Dinky Toys Interceptor from UFO

Rare Brtiish made Fireball XL5 game of snap.

Marvellous Carlton Stingray and Matchbox Phones figure - both from the early 1990s

Lady Penelope's FAB 1 Rolls Royce. A very rare British plastic construction kit from the 1960s

Airfix 1/72nd scale Angel Interceptor kit in original packaging. 1968

Large scale Thunderbird 2 toy (Carlton) with T4 emerging from the open pod.

Dinky Toys Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle (SPV) the daddy of them all.

In recent years the likes of Star Wars, ET, Star Trek, Gremlins, RoboCop and The Terminator might suggest that Film & TV Sci-Fi is an American domain.

But of course, the Brits have been enormously influential too. In fact, since the heady days of Dan Dare and the Eagle comic in the 1950s right up to the current resurgence in interest in Doctor Who, home-grown product has found an enthusiastic international audience.

Arguably the most influential and certainly the most prolific creative power-house within the British camp is Gerry Anderson. Not only has he and his team been responsible for a consistent series of imaginative and commercially successful titles, every one of these has been spawned enormously successful merchandising spin-offs. Fortunately for collectors, the best of these are the various die-cast toys and plastic kits, the result of hugely profitable concessions resulting in some of the most collectable items around.

After discovering that an allergy to building plaster probably meant that a career as a professional architect was a non-starter, Gerry Anderson joined the British film industry as a trainee.

In 1946 his name first appeared on production titles when he was appointed assistant director on the Gainsborough Films production of Caravan, a period piece starring Stewart Granger.

After National Service, in 1949 Anderson went to London’s Pinewood Studios and resumed his production career as a dubbing editor. Following a five-year stint behind the scenes, Anderson took the bold step of founding his own commercials company Pentagon Films. However commissions for Pentagon and its more famous descendant, A.P.Films were few and far between.

Fortunately, in 1955 an approach from independent television pioneer Associated Rediffusion resulted in a commission for a new puppet series, The Adventures Of Twizzle. Little did he know it then, but this programme and its follow-up, Torchy The Battery Boy, were about to cement a relationship between Gerry Anderson and SFX puppetry which would lead to numerous classic children’s TV shows.

Following The Adventures Of Twizzle, Anderson decided to produce his own puppet shows. The first of these was Four Feather Falls, which was underwritten by Granada Television.

About this time, Anderson came to the attention of legendary television impresario, Lew Grade, then head of the giant ATV organisation.

We have lift off!

With Grade’s money behind him, Anderson was able to consider even more sophisticated productions, pioneering many revolutionary techniques and ultimately establishing his own unique Supermarionation process. Years before George Lucas’ lucrative Star Wars merchandise deal, Anderson had grasped the significance of third-party merchandise contracts. He quickly established the Century 21 Organisation that marketed a vast range of monthly comics and annual periodicals centred on his growing portfolio of science fiction and fantasy productions. Shrewdly, Century 21 only granted toy licenses to the best manufacturers, ensuring that toys related to his shows were of a quality equivalent to the high production values Anderson demanded of his TV shows.

Consequently, the myriad Dinky toys and Airfix models licensed by Century 21 are of top quality and command the very highest prices on the collectors market.

Gerry Anderson’s Fireball XL5, was even more successful than its predecessor Supercar. Produced between 1962/63, 39 half-hour episodes were produced. A 300ft rocket powered space ship, piloted by Colonel Steve Zodiac; Fireball XL5 was in tune with the zeitgeist of the times – the east-west race for victory in the space race.

In 1963 Anderson's AP Films made Stingray, another Supermarionation series. Set in the year 2065, the fearless personnel of W.A.S.P. (the World Aquanaut Security Patrol), but most noticeable Captain Troy Tempest and his communications expert ‘Phones’ in their fantastic nuclear powered submarine Stingray, battle against the evil ‘Aquaphibians’ led by their ruler Titan.

Whilst there were a few toys of the Stingray itself produced at the time the series was broadcast, ironically more and better representations of the super-submarine have been produced in recent years than when it was made in the 1960s.

Stingray toy and carded figure

However, one manufacturer producing replicas of the super sub contemporary with Stingray’s original TV broadcast was British manufacturer Lincoln International. In 1963 they produced a lovely plastic Stingray replica. The box, predominately coloured in sea-green, featured a view of the silver, yellow and blue vessel diving to the murky ocean depths.

Two manufacturers of note who produce excellent replicas of Stingray today – in a variety of scales – are Johnny Lightning and Product Enterprises.

Thunderbirds are go!

As every toy collector knows, the top quality Gerry Anderson related items really began with Thunderbirds. The original 32 fifty minute episodes were first broadcast between 1964 and 1966 and have been repeated many, many times since.

Dinky Toys Thunderbird 2 die-cast “Straight from Thunderbirds”, as it says on the box, was a revelation. Finished in the authentic green colouring of the TV vehicle and with spring-operated extending legs and a detachable ‘pod’ containing a highly accurate miniature of the aquatic Thunderbird 4 it sold by the million. Original boxed versions of this die-cast are worth hundreds of pounds. Curiously the toy was re-released by Dinky in 1973. However this version, presented in a blister pack rather than the much more attractive box was, for some inexplicable reason, coloured a metallic blue. Though manufactured from the same tools as the 1967 version and possessing the same operating features, this later variant is worth considerably less.

The Dinky Toy Lady Penelope’s Fab 1 was also originally available in a box and from around 1970 onwards was repackaged in a blister pack. As with Thunderbird 2, the earlier versions of this toy command the highest prices. Lady Penelope’s Fab 1 also featured firing rockets. These are easily lost and although repro versions are available, die-casts complete with the original missiles are worth the highest amounts.

Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons was Gerry Anderson’s next big thing. Broadcast in 1967 and comprising 32 twenty-five minute episodes the series followed the exploits of S.P.E.C.T.R.U.M.’s indestructible Captain Scarlet as he battled with the Mysterons, an alien race intent on world domination aided and abetted by the dastardly double agent Captain Black.

The success of the various license arrangements in support of Thunderbirds had finally convinced manufacturers who had been unwilling or unable to reach an agreement with Century 21 to secure concessions. One of these firms was the famous south London plastic construction kit manufacturer Airfix who in 1968 released a 1/72nd scale plastic kit of one of the ‘Angel Interceptors’. Although this model has been regularly re-released, examples in the original box are worth several hundred pounds.

Fresh from their enormous success with Thunderbirds, Dinky were keen to secure the concession for Captain Scarlet die-casts as well. The resulting Dinky Captain Scarlet die-cast vehicles are arguably some of the best and certainly most collectable the famous brand ever manufactured.

As fans of Gerry Anderson and of Captain Scarlet in particular know, S.P.E.C.T.R.U.M.’s vehicles were some of the most imaginative and aesthetically pleasing ever produced. Beginning with Captain Scarlet’s shark nosed red ‘SPC’ (Spectrum Patrol Car) released in 1968 and in full production until 1975, these were the Dinky Toys every boy wanted.

The daddy of them all, as far as Captain Scarlet vehicles are concerned is, of course, the huge metallic blue ‘SPV’ (Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle). This toy replicates all of the features of the vehicle shown in the TV programme. Captain Scarlet himself could be released seated, backwards, in a seat that slid out from a side door, rear mounted Caterpillar tracks could be engaged to provide extra traction and a press of one of the antennae fairings on the roof would open a hatch in the nose and fire a deadly missile!

Surviving examples of the SPV are worth money in almost any condition. Things to look out for however are operating mechanisms (the side door and the nose mounted hatch often being damaged); the presence of Captain Scarlet himself, of course; rubber tracks and the most commonly missing piece – the rubber tipped missile. It’s worth pointing out however, that there are scores of small manufacturers who service the collectors market and make replacement parts of almost all of the items that might be missing.

In the next installment we will look at the amazing array of Gerry Anderson's programmes post Captain Scarlet, including Joe 90, UFO, Space 1999, Terrahawks and Space Precinct.

A fuller version of this article can be found on http://collectingfriends.com