Hi,
Here are my original Star Cops badges.
Reach across the stars.....
Kevin
UK
Tuesday, 17 August 2021
BLAKE'S 7 PROPS AT CROMFORD MILLS
Some more
photos of the table displays at the recent Cromford Mills event, and this time
it’s the turn of Blake’s 7, and some items from Gary Holland’s collection.
Investigator Reeve’s bullet firing gun used on Virn, in the episode, Sand. Virn is a soulless planet covered in green sand where it never rains. Electro- magnetic activity affects circuitry on the planet which means old-fashioned bullets are more reliable than ray-guns. Not that that helps Investigator Reeve much!
The titular
‘sand’ isn’t quite what it seems of course, which leads to a ‘romantic’ liaison
between arch –enemies, Del Tarrant and Servalan. Some of the dialogue between them is quite
telling –
“I’m
just the girl next door, Tarrant”
says an innocent looking Servalan.
“If you were the girl next door I’d move”,
Tarrant replies curtly.
“Where too, Tarrant?” , asks
Servalan.
“Next door!” Replies Tarrant.
An original ‘Liberator’ Teleport Bracelet: This was described at the event as a replica, however Gary explained he hadn't had chance to print a new label. As they appear to be relatively simple to make for the average modeller, and some of the parts are apparently still available if you can get hold of a copy of the BBC design drawing, consequently there’s no shortage of replica teleport bracelets in circulation. Quite important equipment if you want to get back on board ship, but remarkably fragile. Consequently, crew members lose them fairly frequently and space villains like to crush them.
A replica ‘Liberator’ hand gun. I think I prefer the unique design of the ‘Liberator’ Hand Gun over the more standard looking ‘Scorpio’ guns. Plenty of super replicas about of course, getting the Perspex parts right sort the men from the boys I imagine as you’d need to get them machined.
I believe
the handle is from an old Black & Decker electric drill.
A replica ‘Scorpio’ hand gun: I always found these more or less generic looking hand guns and not particularly futuristic, but thinking about it I suppose gun design in general hasn’t really changed that much over the years.
A replica ‘Scorpio’ bracelet: Ironically, these looked a more practical and robust design than the Liberator bracelets, but less unique and the kind of thing that wouldn’t look out of place among the tat in a H.Samuel shop window!
Screen used Blake’s Gun from the final episode, Blake. Blake uses his gun to fire three shots at a flyer in the episode, although for most of the time it tends to stay shoved into his belt. The episode has Blake in his guise as a Bounty Hunter on the planet of Gauda Prime, Blake uses a Federation gun for his capture of apparent fugitive, Arlen , and later uses Tarrant’s own gun when he appears to double cross him. But then as every Blake 7 fan knows everything is double crossed in that final episode.
A replica Federation Guard Rifle (or should that be ’Paragun’): There was some wonderful pyrotechnics when they fired, although watching the series’ most Federation Troopers couldn’t hit a fish in a barrel with one of these things. Unsurprisingly, this is another prop popular with modellers.
This is the screen used ‘Baby’ Orac from the episode, ‘Gambit’. Avon and Villa trick Orac into shrinking itself, so they can use its abilities to cheat the gambling computers in Freedom City, described by Servanlan as a ‘pestilential rathole’.
There was no shortage of original helmets used in the series, but this one worn by Space Major Provine in the season 2 episode, Countdown caught my eye as it looks slightly different to the normal troopers helmets. Provine doesn’t wear it too often, removing it at any opportunity, as he desperately tries to leave the planet of Albion before a Federation radioactive time bomb explodes and wipes out all life there.
Gary also
brought along several original Blake’s 7 costumes from his collection:
Costume worn by guest artist, Roy Kinnear in the episode, Gold.
Costume worn by Sally Kynvette in the episode, Gambit.
Costume worn by Steven Pacey as Tarrant in various episodes.
Finally, costume worn by Jacqueline Pearce as Servalan in episodes, Project Avalon & Deliverance.
More photos from the Cromford Mills displays soon.
TUDOR CRISPS BADGE: ITS CRUNCHY IN SPACE!
I got a badge like this as a gift from a friend last year.
Its a lovely badge and being a fan of plastic badges I thought it was great.
I don 't recall this actually appearing in Tudor Crisps but the word Astronaut reminds me completely of the same word on the Project SWORD Astronaut badge, which came with many of the smaller SWORD toys.
All in all I was thrilled to receive this Tudor Crisps badge and become a young astronaut once again!
Have you got a space badge?
Kennedy Airport Remco Playset
Hi
Here is an old TV ad for the Remco Voice Control Kennedy Airport playset. A playmat with buildings, and planes. A record player in the control tower gives instructions to you over a set of headphones, and you follow the directions to take off or land.
Then we have the Schaper U-Fly-It, in which you control a Piper Seneca twin-engined plane on a line, and land it on the runway.
This one has more detail on the U-Fly-It range. There were sets with the Seneca, an old biplane Barnstormer set - complete with barn, and an aircraft carrier set based on the carrier USS Enterprise, on which you attempted to land an F-4 Phantom II jet. This is even shown on the US Johnny Carson show. An updated version was still available at the time this video was made, but the Phantom carried the markings of the Thunderbirds, which was the USAF, not Navy, aerobatic team. Why would an Air Force jet be landing on a Navy carrier ? Great history lesson.
Finally, the Airfix Flight Deck set, in which you have to land a Royal Navy Phantom on a carrier deck, which I assume is meant to be HMS Ark Royal (she was the only British carrier with Phantoms).. The black and yellow tail markings look vaguely like the bird markings of 767 Squadron, Fleet Air Arm, which was the RN Phantom training unit. But the numbers on the fuselage seem too low, 126, while the real Phantoms of 767 had numbers from about 150 up to about 159 judging from photos - or am I being far too pedantic again ?
The Airfix Super Flight Deck set has a Phantom in 892 Squadron markings, which was the operational unit assigned to the Ark Royal, but the plane is bright yellow !!! I really do think that deserves three exclamation marks. I have no idea what the number 56 on the flight deck is meant to be - Ark Royal was R09.
I should not think too many of these toys would survive today, as the planes must have taken a real battering from rookie pilots.
Paul Adams from New Zealand
Monday, 16 August 2021
'IT'S AN ASHTON!' AT CROMFORD MILLS
As there was several table displays at the recent Cromford Mills exhibition I thought it best to do a few separate posts showing some of the high points on each table display in turn, and I’ll start with Richard James Ashton’s impressive model display – It’s an Ashton!
This three-foot long Colonial Viper from the original Battlestar Galactica series really caught my attention. I reckon the detailing is excellent.
It’s fitted with landing lighting, and its rear sub-light aft mounted engine exhausts are illuminated. Just for good measure the cockpit instrumentation is illuminated too. To be honest, I wouldn’t be surprised if I pulled back the tiny joystick the model would probably launch across the room!
The perfect space-fighter for a Blue Squadron warrior after those pesky Cylons!
Apart from the 1977 film, I’m not particularly interested in Star Wars, I leave that interest to my son, but I do like Richard’s model of the Millennium Falcon.
It’s probably around three-feet in circumference, and again packed with detail.
Look inside the cockpit and there’s a Wookie at the controls, with a bikini-clad Princess Leia in the arms of Hans Solo!
The model does have lighting, and even has a small illuminated boarding ramp.
Richard brought along his huge model of the Serenity spaceship from the short lived series, Firefly, a series I’m not particularly familiar with.
The model is a ‘work in progress, but it still looks pretty cool.
Most people are familiar with the Back to the Future films, and the Delorean time machine.
I’m not sure if this is an enhanced version of the partwork, or an original build, but it still looks pretty good.
Finally, a
selection of beautifully detailed Eagle kits. I took a fair interest in the one below as
I’ve just acquired a Round 2 Laboratory Eagle kit myself.
This unique Eagle design is known as the ‘Kestral’, using parts from the Round 2 Eagle kit.
My thanks go to Richard for displaying some wonderful items.
Stay tuned for more photos I took of the Cromford Mills exhibition model displays soon.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Paul Vreede's New Spacex Toys Website
A beautiful and comprehensive site dedicated to the world of Tri-ang SpaceX and Golden Astronaut Toys
Ed Berg's Toy Blog: Toys and Stuff
