Hot on the heels of our fantastic soundtrack sale, we’ve got some deep discounts for February (as always, stock permitting).

You’ll love our series of FAB Book Of…. focussing on Anderson sweet cigarette cards:

• volume 1 looks at Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet And The Mysterons
• volume 2 features The Secret Service, UFO and Space:1999
• volume 3 rounds off the set with Supercar, Fireball XL5, Stingray and Joe 90

And, if you’re just starting your collection, remember there are FAB Books of Playing Cards and Bubblegum Cards , plus a fab binder to keep them all in too!

Dinky Toys remain some of the most memory-jogging and collectible merchandise produced in connection with the Anderson productions.

For anyone who wants to reminisce, or even for some research into the variations available, check out dinkytvspace.com (you can also find this in Resources > Links).

Site owner Kevin O’Neil says:

“The site has been up and running for about two years but has been at least five more years in the making. I had started collecting Gerry Anderson themed Dinkys in the nineties, having been a fan of the various TV series from my childhood. The first model I bought was a pretty battered 104 Spectrum Patrol Vehicle and various others followed over the years, generally in less than tip top condition. Then about ten years ago I decided to collect a full set of the GA TV show models in good to mint condition with boxes and it was then I realised that there were lots of variations and instead of 20 odd models there were going to be lots more. The bug had got hold, I couldn’t shake it and the bank account took a major hit!

“The 353 Shados were the first set I pulled together, but it was hard to source accurate information about how many versions and variants there were. Added to the fact that this genre of models were not really supported or even liked by many of the Collector’s clubs that existed. So I started cataloging what I could find with the intention of perhaps releasing a book at some distant time in the future, however,  it became clear that everytime I finished a ‘chapter’ it was out of date because some new information had come to light. 

“I was often researching by looking at websites like the Eagle Transporter forums, Laurent Classe’s Captain Scarlet and Thunderbirds sites and many others and it became clear that the best way to catalogue my collection was to create dinkytvspace.com  which I could then update easily as new information came in. And when the site went live at the end of 2017, new facts and images did arrive. I was delighted to discover that there are some really knowledgable collectors of this genre out there who are happy to share their data and advice and the site has grown from there. I did widen the remit from just Gerry Anderson models to all TV, Space and Specials because I felt that they were part of the same Dinky story and ethos that brought a lot of happiness to the boys and girls of the 60s and 70s and a few adults as well!

If Fanderson members can provide new information and/or images or point out any errors or inaccuracies please contact me on dcmtvspace@virginmedia.com or via comments on the site itself.”

Space:1999, Gerry Anderson’s epic outer space TV series, is returning after 42 years in an exciting audio drama series from Big Finish Productions.

Space:1999 was originally launched in September 1975. It was lavish, it was expensive, it was thrilling, and it was packed with stunning effects and exotic alien worlds. It told the story of the inhabitants of Moonbase Alpha, forced to journey into the unknown when a freak nuclear accident blasts the Moon out of Earth’s orbit and into deep space. Martin Landau played Alpha’s leader Commander John Koenig, Barbara Bain was Dr Helena Russell and Barry Morse portrayed scientist Professor Victor Bergman.

These much-loved characters – and many others – are back this September in a brand-new series of audio dramas which will combine re-imagined versions of classic episodes together with all-new scripts.

After the Apollo missions of the 1960s and early 1970s, space exploration was very nearly abandoned as public pressure mounted for money to be concentrated on problems down here on Earth. 

But, by a whisker, funding was granted for a base on the Moon. Greatly expanded, it became the international Moonbase Alpha we know today. 311 personnel serve in a perfect, self-sustaining, artificial environment – their mission statement: ‘To forward the frontiers of human knowledge and science’.

Dateline: 13th September 1999. The interplanetary Meta Probe is due to be launched from a platform orbiting the Moon. What could possibly go wrong?

Stepping enthusiastically into the role of Commander Koenig is Mark Bonnar, the Scottish multi-BAFTA-winning actor best known for Shetland, Catastrophe, Humans, Porridge, Line Of Duty and Unforgotten. “Space:1999 and Martin Landau were two of my favourite things growing up,” says Mark. “So my ten year old self was jumping up and down when I got the news that I’d been cast!”

Mark is joined by Maria Teresa Creasey as Dr Helena Russell, with additional cast members Glen McCready (Commander Gorsky/Paul Morrow/Alan Carter), Clive Hayward (Professor Victor Bergman), Susan Hingley (Sandra Benes/Alpha Computer/Sian Springer), Timothy Bentinck (Commissioner Simmons), Amaka Okafor (Dashka Kano) and Jules de Jongh (Petra Nordstrom).

Listen to the trailer:

Executive producer, Nicholas Briggs, who is also writing and directing the series, explains more: “The possibilities for this series are endless. It’s an unplanned odyssey that starts with a catastrophe. Disparate personalities are thrown together, clinging on for dear life, finding themselves flung to the far reaches of a universe full of wonder and danger. We’re being absolutely faithful to that central concept, but there is also an element of reinvention in this version. It will feel and sound very much like the original, but with extra dimensions and lots of surprises.”

Producer David Richardson says: “I was obsessed with Space:1999 when it first aired. I have a photo of a 12-year-old me standing in my bedroom surrounded by my Space: 1999 posters, books and toys. And the 56-year-old me still regularly watches the series on Blu-ray – it’s been with me all my life and remains a part of my DNA!”

Space:1999 will launch on 13th September 2019 with the pilot episode Breakaway, which has been adapted and reimagined by Nicholas Briggs. This release date has been chosen because it is 20 years to the day after the Moon was blown out of Earth’s orbit (according to the original series’ opening titles)! This feature-length first story is split over two CDs, with a further hour of behind-the-scenes interviews and extras on a bonus disc.

An additional box set of four episodes will follow early in 2020, with the full cast announced in the coming months.

Space:1999 Breakaway – is available now to pre-order at £16.99 for a 3-disc CD box set or £14.99 via download from www.bigfinish.com