MOONBASE CENTRAL

Monday, 24 June 2024

ED'D SWORD DAY MOON PROSPECTOR

Woodsy and Fellow Moonbasers,

Here's my sample of the iconic Moon Prospector. It's interesting to see just how big these are after collecting Tri-ang Spacex toys for so long. For size comparison, the astronaut in the last photo is a 60mm figure from LP - it's one of their larger figures to be sure.

From Vegas Base

BOOSTER ROCKET

Some old photos of the Booster Rocket on it's launch pad.

EXCLUSIVE! THE CENTURY 21 TOYS RE-ENTRY TASK FORCE GROUP OF 3 BOX!

Every now and then something completely new to Project SWORD collecting surfaces. Its always very exciting when it happens.

Earlier in the year this entirely new set appeared in the Japanese auction world, which I discovered once it had closed.

eh voila!

The Task Forces, boxed!

Its a Century 21 Toys square box with a top lid and a bottom

The box says 3 Entry Task Forces, Project SWORD. The sides repeat the title and add lots of details, which I can't clearly read.

Inside this auctioned example were 5 x Task Force 1's.

I assume it should actually contain one each of the Task Force 1,2 and 3, as stated on the box lid. The card holder shows the three different nose holes too.

Sort of knowing I'm unlikely ever to own a boxed set like this I asked my mate Wotan Bill if he could reproduce the box.

He said yes and he did! I received a beautiful set of flat box front and sides through the post from Bill.

With my trusty glue, scissors, some cardboard and my set of Task Force rockets, here's the Moonbase Central custom edition of this set.

Enjoy!

MOON BUS

Some photos of the Project SWORD Moon Bus.

PROJECT SWORD TOP SECRET FILE OPENED: THE BEETLE/ SNOW TRAIN

Ah, the Snow Train! What a vehicle!

The original concept illustration for the Snow Train was by the great Eric Eden in the fabulous 1966 TV21 Summer Extra, where so many origins are.

It then morphed into the Beetle/ Snow Train duo for the 1969 Project SWORD Annual.

Above shows it brilliantly illustrated on page 12 of the Annual by Malcom Stokes in its 'heat shield' mode, a caterpillar-like mole-ship, which could 'fly' through rock, lava and magma. If you've seen the modern film The Core then its the same idea only much earlier!

This Beetle mode is also captured in the Imai Thunderbird 7 kit, although this model can also open up to launch a small Booster Rocket. It didn't do this in the Annual strip, so I'm not sure if this is based on the TV21/ SOLO comic strip? I think Imai simply made up the name Thunderbird 7. There's no such thing in the show. Or?

The Imai kit originally came out in yellow [shown below in the middle] but was later re-issued in white.

The vehicle's 'Snow Train' guise, without the curved heat-shields, looks more like a Polar CAT with tracked carriages and is the star vehicle of one of the 1969 Century 21 Cut-Out Model Books.

In 2013 Reader Joe Murray sent in these brilliant shots of his Snow Train constructed from scans of the Century 21 Make A Model books. Its the only time I've ever seen it made up.

Have you got a Snow Train or Beetle? Did you read the strip in the SWORD Annual readers?

ED'S SWORD DAY TARHEEL PROBE FORCE 2

Here's an entry for the Project SWORD celebration, my American Tarheel Project Sword Probe Force 2.

Mine originally came without the rear tires and thanx to Paul V. I managed to find good enough replacements. There is the tiniest gap all around - maybe 1mm - but is unnoticeable in the photos and nearly unnoticeable up close and personal.

From Vegas Base