THUNDERBIRDS ARE SCHEDULED

With just a week to go before the début of the eagerly awaited new Thunderbirds are Go series on UK television there's already a little controversy with regards to ITV's scheduling of the series.

According to various sources next Saturday will see a bumper double episode air on ITV HD and a simulcast on CITV at 5.00 pm which will be repeated the next day for anyone you misses it!!

The following weeks it will be shown on ITV HD and CITV every Saturday at 8.00 am in the morning!

A lot of people seem to think that this is not going to give the new series a good platform, with only a few dedicated fans tuning in at that time and no new young casual viewers catching the new show.

Most older fans will obviously record it whatever time it's on so no change there, but it's the new generation of fans in the waiting that are the important viewers in this case and I'd hope that the schedulers know their business.

I'm keeping my fingers crossed that those young viewers (along with a little steering from us older viewers) make it the success I'm sure it deserves.

EASTER TOYS ANYONE?

Yesterday I too possession of a new book: Plastic Novelty toys of the 40's 50's and 60's by Jean Rossi. Its a lovely glossy book and covers many of hard plastic toys that appeared in the US, many of which were seasonal. 

Easter, Halloween and Christmas toys feature heavily and many involve the characters associated with those holidays.

There are loads of Easter toys covered: Bunnies on rockets, bunnies driving cars and lots of plastic cups, which originally held a chocolate egg.

From reading the book I would say that there were far more Easter toys available in the US than in the UK. Did any of our American readers receive Easter toys back in the day?

Did any of are readers get toys at Easter time?

SPACEX, TRIPOD AND MONORAIL SCRATCHBIULDS BY KEV D

Hi, Took these today, just for the fun of it. Kevin D.

COLIN CANTWELL'S BIG SCOUT: THE STAR DESTROYER 1977

Continuing the thread about wedge shaped spaceships like the SWORD Scout 3 and the GURPS Traveler Scout, I thought I'd have a look at the Star Wars Star Destroyer from 1977.

It would appear that the designer was one Colin Cantwell, whom I have to admit is a new name to me. Colin was a modelmaker on 2001 A Space Odyssey and later worked with ILM on the original Star Wars film on many of the classic vehicle designs.

His stunning collection of concept art was sold last year by Julien's Auctions of California.

Does anyone know any more about Colin's design of the Star Destroyer? How did it come about?

SPACE SCOUT TROOP: FROM MOL TO GURPS

Top to bottom:

1. Atlas MOL ferry from the Space Station 1959, Fantastic Plastic Allen Ury

2. Scout 3 Project SWORD 1967, Ferryman

3. GURPS Traveler Scout design 1981, model by Adrian

A WORD FROM BILL KEITH, TRAVELER SCOUT DESIGNER

I thought I'd re-post this letter from the Traveler Scout designer Bill Keith from five years ago.

"Hello Woodsy,

Good to hear from you. I'm afraid I've never seen the toy you mention (Scout 3), and so cannot claim it as inspitation for my art. I'm sure a number of designs and concepts went into the original art; I first drew the Traveller Scout shortly after I started submitting artwork to GDW, probably around 1981 or so. I first submitted artwork to GDW in 1980, I believe it was.

The one spaceship concept I remember that might have contributed something to the design was a model kit coming out of the early 1960s, when I was a space-fanatic teen. I don't remember the manufacturer [Monogram?] or even the name . . . but the model was of a manned orbiting laboratory idea floating around at the same time as the Dyna Soar project--probably around 1962.

The lab was essentialy a converted Atlas rocket as a top stage; attached to the outside were two ferry rockets or escape re-entry gliders with the familiar triangular shape and painted bright yellow. 

I always liked the utilitarian simplicity of those designs, and they turned up a lot in my personal art doodles in school notebooks and such. Eventually, something like them evolved into the Traveller Scout. 

If that is the case, then the Scout does indeed draw somewhat on the X-plane and Dyna Soar project designs, which I believe influenced the look of that model kit.

I'm fine with you posting my artwork, but I don't know what the current copyright status is for Traveller art. I don't think I own it, so the current Traveller copyright holders would be the ones to ask for permission, not me.

I hope this helps!

Cordially,

Bill Keith

Italics: I've inserted these to make for easier reading. Woodsy


WOTAN BUTTS IN - this sounds like the model that Bill refers to: Convair Atlas Space Station/MOL (1958) courtesy of Fantastic Plastic.

GURPED AGAIN: SCOUT 3 SWORDBOMB!

Look, GURPS Traveller might call this the IISS Scout/ Courier but we all know its a Project SWORD Scout 3 with identity issues! Keep Travellin' ha ha! Bombed!

* PS. on a more serious note, five years ago we got a great message from the GURPS Scout designer Bill Keith. A good read. Click here

DIE-CAST ZERO X TOY IN THE 1970's?

Browsing the cyberswards I came across this old thread on the Mego Museum forum from 2009. It concerns Zero X and Moonbase Central even gets a mention! 

http://megomuseum.com/community/showthread.php?32013-Gerry-Anderson-toy-question-Zero-X

The question posed is really fascinating and I'm unsure if it was satisfactorily concluded: was there a die-cast metallic green 9 inch Zero X toy in the 1970's?