MOONBASE CENTRAL

Tuesday, 31 March 2015

MAJOR MATILDA MASON?

Just thinking aloud really, was there a female member of Mattel's Major Matt Mason toy line? For some reason I thought there was but I might be dreaming!

If not, wonder why Mattel didn't go for it?

Where/ are there any female astronaut toys?

SPACEX PHOTONIC PROPULSION SPACE STATION: SCRATCHBIULDING FOR DUMMIES [LIKE ME!]

Six years ago I made this mock-up of the mythical SpaceX Photonic Propulsion Space Station, part of Triang's SpaceX II range.

As its the Easter holidays and I'm relaxing before the Easter Bunny and the family hop round, I thought I'd have another go. To get into the swing of actually sticking things together again I've begun with a test shot before I start proper.

Like last time I was keen to use only things lying around the house; pens, straws, plastic bottle tops and friends, to create as plastic a look as possible. I also can't ignore my singular lack of modelling and painting skills either, so instant toyness is what I'm after!

So after super-gluing my fingers together and nearly skewering my thigh, here are the fruits if my labours, my initial test shot space station.

What do you think readers? Next stop, version Mark II.

OKLOPARCHI: THUNDERBIRDS TV21 MONSTER TOY

Just to add to Scoop's superb post on Thunderbirds monsters this morning, here's a cool toy version of the TV21 cover monster, sent in by reader Paul Kaiju. The "Okloparchi" was on sale at a Super Festival in Tokyo in 2014. I've blogged this last year but had no idea what it was! Thanks to Scoop we do now! It really does remind me of the Kraken in the original Clash of the Titans. Ray Harryhausen?

MONSTER IN MY COMIC

A few posts back Woodsy asked the question, was there any monsters in the Thunderbird TV series. The answer is technically no, unless you expand the question to the feature film Thunderbirds Are Go which contained a segment featuring Zero X having a bit of an altercation with some Martian Rock Snakes.

A couple of monsters that didn't feature in the Thunderbirds TV series do appear in several specially created photos taken by Century 21 stills photographer, Doug Luke, who sadly died at the beginning of the year.

This Thunderbirds Somportex card shows a monster which looks a lot like the puppet as seen in the Stingray adventure, 'Lock Ness Monster'. This monster appeared on the front cover of TV 21 in several specially created photos promoting a Thunderbird story inside.

Another monster which I can't say I've seen anywhere apart from the covers of TV21, again featured in that same Thunderbird story.

I imagine it was specially made by the Century 21 model makers for Doug to photograph in his own studio space which he used to create scenes not seen in the actual filming.

A posed shot of Thunderbird 1 being attacked by this monster. This same shot was used a few years later for a Thunderbirds Special published by Polystyle.

You can see Doug being interviewed on the Film in Supermarionation documentary, and here's a link to an article by James Fielding about Doug as featured in the Independent newspaper.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/doug-luke-photographer-recruited-by-dick-lester-to-work-on-help-before-joining-gerry-anderson-on-thunderbirds-10144563.html

CAPE KENNEDY SET LENTICULAR POSTCARD

Hey Woodsy

Don't know if you've seen this? I found it on ebay. It is a 4 x 5 lenticular postcard from Japan, mid 60s. Very, very fine lens, extremely detailed. Thought you might get a kick out of it. Here it is side by side with Bob McCall's artwork. It looks like someone actually built a toy/model to stage the exact image in his painting. It could just be a very, very realistic painting, but it looks like a toy or maquette of some kind.

Cheers

Rob Godwin

Canada

Woodsy says: Amazing! is it really a model? For more of these lenticular cards then check out John Sisson's fab Dreams of Space blog.

Monday, 30 March 2015

New Thunderbird 1 in landing position.

Check out this screen grab showing Thunderbird 1 landed. Note that rear engine swivel.

NEW THUNDERBIRD THEME HEARD ON RADIO 2

Sara Cox standing in for Chris Evans this morning on the UK Radio 2 breakfast show had a brief chat with David Graham and played the 'new' Thunderbirds theme. She dld talk over most of it, but from what I could hear it sounded a lot like a pointless slight reworking of the original, complete with the Peter Dyneley countdown!