Serial Chillers

For me the X-Files' debut series was the biggest single TV event in years. Probably not since my childhood and teenage had I been so excited. It did not disappoint either: monsters, werewolves, bile-gobbling creatures and best of all, gargoyles!

Alas, as with all iconic shows the format's X-factor wore off and inevitabley faded. I waited patiently for the next big thing in Sci Fi series, but it didn't happen, for me at least. I tried, amongst others, Dark Skies, Roswell, Lexx, Red Dwarf, Star Trek TNG, Deep Space Nine, Torchwood, Primeval and a recent US series about aliens infecting the water [?].

The last really exciting series was Season One of the new Dr. Who, starring Christopher Ecclestone and later, David Tennant. However it was the inclusion of Britbabe Billie Piper, which added that little extra something. The best episode by far was where they found Satan trapped in a huge crevasse in a cave. Wonderful.

I did get into in a short-lived US series called Surface about a huge oceanic monster but just as I was hooked it went off the air.

Of late Grimm has piqued my interest, although I can only watch it at my Daughters, as I don't have Sky. Grimm is about the last of the Brothers Grimm, who every week in the guise of a modern US detective, is pitted against monsters and creatures from Fairy Tales. The last one I saw the Ogre!

What do you think about Sci Fi on TV?

LEGAL ALIENS?

Should Species be classed as part of the ALIEN film canon? HR Giger did design the Sil creature, which is distinctly xenomorphic like our acid-blooded friend. Logically if Species were to be considered part of the canon does it follow that Species' three sequels, II, II and Awakening must also be?


The same question must be asked about Predator, but in reverse. A sort of prequel, Alien Vs. Predator or AVP [2004] brought the two creatures head to head, but we first saw a crossover in Predator 2, where, according to Wiki, we see an ALIEN skull on the Predator spaceship [anyone got a still of that?]. AVP spawned a sequel, AVP Requiem. The Predator franchise also includes Predator, Predator 2 and Predators.


The ALIEN movie canon proper is simple: Alien, Aliens, Alien 3 and Alien Resurrection. Obviously this will soon be added to by the eagerly awaited prequel PROMETHEUS, the film event of the year.


What do you think of the ALIEN movie mythos. Are Species and Predator in? Did any of the toy lines cross over?

The Silver Toolbox Mystery

 During the recent Apollo Moon Exploring extravaganza we've been enjoying, a few mysteries were flagged up (excuse the pun there..). Most notable was the 'silver toolbox' item that often appeared in the large boxed collection and sometimes on the carded sets. As this fragile little piece invariably turns up damaged, it wasn't immediately obvious as to what it was. When I got my LP window boxed set back in the day, around 1971, I was immediately familiar with it, from photos of the lunar excursions and from somewhere much nearer home. The Airfix kit of the Lunar module, released in 1970 includes a small piece of equipment (shown here on the lower right of the instruction sheet) with folded out solar panels. It doesn't have the tv aerial though, presumably this was intended to power the small portable TV that came with the LP set !

 Paul Vreede is lucky enough to own a more complete version of the 'silver toolbox' and sent me some shots of it along with a photo of the 'Passive Seismic Experiment Package carried by Apollo 11' (photo courtesy NASA) upon which it is clearly based.

 A second puzzler was the inclusion of a small dome in most sets, mine had a yellow one, but Paul V received three white ones in his boxed set, two of which were larger and as he suggests, may form a kind of wheel for another contraption, yet to be revealed.

The domes also found use on the small red/green bubble car, with some slight re-tooling. By far the most tantalising item to appear in a 'moon exploring' set was the Space Station, which I got in the window boxed set along with the silver LEM, Apollo, Mercury Capsule and usual assortment of rocks. Unfortunately, the remains of this are now somewhere on the continental U.S, but the original photograph which formed the first point of contact between me, Mr Woods and Mr Vreede, from over ten years ago, still exists. The photo shows the remains of my moon exploring collection, supplemented by a few repros and cake decorations, such as the blue LEM and white apollo. The LP moon tractors are ranged at the right hand side. The station itself sits at the rear right of the pic, having lost its flimsy legs and had Spacex Moonbase legs superglued on. The two white disks are the same as the central console disk on the small bubble car, even down to the raised section with the three dials. Clearly designed to reflect the Matt Mason Space Station, i've never seen this piece ever, since then. Still looking though..

Pink and Yellow and Green ... and the other ones

Nothing to do with SWORD or SpaceX, and arguably antithetical to them in some ways ... but as Google has reminded me, today is the 30th anniversary of Clive Sinclair's ZX Spectrum computer.

What more needs to be said!

You Have Been Erased

Spotted these two different bags of Thunderbirds pencil erasers online. There's something very satisfying about these bags. Whilst looking for more I found some Yamato rubbers on this fabulous fan site: http://www.starblazers.com/html.php?page_id=206

Anyone have any other erasers?

Shelf Life

On a rare trip into Wakefield, our local town, I stumbled upon three potential collectables in the shops. In WH Smith was this new Thundercats comic No.1, £2.99, with a free Sword of Omens! They're back! If you've got kids this is a must. Don't forget to put one away for posterity!

Also nestling in the shelves of WH Smith is this more expensive magazine [more a softback book really], Spaceships of Science Fiction at £7.99 It covers the likes of Destination Moon, Star Trek, UFO and Battlestar Galactica. Volume 2 must be coming out soon. One for the bookshelf?

And finally, in Poundland or Poundworld [I forget sorry] are these cool TRON LEGACY die-cast vehicles, for, yep, a pound each. They come carded but I found this shot onlibe of them all loose. Maybe a future collectable?

Are there any interesting collectables in your shops?

Sinister Dexterity

I love puzzles, especially dexterity ones that you need to take apart and put back together. Im hopeless at Sudoku etc, but great with stull that needs a little laterality. When I was a kid, my sister had a neat rocket keyring puzzle, in see through plastic, each part in a different shade. She let me look at it now and again, but would never letme disassemble it! Ive got quite a few dexterity puzzles such as the classic Merit Metal Puzzles and the infamous plastic cube that you have to fit back into its box in sections. Just recently, I scored ths lovely rocket puzzle in the states. The vendor kindly taped it all up in transit for me as he didn't recommend taking it apart and trying to fit it together without the instructions! Being the brave soul that I am, as soon as I got the tape off, I took it apart.

The whole thing is about 6 inches high when assembled and to my relief, was only comprised of 12 pieces, so making it up again was easy!

For Sale

Just a reminder that two blog readers have vintage toys for sale which may be of interest to other readers.

• Raed in Jordan has a boxed Space Shuttle by T Toys [T in a Circle/ Tai Hing]. Contact Raed here.

• Luke in Germany has a boxed SpaceX Moon Base HQ by Triang. Contact Luke here.