SPREAD A LITTLE ZEROID HAPPINESS

It occurred to me, I've not put any Zeroid related stuff up for a while so here's a few pics and a little music video featuring those little rascals from Planet Zero.

The Zeroid Exploration Module (ZEM)

Zemo, the later addition to Ideal's Zeroid range

Zerak, once considered to be the leader of The Zeroids, now just a plain 'ol destroyer.

Watch out for those flying satellites!

The Zeroids that never were, or rather the R2-D2 wannabe's - The Star Team Zeroids

Zintar, the Explorer. Don't tell anyone, but he's my favourite.

Zobor, the Transporter. I like him too.

The Zeroid alien. Now, he's a strange one alright. Always goes to pieces in a crisis.

Comr. Zogg, the leader of The Zeroids. Next year I must do a piece on his Action set.

Finally a little music video I've put together featuring The Zeroids.

BOY SOLDIERS:THE DILEMMA OF THE JOHNNY SEVEN TOY RIFLE

Johnny Seven was one of the top toys of the Sixties. 

It was the mother of toy guns and still owning one now has made me think that kids nowadays probably wouldn't be able to go outside with anything like it. Or are toy Nerf rifles allowed in the street? I doubt it these days of heightened awareness.

Kids in the Sixties played out with toys and toy rifles. Look at this old print of kids in Salford with a Johnny Seven [pic: Shirley Baker]. Where we foolish to do this? Gung ho even?

But kids these days witness violence in video games in their rooms on a hourly basis don't they. So which generation was and is more militarised? Us Sixties kids or today's generation?

Or are we beyond comparison? Is there a better question and does it matter?

LEMMY KILMISTER R.I.P.

Sad to hear the news of the passing of Motorhead frontman, Lemmy at the age of seventy.

Us older rockers will remember his earlier performances in the UK space rock band, Hawkwind, and their number 3 hit, Silver Machine, with Lemmy on lead vocals.

Can't forget Ace of Spades 

SHE COULD BUILD IT IN LESS THAN TWELVE PARSECS

I love this piccy of a worker at Palitoy's Leicester factory making a Millennium Falcon in the late 1970's.

Read more about the factory and the Star Wars toy collection, which was preserved by them but is now under threat. Its all online at the Leicester Mercury [picture courtesy of them also].

MR. SOFTEE SAVES THE DAY

My Mr. Frosty Ice Cream maker has packed up so Mr. Softee and his mates have saved the day!

MYSTERY SPACE TOY

Saw this on www.edp24.co.uk of a brilliant toy shop in Sixties Norfolk and noticed the space scene on a box at the back. Anyone know what that toy or game is?

FIFTY WORDS FOR SNOW

Following on from my gift of the new TV series Thunderbird 3, I was immediately smitten with the new toys, so as Amazon had a bit of a Boxing Day sale, I treated myself to the Supersize 2 and 4 and the standard 1. Both arrived this morning with amazing efficiency and after unpacking and laboriously applying all the decals to 2, I decided to photograph the smaller Thunderbird 1.

This time last year, the ever thoughtful Woodstock had sent me a bag of polystyrene packing to try with Scorpio's projector vest, but they were much too tiny. They did however look amazingly similar to windblown snow and as there is precious little chance of even a frost here, I thought i'd create my own white out.

Unfortunately, I forgot about the practicalities of polystyrene and as soon as I tipped the bag out onto the tray, realised I had just unleashed a small nightmare of epic proportions. Due to the effects of static electricity on the little balls, they stuck to everything and blew everywhere, with the lightest breath, so consequently I was soon issuing fifty new words for snow, none of which are repeatable here!

But beyond all the cussing and hoovering, I am seriously impressed with the quality of Vivid's toys this time. No obtrusive sfx buttons, good quality build, sharp detailing and a good size toy. I'll certainly be keeping an eye out for Thunderbird S and the smaller TB 2 to complete the collection!

SILHOUETTES IN DISGUISE

Woodsy mentioned Bill Cushenbery's Silhouette custom car during a comment on my post about Catwoman's Kitty Car yesterday, so I thought I'd do a little piece on it.

The Silhouette was Bill's first scratch-built custom car, and was entered into the 1963 Grand National Roadster Show, winning first prize.

The bad news for custom car fans is that The Silhouette was apparently stolen in Bakersfield, California in 1983 and has sadly never been found.

Hot Wheels models of The Silhouette.

Gerry Anderson fans have an interest in The Silhouette too.  The plastic kit of the Silhouette did feature in several Thunderbirds episodes.

Here's a few screen grabs of the many appearances of The Silhouette in Thunderbirds,

 Parts of the kit turned up in other places too. Notice the Silhouette's bubble shaped windscreen covering the cabin at the front of the Master Elevator Car from episode,' Trapped In The Sky'.