Toys and Games
This section isn't a review of a particular item of merchandise (as this site's designer, Jonathan, said to me: "how can you review a jigsaw??"), but rather a comprehensive list of all non-text, non-audio merchandise released under the Blake's 7 banner. To put things in some vague kind of order, rather than categorise anything, I've placed each item in chronological release date...

The Blake's 7 Badge Set (1978). Although initially produced to be given to those that wrote in to the BBC about the show, some of these badges did find their way into shops. Ten were produced in all, and sometimes go for up to a fiver each these days. Some people have more money than sense, don't they?

Post Cards (1978/79/80/81). Another promotional freebie made by the BBC when the series was on-air. Wasn't it amazing what they used to do for SF fans in those days? Nowadays if you rang 'em up about Blake's 7 they'd give you a kick up the arse and put the phone down.

Blake's 7 - The Single (1978). Did this top the charts, I wonder? No, I won't consult the Guiness Book of Hit Records - I prefer the suspense...

Corgi Liberators (1978/79/79). Three versions of the Liberator were produced by Corgi, who had the initial licence. However, the final two were their own design, there to cash in, and without the B7 logo. See illus

Blue Box Toys (1978). Three Blue Box Toys were released, all spacecrafts, including the "Federation Interceptor." Strangely, none of them had actually featured in the series proper. That's right, Blue Box Toys, you bleed the kiddies dry!

Sheet Music (1978). A four-page reproduction of Dudley Simpson's theme. Ideal for when the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra want to strike up the tune at the Albert Hall.

Puzzler 240s (1979). The usual stodgy jigsaw affair, with a crude picture of the series, cut into pieces and there to entice the piggy bank pound. Two were made, one with the flight deck and a superimposed picture of Blake, the other of the Liberator. "Oooh, please little kiddies, on your way home from school, please line our pockets." See illus

The Federation Handgun (1979). Said to be one of the rarest and best pieces of merchandise, I must confess to have never having seen one of these blue or gold (you had an option) guns that fired ping-pong balls.

Blake's 7 Sew-On Patches (1979). The ironically named "Quick & Fabulous" produced these sew-on labels. Well, I guess if your mum was speedy with a needle and thread they might be quick, but fabulous???

Fourth Season Logo T-Shirts (1981). Apparently these T-Shirts only sold to Blake's 7 addicts in the "XXL" category. No, not really, I was making that up. No, come on, leave it...

Fourth Season Logo Sweat Shirts (1981). Apparently these sweat shirts only sold to Blake's 7 addicts... whoops, sorry, done that one...

Bumper Stickers (1986). Three different messages were available on these stickers, designed to go on the rear bumper of your car: "Fan Club of America Member"; "Official Liberator Shuttle Craft" and "I've Escaped With Blake's 7". Can be prescribed from chemists as a contraceptive.

Comet Liberators (1988/89). Two Liberator models were made, a 2" silver one in 88, and then two larger, 9" plastic kits the following year.

Blake's 7 Enamel Pins (1989). American pins, with either the Liberator or the Series Logo. See illus

Blake's 7 Badges (1989) Badges made in Australia, and coming in two designs.

Sew-On Patch/Blake's 7 Cap (1989). Wow! A Blake's 7 baseball cap, made in the U S of A! Sounds exciting, doesn't it? What's that you say? It was a normal, plain black baseball cap? And it only became a "Blake's 7" cap when you sewed the patch on it? Oh, I feel all let down now...

Clip Gun Kit (1990). From Comet Minatures, this four-piece set could be assembled into a reasonable replica of the season four handgun.

Federation Gun (1990). Supposedly one of the most accurate replicas ever made, this is nevertheless not that collectable as its creation by a smaller company (Mom and the Boys) means its price is often in excess of �200. You could buy a real gun for that. So they tell me.

Blake's 7 Poster (1992). The only poster to ever be made, this was a Woolworth's exclusive to go with the video releases. Their video of the BBC tape 17 also came with a Paul Darrow interview, the lucky buggers...

Teleport Bracelet (1992). Resin models from Comet Minatures that now sell for over �20 a pop. Don't you wish you'd bought one now?

Federation Trooper (1992). A 3" white metal kit of a Federation trooper, from Comet Minatures again. Like the troopers were the most popular characters and all.

B7 Video Cabinet (1995). A black wooden cabinet from Harvard Associates, the right size to house all 26 B7 vids. A bit of confusion surrounds this one, as I've seen some reports that suggest it has no link to the series and was released in 1993. However, one thing's for definite - Harvard did release a cabinet with the logo on a smoked glass door in 1995. See illus

B7 Mouse Mat (2002). Always that shocker in SF circles, the "actually decent merchandise" product. This really is a quite smashing mousemat, with images of Blake, Servalan, some troopers and the original logo. It's really quite good, honest.
You can buy it online here : Sci-Fi Collectors or you can view illus.

Scorpio Model (2008). A c.15 inch long model of the Scorpio. Realistic-looking for you to assemble and paint, it acts as a fine compliment to Titan Models' other Blake's 7 models of The Liberator, Federation Pursuit Ship, System Chase Craft and the series logo. It sounds great, doesn't it? What's that? It costs $190, plus shipping on top? Jesus, what do you think I am, made of money?!!?
You can buy it online here : Titan Models.