MARX MILITARY VEHICLES

The MARX Military vehicles series really do remind me of Century /JR21 toys. We know that the C21 Mobile Bridge carrier is probably the same body as the Marx Tank (above top). I've noticed a similarity, albeit less clear, between the Marx Amphibious Vehicle  (second from bottom) and the JR21 Missile launcher (bottom). I wonder if there is a JR21 version of the Marx Armoured Personnel Carrier (second from top)?

PLASTIC TOYS USED IN THUNDERBIRDS' CITY OF FIRE AIRPORT RESCUE FLEET

In this shot from of the Thunderbirds airport fire and rescue fleet we can see that those crafty modelshop chaps have raided their local toy store near Century 21 studios in Slough! (picture borrowed from the Space 1999 Eagle Transporter Forum. Thank you.)

First up we have the tender tug

and in it's original form, the plastic AQUACAR by Marx

Next up the tender cab

and in its original toy form, which we have blogged before

but I've found what is clearly a similar toy, the ELEKTRO AMPHIBIO by SCHUCO, which came in a variety of colours

and finally the tanker car

and a similar yellow prop being displayed at Fandercon

Well it's not really a toy this time but there is a connection to PROJECT SWORD as the same shaped truck appears in the 1969 SWORD ANNUAL (there is also a slight look of the BEETLE with its heat shields up)

so stripped down of all the red paint and airport scenery a family portrait of the original toys might partly look like this

(the green DUKW-style vehicle is by Marx and has sneaked into the photo!)

Pictures borrowed from the wonderful Space 1999 Eagle Transporter Forum and VECTIS.

RAY GUIDED X-2 SPACE SHIP FROM ARTO

I do love this TB2 clone, the wonderfully named RAY GUIDED X-2 SPACE SHIP. operated by use of a simple torch beam. And we thought the Internet was clever! I think the transparent green fuselage is particularly attractive and reminds me a little of that other later TB2 doppelganger, THUNDERCOP. This particular X-2 was acquired from Italy and is shown courtesy of blog reader Arto.

As for the little blue torch, it's a classic Sixties design and reminds me of the small kaleidoscope made by SWORD copyist HOVER as pictured below:

ASC SPACE PATROL THUNDERBIRD 2 FROM ARTO

Here's the fabulous SPACE PATROL TB2 clone by ASC in all its boxed glory! Beautiful. From the Arto collection. Acquired from New orleans just prior to Katrina! That's one lucky Thunderbird!

And here it is out of its box as featured on the main SWORD blog.

JR21 ROCKET XL9 SPACESHIP

With permission from "Toy Cellar" here are photographs from his recent Ebay auction of this utterly fabulous JR21 ROCKET XL9 SPACESHIP, a close realtive of the C21 PROBE FORCE 3. As a JR21 toy it is completely new to the blog and I imagine to most SWORD collectors. However we have seen it's clone before, the identicaly boxed and designed HOOVER ROCKET XL9 SPACESHIP. Again, the chicken and egg question rears its head, as to which came first? My own opinion is that the Hoover version did and JR21 copied/bought it and later, as part of Century 21 toys, used it as the basis for the PROJECT SWORD PROBE FORCE 3. It's a theory but does it hold water? There are so many Probe Force 3 variants and makes (pictured here in part), probably more than any other SWORD design, that it's a game of snakes and ladders working out what came when! The model number of the JR21 XL9 is 304. The C21 Probe Force 3 us unnumbered.

Below are pictures comparing the JR21 and HOOVER versions. NB. The Hoover XL9 has a rear red fin missing.

Above JR21, Below Hoover

Above JR21, Below Hoover

CENTURY 21 ANGEL AIRCRAFT

This beautiful specimen was recently sold on Ebay. I do love its sleek design and angular lines. If I dodn't know any better I'd say ot was one of the PROBE FORCE fleet of spacecraft in PROJECT SWORD. A real stunner. Century 21 Toys did a great job of bringing this Captain Scarlet jet to the toy shelf. Lovely box art too - the rainbow side-panel is a really attractive feature. Wonder who the box artist was? I've just thought, it has a passing resemblence to the silver jet (top of pic below) that Brains comes up with as a possible Thunderbird 6 in the film of the same name! Who knows?!

This was the informative item description: "GERRY ANDERSONS CAPTAIN SCARLET, VINTAGE CENTURY 21 TOYS ANGEL AIRCRAFT! RELEASED IN 1967 TO COINCIDE WITH THE ORIGINAL T.V SERIES, CENTURY 21 PRODUCED SOME TRULY BEAUTIFUL CLASSIC TOYS, THIS BEING ONE OF THEM, THIS ITEM IS IN VERY GOOD CONDITION AND BOXED, IT COMES COMPLETE WITH ANGEL PILOT (REMOVABLE) & ONE MISSILE, IN ITS ORIGINAL PACKING, IT IS HOWEVER MISSING ITS FRICTION DRIVE UNIT (THIS WAS ALSO REMOVABLE & CLIPPED UNDERNEATH) + 2 SMALL RED TRIMS ON BOTH SIDES ARE MISSING, APART FROM THAT MODEL IS COMPLETE, THE MISSILE FIRING MECHANISM WORKS PERFECTLY AND ALL THE SPECTRUM MARKINGS ARE COMPLETELY INTACT! ANGEL PILOT IS A LITTLE LOOSE FITTING BUT EASILY RECTIFIED AND THE BOX IS VERY GOOD FOR ITS AGE (ORIGINAL PRICE TAG IS STILL ON BOX"

Angel Aircraft pictures courtesy of Ebay UK.