Howzat! Continuing the Cricket Match

 The Spacex Base Patrol Cricket P1 is one of the most enduring models and seemingly one of the most often copied. The chicken and egg scenario rolls on though as a definitive origin still hasn't been established. Previous incarnations of the Cricket have been blogged already, but Mike Burrows was lucky enough to acquire a fine boxed version of the large Codeg model.

"It’s a lovely big toy and the big soft nosed rocket , reminiscent of a Zoom lolly takes off like an Exocet .  I reckon if  ‘Health & Safety’ had been as active  in the sixties  the Rocket Car would have been withdrawn quicker than you can say ‘it’ll have your eye out’!

 

I really love the unrestraint gaudy colours on the box, too. It seems to remind me of far off days as a kid on holiday in Morecambe or Blackpool as I’m sure these type of toys were only ever found in the windows of little back street newsagents or seaside souvenir shops.

       

I did have the smaller Rocket Launcher MkII toy as a kid and was chuffed at having a larger version of the ‘Cricket’.  I remember wondering at the time if other larger versions of Spacex vehicles were out there, but I never found any. I concluded that the manufacturer had simply ripped off Tri-ang. I never realised that it appears to be the other way round."