Thundervids

One area of Andersonising that I have never really got into is collecting the various DVD formats of the Anderson TV series and films. This is odd as I'm an avid VHS video collector but for some reason I've never made the leap to an interest in DVD, As a consequence DVD improvements such as HD and Blu-Ray have so far passed me by as well.

 

 

However, I'm aware from my VHS collection that the picture and audio quality, duration, country of release etc can matter a great deal and whole collections can be built around acquiring the various different versions. With advances in DVD technology this is probably even more important for DVD collectors particularly when box sets are produced in different countries like the recent 7 - disc Blu Ray package from Japan.



This got me thinking as to what is currentkly available for Thunderbirds Are Go. I've got lots of Thunderbirds VHS including the movie but is there a DVD package with lots of doumentaries and extras? The only UK version I could, on Amazon, below, find looks rather lacklustre in terms of extras

 

Is there a really good DVD version of Thunderbirds Are Go with tons of extras about Zero X thrown in?

Comic Relief

Who's your favourite comic artist? Ron Embleton, Frank Frazetta, Eric Eden, Jack Kirby, Ron Turner, Steve Ditko? So many fabulous talents but who is your number one and why?

Ferryman's Fabulous Toy Fleet: Zero-X and Skyship One

Top: Zero-X, Century 21 Toys, 1967

Bottom: Skyship One, Bandai, 1968

 

 

Could it get any better?

I Am Not A Number Plate

I’ve always liked the surreal 60’s TV series The Prisoner starring Patrick McGoohan. Every week the iconic opening title sequence would show McGoohan - the future Number 6 speeding down what looked like a runway in a green and yellow Lotus Seven car. He is seen driving through London on his way to angrily hand in his resignation. As he packs a suitcase to leave for sunnier climes knock out gas blows through the keyhole. He wakes to find himself in the mysterious Village!

Marvellous stuff - Like most kids I loved sporty cars and would have loved to have had a model Lotus to go with my Corgi James Bond DB5 and Saint Volvo P1800.

However, it would seem McGoohan was apparently reluctant to licence merchandise at the time, and no Prisoner Lotus appeared.

That being said, Dinky did somehow manage to secure the rights to produce a die cast model of the Prisoner Mini Moke made up to look like the Village taxi. Nice but it ain’t the Lotus!

Over the years some Prisoner merchandise has cropped up - books, paperbacks, and of course, badges. But no Lotus.

Then, in 2004, the publishers, DeAgostini produced the Prisoner Fact File and anyone subscribing received, amongst other things a small Lotus Seven scale model car bearing the number plate KAR 120C. - Orange Alert!

It took a while but as they say everything comes to he who waits.

Be seeing you!

More Pirates of Apollo Moon Exploring: Funmate's Space Command

I'm always chuffed when I see a new variation or brand of Apollo Moon Exploring knockoffs. Recently on Hebay were two such goodies completely new to me. First up and shown above was this carded SPACE COMMAND by FUNMATE, who are more well known for plastic cars than space toys. There appears to be an Apollo capsule, a US flag, radar array and LEM. The astronaut is more Giant than LP/ SpaceX. I particularly like the Earth-moon system card art. Anyone know any more about this set?

 

 

The second set was a foursome of small space toys in a bag pictured below. It contained a blue Capsule, a silver LEM, a small orange space car and a neat tube of Apollo USA model cement. I was lucky enough to win this set and will report back once it lands on Moonbase. Anyone seen the items before?

Fireflash Toys?

Fireflash was such an extraordinarily cool plane design in Thunderbirds. I'm surprised it didn't get the star treatment like Zero-X in its own movie. At the very least Century 21 should have made a toy version. Have there been ANY toys or models of Fireflash?

Aviones Cosmicos: Spain's Spacex Knockoffs

From my own collection, this AVIONES COSMICOS carded set by Bullycan pictured above, was the first I'd seen when I acquired it last year. Clearly knockoffs of Tri-ang's SpaceX range and made of simple coloured plastic, they were presumabley cheap rack toys for the corner shops of Spain and the Spanish-speaking world. Occasionally I browse for Bullycan and other spanish space toys online and was pleased to see these two further colour variations on my own set. I wonder if Bullycan made any other Aviones Cosmicos?

 bottom two pictures: todocolleccion

FIRE THAT BIG CAP-FIRED DINKY ROCKET TO BLAST THE ALIEN!

Browsing the ubercool UFO Series Home Page I noticed this Dinky toys ad from the back of Countdown comic. I had both the UFO interceptor and the Sea King Helicopter as a kid. The Sea King had the niftiest Apollo floating capsule. These were very strong die-cast toys and I imagine there are lots of them still around. I've one in my attic somewhere! You?

 

I loved 1970's cartoony illustrations in comics like Countdown. Looking at it it does remind me of the black and white spaceX illustrations that were gracing comics circa 1970. What do you think? Was there a King of advert illustrations like this?