mego star trek 1970's

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The Great Mego Playsets of the 1970s

When I was a kid in the 1970s, one company stood above the rest in terms of my affection: Mego.

Throughout the early part of the decade and in particular before the arrival of Star Wars and its Kenner toy line, Mego not only manufactured a slew of eight-inch action figures, and vehicles for them, but — best of all – huge, colorful playsets related to movie and TV characters and franchises.

Now, it’s true that these playsets were made, often, of laminated cardboard pieces, but they still looked amazingly cool, and made possible hours, if not decades, of fun.

Today, my home office is decorated with these toys, and some of the photographs in this post are from my personal collection.

Now, let’s take a look back at a handful of the most awesome Mego TV and movie playsets from the disco decade.

Batman – The Batcave (1974)

The Mego Batcave is a large-scale playset with all the crime-fighting detail a kid expects of the Caped Crusader’s subterranean lair.

The box describes the Batcave as “ an all-encompassing play case built to accommodate all the bat vehicles.  There is a secret entrance way for the Batmobile, a landing platform for the Batcopter, and a garage area for the Batcycle.”

  “Included in the case are the Batpole and Batcomputer.  Everything necessary to stimulate your child’s imagination towards bold new adventures .”

Planet of the Apes Village (1974)

The Mego  Planet of the Apes Village was a “ giant 3 foot play set, headquarters for all   Planet of the Apes   8 inch action figures .”  And as you can see, it’s pretty much a knock-off of the Batcave playset, only with different art and detailing.

The  Planet of the Apes  village folds into a small carry case, and also opens up into this huge diorama of Ape City as seen in the 1968 film starring Charlton Heston and Roddy McDowall.  There’s a “ secret entrance ” to Ape City, plus plenty of accouterments.  These include a “ laboratory table ” for dissecting humans, a flip-up “ weapons bench,”  a “ capture net and carry pole ,” a “ detention pen ,” “ 3 control sticks ” and “ 3 rifles .”

I always liked the Apes village, but Mego produced other awesome Ape playsets too, including a Forbidden Zone Trap, a Treehouse, and a Fortress. You can see commercials for those sets below.

Star Trek (1975): U.S.S. Enterprise Action Playset

Mego’s mock-up of the U.S.S. Enterprise interior was a “ giant, 24″ long command center” featuring  “captain’s chair, console, two stools ” plus six interchangeable “ view screen scenes .”

The set comfortably housed all the Mego  Star Trek  figures of the era, and, while not very show-accurate in terms of design, was nonetheless an awesome toy.

The coolest aspect of this famous Mego toy is the spinning transporter chamber. Just place a landing party team member inside the chamber, spin a blue wheel, and then hit a red button to beam him down (to the outside of the playset….).

Another spin and a touch of the green button would bring him back aboard.  Meanwhile, the yellow zig-zag/checkerboard details made it appear as if the crewman’s atoms were actually spinning madly about.

An additional Star Trek playset from Mego was called “Mission to Gamma,” and it offered rough approximation of the stone God Vaal from the episode “The Apple.”

The Wizard of Oz (1975): Emerald City Playset

In the year 1975, Mego acquired the license from MGM to create playsets and action figures from the classic fantasy movie  The Wizard of Oz  (1939). Accordingly, Mego released a varied line of Oz figures including Dorothy (w/Toto), the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, the Cowardly Lion, Glinda, The Wicked Witch, and the Wizard.

Even a few munchkins, including the Mayor, were included in the roll-out. Mego also released a witch’s castle, the mostly-movie-accurate Munchkinland and the   piece de resistance , the Emerald City Playset.

This 42-inch playset could open to reveal various chambers in the city, and came complete with a throne chair, a Wizard’s curtain, a removable/fold-able yellow brick road, and an 8-inch Wizard figure.  There was even a peep-hole in the door, where a sentinel could ask “who goes there?”

On the interior, you could see the booth where the Wizard worked his magic, and one window in the main chamber overlooked the poppy field.

http://youtu.be/oN7NQqFBViQ

Flash Gordon Playset (1977)

In 1977, Mego manufactured a line of toys from   Flash Gordon  (1936), including four 10-inch action figures (Flash Gordon, Ming the Merciless, Dale Arden and Dr. Zarkov), and this terrific playset/carrying case.

“ The world of Mongo comes alive in this double sided playset ” the box details informed kids.  “ One side is Ming’s Throne Room complete with Ming’s throne.”

“ The other side is Dr. Zarkov’s secret laboratory with a simulated computer and (3) computer cards .”

The set also “ fits all Flash Gordon figures (not included.) ”

Like the  Star Trek, Planet of the Apes  and  Wizard of Oz  playsets, this Flash Gordon playset is constructed of hard cardboard, surrounded by laminated vinyl. The illustrations on this set are really quite beautiful and strongly evocative of Alex Raymond’s art work.

The three computer cards included here are double-sided, and feature images of all the characters, the city of Mongo, plus a rocket on approach.  All the cards slip down through the top of the computer, into the view screen panel.

Happy Days (1977 – 1978): Fonzie’s Garage

In 1977 – 1978, Mego introduced toys based on the popular ABC TV series  Happy Days  (1974 – 1984), which was based, intriguingly, on nostalgia for the 1950s. The action-figure line included eight-inch-tall likenesses of Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard), Potsie (Anson Williams), Ralph the Malph (Donny Most) and the show’s break-out character: the Fonz (Henry Winkler).

Also released and marketed by Mego were Fonzie’s motorcycle, an old jalopy, and this great, over-sized garage playset. The art on the box reads:   “ AAAAY!  The Fonz has a new head mechanic, and it’s  you  with the official Fonzie garage .”

As you can see, on the mid-1970s, Mego transported kids to Gotham City, the Planet of the Apes, the bridge of the starship Enterprise, the Emerald City, Mongo, and yes, Milwaukee of the 1950s.  My holy grail, however, in terms of these toys, was the Batman Wayne Foundation toy, which today is hard-to-find and impossible to afford. It’s a giant, three-level playset, and looks absolutely amazing.

Later in the decade, Mego tried a new strategy in terms of toys, producing playsets for small, Star Wars- sized action figures in their Star Trek and Buck Rogers line.  Those toys are awesome too, but never quite reached the pop culture popularity of these large figure playsets, which remain highly coveted today.

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The One-Stop Site for the Modern Toy Collector

Mego 1979-1980

Star Trek 1979 -1980

Since Mego had such massive success with their Star Trek television series figures in the mid 1970’s, they decided to release a line based on the new Motion Picture movie in 1979. The new line consisted of twelve 3.75 inch figures and a U.S.S Enterprise Bridge Playset. Additionally, another series of 12 inch figures were also released, along with a small set of models for the new movie. 

For more information about Mego’s Star Trek: The Motion Picture products, see bottom of page for a complete summary.

Star Trek (1979-1980 ): 3.75 Inch Basic Figures – Series 1

Mego released six new figures for the first wave of their 3.75 Inch series of action figures. Unfortunately, we didn’t get an Uhura, Sulu or Chekov for this series .

Market Value: Carded $35 – $50 Loose $10 – $20

Capt. Kirk Accessories: None Years Released: 1979, 1980 Scarcity Factor: Moderately easy to find Notes: Captain James T. Kirk was portrayed by William Shatner in the first Star Trek movie and was of course, the Commanding Officer of the Enterprise. The likeness on the figure was not terrible, but unfortunately it suffered from the paint fading that most Mego 3.75 Inch figures suffered during this time.

Decker Accessories: None Years Released: 1979, 1980 Scarcity Factor: Moderately easy to find Notes: Captain Willard Decker was portrayed by Stephen Collins in the first Star Trek movie and was the Captain of the Enterprise, until relieved by Kirk. This was among the poorest selling figures of the line, and it suffered from the paint fading that most Mego 3.75 Inch figures suffered during this time.

Dr. McCoy Accessories: None Years Released: 1979, 1980 Scarcity Factor: Moderately easy to find Notes: Dr. Leonard McCoy was portrayed by Deforest Kelley in the first Star Trek movie and was of course, the Chief Medical Officer of the Enterprise. The likeness on the figure was not terrible, but unfortunately it suffered from the paint fading that most Mego 3.75 Inch figures suffered during this time.

Llia Accessories: None Years Released: 1979, 1980 Scarcity Factor: Moderately easy to find Notes: Lt. Llia was portrayed by Persis Khambatta in the first Star Trek movie and was an officer aboard the Enterprise. Unfortunately, she was among the poorest selling figures of the line, and it suffered from the paint fading that most Mego 3.75 Inch figures suffered during this time.

Market Value: Carded $40 – $55 Loose $10 – $20

Mr. Spock Accessories: None Years Released: 1979, 1980 Scarcity Factor: Moderately easy to find Notes: Mr. Spock was portrayed by Leonard Nimoy in the first Star Trek movie and was of course, the Chief Science Officer of the Enterprise. The likeness on the figure was not terrible, but unfortunately it suffered from the paint fading that most Mego 3.75 Inch figures suffered during this time.

Scotty Accessories: None Years Released: 1979, 1980 Scarcity Factor: Moderately easy to find Notes: Mr. Scott was portrayed by James Doohan in the first Star Trek movie and was of course, the Chief Engineer of the Enterprise. The likeness on the figure was not terrible, but unfortunately it suffered from the paint fading that most Mego 3.75 Inch figures suffered during this time.

Star Trek (1979-1980 ): 3.75 Inch Basic Figures – Serie s 2

Mego released six more figures for their 2nd wave of the Star Trek 3.75 Inch line, but they were only made available in Canada and Italy. It should be noted that a 3-pack was available through the J.C Penny catalog in 1979 containing Klingon, Rigellian and Arcturian . They were shipped in a plain brown box and not carded .

Market Value: Carded $250 – $350 Loose $70 – $90

Arcturian Accessories: None Years Released: 1980 Scarcity Factor: Tough to find on the secondary market Notes: The Arcturians were a humanoid alien species that resembled melting strawberry ice cream. An Arcturian was briefly seen in the movie but never played a major role. Strangely, the Arcturian figure was featured in yellow instead of the reddish color from the movie.

Betelgeusian

Market Value: Carded $400 – $500 Loose $150 – $200

Betelgeusian Accessories: Cloak Years Released: 1980 Scarcity Factor: Tough to find on the secondary market Notes: Whatever you do, do not say this guy’s name three times……..but sadly he was not played by Michael Keaton. It should be noted the figure version of this character varies in a few ways from the movie version, mostly the color, costuming, head sculpt and really every other way you can think of.

Market Value: Carded $450 – $550 Loose $90 – $120

Klingon Accessories: None Years Released: 1980 Scarcity Factor: Tough to find on the secondary market Notes: What is a Star Trek action figure line without a Klingon? Of course, the Klingons were drastically changed from the old TV show to the movies and this figure is proof of that. The figure is actually pretty nice, but sadly suffers from the paint fading that most Mego 3.75 Inch figures suffered during this time.

Market Value: Carded $400 – $500 Loose $70 – $90

Megarite Accessories: Cloak Years Released: 1980 Scarcity Factor: Tough to find on the secondary market Notes: Besides the Klingon, this was the most accurate looking figure in relation to the movie. The Megarite could be briefly seen in the first Star Trek movie. The figure comes with a cool looking cloak and is actually a really nice looking figure. This is among the harder Alien figures to find nowadays.

Market Value: Carded $300 – $400 Loose $70 – $90

Rigellian Accessories: None Years Released: 1980 Scarcity Factor: Tough to find on the secondary market Notes: The Rigellian looks like a pretty cool figure but it isn’t actually a Rigellian. Mego confused him for another race of aliens called the Saurians. Still, this is good head sculpt. A 12 Inch version of this figure was planned for that line, but never made it to production.

Market Value: Carded $250 – $350 Loose $50 – $75

Zaranite Accessories: None Years Released: 1980 Scarcity Factor: Tough to find on the secondary market Notes: The Zaranite figure is another interesting looking character with a solid head sculpt for this line. The Zaranite were a race of aliens that could be seen briefly in the movie. Fun Fact: These aliens only wear their breathing masks when on Earth due to the atmosphere. They don’t normally have them on.

Star Trek (1979-1980 ) : 3.75 Inch Playsets

Mego released only one playset for their 3.75 Inch Star Trek 3.75 Inch action figure series with the U.S.S. Enterprise Bridge playset. A Vulcan Shuttle attachment to the Enterprise Bridge was proposed, but sadly never made it to release.

U.S.S. Enterprise Bridge

Market Value: Boxed $475 – $600 Loose $100 – $150

U.S.S. Enterprise Bridge Accessories: Plastic Bridge Playset, Captain’s Chair, Helm Control, Navigational Station, Science Center, Communications Console, Docking Port Years Released: 1980 Scarcity Factor: Tough to find on the secondary market Notes: This U.S.S. Enterprise Bridge Playset was the only playset or vehicle released for the 3.75 Inch line, and was made up of vacuum-formed plastic. This made the set very flimsy and subject to tearing. All computer consoles and chairs were made of the same flimsy plastic material, so you can understand that a complete boxed version of this particular set is very hard to find on the secondary market and will command top dollar. The docking port to the right of this set was meant to work with a proposed Vulcan Shuttle that ultimately never made to release.

Star Trek (1979-1980 ) : 3.75 Inch Vehicles / Accessories

No accessories or vehicles were produced for the 3.75 Inch Star Trek line, but Mego did produce three models related to the action figure line. This was an unusual move for Mego, because it was the first time they had created a model kit for retail.

Klingon Cruiser Model

Market Value: Boxed $300 – $450 Loose $75 – $125

Klingon Cruiser Model Accessories: Model Kit, Stand, Instructions, Decals Years Released: 1980 Scarcity Factor: Rare and don’t come along often Notes: Model Kits of the Klingon war ship had been done before this one, but this was the first for Mego and also the first model based on the new Motion Picture Klingon ship. These Mego model kits are crazy hard to find in boxed format and can command top dollar on the secondary market. *This photo was provided by the wonderful Mego Museum website.

U.S.S. Enterprise Model

Market Value: Boxed $325 – $475 Loose $75 – $125

U.S.S. Enterprise Model Accessories: Model Kit, Stand, Instructions, Decals Years Released: 1980 Scarcity Factor: Rare and don’t come along often Notes: Model Kits of the Enterprise had been done before this one, but this was the first for Mego and also the first model based on the new Motion Picture Enterprise ship. These Mego model kits are crazy hard to find in boxed format and can command top dollar on the secondary market. *This photo was provided by the wonderful Mego Museum website.

Vulcan Shuttle Model

Vulcan Shuttle Model Accessories: Model Kit, Stand, Instructions, Decals Years Released: 1980 Scarcity Factor: Rare and don’t come along often Notes: The Vulcan Shuttle Model Kit was a first for Mego, in that it was the first time Mego had made model kits and it was also the first time this vehicle had been made into a model. These Mego model kits are crazy hard to find in boxed format and can command top dollar on the secondary market.

Star Trek (1979-1980 ): 12 Inch Basic Figures

In addition to the twelve 3.75 Inch figures, Mego also released six different figures for their 12 Inch format as well. Sadly, we did not get a 12 Inch version of McCoy or Scotty .

Market Value: Boxed $60 – $85 Loose $15 – $30

Arcturian Accessories: Cloth Jumpsuit, Shoes, Decal Years Released: 1979, 1980 Scarcity Factor: Can still be found but it’s getting tougher each year Notes: The Arcturians were a humanoid alien species that resembled melting strawberry ice cream. Strangely, the Arcturian figure was featured in yellow instead of the reddish color from the movie. The 12″ version had a beautiful head sculpt and was quite well done.

Capt. Kirk Accessories: Cloth Uniform Top, Pants, Shoes Years Released: 1979, 1980 Scarcity Factor: Moderately easy to find Notes: Captain Kirk was portrayed by William Shatner in the Star Trek movies and was of course, the Commanding Officer of the Enterprise. The likeness of the 12″ figure is really nice and definitely resembles Shatner. Sadly, the figure usually suffers from a graying in the face due to chemicals used to make the figure.

Market Value: Boxed $125 – $175 Loose $50 – $75

Decker Accessories: Cloth Uniform Top, Pants, Shoes Years Released: 1979, 1980 Scarcity Factor: Can still be found but it’s getting tougher each year Notes: Captain Willard Decker was portrayed by Stephen Collins in the first Star Trek movie and was the Captain of the Enterprise, until relieved by Kirk. Despite the fact that most Trek fans didn’t really care much about the character, the Decker 12″ figure is among the harder to find for the line.

Market Value: Boxed $90 – $120 Loose $30 – $45

Klingon Accessories: Cloth Shirt, Pants, Chest Armor, Shoes, Laser Pistol Years Released: 1979, 1980 Scarcity Factor: Can still be found but it’s getting tougher each year Notes: What is a Star Trek action figure line without a Klingon? Of course, the Klingons were drastically changed from the old TV show to the movies and this figure is proof of that. The 12″ version of this figure is really well done with a beautiful head sculpt and outfit.

Llia Accessories: Cloth Dress Years Released: 1979, 1980 Scarcity Factor: Can still be found but it’s getting tougher each year Notes: Lt. Llia was portrayed by Persis Khambatta in the first Star Trek movie and was an officer aboard the Enterprise. Unfortunately, she was among the poorest selling figures of both the 3.75″ and 12″ lines. It was probably a mistake by Mego to focus so much attention on this character that many Trek fans wouldn’t care about.

Mr. Spock Accessories: Cloth Uniform Top, Pants, Shoes Years Released: 1979, 1980 Scarcity Factor: Moderately easy to find Notes: Mr. Spock was portrayed by Leonard Nimoy in the first Star Trek movie and was of course, the Chief Science Officer of the Enterprise. The likeness of the 12″ figure is really nice and definitely resembles the actor. Sadly, the figure usually suffers from a graying in the face due to chemicals used to make the figure.

Star Trek (1979-1980 ): 12 Inch Playsets

Mego did not release any playsets for their 12 Inch Star Trek action figure series .

Star Trek (1979-1980 ): 12 Inch Vehicles / Accessories

Mego did not release any vehicles or accessories for their 12 Inch Star Trek action figure series .

By 1979, Star Wars had taken the toy industry by storm and all the other toy companies across the globe were just trying to catch up by finding the next big thing. Mego toys had famously passed up the opportunity to make toys based on the Star Wars movie, so they were desperate to find their own powerhouse science fiction franchise. After already snatching up licensing deals with Logan’s Run, Space 1999 and Disney’s The Black Hole, Mego now decided to produce toys based on the new Star Trek movie being released in 1979. Mego already had a licensing deal with Paramount to produce toys from the classic Star Trek television show, and were also granted permission to create the movie toy line as well with very high hopes. Star Trek the Motion Picture turned out to be mildly successful at box office, but met with mixed reviews that left many fans scratching their heads. This translated over to the merchandising items for the movie as well, including Mego’s action figure lines. Mego had big plans for the line but the lack of big demand at the box office meant an early end to the line. Many products were left unproduced and The Star Trek Motion Picture line of action figures proved to be a bit of a disappointment for Mego, which were one of many reasons why they met with an untimely end a couple of years later.

The Star Trek Motion Picture Series toy line actually featured two different action figure lines with a classic 12 Inch series, along with a new 3.75 Inch series as well. The 3.75 Inch series was the main line and featured two waves containing twelve figure in total. Wave 1 included most of the main characters aboard the Enterprise, including Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Dr. McCoy, Mr. Scott, Captain Decker, and Lt. Llia. Sadly, Mego did not produce figures based on the rest of the Enterprise crew, Uhura, Chekov and Sulu. Just like the classic Mego television series line, the 2nd series contained all aliens with Arcturian, Betelgeusian, Klingon, Megarite, Rigellian and Zaranite. Unfortunately, all six figure from Series 2 were only released in Canada and Italy, making them difficult to find nowadays. The U.S.S Enterprise Bridge Playset, was also released for the 3.75 Inch line. For the 12 Inch line, Mego produced six characters, including Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Decker, Llia, Klingon and Arcturian. Mego’s head sculpts for the 12 inch figures are actually quite nice with a lot of attention to likeness details. The 3.75 Inch line suffered the typical paint jobs that other Mego lines endured at the time with a lot of paint fading. A series of ship models were also produced but are incredibly difficult to find on the secondary market.

The packaging for the 12 Inch and 3.75 Inch lines of Star Trek were very similar, and they definitely fit the theme of the line with a great portrait of the Enterprise flying among the clouds with all character portraits just below it. The 3.75 inch was the basic blister pack Mego design with the figure inside of a bubble on the right side of the package, and the previously described Star Trek artwork on the left. The classic Star Trek movie logo was across the top of the blister pack. The name of the each character is just above each bubble in small red letters. The 12 inch versions featured the same artwork and portraits on the left, with the figure to the right side of the box. The logo was once again across the top of the packaging. There was a large sized window on the right side over the figure, where you could see inside. The Star Trek action figure packaging was actually very attractive and definitely grabbed your attention on the toy shelves.

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World Collectors Net

Mego toys and action figures exploring the iconic legacy of the 1970s.

The Mego Corporation, established in the early 1950s by David Abrams, etched its name into the annals of toy history as a dominator of the action figure market throughout the 1970s. Initially known for producing dime store toys, the company’s trajectory shifted dramatically under Martin Abrams, David’s son, who took the helm in 1971. Martin’s strategic move to acquire license rights to popular media transformed Mego into a household name, particularly with its innovative Mego toys and action figures from Planet of the Apes, Star Trek, Batman and The Wizard of Oz among others.

Mego’s golden age was undoubtedly fueled by its pioneering “World’s Greatest Superhero” line, launched in 1972 after securing licenses for DC and Marvel characters. This line introduced a comprehensive collection of superhero action figures, setting a new standard with its 8-inch scale figures, interchangeable parts, and carded packaging. Figures like Batman, Superman, and Spider-Man were not just toys but icons of a generation, capturing the essence of beloved characters in a tangible form. Mego’s unique approach, which included the creation of the “Kresge style card” for display purposes and the introduction of exclusive “Secret Identity” figures, solidified its legacy in the toy industry.

Despite its innovations and success, Mego’s refusal of the “Star Wars” license in 1976 marked the beginning of its decline. The subsequent scramble to find a comparable hit in the sci-fi genre yielded licensed figures from “Moonraker,” “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century,” and others, but none matched the cultural and financial impact of “Star Wars” toys. By 1982, facing mounting competition and changing market dynamics, Mego filed for bankruptcy, marking the end of an era.

However, Mego’s story did not end there. The enduring appeal of its action figures has cemented their status as highly sought-after collectibles, with certain items fetching thousands of dollars today. The legacy of Mego extends beyond the collectors’ market; it has inspired a resurgence of interest in 8-inch figures, leading to the production of quality reproductions and new figures by companies like EMCE Toys and ClassicTVToys. These efforts, endorsed by Mego’s former CEO Marty Abrams, reflect a continued appreciation for Mego’s contribution to the world of toys and collectibles.

Mego’s impact is also evident in pop culture, with its figures featured in “Twisted ToyFare Theater” and “Robot Chicken,” showcasing the brand’s lasting influence on generations of fans and collectors. Annual conventions like Mego Meet in Wheeling, West Virginia, offer enthusiasts a platform to celebrate the legacy of Mego, exchange collectibles, and engage in discussions about the future of action figure collecting.

The revival of Mego Corporation in 2018, under the partnership of Marty Abrams, affectionately known as “the father of action figures,” and Joel Rosenzweig, marked a new chapter in the brand’s storied history. This resurgence, focusing on 8” action figures, leverages popular licenses from CBS, Warner Brothers, Sony, and Epic, indicating a strategic move to reconnect with long-time fans while capturing the interest of a new generation. By reintroducing the nostalgia of the 1970s with a modern twist, Mego continues to build on its legacy, blending the rich history of the brand with contemporary pop culture. Marty Abrams’ return to the forefront of the company he once led into its golden age hints at the enduring appeal of Mego’s action figures and the company’s significant impact on the toy industry. As Mego moves forward, it carries the legacy of innovation and the spirit of the 1970s into the future, promising new collectibles for enthusiasts and newcomers alike.

Related Mego Robin-Shuttle in original box

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Mego Star Trek Spock Mr. Spock 8 inch movable doll

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Originally founded in 1954 by Dave Abrams, Marty Abrams, now commonly known as “the father of action figures”, took the helm of the company in 1971 and shifted the direction to licensed action figures.  He included the “World’s Greatest Super Hero’s “ line), celebrity dolls, and the Micronauts toy line. Mego became famous for their 8” scale figures with interchangeable bodies. Eventually this became an industry standard.

Mego Corporation re-launched in 2018 with a partnership between Marty Abrams and Joel Rosenzweig, focusing on 8” Action figures and launching with popular licenses from CBS, Warner Brothers, Sony and Epic.

“DC action figures now 14 inches tall.”

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Moskva-Class Cruisers

Separate design teams often attempt to meet a set of ship specifications with completely different, although equally valid, strategies. To fulfill the requirements issued in April 2169 for the successor (NX-223) to the Daedalus class, which was introduced at the end of the Romulan War, Prosser & Ankopitch proposed a ship with an extremely large, spherical command hull attached to a nearly vestigial engineering hull. The proposal from the Mikoyan-Tupolev-Dassault Bureau used a long narrow command hull with a minimal frontal silhouette counterbalanced by an equally long engineering hull.

The engineers at Tezuka-Republic decided that the division of ship's functions between a command/crew hull and an engineering hull was arbitrary and unnecessarily restricted design options. Therefore, rather than gathering all the specified facilities in a single hull, their design TR-223A spread them across two hulls, as in Daedalus , and segregated the SSWR-IV-C warp core to a "bustle" at the extreme aft end of the secondary hull. This bustle could be separated easily and quickly from the rest of the engineering hull in the event of a warp core breach. The now-unpowered warp nacelles would then be shed. In this way, the demands of safety would be met without warp dynamics being degraded either by an excessively large frontal silhouette or by longitudinal warp field imbalance.

Although the Ship Specifications Review Board praised Tezuka-Republic for its creative solution to the problem of admittedly contradictory requirements for extreme safety and improved warp performance, they were forced to disqualify design TR-223A for not precisely meeting contract specifications. Therefore, in October 2171, construction contract NX-223 for Starfleet's new cruiser was awarded to Prosser & Ankopitch for what would become the Wasp class .

However, almost no one was happy with the new Wasp ships. Even before the contract was awarded, voices within Starfleet and within industry had strongly criticized the specifications of April 2169. These critics charged that they would lead to a mediocre, albeit safe, fighting ship. Two separate classes were needed, not a single class that was neither a proper explorer nor a proper warship. When Wasp was finally launched in 2173, her performance during precommisioning trials clearly showed that the critics had been correct. Although the performance problems were related in part to the continuing unavailability of the more powerful Tezuka-Republic Hiryu ("Flying Dragon") mark III warp nacelles, Wasp was obviously not the ship Starfleet had hoped for.

In a second attempt to obtain a reliable and capable warship, new specifications (NX-374) were issued in September 2175, little more than a year after USS  Wasp had entered service. Adding to this sense of urgency were intelligence reports suggesting that the Romulans had either developed or otherwise acquired matter/antimatter (M/AM) reactors. This time the specifications put less emphasis upon safety. The original requirement for completely separate command and engineering hulls was eliminated; instead, any hull configuration was allowed as long as the warp core could be quickly separated from the rest of the ship. Furthermore, requirements for speed, acceleration, and maneuverability both under impulse power and under warp power were increased, as were performance levels for target acquisition, tracking, and servicing.

These new specifications were a clear, albeit belated, admission that the critics had been correct all along: one class could not be expected to serve as both an explorer and a main battleship. In fact, starship technology was not considered sufficiently mature for a single ship to adequately fulfill both mission profiles until 2245, when the Constitution -class heavy cruiser was launched. (The controversy continues even today in the wake of the problems of the Galaxy -class explorer.)

Luckily, the designers and engineers at Tezuka-Republic had not been idle since their disappointing loss of the Wasp contract in 2171. Instead, they had spent their time refining design TR-223A so that their new entry (TR-374A) was markedly superior to what had been submitted 5 years earlier. In particular, the new SSWR-V warp reactor allowed the bustle to be made smaller, lighter, and even more easily separable. Therefore, it was hardly surprising when in November 2176 Tezuka-Republic was awarded the production contract over designs from Shimata-Dominquez, Prosser & Ankopitch, Mikoyan-Tupolev Dassault, Monarch R&U, and Thornycroft/Ebisu for what was to become the Moskva class.

However, engineering prowess may not have been the only factor in Tezuka-Republic's winning of the contract. There were accusations that the delay in delivery of the Hiryu warp engines was an attempt by Tezuka-Republic to prevent Wasp from reaching her designed performance levels. While no conclusive incriminating evidence has come to light, the delivery of the long-awaited engines shortly before the scheduled launch of Moskva in December 2177 is certainly suspicious. Tezuka-Republic maintains that if their submission of 2169 had been selected, its performance would also have not have met design specifications without the Hiryu engines. However, critics charge that TR-223A was not as reliant as Wasp on the type of engine used. Furthermore, once the Wasp contract was awarded, and even after Wasp was launched, Tezuka-Republic certainly made no efforts to accelerate delivery of Hiryu.

These controversies were soon rendered moot as the new Moskva class was recognized as a significant advance in starship design. The most important new feature was Moskva's discoid primary hull. Earlier designs had chosen a spherical primary hull for reasons of economy. Simple geometric relationships dictate that a spherical hull has the smallest surface area for a given volume. Therefore, construction costs are lower and shields are more efficient. Furthermore, institutional inertia had led nearly all exploratory cruisers originating until that time from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the United States Astronautics Agency, the United Earth Space Probe Agency, and its successor organizations to have spherical hulls.

The designers of USS  Moskva employed a biconvex disc for several reasons. Their initial motive was to increase hull volume while minimizing both frontal and lateral silhouettes. A warship with large frontal and lateral silhouettes would be at a greater disadvantage in most tactical situations than would be a ship with an increased superior silhouette. However, the discoid hull allowed the traditional radial layout of command hulls to be retained.

More important than these tactical advantages were functional advantages. As was shown with the Wasp class, warp field geometry would have been awkward if a spherical hull with its relatively large frontal area had been used. The discoid hull was also found to channel warp field flow across its upper surface towards the bussard ram scoops of the warp nacelles. This channeling effect improved field efficiency at all power levels and speeds. As the understanding of warp field mechanics was refined, the trend towards saucer-shaped primary hulls would be intensified in later Starfleet vessels.

In most respects, the Moskva class continued design and engineering trends established in the Comet and Daedalus classes introduced at the end of the Romulan War. As in these classes, ship functions were clearly divided between a command/crew hull and an engineering/propulsion hull. The bridge was returned to its customary position atop the command hull and the shuttlecraft bay was again placed in the secondary hull. The fusion reactor was centered along the longitudinal axis of the ship, and impulse thrust ports exited immediately in front of the warp bustle detachment seam.

Weaponry was the then-standard mix of fusion-warhead missiles and lasers. New to this class was an early type of ultraphased pulse laser cannon, two of which were mounted in the chin of the primary hull. Although the on-target energy output of this new weapon approached that of early phasers, its power requirement was higher and its range was substantially less. However, subsequent refinements lead to steady improvement and, ultimately, to the development of true phasers in 2202. Although Moskva -class ships were the first to be fitted with phasers in 2204, lasers were still carried by the Moskva class and later classes until the 2220s. Finally, warp capability was supplied by the long-awaited Hiryu mark III drive units.

The first ship of the new class, USS  Moskva (NCC-374), entered service with Starfleet in April 2179. An additional 30 ships (NCC-375 to NCC-404) joined the fleet through 2183. Moskva -class ships gained immediate popularity with officers and crews. First, total laser firepower was increased some 75% over that in the preceding Wasp class. Second, because the ship's mass was more equally distributed along the longitudinal axis than in the Wasp class, Moskva was significantly more maneuverable at both sublight and warp speeds. Finally, the more warp-dynamic design allowed greater cruising and maximum speeds.

The Moskva class had an outstanding safety record. No ships were lost because of mechanical failures. However, an incident occurred aboard USS  Johannesburg in 2186 when a faulty nacelle flow monitor falsely indicated a runaway positive feedback power loop within the plasma flow governor. Believing that a catastrophic warp core explosion was imminent, Chief Engineer Roberta Bocharnikov ordered the warp nacelles and warp bustle to be separated. Although unnecessary, these maneuvers were successful in causing the separated warp core to initiate its automatic shut-down routine. The warp core, nacelles, and the rest of the ship were towed to Starbase 13, where they were successfully re-mated. Despite her supreme embarrassment, Bocharnikov oversaw the reassembly and relaunching of Johannesburg and retained her position as chief engineer.

Although most ships of the Moskva class had left front-line service by 2215, some continued to serve as auxiliaries and training vessels until the 2240s. After retirement from active duty, Moskva -class ships were used as testbeds for many emerging technologies owing to the similarities of their layouts to those of succeeding classes. USS  Moskva was the site of the first successful ship-to-surface transport of a Human being in 2206, and USS  Gato was the first ship to fire photon torpedoes in 2214. In addition, Taurus -class tugs, which entered service in 2182, and Sanford -class repair tenders, which entered service in 2185, were derived from the Moskva class and used the same primary hull and warp drive assembly.

The Moskva -class cruiser USS  Aurora (NCC-377), a participant of the Battle of Eohippus IV, is on display at the Starfleet Museum.

Standard displacement: 67,750 t

Crew complement: 160 (27 officers + 133 crew) Weapons: 8 Type VI laser turrets (8 × 1 mounts), 2 Type VII laser cannons (fixed mounts), 2 missile launchers with 36 Spartak missiles Embarked craft: 4 medium cargo/personnel shuttlecraft, 2 light personnel shuttlecraft, 5 fighter/scouts Warp drive: SSWR-V-A spherical cavity M/AM reactor with 2 Hiryu III nacelles Velocity: wf 4.0, cruise; wf 5.0, supercruise; wf 5.2, maximum Units commissioned: 31

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The long lost original model of the USS Enterprise has been returned

The model, in the opening credits of Star Trek , had been missing since the 1970s. It popped up on eBay last fall. The seller helped facilitate its return to the family of the creator of Star Trek .

(SOUNDBITE OF ALEXANDER COURAGE'S "THEME FROM STAR TREK")

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Good morning. I'm Leila Fadel.

The long-lost original model of the USS Enterprise, the one that could be seen in the opening credits of the TV show "Star Trek," has been returned. Missing since the 1970s, the model popped up on eBay last fall. The seller eventually took down the item and helped facilitate its return to Rod Roddenberry, the son of the late "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry. Roddenberry, the son, says he now hopes to get the model into a museum for the public to enjoy.

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Long-lost first model of the USS Enterprise from 'Star Trek' boldly goes home after twisting voyage

D ALLAS (AP) — The first model of the USS Enterprise — used in the opening credits of the original “Star Trek” television series — has boldly gone back home, returning to creator Gene Roddenberry's son decades after it went missing.

The model's disappearance sometime in the 1970s had become the subject of lore, so it caused a stir when it popped up on eBay last fall. The sellers quickly took it down, and then contacted Dallas-based Heritage Auctions to authenticate it. Last weekend, the auction house facilitated the model's return.

Eugene “Rod” Roddenberry, CEO of Roddenberry Entertainment, said he's thrilled to have the model that had graced the desk of his father, who died in 1991 at age 70.

“This is not going home to adorn my shelves," Roddenberry said. “This is going to get restored and we’re working on ways to get it out so the public can see it and my hope is that it will land in a museum somewhere.”

Heritage's executive vice president, Joe Maddalena, said the auction house was contacted by people who said they'd discovered it a storage unit, and when it was brought into their Beverly Hills office, he and a colleague “instantly knew that it was the real thing.”

They reached out to Roddenberry, who said he appreciates that everyone involved agreed returning the model was the right thing to do. He wouldn't go into details on the agreement reached but said “I felt it important to reward that and show appreciation for that.”

Maddalena said the model vanished in the 1970s after Gene Roddenberry loaned it to makers of "Star Trek: The Motion Picture," which was released in 1979.

“No one knew what happened to it," Rod Roddenberry said.

The 3-foot (0.91-meter) model of the USS Enterprise was used in the show's original pilot episode as well as the opening credits of the resulting TV series, and was the prototype for the 11-foot (3-meter) version featured in the series' episodes. The larger model is on display at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.

The original “Star Trek” television series, which aired in the late 1960s, kicked off an ever-expanding multiverse of cultural phenomena, with TV and movie spinoffs and conventions where a fanbase of zealous and devoted Trekkies can't get enough of memorabilia.

This USS Enterprise model would easily sell for more than $1 million at auction, but really “it’s priceless," Maddalena said.

“It could sell for any amount and I wouldn’t be surprised because of what it is," he said. “It is truly a cultural icon.”

Roddenberry, who was just a young boy when the model went missing, said he has spotty memories of it, “almost a deja vu.” He said it wasn't something he'd thought much about until people began contacting him after it appeared on eBay.

“I don't think I really, fully comprehended at first that this was the first Enterprise ever created,” he said.

He said he has no idea if there was something nefarious behind the disappearance all those decades ago or if it was just mistakenly lost, but it would be interesting to find out more about what happened.

“This piece is incredibly important and it has its own story and this would be a great piece of the story,” Roddenberry said.

Thankfully, he said, the discovery has cleared up one rumor: That it was destroyed because as a young boy, he'd thrown it into a pool.

“Finally I’m vindicated after all these years," he said with a laugh.

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By the late 70's Star Trek has snowballed into a phenom, the announcement of a Star Trek motion picture had truly excited the movie going public then sci fi crazy after Star Wars Mania had struck. While Paramount intially attempted to treat the movie as a seperate license, Mego fought hard that their agreement included merchandising rights to the movie.

Mego hoped that a little Star Wars magic would trickle onto this line, the once innovative company aped the Kenner approach with their 1979 Trek releases. No 8"ers released this time, just a 3" and 12" line.

The Movie was successful at the box office but it didn't transfer into big sales for Mego. Mego's merchandising of newer characters such Ilia and Decker also proved unwise, Ilias were seen in stores up until the mid eighties.

New! Click on the original Mego Toyfair Handout for the Movie Trek Line.

From Left to Right: Admiral Kirk, Mr.Spock, Dr.McCoy

Captain Decker (called "Decker") Ilia Scotty (Anyone have a better picture of Ilia? The most common figure in the set and I don't own one!)

From left to right: Rigellian, Klingon, Arcturian

From Left to Right: Betelgeusian, Zaranite, Megarite.

While the aliens weren't released carded in the United States, you could get them three of them through JC Penney. You can see the corresponding JC Penney Catalog page here It seems that Mego got a little careless with assortment, while the catalog number matches, they've replaced Rigellian with Megarite. Thanks to Robert Doyle for the great picture.

Enterprise Playsets are fragile vacuform and very similiar to the pocket heroes batcave and Buck Rogers sets of the same year. A Vacuform Vulcan Shuttle is rumoured to have been released in Canada by Grand Toys but no examples have ever surface.

Enterprise in it's US packaging.

Canadian Boxed Enterprise from Grand Toys, the French version translates Star Trek to "The Cosmic Patrol". This item actually got marked down to $0.50 at Hudson's Bay Stores in 1980. From the collection of Craig MacKillop.

Klingon and Arcturian on Italian cards. (courtesy of Brain)

Megarite (Canadian Card,note no name) and Rigellion. (courtesy of Brain)

Zaranite and Betelgeusian on Italian Ceppi Ratti Cards.

Captain Kirk on a rare Canadian Grand Toys Card (courtesy of Craig MacKillop)

Mister Spock on a rare Canadian Grand Toys Card (courtesy of Craig MacKillop)

Dr. McCoy on a rare Canadian Grand Toys Card (courtesy of Craig MacKillop)

Ilia on a Canadian Grand Toys Card, this figure hung around at retail for years. (courtesy of Craig MacKillop)

Klingon on a rare Canadian Grand Toys Card, the aliens saw a wide release in Canada and Italy but were next to impossible to find in the US. (courtesy of Craig MacKillop)

Rigellian on a rare Canadian Grand Toys Card (courtesy of Craig MacKillop)

Arcturian on a rare Canadian Grand Toys Card (courtesy of Craig MacKillop)

Betelgeusian on a rare Canadian Grand Toys Card (courtesy of Craig MacKillop)

Zaranrite on a rare Canadian Grand Toys Card (courtesy of Craig MacKillop)

Megarite on a rare Canadian Grand Toys Card (courtesy of Craig MacKillop)

This rare Enterprise was only released in Canada by Grand Toys. The forward saucer section is removable and has landing gear.

The Vulcan Shuttle is the toughest of the three ships to find.

Vulcan Shuttle in the rare US packaging.

Uber rare Canadian boxed Klingon Cruiser warns children it's an "Ennemy Spaceship" Who proof read this thing?.

The back of the box actually details where everything is on the Klingon ship, I'm not hardcore enough to debate it's accuracy.

When ERTL pitched their 1984 "Search for Spock" action figure line, they used mocked up Megos at toyfair!

Check out the 12" Offerings by clicking on the pic below!

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Star Trek Into Darkness Moscow Premiere

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Yesterday was the Moscow premiere of Star Trek into Darkness and in attendance were J.J. Abrams, Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto , and Alice Eve .

It was a rainy day in Moscow, but that didn’t deter the stars or the fans waiting to see them.

Click on thumbnails for larger-sized photos from the event.

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CelebWatch: Shatner Gets “Weird” + Pine Goes To “Moscow” + Nimoy Wraps “Fringe” + Quinto On The “Margin”

| April 12, 2010 | By: Anthony Pascale 19 comments so far

Shatner pitches "Weird or What" in Cannes

We will find in May if William Shatner’s new sitcom Bleep My Dad Says gets picked up, but one Shatner show that is definitely going on the air is Weird or What , a new documentary series Shatner is co-producing an hosting. The show description press release make it sound a bit like Leonard Nimoy’s In Search Of :

in Weird or What? William Shatner will investigate and analyze all that is weird in the world, including everything from paranormal phenomena to weird and wonderful creatures, from medical oddities to mysterious disappearances, and bizarre natural disasters to mystical monster attacks.  

The show has been sold to Discovery Channel in the US and History Channel in Canada. Today Shatner is at the MIP TV convention in Cannes today selling  the show to the world. Variety reports that production company Cineflix has successfully sold the show to "nearly every territory". At the event Shatner described the show:

We’re looking at weird circumstances but we’re presenting them in a light-hearted, jaunty way. We’re not taking ourselves too seriously.

Chris Pine headed to Moscow as Jack Ryan

Last year Chris Pine, the new Kirk, was tapped as the new Jack Ryan, to head up another big Paramount franchise. New details have emerged on this next film based on the Tom Clancy character. Pajiba reports the following story synopsis for the next Jack Ryan film (now with the working title of "Moscow"):

The movie will pick up with the Jack Ryan not long after his stint in the Marines, before he’s joined the CIA, while he’s a Wall Street stock broker, an occupation that will play heavily into the script. In the Clancy novels, Jack Ryan was a successful financial analyst in Baltimore for Merrill Lynch. In the new movie, he will have transplanted to Moscow to continue his financial advising, not for Merill Lynch (which has been absorbed by Bank of America), but for a billionaire employer. It is that billionaire employer who eventually sets Jack Ryan up to take the fall for terrorist plot designed to collapse the U.S. economy. After that, Ryan must race against time to clear his name, reveal the terrorist plot, and save his wife, who has been taken hostage by the billionaire employer.

No word yet on when "Moscow" will go in front of cameras or be released, but probably following Pine’s work on the next Star Trek .

Nimoy’s last day as an actor? + honored as space inspiration

Spock Prime, Leonard Nimoy has recently stated he is ready to back into acting retirement. This would mean his last job as an actor would be reprising his role as William Bell in the season finale  JJ Abrams’ Fringe . And yesterday, Nimoy tweeted " Finishing work on Fringe today. Really good experience. The two parter will air in May." Today he tweeted that his back home. Speaking of Twitter, in just four days TheRealNimoy has picked up almost 33,000 followers.

But Mr. Nimoy is still out and about. On Thursday Leonard is being honored by the Space Foundation at the National Space Symposium in Colorado. Nimoy is being presented with the Douglas S. Morrow Public Outreach award for being an inspiration to people around the world "to explore the wonders of science, space, and technology." And a reminder, next Friday the original Spock is headed to the Vulcan, Alberta, Canada (the official Star Trek capital of Canada) to unveil a bust of himself, and then he is off to the Calgary Entertainment Expo for the weekend.

Quinto on NYSE floor

Finally we come to the new Mr. Spock, Zachary Quinto. The actor is currently in New York  filling out his resume as a producer an actor in Margin Call , a film set in the world of the stock market. Last week Zach tweeted this pic of himself with his Before the Door production company partners.

While he has been in New York, Quinto has been a frequent Twitterer, sending gems like this one last Thursday:

the t-shirt i was wearing today smelled. so i bought a new t-shirt. now it smells. already. why you got to be so smelly t-shirts?

But no worries, Zach was cleaned up all nice by the next night…

Jeez, that photo of Nimoy is fierce! :D

I cant wait to see nimoy and the shat at vegas will miss them when their gone

Shats new show sounds fun–long as they dont make fun of believers cuz that could be bad n sad–

Like a jaunty “In Search Of…”

If I see one more word with quotes around it I’m going to “scream”.

Has Shatner seen Star Trek 11 yet?

How really cares. I don’t. maybe I did at one point. But I don’t now. Let it go. For crying….out….loud

“We’re not taking ourselves too seriously.”

In contrast to some of today’s Hollywood actor wannabees, Shatner can afford to not take himself too seriously. :)

Nimoy looks like an old, and very wise Spock on that photo. Acting retirement surely would be a waste of material…

#6 No, he’s busy having a life. :))

The two shows should be combined to form a show called “Weird Fringe”, and in the first show William Shatner could focus on mysteries of Mr.Spock’s bowl haircut.

Wow whats up with Quinto’s nerdball galsses….First we see a hobo Spock and now dork Spock.

ZQ’s follow up tweet is hilarious!

Nimoy always look cool…kinda badass…you wish Fringe would throw a evil Spock beard on him! Shat looks kinda pudgy…a jolly old type… I was really hoping Mr Nimoy would make it in the new MI movie as Paris…maybe a evil Paris with a beard!

Jack Ryan before Star Trek or after???

From everything I’ve seen of Ben Affleck, he’s pretty impressed with himself. Chris Pine will be 1000 times better than him.

Quinto needs a fashion adviser.

I think Quinto should do a music video as Bilbo Baggins

Alec Baldwin was a great Jack Ryan. Tough act to follow (and I’m a big Ford fan).

16. Yeah! xD lol

Quinto is always dressed stylish, cool and modern- I love it. Zach, just rub some patchouly on yourself and get back to work please!!!!!!!! And Bleep Jack Ryan!

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The story of the Moscow gold: How the Spanish war was lost

Francisco Olaya 'El Oro de Negrin'

(Ediciones Madre Tierra, Mostoles 1990)

This book is the product of almost thirty years investigation, involving examination of thousands of books and pamphlets, around a million documents, and the combing of 32 archives in Spain and beyond. Olaya's work is an attempt to come up with a satisfactory explanation of the denouement of the Spanish civil war. He is highly critical of the leadership of the PSOE (Socialist Workers Party of Spain, now in power) during the civil war.

In great and documented detail Olaya examines the whole topic of what has hitherto been known as the 'Moscow gold' and which he re-christens 'Negrin's gold', gold to the tune of 5,500 million pesetas (1937). About half of this sum wound up in the Soviet Union. A small portion went to France. The remainder passed to the republican government's purchasing commissions, set up by Indalecio Prieto of the PSOE to obtain war material.

In 1954 Jose Peirats was commissioned by the CNT -in-exile to write his monumental five volume 'La CNT en la revolucion espanola'. In the course of his researches he was accorded access to documentation belonging to the CNT and in London in the keeping of Polgare. When Polgare died in 1957, access to the documents was offered to Olaya by CNT colleagues aware of his researches. Among the documents, he discovered copies of 52 letters written to Negrin by his special agent, identified only as 'C'.

One of the reports from 'C' is an account of an exchange between Salvador do Madariaga (the philosopher and original wartime Ambassador to Britain) and the British Foreign Minister, in which British preoccupation with helping the Francoist side was evident. Olaya, using textual clues, attempted to Identify 'C'.

At first Olaya suspected one Calvino, who had figured in all the Purchasing Commissions ('C' had complained of corruptions by these commissions). Calvino however denied this and further investigations led Olaya to conclude 'C' had been PSOE luminary Celestino Alvarez. This was confirmed to him by two agents who had been operating on behalf of the CNT - FAI in Paris at the time. Further inquiries led Olaya to records from Turkish customs and cargo checks (by a French secret agent) of shipping that passed through the Dardanelles en route to Spain with foodstuffs and war materials. Olaya lists this information in an appendix to his book.

A record of the accidental discovery (at the bottom of a crate of goods being returned to the USSR as defective or unusable) of gold led Olaya to query the conventional account of the shipment of Spain's gold reserves to the USSR 'for safe keeping'. Other seemingly unrelated evidence led to the conclusion that, aside from the usual shipments, gold was removed from Spain via the diplomatic pouch to Prague and, also, unrecorded, aboard other vessels.

Olaya holds that the war was lost by the republic due to corruption in the Purchasing Commissions plus the failure of Negrin and Prieto (when so informed by 'C') to take remedial action.

Olaya argues that half of the gold reserves were was sent to the USSR and half to France, partly for their use of the Purchasing Commissions and partly to open accounts in the name of specific individuals… an account in Negrin's name held 390 million francs, one in the name of Julio Lopez Masegase held 198 millions. Olaya's book details all these. He says that so far no account has been taken of the assets seized from Franco's supporters, reckoned at almost three times the value of the gold held in Spain's treasury.

Franco was later able to recover a part of what had been described as Negrin's personal treasure. Negrin's ability to realise the value of his gold in France makes nonsense of the claim that gold had to be removed to the USSR for safekeeping. Olaya states: 'I wanted to check out everything sold by C who was Negrin's informant on activities taking place abroad but I wanted confirmation from other sources. To my surprise, I was to amass a wealth of documents that confirmed and expanded upon the whole business'.

In 1988 Olaya's book in manuscript was a finalist for the 'Espejo de Espana' prize awarded by Planeta publishers. However, Planeta refused to publish it, as did all of the other major publishers in Spain. As a result, the book has been issued by Ediciones Madre Tierra (Mother Earth) of Mostoles. Its author claims: 'The book is based on documents and we are not championing any interests or making partisan propaganda, merely telling the whole truth'.

The book's appearance has coincided with a PSOE desire to sell itself to the electorate under the slogan of '100 years of Integrity with the Socialist Party'. Olaya himself has explained 'it may appear that the book has emerged at an opportune time, but no, that is mere coincidence'. ~ Paul S.

In KSL: Bulletin of the Kate Sharpley Library No. 1 [1991]

• Negrin Lopez, Juan (1887-1956)
• Olaya, Francisco
• Partido Socialista Obrero Espanol PSOE
• Russia / Russian Empire / Soviet Union
• Spanish Revolution and Spanish Civil War SCW

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