Ah, toys. I love em. I still play with mine when I get the time. The original 1970s toys of UFO now. Following the massive merchandise success with the SUPERMARIONATION toys, such as the Dinky toys (in which Thunderbird 2 was still selling healthily by 1975). For The Secret Service, however, the series's Model T Ford was generally a failure for Dinky, and even the Jet Air Car for Joe 90 was a big success. UFO was a big success for Dinky in the UK, including the SHADO Interceptors (unaccountably painted green for some reason), Straker's car and the SHADO Mobiles (painted green and blue). Part of the merchandising including Commander Straker himself holding the Interceptors and Mobiles, and appeared in the Dinky Catalogs 9 and 10 in 1973 and 1974 as well as in Countdown Magazine with the issue on 22nd May 1971. A blue London bus even had a promotion for the Interceptors, along with other Dinky Toys including Thunderbird 2 and the SPV. These items, like the Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet models, are now highly prized collector's items.
Another place where Gerry Anderson shows are especially popular in Japan - featuring a vast array of toys, almost, equaling, or if not exceeding the amount those here in the UK, including the IMAI SHADO Mobile. Several have been released over the years like in 1971 and 1988. BANDAI also issued an Interceptor Model Kit in the 1970s and 1980s, whilst Musasiya released a "garage" kit of a Moonbase Interceptor, whilst IMAI released several types of model kits of Sky One, including in 1971 and 1988. Beyond the 1970s Comet Miniatures in the 80s produced a series of UFO mini-metals of Skydiver, Interceptor and Lunar Module whilst in 1994 BCI produced a complicated 18" resin Interceptor kit. In 1989, S.H.E.D. Models (U.K.) produced a 4.75" diameter model kit of a UFO. RESHAPE also recently released marvellous designs of kits of Skydiver whilst WAVE Models in Japan released more Skydiver kits. And of course, also, extremely detailed models have been on display at conventions around the world year after year most notably at Fanderson conventions.
In 2002, the Japanese company Konami produced a series of 7 pre-painted and assembled UFO trading figures, therefore as trading figures you didn't know what you were getting until you opened the box so some figures being rarer than others (the boxes also included candy!). These included Sky One, Skydiver, Interceptors, SHADO Mobiles, Interceptors, Lunar Module, UFO and Lieutenant Ellis. They also released figures from other Gerry Anderson shows including Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, Space: 1999, Stingray, Joe 90, Fireball XL5 and Supercar The same year, Studio 2 produced an assembled 3-foot Skydiver model, whilst an assembled 27" Interceptor model put out by ENA Models. In 2006, Product Enterprise released a Lt. Gay Ellis "talking action figure".
And I own none of it! Rats! It's much harder to find UFO toys today than the Thunderbirds or Captain Scarlet ones. I do however own a large sum of the Thunderbirds toys including lots from the Carlton 2000 range and of course, lots of other bits here and there such as the recent Corgi toys, some of the 1992 Matchbox ones and from the more recent Thunderbirds Are Go!. I do own a little bit of UFO merchandise, such as the Worlds Of Gerry Anderson books in 2016, a trading card set from the same year, the 2017 Blu Ray set, the 2007 Australian DVD set and yeah, very, very poor CaptainThunderWho. Still, at least he combines his Gerry Anderson toys altogether to form his GA collection, as it will grow to be as vast and ever-expanding.
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UFO: The Vault
Non-FictionGerry Anderson's UFO was the first big budget British live-action television series of a secret government organisation named SHADO (Supreme Headqauters Alien Defence Organisation) combat a dying alien race who have come to Earth in order to survive...
