Ask JKM a Question: What Captivates Me as a Kid and as an Adult?

A reader, George Henry, writes:

"Hi John, I’m a big fan of your books and your blog.  I loved the recent posts on the Shogun Warriors.  We are the same age so all of your posts really hit home in terms of nostalgia.  I just purchased the Sci Fi 70s book and it makes for great bedtime reading.  Please write a book about toys if you can.

"Have you ever thought about writing regarding a certain thing in genre fandom that has captivated you as a kid as well as an an adult?  

For me it would have to be the 1950’s Batmobile, the Batmobile from The Dark Knight Returns, Lord Humongous and the V8 Interceptor, the Galileo shuttlecraft and the Eagle from Space 1999.  Also, Schwarzenegger in warpaint from Conan, MechaGodzilla and the Y wing from Star Wars.  I will always purchase a toy, book, shirt etc. of these items.  

Maybe growing up without the Internet and only having Starlog, Famous Monsters and Fantastic Films and Fangoria led to a sense of mystery about these things as photos and info were very rare back then.  

Keep up the great work!" 

George, thank you for your letter, and for posing a great question.  I appreciate your words. 

I agree with you that not having the Internet back in the 1970s may have contributed to some of our childhood obsessions so far as the genre is concerned. But I also think it is just the nature of childhood, and childhood imagination. 

Encountering something imaginative in your formative years can be a very powerful experience. I have seen this sort of imagination "burst" happen with my own seven year old son man times.  Although for him, the fascination rests with Doctor Who.

You listed some great characters and vehicles/ships that "captivated" you in childhood and adulthood and I enjoyed reading them.  

I would have to agree with you about the Eagle on Space:1999.  I have on my home office wall -- right behind me, right now -- Roberto Baldassari's cut-away Eagle poster art.  It's an amazing work of art, and sometimes, when I can't concentrate on writing, I just sit here and look at it, and pore over the incredible detail.

So I have found the Eagle spaceship design -- exterior and interior -- really captivating throughout my whole life.  I think it is so captivating to me for a few reasons.  

For one, the exterior and interior of the Eagle seem to match in a very detailed, very realistic way.  

If you look at certain miniatures in other science fiction TV series, there isn't very good match up between interior and exterior details.  With the Eagle, it not only seems perfectly aligned in this fashion, but eminently realistic.

When I was a kid, I was certain that this is what the future would look like, and the Eagle, with its modular design, seemed to just make economic and practical sense.  With the replaceable nose-cone, different center sections (devoted to transport, rescue, and freighter work) and even booster add-ons, the craft just featured a high level of verisimilitude.  It could truly be the workhorse of a space fleet.

Similarly, I loved the interior of the Eagle for its user friendly nature.  There's a weapon's rack, a science station, passenger seats, and cubbies for equipment and cargo.

So I absolutely share your love of the Eagle.  That craft is something that never ceases to fascinate me, and which is always easy on the eyes.  As I've written before, I own lots of toy variations of the Eagle (from Amsco, Airfix, Dinky, and Mattel, among others, and so I guess that says a lot about how much I like Brian Johnson's design.

In terms of toys, I also have a weird, lasting affection for the Sears Catalog Star Wars Cantina diorama that came with Blue Snaggletooth, Hammerhad, Walrus Man, and Greedo.  

I had those four action figures -- and their cardboard background -- before almost any other Star Wars toys, and clocked in so many hours playing with the set.  I had my own universe with this toy (the Adventures of Sheriff Snaggletooth, essentially), and every time I see that toy and those particular characters, I still remember those good times as a little kid.

But I also write this blog because I am obsessed with so many aspects and products of 1970s toy culture.  I love the electronic toys of the late 1970s for instance, like Merlin, Computer Perfection, Blip and Lakeside's Intercept, to name a few.  I still haul these games out, and play them with my son.

"You see Joel, these were the Skylanders of my childhood..."

Don't forget to send me your questions at Muirbusiness@yahoo.com