A YEAR ON THE RADIO: WOODSY AND WOTAN'S LATEST SWORDCAST

Our friend Bill Everatt from Radio Celtica has just produced and uploaded our latest SWORDcast. It is available in handy Podcast form on the Radio Celtica website. Just click here http://s124347079.websitehome.co.uk/NewCelts/swordcast.mp3

As per normal, it is a frothy and nutritious cocktail of vintage toys, pop culture references, TV and books with the usual dash of friendly banter and pithy stories . This month's cast has a particular focus on how Woodsy and Wotan got into Ebaying many many toys ago, the changes they have seen in toy collecting and the recent US TV show the Toy Hunter.

 

 

It is also something of a milestone this month as both Wotan Bill and I have been SWORDcasting for a year now with our pals at Radio Celtica as we did our first interview in August 2012 on Bill Everatt's monthly Underground Edition. From initially being Bill's guests, with his guidance and encouragement we have become Celtica presenters and editors in our own right culminating in Wotan Bill's own fascinating interview of Century 21's Ken Holt last month.

 

 

From initial trepidation we've both had an absolute ball! Adding an aural string to the blog's bow has brought a whole new dimension to things and has allowed us to communicate the spirit, fascination and fun of collecting to a new audience.

 

 

For Wotan Bill its been an amazingly revolutionary journey too, as since his first Tales of the Darkside story was aired on Celtica's show, Squaring the Circle,  he's been given a fabulous opportunity to write sci-fi stories and hear them professionally produced into radio plays!

 

 

Bill says "As a result of the encouragement and support of Bill Ev and Dave Carrington, I've just recently been accepted at University on BA. Hons. Creative Writing course! So a sincere thank you from me for everything."

 

 

In short we would just like to take this opportunity to thank our Celtica producer and friend Bill Everatt for all his support, patience and motivation along what has been an extremely interesting and fun-filled radio voyage for us both. We would also like to thank our blog readers who have tuned into Celtica as well and you're ongoing interest is greatly appreciated.

 

 

Last but not least, we would like to welcome Scoop on board our radio SWORDcast. He enjoyed his debut with us so much back in April that he is willing and able to do more. Expect further fascinating toy reports off Scoop from Glenn Field in the near future!

 

 

This is Operation SWORDcast!

PAINTED LP ASTRONAUT

 

 

This beautifully painted LP astronaut appeared in cyberspace recently. It is four and a half inches tall.

 

 

Have you painted any LP figures? It's not something I've done so I wondered if its difficult?

COMICS COLLECTABLES AND THEIR VALUES

 

This is the book we refer to in the our latest Celtica Radio Swordcast.

Recommended reading.......and listening!

JET-ACE LOGAN THRILLER PICTURE LIBRARY COVERS

To compliment Woodsy's earlier post on the Apollo Saturn rocket art here's some covers from Fleetway's Jet - Ace Logan pocket digest series showing another pleasing classic looking spacecraft design.

The cover for The Piebald Men, the first in the Jet-Ace Series.

The cover used for the story , The Day The Earth Stood Still, this scan taken from a Space Picture Library back cover

 Originally the cover for The Nameless ones, again another back cover from a Space Picture Library.

While most of the strips don't feature the ship illustrated on most of the covers, an exception is the story Seven Went To Sirius .

KENNER SSP REVRODS

Kenner SSP racers were designed by the great Marvin Glass and were a revolution in car racing. Inside each one is a weighted flywheel providing gyroscopic balance and motive power. Released as four models only in England, by Denys Fisher as Revrods, the SSP range in the states was huge.

I've had my green Eliminator Revrod since the seventies, but just lately have found the jet engined Sidewinder (minus back wheels), Sand Scorcher and blue Can Am Racer which needs a new windscreen and some TLC. But supet toys, nonetheless!

APOLLO SATURN ART

The Apollo Saturn rocket of the Project SWORD range is one of the most attractive in the line and the blue, white and red versions from Sears USA and Tomy Ranger Japan [above] are particularly so. The design is iconic and perhaps the quintessential rocket shape. Similar sleek designs popped up on the covers of childrens' magazines and sci-fi pulp novels from the 1950's onwards.

 

 

 

 

Recently I found this beautiful artwork on the UK childrens' educational magazine World of Wonder dated 1st July 1972 [price 9p].

 

 

 

 

Here is another similarly gorgeous rocket on the 1953 cover of Alfred Bester's The Demolished Man.

 

And the Apollo Saturn artwork itself surfaced on this Japanese Gemini rocket toy, with illustrations lifted from the US/ Japanese toys on the front and rear of the card.

 

 

Any similar designs are always welcomed here. The precise inspiration for the Project SWORD artwork has yet to be found.

 

Battle damaged OX

 

ZEROID ZERAK AND THE MISSILE DEFENSE PAD

Continuing with my look at the Mighty Zeroids, here we have Zerak, The Blue Destroyer. 

Originally, Zerak came with his own Control Station complete with exit ramp.  Slightly disappointing when compared to Zobor’s Cosmobile or Zintar’s Lunar Sled, but certainly preferably to the simple box or bubble pack that later versions came with when costs became an issue.

As with the other original Zeroids, Zerak came with  additional hands. The Magnetic Grabber enabled the Zeroid to carry metal objects.

The Action Hand, using the spring loaded arm could throw Laser Bombs (or Satellites,depending on which advertising blurb you read )

My Zerak came as part of a Zeroid Action Set.

Along with the usual additional hands the set came with an automatic reversing ramp but unlike the ramp in the individual plastic  cases it doesn't have the word 'ZEROID' across the front.

 It also came with a Solar Cycle, the Zeroid Attack Vehicle.

Fitting the Zeroid requires applying pressure to the side of it's base and pushing out the rim of the cycle.

Once it's in position the Zeroid is supposed to drive the 'wheel'. It's a bit of a hit and miss affair as the robot's tracks don't always connect with the rim.

But it looks nice.   

As far as I’m concerned, the best thing about the set  is The Missile Defense Pad.

The Zeroid trundles up the ramp and levers set in the pad base release three rockets in sequence.

That’s the theory, although sometimes vibration from the robot’s movement sets them all off at once. 

Not that I'm complaining, it's still great fun.

Here's a short film showing Zerak and The Missile Defense Pad in action.