My love affair (or perhaps a better word would be ‘infatuation’) with the Eagle began when I was approximately 8-9 years old, perhaps even younger. I don’t recall the year, but I do recall that SPACE: 1999 originally came on after my bedtime during the week and I’d hear the music, the dialogue and the sound effects, one of which of course was the sound of the Eagle during liftoff. I was intrigued by that sound and finally crept downstairs once to see what my parents and older siblings were watching. It was love at first sight! I already had a fascination with the moon at a young age, and to see the Eagle lift off from the launchpad… on the moon… I was mesmerized! Such a cool ship – I still get excited every time I see one!

My first in-person encounter came when the boys from the neighboring farm came over with what I’m pretty sure was one of the Eagle Transporters from Dinky Toys. I remember it seemed odd that it was green and not grey, but at the same time I was so excited to see it! The passenger module detached, and I remember my surprise at how heavy it was – it’s wasn’t very big but obviously made of metal.  What a thrill to get to handle it! I think they even left it with us for a few days so we could all enjoy it (there were eight of us, and we all watched the show, though I’m not sure my siblings were as hooked as I was.. and still am). We lived in rural Saskatchewan, where promotional merchandise from TV shows back in the day was seldom seen in our local shops. I had NO IDEA they had merchandise available back then, so I still don’t know how they got their hands on one. I would have just died and gone to heaven if I had one of my own! The Eagle, the Commlock, the Stun Gun – I would have flipped had I seen any of these in the store. Lol! 

My first in-person encounter with the Eagle as an adult occurred about ttwo years ago, when I received an unexpected delivery from Amazon. It was addressed to me, but I didn’t have a clue what it could be, as I hadn’t ordered anything. Then I realized that my niece’s name was showing as the sender on this HUGE box, and I was completely baffled as to what she would have ordered for me and why, since it wasn’t my birthday.

When I started to remove the packing material, I caught a glimpse of what was inside and my heart skipped several beats, I’m sure! I recognized a command module, girder structure, and red stripes of what could only be a Rescue Eagle’s passenger module (it was a model kit). The very first words out of my mouth were: “Holy sh*t!” And I didn’t say it quietly… Lol! I was completely stunned and could not figure out for the life of me how she knew about my passion for this spacecraft. With the kit were several SPACE: 1999 pocketbooks that my sister had ordered for me. It turns out that a few months prior, my niece and I had a conversation (that I can’t remember to this day) in which I was telling her how much I love the show and in particular the Eagle and how excited I was to see that models are available on Amazon. She went out of her way and gifted me with my very favorite ship of all time as a ‘thank you’ for being there for her during a particularly difficult time in her life. I never gave that conversation a second thought, but obviously she did! I’ve always wanted to collect Eagles, but this was my very first (and so far only) one. Best gift EVER!!