Kev's Tripods

Here's my scratchbuild of the tripod from the Jeff Wayne War of the Worlds album.

Ooh lah,

Kevin

UK

AMERICAN FOLK ROBOTS

We stopped on the way out of town to visit the American Visionary Art Museum, a fancy name for folk art, that is, art by artists without a formal training.

Here is the exhibit MC readers might enjoy. A Robot Family. For size the red one on the left is about 6 feet tall.

Terranova47

USA

Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds: Martian Arts

I've been listening to an LP Junior got me, Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds.

It's an LP I know as I had a battered copy. Junior upgraded me.

It's a great album, both prog and futuristic yet Victorian as well. The ensemble cast are fabulous, my faves being Richard Burton the narrator and David Essex the artillery man.

There are many fine things in the production. The close following of HG Wells book, the different phases of the Martian invasion, the stark suffering of humanity and the sound effects.

The most startling is the Oo Laa sound of the Martian death rays. This was achieved with a guitar voice box and works really well.

In some ways the Martian war soundscape recalls the hellish fray in Rush's By Tor and the. snow Dog with it's snarling and screams created on guitars.

I'd no idea just how successful this LP was or is. One the best selling if all time and often cited as the best sci-fi album. Do you agree?

I had the chance to get cover artist Mike Trim to sign my battered copy in 2010 at the TV21 con. I took a Project SWORD box instead and asked Mike to sign that, as well as a few other guests there. I still have that box, the Cape Kennedy set.

Do you like War of the Worlds readers?

STINGRAY IS LAUNCHED ON TALKING PICTURES

 

Just a quick heads up for those Anderson fans in the U.K. Talking Pictures TV is showing Stingray today at 3.00 P.M. 

https://talkingpicturestv.co.uk/

ELDRADOR AND THE SNOW DOG

This Schleich Eldrador set looks great! Just what are those creatures?

It reminds me of my favourite Rush album cover, Fly by Night, featuring the giant owl, which I've always thought was By Tor from By Tor and the Snow Dog, the stand-out track.

and the sleeve notes. But that's not an owl in the little sketch. Looks like a dragon?

Is it an album or track you know?

MONSTER HUNTER MOVIE

This Milla Jovovovich vehicle caught my eye. The word monster does that. 

I suppose it was OK. The main big creature looked like a Kaiju, which I liked and it's diving into sand, then encircling large boulders was clearly lifted from Tremors.

There were giant spiders too. Nasty ones. Not bad filming really 

I didn't see all of it. I wondered if it had been a computer game. Milla has made a career of hunting large resident bugs and beasties, with a brief interlude into super-being being with Bruce Willis. This flick fits right in.

Have you seen Monster Hunter?

MANTA BANTER

 As a kid I adored Manta Rays. It was part of that whole 007 skin diver frogman craze I think, mixed in with some Jacques Cousteau! Oh, how I loved his TV show!

Anyways, here's some footage of a Manta. Not by me! By New Atlantis WILD. Do you like Rays?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yfgJx-ShRGI

EXCALIBUR'S GERRY ANDERSON AUCTIONS

Browsing Gerry Anderson I came across Excalibur Auctions and their lots relating to the great man. They include the auctioned collection of Simon Archer, Gerry's young biographer who was tragically killed driving to the Anderson's home in 1993, the same year that Thunderbirds had a huge second success on UK TV.

There are some amazing items in the many lots including Simon's fantastic personal collection of photographs, negatives and memorabilia auctioned in 2022. Have a look. What do you think?

https://www.excaliburauctions.com/auction/search/?st=gerry%20anderson&sto=0&sf=%5B%5D&w=False&pn=1&mc=11