THE CENTURY 21 FOUR WHEEL DRIVE TOY RANGE

COVERED ON THE DECEMBER 2012 RADIO SWORDCAST

When the blog first kicked off in 2008 a reader called Amy sent me an intriguing Regent Toys advert from an old Joe 90 comic. It featured, amongst others, 3 'powerful four wheel drive toys'. From the word go I was determined to track the three vehicles down. The ad is pictured above.

 

 

I had at first assumed that the three were the Marx 'Hill Climbing' toys pictured below: the Wrecker Truck, the Dump Truck and the Jeep [there is also a Marx Hill Climbing Cement Mixer - not pictured].

However, the Jeep in the advert is called a 'Hurdler', which was nowhere to be seen on the Marx Jeep box. I began to suspect that another toy company had a 'four wheel drive' range and I was right.

The first real evidence came in the form of the Hurdler, which I found tucked behind some die-cast at Pudsey Toy Fair around 2009. Amazingly the box featured the Century 21 logo! I was thrilled and began to look for the other two, which I felt sure would also be Century 21.

It would take another three years. Next, the beautiful Century 21 Dump Truck came my way in 2011 from a chance find on Ebay.

And finally, after five years, I completed the Century 21 trio with the Wrecking Truck this Christmas. And what a beauty it is! It feels great to have completed the set. No doubt someone will now tell me that there is indeed a C21 Cement Mixer! Short of this 2013 will find me searching for more C21 toys like the elusive Bridge Building Tank and the Huff 'n' Puff Train Set!

 

For more conversation about this set listen to Bill and me warbling on our new Celtica Radio monthly SWORDCAST recorded by superscouse Bill Bulloch in Lancashire and produced by the ever-supportive and multi-talented  Bill Everatt in Wales.

It's a Cracker

Sometimes its the little things that give the most satisfaction. Xmas was always a great time to gather little items of interest an crackers were a great source. Spinning tops, metal puzzles and little charms often shot across the dining room table after we pulled crackers before the meal. Part of the fun was finding them after!

This year, the crackers yielded a number of strange oddities including tape measures, a retractable ballpoint pen that didn't work and several key rings and rubbers. However it wasn't all naff as I did find a nifty black rubber skeleton, a flying saucer launcher and a nice little airplane model. What fell out of your crackers?

DALEK! Part 2

Think of the swinging sixties and more often than not most people will think of The Beatles storming the hit parade and the advent of Beatlemania!

But as Dalekmania also swept through Britain, even those rock and rollin’ sons of Skaro got in on the act with the abysmal novelty record ’I'm Gonna Spend My Christmas With A Dalek’ by The Go - Go’s. Released during December 1964, I’ve no idea if it made the charts - and frankly I don’t much care.

Getting back to more traditional Dalek merchandise, a series of Dalek annuals were published starting with The Dalek Book in 1964, followed by Dalek World and the Dalek Outer Space book. The annuals contained a lot of artwork done by Richard Jennings who also drew the early Dalek strip in TV21. His unique style helped to maintain a sense of continuity.

A paperback Dalek Pocketbook was also released using a still from Dr Who And The Daleks on the cover. This was an essential guide to avoid being exterminated!

A set of sweet cigarette picture cards were produced by Cadet in 1964. Although the artist isn’t credited, it does look like more of Jenning’s work.

In July 1966 the second Dalek film was released, Daleks - Invasion Earth: 2150 A.D.

I always preferred this film over the first. Maybe because of it’s Earth setting and the Dalek Flying Saucer which I thought looked great!

Breakfast cereal maker, Quaker used packs of Sugar Puffs to promote the film and ran a competition in which real Daleks from the film could be won, along with runner up prizes of Marx Daleks.

In 1967 the ice cream manufacturer, Walls gave away a free Dr Who picture card with their Sky Ray lolly ice. The 36 card set featured artwork which again was reminiscent of Jennings. Although the front cover illustration on the cards’ album is signed Patrick Williams so I imagine he was also the cards‘ artist.

The album which remarkably, I still have, and do remember picking up from the local newsagent is called Dr Who’s Space Adventure Book. In it the Doctor meets the Sky Ray Space Raiders, who together battle the ubiquitous Daleks.

Considering it’s a cheap little item there’s a lot of fun stuff within it’s pages.

This is the cutaway view of the Space Raiders ship using the opposite page divided into three. A simple, but effective idea.

Before I leave the sixties and the inevitable  wane in Dalekmania, here's a couple of  ads for Dalek related items that could be found at your local Woolies.
 

 

 

More Daleks coming soon to a blog near you!

 

 

NEW ORIGINS 2: SPACEX MEV - 2

 

Readers will be familiar with the SpaceX MEV 2 toy, as featured here in Bill's back garden, which were in the shops circa 1969/70.

The consensus amongst SpaceX collectors is that the toy was most likely derived largely from Ed Valigursky's visualisation of the concept in the Man and Space book published in 1966.

 

 

However, as with most NASA concepts, a number of developmental stages were gone through along the way. Hawk-eyed reader Grif spotted this old sketch of a MEV 2 - like concept and a modern rendering and kindly sent them in for readers' interest.

 

Grif explains: "Dear Woodsy, I came across the attached on the "Secret Projects" forum - it's a lunar construction vehicle from the US Army's "Project Horizon" moonbase project, and it looks very much like it was the inspiration for the SpaceX MEV2 and a Project Sword moon vehicle (I forget the name!)! The link to the "Secret Projects" forum is here.

You may have to join the forum to see the images, but that forum will be fascinating for any SWORD fan!

 

Projects Horizon and LUNEX were variants, Army and Air Force respectively, of the old "He who controls the Moon controls the Earth" idea for atomic missile bases.

Merry Christmas,

Grif

 

PS. Readers who wish to see more developmental stages in MEV 2 type concepts should get hold of a copy of Reader Rob Godwin's excellent book "Lunar Exploration Scrapbook". Woodsy.

2013 is Here!

Well readers, 2013 is upon us! I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of everyone here at Moonbase Central to thank you all for your continued support, comments and contributions throughout 2012 and to wish you and your loved ones the very best of health and happiness for the new year. Thank you and Keep on Swordin'

Woodsy, Bill and Scoop

T O M O R R O W

HERES TO THE FUTURE!

OPERATION SWORDCAST

Fresh from the recording studio on Moonbase comes the second edition of our regular moonbase magazine programme on Celtica Radio! Available for download as a podcast, just before we bid sayonara to 2012!

DALEK!

While I admit to enjoying Jon Petwee’s and Tom Baker’s portrayal of the BBC’s errant Time Lord, I wouldn’t call myself a Dr Who fan and can honestly say I have absolutely no interest in the current series. But like most kids growing up in the sixties Dr Who’s arch enemies had much more appeal to me than the Doctor himself.

 

I have vivid memories of watching the first Dalek story shown on TV in 1963 and having nightmares, believing a Dalek was hiding in wait behind my bedroom door.

The Dalek strip on the back page of TV21 sealed the deal for me linking the worlds of Gerry Anderson and those mutant metal monsters. Indeed an edition of the comic was used to promote the colourful big screen adaptation, Dr Who And The Daleks .

The second film, Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 A.D. followed a year later in 1966. I still like those films packed with sixties kitsch and love re-watching them while munching through a bowl of Sugar Puffs! Strangely enough, in the film Dr Who And The Daleks, the Doctor, played by Peter Cushing is seen reading an issue of Eagle comic rather than TV21, but I suppose that makes sense, as he’d have prior knowledge of the Daleks if he turned to the back cover!

 

Peter Cushing's co-stars, Jennie Linden and Roy Castle  

The sixties was awash with Dalekmania making a lot of dosh for their creator, the late Terry Nation, and subsequently all types of Dalek toys were released.

The Louis Marx Bump & Go Robot Action Dalek was probably the most popular, available in either black or silver. Examples were even used in the actual BBC series during shots involving miniature Dalek crowd scenes. First in the 1967 story ‘Evil Of The Daleks’, and later in 1973 in the story ‘ Planet Of The Daleks’.

Tom Baker’s popularity as The Doctor in the early seventies meant the toy was re packaged with a more up to date box. These were available in either yellow or red. Other manufacturers got in on the act like Denys Fishers and Palitoy with new Dalek toys.

At the time of it’s release I always considered Palitoys Talking Dalek to be a fairly accurate representation, although looking at it now it’s far from perfect, but, even though I like them both, it’s certainly a better effort than the Marx Dalek.

Stay tuned for more Dalekmania.