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 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)