Space Art: Task Force 1 Flyover

It's been too warm to work out in The Cave so I'm trying to find ways to keep me busy at the computer. Prior to posting the series on HG Toys Buck Rogers playset, I had already been using the cardboard diorama backgrounds that came with it when photographing some of my Archer spaceman figures. I wanted to use them in other applications as well and came up with this flyover from Tarheel Industries Project SWORD Task Force 1 spaceship. The whole brightly-colored vibe is a nod to both the comics and movies of the past and I really like how it turned out.

Ed

New Runway Display Board - First Shots: Tarheel Industries Project SWORD Probe Force 2

I'm gonna have to go through all my airplane, spaceship, and airport toys and start dragging things out to photograph. The collection doesn't have a lot of airfield accessories, things like AGE (Aerospace Ground Equipment), portable ladders or staircases, or other ephemera one would see on a flightline , but I still have enough to do something!

Today's series of photos highlights Tarheel Industries Project SWORD Probe Force 2 (P2). In the Project SWORD storyline, there were three SWORD bases: Moon Base; London, UK; and Woomera, Australia. Wellll I have nothing that resembles any of those locals so let's pretend the photos reflect an as yet unnamed auxiliary base! In the first couple of photos we see SWORD P2 getting prepped for take off (I'm thinking 1/72 / OO scale airfield accessories might be appropriate here). The last photo shows P2 rolling down the runway. Be Blessed and Relish Life! Ed

Tarheel Indutries, Inc. Project S.W.O.R.D. Nova I No. 5918

Here's a Project S.W.O.R.D. spaceship I bought last year and totally forgot to post. Unfortunately, like so many of my purchases, due to budget constraints, this one was bought on the cheap because it had condition issues like a missing canopy and missing right front wing. Oh well, If I ever get around to building a landing strip diorama for my space fleet, I can still pose it in a hangar or something. It measures 10.25" (26.03cm) L x 2.375" (6.03cm) W. Be Blessed and Relish Life! Ed 

Arto's Tarheel Industries No. 5918 Moon Rocket Nova III (Complete and with Original Card)

Before I forget to post this (again - been wanting to do this for the past two years), a quick diversion from our look at Lido Captain Video spaceships.

A couple of years back I had the opportunity of photographing fellow collector Arto H.'s Tarheel Industries No. 5918 Nova III spaceship.  I posted my own sample back in 2020, but mine is missing the canopy and had no packaging. Arto's sample had already been removed from the blister pack by a previous owner and fortunately all of the packaging was saved. This allowed me to photograph the whole shebang! Enjoy! Opa Fritz

My sample missing the canopy. A Golden Astronaut figure is shown for size comparison.

Here's a Tri-ang Nuclear Freighter alongside one of their astronauts. It's interesting how we associate these miniscule spaceships with the 1/72 scale figures, when in fact the large ships from companies like Tarheel are more on-point!

Arto's Moon Rocket Nova III

Tarheel Task Force No. 3 No. 5917 - Thanx Arto!

Tarheel Industries made a whole bunch of toys in their Century 21/Project SWORD series, and some are a real bear trying to find - so I don't try! Occasionally I'll find one in a random search and other times I acquire them quite by chance - like this Task Force No. 3 piece. I owe a big thank you and a big apology to fellow collector Arto H. from Finland for this wonderful Tarheel Industries Task Force No. 3 spaceship. We were working out trades' way back in 2022 and I got this terrific, carded spaceship as a result. But, in my pondering, procrastinating way, it never got posted or fully credited to him! Good grief, the story of my life!  The toy measures 8.25" (20.95cm) L x 2.625" (6.66cm) wingspan x 1.75" (4.44cm) H. Enjoy! Opa Fritz

Tarheel Indutries, Inc. Project SWORD Probe Force 2 (1967)

Okay, I am treading thin ice here with this post in that I don't have a complete understanding of the Tarheel Industries series of Project S.W.O.R.D. (or SWORD) toys. Here's what I think I've figured out so far. 

If you're familiar with Gerry Anderson and his wonderful Supermarionation creations like Thunderbirds, Supercar, Fireball XL-5, Captain Scarlet, etc., from the 1960's then that's a beginning. He also had an offshoot or auxiliary business in the form of TV Century 21 comic books featuring stories from those shows along with other futuristic story arcs. Those other story arcs were then translated into toys made by Tarheel Industries., Inc. but were never made into television series. Here's an interesting site explaining the series that never was: Project S.W.O.R.D

Tarheel's Nova II, Nova III, and Task Force No. 1 have already been featured on the blog so now let's look at Probe Force No. 2. Measuring 12.25" (31.11cm) L x 4.5" (ii.43cm) wingspan  x 2.25" (5.71cm) H - my sample came without a box and was missing the tires for the friction drive motor. I found 'good-enough' replacements on fleaBay (they're a tad loose but that doesn't show so much in the photos) and photographed the toy as-is. The nice thing about these toys is that they are scaled to allow for 1/72 or 1/87 (HO scale) figures to fit in the cockpits (although the cockpits are closed, IF they were accessible, those are the size figures that would fit in them). This is more along the lines of a realistic spaceship than the far smaller Tri-Ang SpaceX, Golden Astronaut, LP range of spaceships covered here on the blog. Enjoy! Opa Fritz

Photo culled from the Moonbase Central blog (thanx Woodsy)