RUBBER SOLE

Back in the day I had loads of rubber insects and animals. Snakes, whales, fish, centipedes and crabs. But my favourites were large and miniature flies and soft rubber frogs. I can smell that niffy rubber now!

Did you have any rubber stuff kids?

GERRY ANDERSON'S FIRESTORM LIFTS OFF!

Sub Merged

Tornado Mid Battle

Ocean Storm Breach and Take Off

Hi MC

We have some exciting updates about Gerry Anderson's Firestorm. Please find attached a new press release with news that we hope your readers will be keen to hear. We have successfully reached our base funding goal on Kickstarter in just 96 hours and are now trying to reach our stretch goals to make a full pilot episode. 

Legendary Thunderbirds voice artists Shane Rimmer (Scott Tracy) and Matt Zimmerman (Alan Tracy) are making cameo appearances and the crew has been joined by Hollywood prop-maker Ken Palkow (Star Trek Into Darkness, Mission Impossible, Oblivion, X-Men: Days of Future Past). 

Here is a link to the Kickstarter itself: http://kck.st/1wTlJsB

Jack Knoll

Anderson Entertainment Ltd.

Tornado in Flight

Pictures: Anderson Entertainment Ltd

DUTCH AND FRENCH SHELL PETROL SPACE COINS BY PAUL VREEDE

Here are the Shell coin sets from Holland (Ruimteavontuur = Space Adventure) and France (L'épopée de l'espace = The Epic of Space), each containing the same coins.

I've included a slightly larger scan of the four extra coins we got on the Continent, plus another coin showing Apollo 13 which I was surprised to discover on one card (these sets are from1969 after all). This must be of a later date, and is clearly different in not having the beading round the edge (I have yet to take it out to see what's on the back, which might shed some light about its provenance). 

The extra four coins reflect these milestones:

- The Heinkel 178 was the first jetplane to actually fly, flown by Erich Warsitz

- The Bell XS-1 was first to break the sound barrier, flown by Chuck Yeager

- Wernher von Braun is linked to the Jupiter C rocket that got the first US satellite into orbit.

- Armstrong & Scott performed the first docking in space between Gemini 8 and an Agena rocket

You'll notice all these coins have a bronze finish to them, which is what prompted my response to Andy about any colouring possibly coming off when cleaning.

Had a google when I got these sets awhile back, which revealed the coins were made by the Danbury Mint for Shell. Danbury's first set of "medals" was also called "Man in Space", but featured US spacecraft only. Danbury made sets of coins to commemorate the missions in each programme, where some of the designs were reused for the Shell sets.

Further info on the Danbury corporate page (link: http://www.mbi-inc.com/history/ ) and a coin collector's page (link: http://www.coins-n-medals.com/Exhibits/ShellGames/ShellSpaceGame.html )

Paul V

KIDZ LABS MINI SCIENCE TOY VEHICLES

I love this set of modern miniature science toys. Made by the prolific 4M they're called Kidz Labs Mini. With their simple coloured plastic and concise backing card graphic style they have the makings of a cool carded series just like SpaceX or Apollo Moon Exploring. The first carded set I saw in the shops, during the summer, were these Mini Diving Submarines but there are lots more to collect. They even have colour variations and older card variants just like we've been discussing for SpaceX recently! Anyways, enough. Here are a few example of the range available in good toy shops. To see the entire series look here.

CENTURY 21 TOYS MOONSHIP WHEEL REPAIR 5: THE FINAL PART

My Moonship wheel saga comes to a sticky end!

Enjoy.

MY SWORD FLEET IS COMPLETE......ALMOST!

It was a big weekend for me ay Moonbase. I took possession of a Century 21 Task Force 2 and this vehicle completed my C21 Project SWORD collection ......well almost ....I've given up on that elusive Nuke Ferry of course!

Twenty five years of SWORD collecting have come full circle as my fleet is, well, complete.

BLUE RIDER : THE SPACEX I NASA GLIDER LIFTING BODY

The Project SWORD Space Glider was one of my fave toys as a kid and the first I got 'back' as an adult in the early 1990's at an evening toy fair in Normanton. I never knew that SpaceX did there own version until the mid- Nineties. 

Looking at the above pictures I archived from an online auction it does look superb on its original blister card. It features the small round decal, which adorned many SpaceX toys but I'm not sure of its significance. You can see the Glider close up below courtesy of collector Barry Ford.

Anyone got a SpaceX I NASA Glider?

Barry Ford

CENTURY 21 MOONSHIP REPAIRS PART 4

This is where it all goes wrong!
I also talk about the Hover Scramble Bug in this clip.

One more to go after this folks!

Enjoy.