FIREBALL XL5 RETURNS TO UK TV

 After a couple of weeks of rumours, I'm pleased to read that Talking Pictures TV, here in the U.K. has now officially announced that they will be screening Gerry & Sylvia Anderson's much-loved science fiction series, FIREBALL XL5 !

The mighty World Space Patrol vessel is due to blast off on TPTV on Saturday, 3rd June.

The series hasn't been on terrestrial TV since the mid eighties when episodes were shortened to allow for timings in  ITV's morning schedules. Some even had the entire end titles  and memorable song cut - sacrilege! 

Well, my heart is still a Fireball, so I'll be certainly be tuning in, even though I've got some old super 8 films of the series, several episodes originally released on video, two DVD boxed set versions, and the latest Blu-Ray release!

Way back in 1962 the series started out as a hybrid live action /puppet series featuring the character , Joe 90. That idea was dropped in favour of puppets, with the Reg Hill designed spacecraft originally being named Century 21 (A sneak preview of the design appeared in the 1962  Supercar annual)

Here's a photo I took in 2015 of APF's merchandise director, Keith Shackleton discussing the early concept of the space series.

Finally, a photo of one of the original surviving puppets, owned by mega Fireball fan, Bob Bailey.

Steve Zodiac - The Fastest Guy Alive!

THERE'S A TOY CELLAR IN US ALL!

I had another blast from the past at my Daughter's house over the weekend. She returned a plastic box I hadn't seen in years. 

This green box was one of many I had on shelves in my big old sunlit  'toy cellar' back in the 90's, when I used to trade stuff from there and do mail order as well. It was called Moon Zero Toys and I actually had regulars!

Having a full-time job as well, buying and selling old second hand toys was my hobby back then - it still is! - and these plastic boxes were how I divided up my stock into manageable parts. The one in the picture - TV Action - would have held all manner of oddments from the TV shows listed - James Bond, The Saint, the A Team, Bionic Man and Zorro - ranging from key rings, novels, action figures, jigsaws right up to small boxed toys.

Larger boxed toys and board games were stacked as they came, on a separate shelf and the biggest thrill was to see several of the same boxed item stacked up. I remember having three second hand and excellent boxed Batman Animated Batmobiles on top of each other and it used to make me so chuffed. Like a proper toy shop! ha ha

There were some inspirational toy sellers in the 90's, who took the hobby - for them a business - to a whole new level and it was always a buzz reading their mail order catalogues and sales lists on Model Mart magazine. 

Notable among the many was the late great Jim Star Wars Stevenson and the inspirational Andy Foley and his TV Toy Zone, the catalogues of which are still a treasure of mine as they were really the catalyst, along with Tim Burton's 1989 Batman movie, to start looking for old toys and collect the toys I owned as a kid.

My 'cellar' closed in 2003 when we moved and the new house didn't have one. Also with the advent of Ebay in the UK in 2000 my mail order side had already stopped. It was the end of an era and I was sad to leave that cellar behind. It had been a lot of fun.

I don't have any photographs of the old cellar so when I saw this box again this weekend it brought back happy memories of a time before Ebay changed our lives forever. Thanks for listening to an old man reminiscing!

Did you have an old store room, cellar or attic full of your stuff? Did you buy and sell or swap old toys? Do you still readers?

THE NASA SEV/ CHARIOT

Matchbox first released the NASA S.E.V./Chariot space exploration vehicle as part of the 2018 line, in white and gold, with NASA markings. It was a short-lived model, and was gone by the following year.

At the latest model fair in Auckland, I was able to pick up a new version. This is part of the 2022 Collectors Series, which comprises 20 models. The Chariot is 11/20, meaning model 11 in the series of 20.

It is an enhanced version of the original model - and it looks spectacular. Although the basic colour scheme is the same as before, the finish is much more detailed.

The lower body is moulded in a light gold plastic (much lighter than the previous version). Only the upper body is metal, and painted gloss white. The cab windows are tinted light blue. The wheel hubs are gold chrome, with light grey tyres.

Tampo printing includes yellow on the raised pipework. US flags and NASA emblems, including one on the roof of the cab. The lights are silver, edged in black; with a row of white lights on the gold lower body.

The Collectors Series models are bubble-packed atop cardboard boxes. These boxes are of standard dimensions, rather than being sized to each model. So, if you open the packaging and put the models in to their boxes, they frequently rattle around, risking damage.

The box and backing card are mainly blue and yellow, just like early Matchbox boxes. The copyright date is 2022. Made in Thailand.

Here is my earlier look at the basic model:

https://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2020/04/the-nasa-moon-chariot.html

Paul Adams from New Zealand

GOLDEN NUGGETS ANYONE?

 

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this in my Daughter's cupboard, a bag of Golden Nuggets chewing gum, little muslin string-pull bag and all!

Remember these?

THE BLING FROM ANOTHER WORLD: K'S FLYING SAUCER

 

Some times you wonder what toy designers were doing the night before they went to work.

K's Flying Saucer has to be result of a baroque bender in bars near Versailles!

Like a space gateau, its a saucer-full full of gold looking for a Chateau.

Unbelievably the box says CAUTION: Not Recommended for Children!

So who is it for?

What do you think of it?

SHADO MOONBASE

 

Some photos I’ve taken of my SHADO Moonbase model, which I bought from my good friend and fellow Gerry & Sylvia Anderson enthusiast, Tony Freeman, at last year’s Cromford event.

It’s a solid resin ‘garage’ kit which, Tony warned me needed a lot of work, and a fair few modifications. Some of the parts were unusable, or had insufficient detail and had to be scratch-built. There was no decals, and the instructions took the word simple to a new level.

Never the less I enjoy a modelling challenge and set to work on the build.

It’s a small model, about 30cm across, and my initial plan was to simply use it as background dressing, although that changed as the build progressed. I decided to add some lighting around the surface decking, and on top of four of the five domes. (As the domes are solid, internal lighting was impossible, so on a couple of photos I cheated with a little cheeky photo-shopping)

The Shuttle launch gantry needed a fair amount of work to make it look a bit more accurate, with alterations to the vertical strut and additional girder work.

I initially considered that the lighting was too bright, but after taking a few test photos I reckon the model’s diminutive size meant the LED’s gave, what I considered a pleasing bathed in light effect.

To complete the look the model also came with a small metal ‘Comet Miniatures’ Lunar Shuttle.

FIZZ-NIK: THE AMERICAN CREAM

 

I was fascinated by this Fizz Nik.

At first I thought it was a space toy but no, its a straw!

You fill it with ice cream or ice, slot it in your fave pop bottle and away you go!

ha ha!

Love it!

Being a lover of 'floats' myself [I invented my own 'Disco Disaster' - the coke float] this Fizz Nik gets my vote for best straw ever made, easily the winner of Straw Wars!

But did it float your coke readers?

Did it catch on?

MAJOR MATT MASON IN JAPAN

I couldn't help but drool over this vintage Japanese mag ad [ courtesy of the Skullbrain site] for Major Matt Mason toys. Its all there, all our favourites!

Sixties Japanese kids had the same kind of space mad childhood as us Boomers!

Looking at the space station on the left, could the crawler be placed sideways on top like that or is that just the way they've positioned it?