Monthly Archives: April 2009

Tintin Plane Recalled

new_tt_plane

According to our source in the Tintin merchandise world, the long awaited airplane model from The Shooting Star has been recalled due to serious defects. This is the third time in two years that Moulinsart has had to pull a line for faulty manufacturing.

  • The first was an entire production of Tintin figurines which had color problems. This was a HUGE problem as my customers were waiting months for their backordered figurines to get to the US; and
  • The second was the Shark Submarine, which was fixed within a few months.

I am not certain if the problems in production are due to Moulinsart decisions or not, and while I am generally not a fan of how they treat the American Tintin market, I do have to applaud them for not sticking their customers with poorly made merchandise. Good for them!

For those who were frustrated with the recall, you can purchase the first Shooting Star plane at ShopTintin.com. We received this sculpture several weeks ago and it is so cool I almost don’t want to sell it.

plane

Circling Lake Geneva

Just ran across this article in France Today. I am an ENORMOUS fan of Switzerland. It is one of my most favorite countries in all Europe. What I did not know is that is also has a very specific connection to Tintin. According to France Today:

From Geneva along the Swiss side of the lake, the road leads through Coppet, a tiny town of arcaded houses whose beautifully appointed château, once home to Madame de Staël, is open to visitors. Nyon, founded by Julius Caesar, is currently restoring its ancient Roman amphitheater. It was also one of the rare places where Belgian illustrator Hergé did original on-scene research for his Tintin comic books. The town has preserved some of the original buildings and equipment, including a fire truck that Hergé drew for Tintin’sCalculus Affair. The Paléo Festival here (July 21-26 this year) is one of Europe’s great rock and pop events.

Next time I am in Switzerland I will definitely check this out.