WETA BETTA WATCH OUT! KEV'S LATEST GERRY ANDERSON MODEL PHOTOGRAPHY

Hi, I took a load of shots so I thought I'd bombard you with them! Kevin

Woodsy says: Kev, I would wait by the phone! WETA will be calling you about TAG Series 2 for sure!

CRICKET TEAM: SPACEX CRICKET, CLONES AND FRIENDS

SpaceX Cricket P-1

[Flickr]

SpaceX Cricket and custom Apollo Tracker Car [Bill]

Custom Apollo Tracker and the real SpaceX one [Bill]

Cricket Team: left to right: motorised interchangeable, military jeep, Codeg Missile Firing |Car and Missile Firing Armoured Car [Rocket Car]. 

Bottom: SpaceX Cricket

[Bill]

Codeg Armoured Firing Car and SpaceX Cricket [Bill]

Codeg [Ferryman]

Codeg and SpaceX [Ferryman]

Custom SpaceX [kevin D]

Scratchbiult SpaceX [Kevin D]

Remco Star Trek Astrcruiser

Remco Hamilton Invaders Tiger Jeep

Remco Hamilton Invaders Mosquito Jeep

Molto Jeep Militar / Spain [Todocollecion]

There are probably more but I don't know of them. Anyone? Also scale is an issue - just how big or little are they all? And finally, a time line. Anyone know the dates of any these toys?

CRICKET 

DISTANT COUSINS

Guisval Pantera Roja [red] Spain [Todocollecion]

Guisval Pantera Azul [blue] Spain [Todocollecion]

Guisval Pantera Azul [blue] with Missiles, Spain [Todocollecion]

Guisval Super Pantera with Angel Interceptor, Spain [Todocollecion]

SPANISH THUNDERBIRDS PHOTOGRAPHS

These three photographs are currently for sale in Spain. I have no idea whether they are genuine or original but they struck me as interesting especially the bottom shot behind the scenes. Anyone know more about the images in the pictures? If you are interested in them let me know and I will give you the sale details on Todocollecion.

THUNDERBIRDS ARE GO: SLINGSHOT

Another brief overview of the latest TAG episode,  Slingshot,  hopefully without giving too much away.

This is a Thunderbird 3 story, featuring Alan and Kayo.

There's also a very brief glimpse of Thunderbird 5 's space elevator.

The episode opens on the asteroid 21 Lutetia, a real asteroid that  had a fly pass by the Rosetta probe  in  2010.

A mining station on the asteroid is manned by a scouser called Ned  who sounds like Ringo Starr (shades of Thomas the Tank Engine! ) and talks to a plant named Gwladys,  which I'm presuming is named after  the home supporters Gwladys Street  end at Everton F.C.'s Goodison Park  ground.

Following a solar storm, the mining drill (looks familiar!) goes wild and causes the Asteroid to spin out of control. Cue International Rescue and an  episode that takes some small  inspiration from the original Thunderbirds story , Sunprobe.

What do I think? It's a TB 3 story with precocious Alan Tracy so it's not going to be a favourite with me. I did find myself mesmerised by Ned's scouse accent and the occasional Liverpool reference , thank you very ,very, very , very much!.  I was waiting for him to say "alright, Wack!"

Overall though,  it's a another fun episode which I'm sure the target audience will enjoy.

ON YOUR MARX

I recently passed up on a Marx Gold Knight at a car boot sale. The box was a bit battered and I didn't want to part with £15. I'm getting definitely tighter as I get older!

I loved the Marx Knights as a kid though. You got tons of accessories like swords, cuirasses, helmets, leg armour, boots and maces. I had a Black Night as well and a Marx Horse. fabulous toys when I think back and similar to the Marx Johnny West and Johnny Apollo line of action figures and accessories.

Nowadays if I see gold plastic I always think of my Marx Knights. There's surprisingly more gold plastoc around than you think and bottle caps are a good example of Marx gold! I wonder if it could be easily melted down to help reproduce missing Marx parts, although I have a feeling that many Marx action figures like the Noble Knights and sets have been re-issued around the world and may even still be in production. Does anyone know?

I have come to associate gold plastic with Marx more than anyone else. Although I can't recall I wouldn't be surprised if I mixed up my gold accessories as a kid and had the Gold knight sporting an air tank, Johnny West wearing a helmet and Johnny Apollo riding a horse! Have you any Marx memories readers?

ANDERCON 2015 BUILD UP

With just three weeks to go before I embark to Leicester and Andercon 2015, I'm naturally spending time reminding myself of last year's sell out event.

Plenty of fab names turned up to entertain the fans.

The  man who inspired it all.

Some folk  like this chap below travelled a long distance to be there. (pssst! wrong show mate!)

Some folk arrived in costume.

There were impressive mock - ups.

Quite a few impressive mock - ups, in fact. This aquatic scene was scuppered when a huge glass water tank in front of it spring a leak just prior to the grand opening!

There were original props.

And replica props.

And a few bits of original merchandise for the odd toy hunter who turned up.

Now, is anyone else going to Andercon 2015 by any chance?

VAMPUS: THE SPANISH CREEPY

It shouldn't have come as a surprise to me that my favourite horror comic from the Sixties and Seventies was published in other languages but it did. I saw this last week on Todocollecion, the Spanish market place. Its Creepy in Spanish and called Vampus and dated 1973!

Vampus may be re-prints of earlier Creepy's, I'm not sure. This one features the cover of Creepy #3 from 1965 shown below. Does anyone know the story behind Spain's Vampus comics? Were there horror comics in your neck of the woods?

www.cover browser.com

PS. Just found out that the Spanish version of Warren's EERIE horror comic was called RUFUS!