Free with "Fantastic"

[suebutcher]

I found this rubber-band gun in a secondhand copy of Smash. Which issue of Fantastic is it from?

[klakadak-ploobadoof]

It looks like the Star Target Pistol that came with the first combined issue of Fantastic and Terrific, but not quite. There were no other issues with a free gun, so it must be the one. I wonder why they used a different image on the cover?

[Adam Eterno]

I found this rubber-band gun in a secondhand copy of Smash. Which issue of Fantastic is it from?

freewithfantastic.jpg

[Lew Stringer]

Yes, it's the same cardboard gun given away with that issue of Fantastic. I suppose they changed the wording on that side for the cover image because 'free with Fantastic' would be repetitive next to the announcement that it was free inside that issue.

Here's my copy, with the accompanying target board:
http://lewstringer.blogspot.co.uk/2010/ ... art-2.html

[suebutcher]

Thanks. The gun says "FREE WITH FANTASTIC" on both sides, in case anyone's wondering. It didn't have any discs, but it chucks an elastic band a fair distance.

[alanultron5]

Yes! some free gifts can have differing titles! The 1972 Sparky gift which is clearly called the "Whoopee Whistle" in all the adverts (In Sparky itself and fellow Thomson titles) However- on getting one a few years back- the thing itself was titled the "Lug Buster" So, it can be a bit difficult to know what's what!

[Lew Stringer]

Yes! some free gifts can have differing titles! The 1972 Sparky gift which is clearly called the "Whoopee Whistle" in all the adverts (In Sparky itself and fellow Thomson titles) However- on getting one a few years back- the thing itself was titled the "Lug Buster" So, it can be a bit difficult to know what's what!

You're right, that can happen. Perhaps they decided that 'Lug Buster' sounded too aggressive after they'd made it.

In the case of this gift though it's likely that they chose to advertise Fantastic on the gun, rather than use 'Star Target Pistol', so that if a kid played with it with his mates it'd be free publicity for the comic. The artwork for the cover didn't need the words 'Free with Fantastic' on the gun so they went with 'Star Target Pistol'.

[Kashgar]

As Thomsons bought in a lot of their gifts via toy and novelty fairs it would sometimes, although rarely, happen that items bought in couldn't be customised exactly to suit without incurring unnecessary expense so they would advertise it as they wished regardless of any anomaly evident on publication day