PAUL DARROW 1941-2019

As I begin to write this short tribute to the late Paul Darrow, I can’t help but refer to the character he made his own, Kerr Avon, the pragmatic computer wizard who appeared to be always one step ahead of the totalitarian Federation.

Paul Darrow was born in Surrey and from the age of eight, decided it was an actor’s life for him. After briefly working in a solicitor’s office, he went to drama school.  During this time he shared a flat with Ian McShane and John Hurt. After graduating he spent time working in repertory theatre before landing a part in the TV series ,Emergency Ward 10, which gave him a chance to learn the mechanics of television.

He appeared in over 200 television roles including appearences in Doctor Who, The Saint and Z-Cars, but it will be his role in sci-fi space opera, Blake’s Seven that he will, of course be remembered.

I only ever saw Paul Darrow in the flesh so as to speak once at a Cult TV event at a holiday camp in Weston-Super-Mare towards the end of the nineties. He was charming, witty, very entertaining and extremely likable. I know I’m bound to say that, but he was. I can still remember him winding around the tables in the bar amongst the assembled throng, wisecracking and generally being the life and soul of the room. Everybody loved him, just like the fans loved his portrayal of anti-hero Avon, arguably the most popular male character in the series.

“I’m not expendable, I’m not stupid and I’m not going”

Just Deserts

Kev Davies has sent us some desert scene photographs of some of his creations.

BLAKE'S SEVEN ACTOR PAUL DARROW R.I.P.

Very sad to read reports that Blake's Seven star, Paul Darrow has passed away at the age of 78 following a short illness.

Best known to Blake Seven  fans as the cynical Kerr Avon in the series, he was a popular and very entertaining guest at various conventions. I did have the pleasure of seeing him at one of the Cult TV events in the nineties where he mingled with fans, joking and teasing. He will be sadly missed.

Our sincere condolences to his family.  

GREEN SLIME ASTEROID LANDER AKA LT10

Here's a few photos I took a while back showing my Spacex Lunar Transporter or LT 10. I've been meaning to put these up since Woodsy created his excellent scratch-built version last week. It does have a couple of altered or missing parts, the top sticker is missing, the chrome ring and the rear exhaust aren't original, but I don't have a problem with that and it's nice have an example.

As is well known the design is taken from the cult film, The Green Slime, a MGM/ Toei co-production made in 1968. It starred Robert Horton, probably best known for his starring roles in the western TV series, Wagon Train and A Man called Shenandoah. Another point worth noting is one of the screenplay writers was none other than Bill Finger, who co-created Batman.

In the film, the curiously shaped spacecraft, which wouldn't look out of place in a Gerry Anderson series , is used to land on the asteroid, Flora, which is on a collision course with Earth. It's mission is to plant explosive charges in an attempt to destroy it. However, one of the crew unwittingly brings a strange green substance back to the ship...

The film was used in the pilot episode of the TV series Mystery Science Theatre 3000.

The Japanese kit maker, Midori also made a model of the Asteroid Lander. 

Humble Roll Out

American oil company Humble (Esso) had connections with the space industry in the sixties and during the run up to the first moon landing and as rockets were lighting up the skies over the US, it came up with an especially fine promotional gift for motorists and their children.

The Energy rocket was a service station premium item and I was lucky to find a complete one, including all the parts and paperwork intact and pristine. Made from sturdy plastic and a good 18 cm long, this is a really fine piece of space memorabilia and i'd encourage any fan of space toys to look out for one.

The model comes in quite a complex little kit and was probably intended as more of a 'dads toy' as some of the fixings are tiny and require tools. Skipping past the building, the vehicle is motorised and runs along a trackway made of plastic 'drinking straws'.

Along the track is a buffer section, and as the transporter runs into this, a switch at the front releases the rocket from its horizontal transport mode, flicks it upright into launch position and a powerful spring blasts it off into the (virtual) stratosphere!

Its quite powerful too, as I found out to my cost after building it, accidentally letting the switch go, I ended up looking like Luna from Georges Melies 'Trip to the Moon' where the moon grimaces as a rocket plunges into its cratered eye!

Humble also did some gorgeous press ads later in the companies history such as the one pictured from a magazine featuring a beautiful painting of a proposed Molab.

The little Esso keyring  figure did not come from the Humble kit, but is shown as part of the advertising on the paperwork and is another survivor from my childhood!

 

Fireflashed

Blog reader Ralph Morton has sent us these shots of his beautiful wooden desktop models of supersonic aircraft. Not content with the amazing swing wing SST's, he has gone a step further and commissioned a very special aircraft:

"You may remember me from back in 2014 when I sent you pics of an RAF Angel Interceptor I bought on Ebay. I am at present getting a BAOC (Yes BAOC) Fireflash made for me in the Philippines by a firm I use who make me Boeing SSTs.

I have designed a scheme similar to the BOAC 1960s look and using the Air Terrainean markings as a base.The firm in the Philippines are very good but not cheap!"

SHADO'S IN THE FOREST

Scalecraft Catalogue Redux

I’ve posted this before, for the Billy Blastoff element, but I thought it’s worth flagging up again, to see the Scalecraft model line.