ALONG CAME A GLIDER: CENTURY 21, TARHEEL, HOVER, SPACEX AND ALL THE TOY SPACE GLIDERS

Century 21 UK

Century 21 rare orange version

[Woodsy collection]

Tarheel USA

[Darth collection]

Tarheel rare red star box

Durham USA - rare

Only known green Space Glider toy

[Arto Collection]

Hoover

[Ferryman collection]

above/ below

Mego Space Tract

Day-f-Ran

2001

red and white versions - remote controlled

SpaceX NASA Glider or Lifting Body

[Paul Vreede collection]

SpaceX Rescue Craft R6 - uncarded

[WOTAN collection]

Hover miniature

Japanese miniature - unknown make

Takeuchi - rubber UFO miniatures

Yellow, Red and Green versions

Space Voyagers miniatures - modern - 2 lifting bodies

Wooden Model

Resin models - various

Example: Anigrand [instructions only]

ANY MORE TOY SPACE GLIDERS?

Pictures and info welcomed!

Where is the Century 21 Lunar Climber?

Back in the mid-Naughties this beautiful and rare Lunar Climber by Century 21 Toys graced Ebay for a while. I did have a flutter on it but missed out. I'll never forget Wotan's advice when I said I'd lost: 'You should have put the ton on it!'.He was right as it sold for just over £90!

Part toy, part myth, in the late Sixties the toy trade press considered it to be part of the Project SWORD toy range. Sadly this was a case of mistaken identity but a tantalising notion nonetheless: The SWORD Climber! I'm surprised that SpaceX never had a crack at it.

Many years have passed since that day on Ebay and I'm sad to say that I have never laid eyes on the Lunar Climber again anywhere. To this day this image remains the only one I have ever seen of the actual toy and box. Can anyone help with more? Just where is the Century 21 Lunar Climber?

Captain Scarlet in Seattle

We've known for ages that Century 21 was also the tag-line of the 1962 Worlds Fair in Seattle. The Space Needle really did look like something out of the Anderson Universe and has always reminded me of the Car Vu design from Captain Scarlet 1967 pilot episode, pictured below, by Mike Trim. The Space Needle is the one on the right [but which is taller?]

[pictures: Askart  and Belatednerd]

So I was amused earlier when I saw that the Fair also had its own theme song called Rhapsody 21. Are we sure that Captain Scarlet didn't have a hand in this event?!?

Out of interest, did Rhapsody ever have her own song or music in Captain Scarlet?

MMM: MOONLANDING MYTH MODEL

I saw a great old episode of the US show Mythbusters this week on TV. The team basically bust the myths surrounding the 1969 NASA Moonlanding. There are so many myths I was amazed! The slanting shadows, the illuminated astronaut, the fluttering flag, the boot print and the slomo hop to name just a few [the wiki page on the subject is vast!]

One of the great parts of the show was the LEM diorama they biult to prove that shadows can be at different angles at the same time. I also learnt a new word - rigolith - the dust covering the moon's surface. the way they made the lunar surface out of a sheet of wood, plaster of paris, grey paint and sand must be the basic way everybody makes it. I had a go a couple of years back complete with SpaceX LEM - see below. Maybe I should try to bust a few myths with it!

Have you biult a lunar surface before? Piccies welcomed.

HIGH SPIRITS DOWN THE MARS BAR

EARLY SUMMER CAPTION COMP

So Swordies, what are these two SpaceX pilots saying or thinking?

SCREEN AND SCREEN AGAIN

I'm a big cinema fan and the clear highlight of the year so far has been PROMETHEUS, Ridley Scott's stunning prequel to his 1979 masterpeice, a real joy for an ALIEN fan like me. I haven't been as excited about a film since Lucas's Star Wars prequel, A PHANTOM MENACE.

Looking forward to the new film season I see that a few old gems are being dusted off for a re-screening. JAWS gets another bite and the iconic Hammer zombiefest PLAGUE OF THE ZOMBIES lurches once again to a picture house near you this Summer. If I got the choose old flicks for re-showing it would be maybe old fashioned doube bills of black and white shockers NIGHT OF THE DEMON and DEAD OF NIGHT and colour sci-fi epics MOON ZERO TWO and THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO!

The two films still languishing on the drawing board I'd like to see get onto the big screen are UFO and MAJOR MATT MASON.

Which films would you choose for your cinema screens?

Galactica Redux

The Mattel range of Battlestar Galactica toys are a firm favourite of mine from late seventies. Coming in direct competition to the market leader of kenners Star Wars toys, Mattel took several separate paths to grab a slice of the space toy market. The main thrust was a series of action figures, which were simplistic and ugly, with an almost doll-like shape. Secondly, came a pair of large figures based on the sixties Captain Laser body, of a Cylon and Colonial Warror. But the best part of the marketing strategy was for me the vehicle range. Ive looked at these before, but until recently, my collection was incomplete. My collection lacked the Viper and also the pilot for my Cylon Raider. Thanks to the kind intervention of blog contributor CS, my fleet is now complete.

For some reason, Mattel seemed to be unable, or unwilling to get the look of the Cylon correct. the action figure version was closest, but still distorted, the large figure was all black with a grossly distorted head and the small vehicle pilot has more in common with Gort than a cylon.

Its a nice little figure, jointed at shoulders and hips and looks suitably sinister.The Viper pilot looks a little more doll like and is less able to stand than the cylon. One of the best features of the  vehicle range is the interchaneability of the colonial vehicles, something the Raider doesn't share.The Colonial Stellar Probe can be married with the Viper to create a long range Viper craft with the addition of the extended fuselage.