Wandering Wotan

Well just back from a weeks sojourn in Cornwall. Definitely a land of contrasts this week as the Gulf Stream brought in the tail winds of Sandy to batter the coast. Nothing quite like dipping your toes into the green Atlantic to set you up for the day, walking the beach every morning with my trusty hounds and having the sea air whip past was just the perfect recipe for relaxation. The rain and stiff winds mainly confined themselves to the early hours, so it was good weather on the whole. Having been to the region many times, it was a home from home. While we were there we looked in at Porthcurno Telegraph Museum, just down the coast from Lands End, where Marconi experimented with radio and the first deep sea telephone cables were developed. In the grounds of the museum is a receiver and loudspeaker setup allows you to hear signals picked up on a disused cable crossing the atlantic from fluxes in the Earths magnetic field. These were audible as ghostly and enigmatic sounds which warbled and wailed in an amazing fashion, not unlike Ron Grainers radiophonic workshop.

 On Halloween, we took off to the Eden Project to see the fantastic tropical paradise built in a disused clay quarry. Centred around three main geodesic Fuller domes, containing an amazing assortment of tropical and sub tropical flora, the Eden Project aims to educate and inform about ecology and botany.

 In the tropical zone, it was hard to imagine that just outside the transparent dome, it was hailing hard and blowing a gale as condensation dripped from banana leaves and birds hopped from beautiful coloured bloom laden branches.

Interestingly, the Eden Project featured in Pierce Brosnans last Bond outing, 'Die Another Day' where it featured as Gustav Graves Icelandic base. When I visited recently, the curved dome at the front of the photo held an ice rink, but there was no sign of Miranda Frost unfortunately.

Finally, to celebrate Halloween, I popped down to the local norman church to visit the wonderfully atmospheric graveyard as the sun went down. Just down the lane a little from the church sits a holy well, dedicated to one St Ambrose, sealed over by a wooden door. The weather was suitably wretched that evening and was watched over by a full moon!

The Brave and The Bold

Just caught Batman The Brave and The Bold on Channel 5. Saturday morning cartoons, the best! I'm 52 in a month and still love 'em! Batman is one of my all time fave super heroes. I adored the Adam West series as a nipper in the Sixties. My cousin recently showed me a great old photo of him and his sister lead on the floor, chins in palms, watching that early Batman show on a black and white TV.

 

 

I think my bat-traction comes from all his gizmos and vehicles and in the early 1990's I collected as many of them as I could find. My very earliest collectables as an 'adult' included a mint window-boxed Corgi Juniors Batmobile, a couple of large Mego Batmobiles, a squad of Batman parachutist figures and a cool Remco energized Batman, which could ascend and descend his own grappling rope! Sadly I don't have any of these toys anymore. My 'toy dealer' period saw me sell everything. I do have a great photograph of them all though taken by a really good photographer circa 1995. Anyone else like the bat eared one?

 

The Dalek Master

Being quite a prolific artist, Ron Turner’s work covered several decades. While I enjoy a lot of his earlier strips and artwork, to most people it is his stylised and cinematic depictions of the Daleks that he is probably best known, and most of his later works still involved those bad lads from Skaro.

Although the TV21 Dalek strip had ended in 1967, the so called Dalek Chronicles appeared in a bound volume produced by Marvel in 1995 and Ron was commissioned to do the cover.

Early in 1997, he drew a full colour six-part Dalek strip for Doctor Who Magazine called Return of the Elders. Another story, Deadline to Doomsday was to follow. Unfortunately only two pages were produced.

Ron died on 19 December 1998

More of Ron’s later work appeared posthumously as posters in the two of the Dalekmania calendars.

Without doubt, Ron Turner’s dramatic style and tremendous imagination made him one of Britain’s finest comic artists. A talent that is sadly missed.

TALKING SWORD AT 8PM

Bill Everatt and me, Woodsy, talk about Project SWORD on Bill's radio show, The Underground Edition, tonight at 8pm GMT [not 7pm]. Tune into Radio Celtica online here at 8pm. The SWORD chat usually takes place in the first 20 minutes or so. Click here and select one of the three listening options: circle, Real or WINAMP. http://www.celticaradio.com/index.html

Budgie Supercar

This is my Budgie Supercar circa 1962.

 

 

 

I bought it at an early Fanderson for £15.00. The dealer had dozens of them. It appears that they were part of a consignment sent to South Africa in the sixties to coincide with Supercar being shown on TV. However,  I'm told it apparently never aired there , and merchandise including the Budgie Supercars were never distributed but left abandoned in some warehouse for years. Eventually someone must have bought up the stock and the Budgie Supercars along with other collectables found their way into the hands of memorabilia dealers.

It’s a simple die cast, around 4" long and reasonably accurate. The decals are good , but the paint finish isn‘t as good as more modern stuff, but I suppose that's only to be expected. The real downside are the wings which do go in an out but feel like they’re sliding on something inside which marks the paint.

 

The detail isn't quite up to the box artwork, but then what's new?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ROYAL MAIL GERRY ANDERSON STAMP SET INSERT FROM ED ICE BERG

Guys

Thought you might like this. I don't remember if it's been featured before, but this was a 4pg insert that came with the Royal Mail's tribute to Gerry Anderson stamps last year. My friend in Scotland sent me the set and it was great, along with the post cards they put out. The scans are hi-res so I'll send four separate e-mails.

Cheers!

Ed Ice B

USA

 

PS. Who else got the stamp set? Woodsy

Woodsy Live on Radio Celtica Friday 2nd November

Radio Celtica's Bill Everatt talks to me again about Project SWORD toys live tomorrow night at this time Friday 2nd November. So Keep on SWORDIN 7pm GMT Radio Celtica tomorrow. Join us for Cool conversation about the best space toys in the world!

A New Car For Christmas

I really could do with investing in a new car at Christmas....

 

 

I'll probably get a Ford Fiesta....but I can dream!