New Year Message from Tony K

Eve's-Popping: A Japanese Space Pistol

Its New Years Eve in Blighty. I'm thinking about next year's vintage toys already!

 

Like this! I like this Japanese space toy gun I saw on Buyee.

Its an interesting design and new to me.

But where are the astronaut's legs?

STINGRAY MEMORIES

 Gerry & Sylvia Anderson’s, Stingray has always been my favourite Supermarionation TV series, closely followed by Fireball XL5.

2024 is the anniversary year for the first 1964 screenings of Stingray in the UK, although in spite of that fact I always feel 1965 as being more relevant to my own personal memories of the Super Sub.

However, I can still remember my local TV station, Granada broadcasting the first episode precisely sixty years ago on Wednesday, 30^th December, 1964 at 6.06 pm, after being called downstairs by my Dad just prior to it starting.

Just over three weeks later, on Tuesday, 19^th January, 1965, TV Century 21 comic appeared at my corner newsagent, featuring a large colour photo of Stingray being pursued by a mechanical fish. I spotted it, and persuaded my parents to place a regular order.

I vividly remember getting the Giant 48-Page TV Century 21 Stingray Special, which appeared during May , and featured a couple of fabric Stingray stick-on badges, which fitted fine on my school jumper. However, in spite of their aquatic nature I should have remembered to remove them before they went into the weekly wash!

Around this time Stingray merchandise was beginning to become available. My brother and I both got a pair of Fairylite friction drive Stingray toys. To my young eyes, I thought it was just like the real thing. Actually, to my much older eyes, I still think it looks great!

Competition prizes in TV Century 21, especially during it’s first year, also doubled as clever adverts for usually lower cost items that birthday money or holiday treats would cover.

The Fairylite Stingray water pistol and Lone-Star cap gun were sought after.

July saw the release of the first TV Century 21 Summer Extra featuring Fireball XL5 on the cover. Inside amongst the usual comic strips are adverts for the forthcoming Stingray and TV Century 21 annuals, plus a Lady Penelope Investigates feature on A.P. Film, and a mention of the upcoming Thunderbirds TV series.

July also saw adverts painted by Ron Embleton for the Golden Wonder Stingray inflatable offer.

I never did send away for one, or buy the other aquatic item of merchandise, the Stingray Arm Fins . However, that might have been a good thing, as it seems the promotion was quickly withdrawn the following month over safety concerns. A similar fate seemed to have befallen the Stingray Arm Fins!

A shame really, as the memorable advertising artwork from Ron Embleton and Rab Hamilton was very good.

One of the Stingray merchandise highlights for 1965 was the Lyon’s Maid Stingray kit, and adverts for this exclusive mail-away appeared in TV Century 21 from issues dated July 21^st until September 4^th.

I do remember sending away for one at the time, or rather my parents did. All that was required was three Sea Jet ice lolly wrappers, and a 6/- postal order.

September, and the end of the school holidays. The month also saw the premier of Thunderbirds on TV, although my local TV Station, Granada, began to screen it the following month.

Stingray was still getting some attention, though with World Distributors did publishing a Stingray Fun Book. (as well as a Supercar edition)

In October, I was pleased to see the TV Century 21 International Extra appear with Stingray gracing the front cover.

The first of the two Armada Stingray paperbacks were published in November. I must have seen it, and maybe read a friends copy, but I don’t remember owning a copy at the time.

Stand by for tooth decay as I collected the Cadet sweet cigarette cards throughout the year.

Christmas 1965, and, in amongst my presents I remember getting the Lincoln International Stingray, the Chad Valley give-a-show projector, and the first TV Century 21 annual.

With the New Year just round the corner, and the juggernaut that was Thunderbirds, already being broadcast, this meant Stingray and all the fun merchandise that came in it’s wake would be taking a back seat in favour of the Tracy brothers and their incredible vehicles during 1966.

TV COMIC MIGHTY MIDGETS

 

In the UK, an original Star Trek comic strip started in Joe 90 Top Secret comic in 1969, and continued in TV 21 & Joe 90, before spending some time in Valiant and TV21.

Some might forget that a comic strip re-using strips from the US Gold Key comics could be found for a while printed in black & white in The Mighty TV Comic.

The comic, which also carried a Doctor Who strip, published two ‘Mighty Midget’ comics given away free with issue #1292, and #1293.

The first was devoted to Tom Baker’ Doctor Who, and reprinted a strip from an earlier Jon Pertwee Summer Special strip, Doomcloud, which altered Pertwee’s likeness to look like Baker’s.

The front cover was drawn by Jon Canning.

The second was devoted to Star Trek, and reprinted a truncated version of a Gold Key Star Trek strip, The Perfect Dream, from 1974.

The front cover was a redrawn version by John Canning of the original Gold Key comic.

The Airfix Yeoman: Model Citizen

Here is another article on the Airfix 1/12th scale figure line: the Airfix Yeoman of the Guard in 1/12th Scale

The third of the Airfix 1/12th scale figure kits was the Yeoman of the Guard. Released in 1959. It was the last of the initial group of three kits, described on the header as Soldiers of Famous Regiments, which later changed to Military Figures.

Like the other kits, it was a Series 1 model, sold in a plastic bag, and had a retail price of two shillings (10 New Pence).

This was a more elaborate kit than the Coldstream Guardsman or Life Guard Trumpeter, with an impressive 63 parts, moulded in white plastic. Many of these were the tiny, flower-like details that adorn the hat of the figure. There is also a small row of medals to be fixed to the front of the uniform. The pike was in several pieces, to keep the length down. It had a small base, on which to pose the finished model, and a printed name plate on the back of the header which was to be cut out and stuck in place.

Initially numbered M3F, it was moved from Series 1 to Series 2 in the early 1960s, and re-numbered M207F. The packaging also changed from a bag to a box. In the early 1970s it was again re-numbered, becoming 02507-2.

The Yeoman remained in the Airfix Catalogue until the 16th Edition, which is dated January 1979. This gives it a production life of around 20 years. It has only been re-issued once, as part of the London Icons boxed set in 2011-13, which also contained the Coldstream Guardsman and the Life Guard Trumpeter. This version was moulded in light grey, and the set number was A50131.

The artwork on the paper headers used with the early plastic bags, and the later boxes, changed several times over the years. One odd fact is that the Yeoman seemed to put on weight over the years.

Eight photographs, from Worthpoint and Super Hobby.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

HOVER GOOD FLIGHT!

 

For Hover fans, this their cool BA Boeing 747 with transparent roof.

Have you anything like this?

CHRISTMAS TELLY: BAH HUMBUG!

Despite purchasing a Radio Times I've yet to catch-up on Christmas spooks on the wireless, which I'll do in January when everything's calmed down.

I have though been watching TV and keeping an eye on the mainstream scheduling. I have to say its been a bit disappointing so far.

For me and possibly I'm mistaken, the yardstick for top class UK TV listings between Xmas and New Year is a screening of Jason and the Argonauts or at least one of the Harryhausen monster epics.

Nada.

Nichts.

Yes, there's been Alistair Sim's Christmas Carol, Bill Murray's Scrooged and the classic Its a Wonderful Life to jingle our nostalgic bells .... but C'mon!

The high point for the Grandson was the new Aardman Wallace and Gromet movie shown on Christmas Day. Alas, I was close to the soft glow of the Christmas tree on a corner sofa and fell asleep!

I still love 'normal' telly here in Blighty - the Beeb, ITV and the like - but I cant help thinking the glory days of Christmas are over for them. 

The glut of cheapo Freeview channels churning out the same stuff they do every day, endless re-runs of Man V. Food, Wives with Knives etc etc - no change for Christmas! - doesn't lift the festive doldrums on the small screen either.

The exceptions are of course those UK freeview channels - Rewind, TalkingPicturesTV - that cater for aging boomer babies like us showing the delights of the Sixties and Seventies like Thriller, Space Patrol, Department S, Stingray and more.

Maybe all of this is academic in the days of streaming, Smart TV's, Sky, Netflix, Prime, Disney+, You Tube and millions of online videos. It must be a worry for 'normal TV' bosses.

Young people probably don't even watch the Beeb, ITV or any of those old dinosaurs. Not just the young either, a not-so-young friend of ours only watches You Tube videos for her entertainment. Nothing else. My 80 year old Sister is transfixed by TikTok, so what do I know!

I wonder what will be left of terrestrial telly in ten years when I'm 74?

What did you watch this holiday readers in your neck of the world? Is online TV taking over? Was Christmas represented on your telly schedules?

HO HO HO REPAIR SHOP BY ROB

Not sure if this is too far off-topic for the blog, but I wanted to share this latest model with you. It’s an HO scale repair shed from Pola of Western Germany, circa 1965, and I think it came out pretty nice. I even tried a little light weathering on it. A nostalgic kit from my childhood, redone!

Rob C

CT

USA