RIGHT, ALTOGETHER NOW - "DAH-DAH-DAH-DAH-DAH-DAH-DAH - BATMAN!"

AURORA BATMAN kit - built & painted by me

Another big hit of the '60s was BATMAN, which - much like The MAN From U.N.C.L.E. - resulted in a wealth of merchandising.

Released in 1965 - some months before the TV show hit the screens - the AURORA plastic model kit of the Caped Crusader no doubt benefitted from a boost in sales due to the popularity of the programme when it aired in 1966.

Thought you might like to see it.  And it's all mine.  Oh, and here's the box, too.

Box art by CARMINE INFANTINO
& MURPHY ANDERSON

"OPEN CHANNEL 'D'..."

One day, back in 1965, I remember my brother anxiously trying to obtain a copy of that week's RADIO TIMES - because therein was printed a coupon which enabled aspiring secret agents to send off for a MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E. ID card.  As any child of the '60s will recall, TMFU was the big hit of the time on British (and American) TV, and every kid in the land wanted to be an U.N.C.L.E. agent.  I still remember the address - 58 St. James' Street, London, SW1.  We sent off for quite a number of cards over the course of the next few months, I can tell you.  Sadly none of them survived, but for those of you in a similar predicament, dry your tears - the heartache is over.

You can now obtain an exact facsimile of that '60s Radio Times U.N.C.L.E. ID card - professionally printed from an original - along with its U.S. counterpart and a letter of acceptance from the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement - for a paltry £7.50 (inc. p&p) from here.  If you live outside the U.K., check prices for your country.  (Update: Sadly, the link no longer seems to be active.)

Quick - before T.H.R.U.S.H. cause an international shortage by buying them all - recapture a magical moment from your long- ago childhood before it's too late.