of 'lookalike' Anderson craft, including the SPV, Shado 2 and various Thunderbirds.

                                     

The general use of the Thunderbird in the title of the above model, gets around direct copyright issues, but is still easily identified as our favourite pursuit vehicle. Note the hovering TB4 and small Mole struggling to keep up on the header card. Another Eidai Grip model and a personal favourite of mine is the blue version below, slick and streamlined and showing the Angel interceptors overflying on the card.

                                      

The Carlton re-release of the original TV series generated a lot of classic Scarlet toys, including a range of 3 inch action figures. The figure scale SPV took liberties with the SV design in order to maximise 'playability'.

Buying all the various iterations of the SPV cost a lot of cash, so the inscrutable japanese produced a 'Captians Car' money box to save the precious yen.

On a visit to a grotto back in the sixties, I came away with a cheap Hong Kong space set featuring a handful of painted MPC astronaut copies, a soft plastic TB3 and a simple yellow SPV and a Molab. Unfortunately, the rather crude Molab is now lost, but the SPV resides safely in Captain Harlets archive.

And after a hard day dusting off ones collection of priceless Scarlet memorabilia, what better than to wash oneself down with some SPV themed shampoo ?

Task Force Easter

I was thrilled this week when the Easter Bunny brought me some early goodies in the form of this little nest egg secured for a few shillings on Feebay. A fine fleet of Hong Kong prowess graced with a somewhat battle-damaged but nonetheless green-engined Tarheel Task Force 1 no less! My Tarheel Task Force fleet has just grown 100% adding to my loose yellow TF2 [or do I mean 200%? I'm confused!]

Now not being Milliputian by nature I have no idea how to repair the damage on the front of this TF1. Where would I start? I also need a clear  TF1 cockpit blister and a silver front wheel if anyone has any spare. Here's what it should look like along with it's other US compatriots courtesy of reader Astronit.

THE MARX SPACE DOZER BY TONY P

Hi Woodsy,

I have a few of these Marx moonbase vehicles although some of them are trapped in a space-time vortex unable to escape (i.e. in a box somewhere in a cupboard that I can't find....).

Nevertheless I've been able to liberate a few of them and attach a few shots, including a comparison of the blue bulldozer with some ground-bound Spacex/Golden Astronaut vehicles, plus some shots of them exploring a"jungle planet" (my scruffy back lawn). Enjoy!!

Tony P

FOR THOSE ABOUT TO CHOC WE SALUTE YOU

Have a great Easter Holiday everyone!

Piccies of your choccy eggs on the back of rocket carriers, being pushed by Moon Rangers or filled with Spacex toys most welcome for posting over the weekend!

Sky Ship 1

Reader Patron Zero has sent in this cool scan of the Imai Sky Ship 1 kit, one of my favourite Derek Meddings designs. The box art is by Shigeru Komatsuzaki, the late great Japanese Showa master of Anderson art [if only we knew where his originals ended up!]

"MY GOD... IT'S FULL OF TOYS"

With grateful thanks to Mr CS for his kindness and generosity!