DEFENDERS OF THE EARTH! Appreciation AND Continuity Order

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Sounds about right!

I can’t say I have come across Earl Sump yet.

“The Would-Be Defender”. He’s possibly the most annoying character ever created!

I watched the Hall of Wisdom last night. I remember on my tape it cut off just as it showed Mandrake Lothar and Kshin on the asteroid after abandoning the ship. I remember it was on the tape I had Bits n Chips, Root of Evil. It was one of my favourite video tapes as I had Thundercats Berbils and Turmagar the Tuska on it, a Ewok episode of the Tottem Master, Chip n Dale and Gummi Bears and a few other cartoons. In fact I am 100% sure I still have that tape in the small collection of VHS tapes I kept.

I still have quite a few tapes myself, although nothing from my youth.

As for Hall Of Wisdom - yes, good episode, and one of those that continuity points forced into an earlier position than I would have otherwise put it. It’s episode 4 on my continuity list, it does not have the feel of an early episode, and ordinarily there’s no way I would have put it before “The Revenge Of Astra” or “A Demon In His Pocket”. BUT, it makes a big point of introducing Ming’s Molecular Disruptor Beam, which is also used in “The Mind Warriors”, which has a significant continuity point in that it’s the best reveal for the location of Ice Station Earth. So “Hall Of Wisdom” has to come before it.

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A bit of Flash Gordon news. Bif Bang Pow now has the licence from King Features to make more Flash Gordon toys.
http://www.collectiondx.com/news_item/72314/bif_bang_pow_and_king_features_announce_new_line_collectibles_flash_gordon
They are doing a 3.75" line with vehicles and more 8" retro (Mego) style action figures.
I really hope this line does will and they expand with more King Features figures like Mandrake, Phantom and Lothar. Who knows maybe they might eventually do some DOE figures. :slight_smile:

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Maybe.

This is my first time online since yesterday lunchtime. The last 24+hrs my internet computer has been put to one side and my other computer’s been in use, copying an audiobook from cassette to mp3. “Storm Force From Navarone”, the only one in the “series” I didn’t have. It arrived yesterday morning, but the parcel was left in my blue bin. I wasn’t happy. Still, all the tapes played through fine, and it’s now all on my hard drive, so there’s no harm done in the long run.

I watched the first 6 episodes of Starcom on wednesday, not bad. I’ll go through the rest of the series hopefully over the weekend (maybe even some tonight).

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You have already watched more than me then LOL.

I have been at the beach making the most of the good weather. Could be bothered staying inside painting. I know some think all artists paint outside however I seldom do.

I can’t say I have heard of that book. I have been looking for a book called ‘When Marnie Was There’ but anywhere that has it is asking ridiculous prices for it.

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I think the next episode on the list is the one you mentioned that I asked if it was a Flash Gordon parody - I guess I’m about to find out!

I have been at the beach making the most of the good weather. Could be bothered staying inside painting. I know some think all artists paint outside however I seldom do.

Having done my 15-mile walk in this heatwave on tuesday, I’ve hardly been out since, apart from to swimfit on wednesday night.

I can’t say I have heard of that book. I have been looking for a book called ‘When Marnie Was There’ but anywhere that has it is asking ridiculous prices for it.

Touche! I haven’t heard of that one!

“Storm Force From Navarone” is a modern sequel by Sam Llewellyn to an Alistair MacLean classic.

You may have heard of Alistair MacLean’s “The Guns Of Navarone”, (1957 book, filmed in about 1961, brilliant film, brilliant book).

Well, MacLean wrote a sequel, “Force Ten From Navarone” in 1968 (and filmed about a decade later, fine book, awful film). The surviving characters from the original film (for some reason he wrote it as a sequel to the film and not his own book, but it doesn’t make too much difference) are sent on another mission.

After MacLean died in 1987, there were a lot of “imitation” MacLeans published, about one a year for the next decade or so.

Two of these were by Sam Llewellyn, “Storm Force From Navarone” and then “Thunderbolt From Navarone”, featuring the same heroes as in MacLean’s originals. These are among the better “fake MacLeans”, along with “Rendezvous” by the similarly-named Alistair MacNeill (who also wrote six of the UNACO stories based on film ideas by MacLean, and whose name must have been a godsend to the publishers!).

Basically then, all the best “fake MacLeans” are the WW2 ones! The UNACO books (by three different authors) are a mixed bag.

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I have heard of the other Navarone books and seen the film.

I am after that book as Studio Ghibli have recently made an animated movie based on the book.

Episode 7 of Starcom I believe is ‘The Boy Who Cried Dark’. The episode with the character called Flash I believe is 11 or 12.

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Right. I think we’ve talked about MacLean’s originals before. The Guns Of Navarone is an excellent book, and an even better film. Where Eagles Dare is also a great book and a great film, virtually identical as MacLean wrote his own screenplay at the same time as writing the novel. The next best film adaptions are also the ones MacLean wrote himself; When Eight Bells Toll, Puppet On A Chain, and Breakheart Pass, although none of those rank among his finest books - I’d recommend reading Night Without End, The Dark Crusader and South By Java Head (which weren’t filmed), along with Ice Station Zebra and The Golden Rendezvous (which were; I haven’t seen the latter but the former is an insult to a great book).

Episode 7 of Starcom I believe is ‘The Boy Who Cried Dark’. The episode with the character called Flash I believe is 11 or 12.

Yes, so I’m just discovering - what happened was, after episode 6, the YT clip showed a title card for the next episode from that particular tape, and that was Flash whatsisname.

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Interestingly enough GBJR Toys are releasing a set of highly articulated Defenders of the Earth figures. Along with The Phantom that is in series 3.
http://www.gbjrtoys.com/product/195
http://www.gbjrtoys.com/product/147

However as cool as this sounds you shouldn’t get your hopes up. GBJR Toys used to be known as Shocker Toys which did not have the best reputation. That Phantom figure was first shown at SDCC 09 and was originally supposed to be released in 2010.

Although I heard these are supposed to be released this Autumn. If so I might be tempted to get some.

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In that case I’ll pass on it!

I only watched that one episode of StarCom last night, I just didn’t feel like anymore. I’m not sure if this is the beginnings of a depression attack, or just exhaustion from the weather - or even the fact that I’d been copying that audiobook, maybe I was just sick of staring at a computer screen.

I did forget to say before though, I noticed a bit of Star Trek referencing in this! In that first episode, Crowbar and Slim are playing Fizzbin, a nonsense game invented by Captain Kirk in the original episode “A Piece Of The Action” - and they are making up their own nonsense rules for it! Also, I’m sure I’ve heard some Trek sound effects on this!

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I’m going to try and have a marathon of Starcom episodes this weekend and get the series finished.

I might have said this before but I am not a big fan of the costumed comic book characters. Although if I was picking my top favourites it would probably be Captain America, Batman, The Phantom, Captain Marvel/Shazam. I can’t include Flash or Mandrake on the list as I not read any of their comics yet.

No sun out today or much heat. In fact last time I looked it was raining so I should be able to start work on a piece today.

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My neighbour is coming round to put up some shelves for my CD collection today, so I might have to wait until this evening.

I might have said this before but I am not a big fan of the costumed comic book characters. Although if I was picking my top favourites it would probably be Captain America, Batman, The Phantom, Captain Marvel/Shazam. I can’t include Flash or Mandrake on the list as I not read any of their comics yet.

How are you defining “costumed” here? Mandrake’s attire isn’t really a “costume” in that sense. As for Flash, he’s had so many costume changes over the years, maybe he doesn’t count either!

I think I’ve mentioned before, I have a Flash Gordon annual from, if memory serves, 1980, the year of the film with the Queen soundtrack, and I also have a couple of cheap novelisations of his earlier adventures.

No sun out today or much heat. In fact last time I looked it was raining so I should be able to start work on a piece today.

Weather is peaceful enough for the moment over here - might get hot later; not sure.

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When I say costumed I mean as in tight spandex and masks to hide identities. Mandrake, Lothar or Flash really don’t have that. I would say Flash’s outfits are clothing from Mongo and his space travels etc.

I used to have a couple videos of the old Flash Gordon cartoon from the 70’s. I believe Filmation made it. On the cover of one of the videos, Flash looked nothing like he did in the cartoon, he was wearing a red outfit with green boots and gloves and a massive green collar.

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Fair enough - the way you phrased it initially made it look like you were counting Flash and Mandrake in the “costumed” category. I agree with your definition though, basically spandex!

I used to have a couple videos of the old Flash Gordon cartoon from the 70’s. I believe Filmation made it. On the cover of one of the videos, Flash looked nothing like he did in the cartoon, he was wearing a red outfit with green boots and gloves and a massive green collar.

Never seen that one, but in the 1980 annual I’ve got, he’s wearing a variety of different outfits; the cover has him in a familiar red top, but in the stories, well, the one in comic strip form is poorly coloured, the people have no colour at all, everything’s white. In the text form stories he’s mainly clad in blue, in one he’s wearing blue jacket and trousers, while in the others, he’s wearing blue jacket, black T-shirt underneath, and white trousers with black boots - EXACTLY the same as Rick wears in DotE!

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That would be interesting to see.

Yes I just noticed I did phrase that wrong. I meant to say I don’t know where I would put them in my overall favourite comic characters list…if I made a list.

Speaking of comics have you seen the trailers for the Guardians of the Galaxy movie.

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Guardians Of The Galaxy? Never heard of it - sounds like Defenders Of The Earth after allowing for inflation!

Just watched a bit more Starcom, episode 9, A Bug In The System. Just four left.

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I personally I am not familiar with the certain Marvel characters in Guardians of the Galaxy. For some reason it reminds me of Defenders of the Earth as it’s more sci-fi than costumed super hero.

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Just the title is enough to put you in mind of DotE!

I got to the end of Starcom yesterday, and I was definitely enjoying it by the end.

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Glad you enjoyed it. I must watch it all eventually.
I don’t know which would be better if I had to choose between Starcom and Inhumanoids…as I said I haven’t watched all of Starcom and I haven’t watched Inhumanoids in years.

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I’ll give Inhumanoids a go when I get a moment. Been a bit hectic this weekend, my neighbour was doing those shelves for my CD collection. They’re up, just need varnishing and then up go the CDs!

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Get Inhumanoids out of the way then start on Galaxy Rangers.

BTW, the complete series of M.A.S.K. is pretty cheap to get as well. In fact all the episodes might still be on Dailymotion along with Centurions.

Another good show I would recommend is Dungeons & Dragons. I believe all the episodes are on Youtube also.