PUPPY HOVERCRAFT

Hello Woodsy

As a follow-up on Kevin's hovercraft [this winter] here's the packaging of the latest version in the US. 

Terranova47

NYC

A REMINDER OF FAB WORLDS 2018

Here’s a few photo reminders I took at this year’s Fab Worlds of Anderson staged at the Leicester Space Centre.

Although it was open to the general public, who by all accounts enjoyed it immensely, especially the youngsters who came along,   for me it had the feel of a good old fashioned Convention, where I saw a lot of familiar faces and had the pleasure of meeting up with some old and new Facebook friends.

I have to say that some of the original props on display were, as always exceptional, and although I’ve been lucky enough to see a few previously, I never tire of seeing them again and chatting to their enthusiastic owners.

There was plenty of fantastic scratch built models on display too, with most of Gerry & Sylvia Anderson’s early series represented as well as some of Gerry’s later ones.

There were one or two special guests too.

Brian Johnson

Shane Rimmer

I should also mention that the Space Centre itself has many of its own exhibits including this impressive Soyuz spacecraft, one of only three known to be displayed in the West. 

The next Fab Worlds of Anderson is scheduled to take place on 15^th & 16^th June 2019.

BROHM MOON TIPPER TRUCK; THE ALLRAD MOND KIPPER

I've owned a JR21 flyng saucer for some time.

The German version was called the Weltraum Erkunder by Brohm. Its pictured here on Brohm's marketing material.

Interestingly among the other Brohm space toys there's a moon truck shown above in yellow.

A classic 8 wheeler it would make a fine companion to the flying saucer orbiting the moon.

You can see more of this lovely moon truck on the brilliant Blechroboter.de

http://www.blechroboter.de/info/brohmmondroboter/index.html

Have you got anything like this?

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As an aside I've just noticed that the flying saucers shown look silver rather than the standard red.

The silver saucers suggest that they are the Poliplast version from Greece.

What do you think readers?

http://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2016/02/polyplast-new-flying-saucer-made-in.html

Thule Tide

I'm really heartened by the current activity in space exploration lately, we have the JPL Mars Lander InSight checking for marsquakes, OSIRIS Rex has gone into orbit around planet killing asteroid Bennu and discovered water and on New Years Day, New Horizons probe (of Pluto fame) will pass on a close flight to Ultima Thule, the most distant object ever observed in the solar system.

Ultima Thule sits in the Kuiper Belt and is regarded as a 'planetismimal' or micro-planet. Radar echoes seem to suggest that it is possibly a binary asteroid of two large bodies compressed together, but the suns light barely reaches into these remote depths, so optical imaging is difficult. Long range scans seem to indicate that the surface is darker than coal, with a reddish hue, but New Horizons will pass just over 2000 miles from the surface; closer than its recent pass to Pluto on January 1.

SPACEX MLP AND TV21 FRIENDS

A few photos I took in May this year of my Spacex Mobile Launch Pad, re-using my old Spacex diorama board. I really should attempt to find a white version of the rocket which would probably look slightly less toy like.

As a lot of you will already know,, Spacex has quite a few connections with Century 21, and JR21. Like Project SWORD, the Spacex range was created by Jack Rosenthal,( confirmed by blog friend and Spacex expert Paul Vreede on his Spacex  toys site) who  adapted several designs seen in TV21, and its associated publications and used them for some of the toys.

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Here's the inspirational illustration from the 1966 TV21 Summer Extra, drawn by Eric Eden.

Another page from the same magazine featuring the design inspirations for the Spacex Nuclear Pulse and Needle Probe. The Hover Tank design turned up as part of the Project Sword range, although only eventually being released as part of a  cut out carded make-a-model  book.

Quite a few other designs seen in TV21 turned up later as Spacex toys.

The Space Patrol 1 which first appeared in the Ron Turner illustrated Dalek strip.

The P3 Helicopter which appeared in the Rab Hamilton Agent 21 strip.

The Lift Loader and the Nuclear Freighter appeared in the Mike Noble Fireball XL5 TV21 strip. With the Nuclear Freighter, Mike looks like he's given a nod to Thunderbird 2.

Other designs for Spacex Toys have turned up in the pages of TV21 and other Century 21 Publications, but they themselves were probably inspired by previous designs seen in generally available space books at the time

I suspect the front of the T-5 Tractor owes something to trucks seen in Thunderbirds. 

Whats Your Fave Christmas Film That You Can't Do Without?

Which film simply MUST be on at Christmas for you?

You know, the film that makes it Christmas, without which its not really Christmas at all.

For my brother its the Alistair Sim version of Scrooge.

For me its Jason and the Argonauts or the 7th Voyage of Sinbad.

Not sure either have been on this year!!!!

What's yours readers?

DID SANTA FORGET SOMETHING?

Was there something that you didn't get for Christmas as a kid that you really wanted? Something you had on your Christmas list?

Maybe a space toy, a monster model, a shirt, a tank top, a board game, a bike, a pedal car, something you just wanted!

I've been trying to remember if there was for me but I'm struggling. I'm sure there must have been but I just can't recall!

I must have known about the Nuclear Ferry for instance as it was illustrated in the Project SWORD Manual I had from other SWORD toys but whether I asked for one who knows. Whether my parents could have found one is another question as well!

I was pretty jealous of my cousin's Strange Change machine, which he'd been given through American ties. Not sure if it was available in the UK anyway. 

There were a couple of rock LP's I wanted but never got, namely Lou Reed and Gryphon, but these were in my teenage years towards the end of my time with my parents. I've since got the Lou Reed album but Gryphon can wait.

So readers, what did Santa forget of yours?

TERRANOVA47'S OFFICE GODS FIGURE

Office Gods Figurines:

The Goddess STRESSA.