CENTURY 21 TOYS TOPO ICE CREAM VAN

Got these great new shots off an auction of the Century 21 Toys Topo Gigio Ice Cream Van, which we've featured a good few times already on MC.

Do you like it?

TV BOOSTER

 

I love this old art of a futuristic nuclear family watching a Booster Rocket on TV!

The image is courtesy of Dreams of Space Blog.

Do you know of any artwork like this?

CENTURY 21 TOYS ZERO-X VARIATIONS: OBSERVATIONS BY ARTO'S FRIEND

Long-time Blog contributor Arto recently contacted me.

His Belgian friend told him about some interesting differences on his C21 Zero-X's.

In 2020 I posted about a strange metal clasp on the neck of the OX body below the holes where the MEV inserts.

https://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2020/05/unusual-zero-x-mev-attachment.html

Arto's friend's example has only a metal screw where this metal clip for supporting the MEV would be. You can see it here bottom left.

It just might be that the metal clasp has been removed and only its screw has been left in place on some OX's? What do you think readers? How's your OX looking?

But his friend's observations about plastic clips on the MEV are even more interesting. 

The upper part of the MEV has a pair of plastic clips on the inside of the long sides. Arto's mate thinks they're to keep the halves better together.

Do any of you have your Zero-X handy? Does your example have these clips on the sides of the MEV?

Arto's don't.

Yours?

UFO TV SERIES JIGSAWS

 A look at the three jigsaw puzzles using painted scenes from Gerry & Sylvia Anderson's  UFO TV series.

The jigsaws are dated 1970, and were produced by Arrow Games Ltd.

Each puzzle comprised of 320 pieces, and when completed measured 13 3/4" x 13 3/4" (35cm x 35cm)

My three are missing the odd piece, but  are, nevertheless still fun to put together.

I  like the painted scenes which take inspiration from various  publicity photos , and each box carries a brief description of what's happening in the picture.

The jigsaw puzzles aren't in any particular order  so I'll begin with the set using scenes  which look like they're inspired from images seen in the UFO episode, The Computer Affair and Ordeal!

The artist decided to use inaccurate colours for the Aliens' spacesuits and the SHADO man's uniform.

The box synopsis suggests that Straker would like to capture a live alien. He does do that, albeit briefly in the actual series.

'Two trapped Aliens make a final stand as SHADO men close in on all sides. Commander Ed Straker dreams that one day an Alien will be captured alive. Only then can he hope to get some facts about these strange invaders, and their planet. Perhaps today he will be lucky!' 

The second shows a Lunarscape showing scenes which look like they're images inspired by the episodes,  Flight Path, Survival and Close Up.

Again, the artist alters some of the colour detail we see on screen; the main stand-outs are  the black tip of the Interceptors' nuclear missile is changed to red, and  the red livery of the Lunar Module is  a greenie white!

'SHADO's space engineers desperately attempt repairs on an essential tracking satellite, as two UFO's zoom in to attack. Colonel Foster directs SHADO forces from the Moon's surface. These Interceptors must be space-bourne in seconds. On their launch pads they are just helpless sitting ducks.'

The third puzzle, set in a very crowded SHADO H.Q. with hints of SHADO's Moonbase uses a number of publicity photos. The completely made up large screen across the background gives the artist  the opportunity to incorporate S.I.D. and SKY 1 into the scene. Straker is looking at what should be a radar screen, but is changed for the painting to a TV screen showing SKY 1 pilot, Peter Carlin.  N.B. reading the box synopsis, the Sky 1 pilot, Peter Carlin uses the original script spelling  Karlin.

'Two against one. Ed Straker, Alec Freeman, Paul Foster and Gay Ellis can only watch as Sky 1 pilot, Peter Karlin flies protectively between SHADO's Space Intruder Detector and the speeding UFO's, high above the Earth. Sky 1 is the target now, Karlin must work fast to destroy...or be destroyed.'

The Goldfinger Files - The Alpine Sequence Book

Hi

         Here is a book I spotted while out shopping, which I thought would be of interest, although I did not actually buy it.

Books are becoming ever more specialised. Rather than trying to cover a large subject, such as movies, they will focus on just part of the subject. Instead of doing a general history of movies, they might look only at spy movies, or the James Bond series. Some cover the making of a single movie in great detail. 

Well, this one beats them all, as it covers the making of just one scene from the Bond movie Goldfinger.

The Goldfinger Files - The Making of the Iconic Alpine Sequence in the James Bond Movie "Goldfinger".

By Steffen Appel and Peter Waelty, Steidl, 2020.

Hardback, 192 pages.

The Alpine sequence was set in the Swiss Alps, and has Bond in his Aston Martin DB5 trailing Goldfinger and Odd Job in their vintage Rolls-Royce, and being pursued by Tilly Masterson in her Ford Mustang convertible. Bond takes out Tilly's Mustang using the tyre-slashers on his DB5.

The book is packed with behind the scenes photographs showing the making of the scene. Given the date, early 1960s, most of these are black and white, but there are also some colour photos. Text and reproductions of the screenplay are also included.

I have never before seen a book devoted entirely to the making of a single sequence from a film, and this is a large format, 192-page hardback. Wow.

Photograph of the cover from Worthpoint

Paul Adams from New Zealand

Moon Fleet Log Book

Well its been a good few months here collecting vintage space books for my library. Xmas and birthday brought some newer items, but ive also been scouring the second hand martket for older sixties pieces. I was quite surprised to find this Walls Moon Fleet Captains Log on ebay recently.

Given away as a premium with Walls Sky Ray lollies, the little cards were slotted inside the wrapper and could be stored in this little mail away booklet. As there are 48 cards, Walls decided to split the album into two, with this one being the second half covering cards 25-48.

Issued around 1966, it is pre-moon landing and features more speculative art for the Apollo Project. It also looks ahead to space stations and interplanetary travel.

The interesting thing for me is that the illustrations were developed with Kenneth Gatland and artist Jack Woods, who produced the excellent Frontiers of Space book. The Log acknowledges their involvement in the back, but you can clearly see the similarity in the card and book artwork.

Gatlands space books were always a staple for me as a kid and his work is full of great illustrations and unusual vehicles.

I just need to find the first part of the log book set now.

CENTURY 21 TOYS: RED ASTON MARTIN DB-5

I liked this Aston Martin I saw on Ebay. I saved the pics.

Its a red version of the white one I have, which was also released by Century 21 Toys.

Have you got anything like this?

Mini-Trac in Antarctica

Hi

Here is another weird and very wonderful video from You Tube about vehicles used in Antarctica. 

After a few shots of the tracked Swedish Snow-Trac and American Weasel, and the amphibious DUKW truck, we launch in to the main subject of the film. 

A tracked version of the Mini, called the Mini-Trac, built in Australia, and actually sent out to the ice for testing. 

What a great model that would make, although the suspension would require a fair amount of work. A wonderful piece of history.

"The Mini-Trac" - Antarctica's Weirdest Tracked Vehicle - YouTube

Paul Adams from New Zealand