PROJECT SWORD TOYS RARITY SCALE

After 7 years of blogging and 15 years before that discussing Project SWORD online I thought it would be interesting to take stock of the relative scarcity and commonness of Project SWORD toys. 

A bit of fun and not really scientific either, I thought I'd do a scale of sorts. I'll just cover proper toy vehicles and not die casts, paper models, plastic kits or miniatures. No books or comics either.

Here is my take based on the number of existing examples of the toys known to me [i.e. examples with me or fellow collectors, seen on ebay and other online evidence of numbers]:

RAREST

0. Century 21 Moon Base Set - no known examples

0. T in a Circle/ Century 21 Moon Bus with T emblem on nose - no known examples

1. SL Task Force 3 - 1 example

1. YT White Space Bird Probe Force 3 - 1 example

1. Century 21 Yellow and Purple Probe Force 3 - 1 example

1. Durham Green Space Glider [loose] - 1 example

1. Carded Japanese Scouts 2 and 3 - 1 example each

1. Carded Tarheel Task Force Force 2 and 3 - 1 example each

1. Blue Tarheel Task Force 1 [loose] - 1 example

1. Gold Task Force 3 [brand unknown] - 1 example

1. Century 21 Scout 1 complete with radar - 1 example

2. Hover remote controlled Probe Force 3 - 3 examples

2. Century 21 Scout 3 - 3 examples

2. Century 21 orange Space Glider - 3 examples

2. Tomy Interplanetary Apollo Saturn Rocket - 3 examples

2. YT Silver Space Bird PF3 - 3 examples

3. Century 21 Nuclear Ferry - 5 examples

3. Hoover Booster Rocket - 5 examples

3. Mego Space Tract and Day-f-Ran Space Glider - 5 examples

3. Italian de-Tarheeled Moon Ranger - 5 examples

3. Hover Space Glider - 5 examples

4. Century 21 Cape Kennedy Set - 10+ examples

4. Century 21 Scout 2 - 10+ examples

4. Tarheel boxed Project SWORD of any kind [not including rare branding] - 10+ examples

4. Hover and NaSa Probe Force 1 and 3 - 10+ examples of each

4. T in a Circle Moon Bus and Moon Prospector - 10+ examples of each

4. Chibi Bichi Moon Prospector - 10+ examples

4. Sears Rocket Base Apollo Saturn - 10+ examples

5. Century 21 Apollo Saturn and Zero X - 50+ examples

5. Century 21 Probe Force 2 - 50+ examples

6. Century 21 Moon Ranger, Dyna Soar, Task Force and Probe Force 1 - 100+ examples

7. Century 21 Moon Prospector, Moon Bus and Probe Force 3 - 250+ examples

COMMONEST

Views/ comments/ additions/ removals welcomed!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY THUNDERBIRDS

Today is Thunderbirds'  50th anniversary.

Many happy returns International Rescue.

JAPANESE SPACE CRAWLER

From my favourite Japanese You Tuber.

Anyone know the kit's name?

CENTURY 21 OX BOX SHOCKS

Blimey, look what was happening inside my Zero X toy box!

LOFT PROPERTY: MORE OF MY OLD TOY SALES

Some more of the old toys I found at car boot sales and sold on Ebay back in 2009. By that point I had been Ebaying for 9 years, after the online site arrived here in the UK in 2000. I miss those heady days of scouting for toys and excitedly listing them when I got back. I stood at toy fairs too with any better quality stuff I had.  I only sell the odd item nowadays on the Bay. Do you sell old toys readers?

NO TOY WEAPONS? WHAT DO YOU THINK?

When you travel to Europe you will see many safe toy shops, particularly in Germany.

When I say safe I mean that there are no military toys. I was going to say weapons but that's not true, as we shall see.

The de-militarisation of play appears to be a backlash against violence and violence in childhood. If I consider my own childhood in the Sixties UK it would have meant no Action Man, no Johnny Seven, no Secret Sam Attache Case, not to mention countless other toys.

Safe play focuses on constructional and educational toys. Fantasy comes in the form of generic historical characters: Cowboys and Indians, Pirates and Knights in Armour [ hardly bloodless epochs].

As such, some 'fantasy' weapons are allowed; bows and arrows, cutlasses and swords, but not in all safe toy shops.

I'm sure the removal of militarised toys isn't new and the debate over the origins of violent play has raged forever. Just think of the furor caused by Video Nasties in the 80's. Shop keepers were imprisoned!

In contrast, here in the UK we have some action dolls in the toy shops emulating the real Armed Forces here. Like Action Man did back then. In fact these new figures could actually be marketing for the Armed Forces! I'm not sure this is quite right either.

So what do you think readers, remove all toy weapons from the hands of our kids?

DOLL JETS

Here's the Action Man jet Paul mentioned. I never had one of these babies I don't think. It must have been huge!

I did have the large truck and a jeep.

Oddly enough I have two Barbie jets in the loft. They are ginormous! There's even a working microphone! Keep meaning to put them on a car boot stall I have now and then buy they're so damn big!

pics; ebay

WATER ON MARS!

I saw the news today. Oh Boy!

Evidence of water on Mars! I had to check it wasn't April Fools! I was and still am excited. Life's great liquid on the Red Planet and our nearest neighbour.

Fabulous!