Park on the Moon

Park Plastics probably more well known for their water powered rocket toys, made this neat range of space toys in what I assume was the early sixties. So far iv'e been unable to track down any further info about them and have only ever seen one other model on ebay in the last ten years. Based on what I have, im assuming they are pretty early as the little NASA sticker on some of the toys is not even close to the real version - it is almost art nouveau in style with tall, spindly letters and a swirly background. Also the box from the Lunar Dump is very basic in some ways, yet has a very seventies feel to the style. Theres no date, patent info or anything useable on the toys or the packing, so this is all guesswork! Either way, they are a very distinctively styled toy, having that 'jet-age' streamline appearance and lots of chrome vents and greebly. The tracks are for decoration only and each vehicle (apart from the dumper bucket) has a pair of one piece solid axle/tyre wheels underneath. Made from rigid plastic, they haven't survived the rigours of the lunar landscape and the Moon Cat bulldoxer has fared worst, losing an arm from the bulldozer blade, its original canopy and worst of all the driver has lost his helmet, so that him off site for a start! Somebody call health and safety!

I originally got all four of the toys in one auction, including a loose Lunar Dump, but some time after I came upon the rather well preserved version still in its pvc wrapper - and unlike me, decided to keep it in its pristine state! The dumper bucket has large hard plastic balloon tyres very akin to the Prospector. The Tank has a firing cannon on the front and the crane has a small telescopic jib. All in all a very pleasing set, but if anyone can shed any light on their provenance, please do!

COMET HYDRO PLANE

I knew I'd seen the design for my little Icelandic speedboat (bottom pic) before! Here's my COMET HYDRO PLANE from the 1960's, which has been lurking my loft. I remember letting my original Comet zoom around the bath when I was a nipper. I wouldn't do that now with this one! Looking at it again it's very SWORDESQUE too and would look great alongside the T Hydrofoil and the JR21 Submarine Aircraft Carrier!

Comet Hydro Plane 1960's

Miniature Speedboats found in Iceland - possibley Combex?

T IN A CIRCLE MOON PROSPECTOR INNER PACKAGING

The T in a Circle Moon Prospector, like it's Century 21 and Tarheel stablemates, came in a similarly-sized top-bottom tray box.

Inside mine is the Prospector body itself, the instruction sheet, the 2 legs wrapped in tissue, the antenna protected by card and rubber, the whole being wrapped in tissue and finally the white plastic battery cover.

So the inner packaging of my T Prospector is: 2 tissue pieces, a red rubber bung for the antenna neck and a corrugated card collar for the antenna rim. The instruction sheet is shown too.

Can anyone confirm if the Tarheel version was the same? Are there variations on the inner packaging in the T in a Circle/ Tarheel/ Century 21 Moon Prospector fleet? Are the T in a Circle and Tarheel instruction sheets the same?

SKYLON PLANE

Wow! the new European Hypersonic Passenger Plane concept art appears to be a hybrid of the SWORD fleet! There's some Probe Force 3, some Taskforce 1, a bit of Zero-X and a dash of Fireflash for good measure! Can't wait to fly in it!

Keep on Truckin!

I just adore futuristic vehicles. Brought up on a diet of Hot Wheels, Major Matt Mason and Spacex, my appetite for the streamlined trucks and cars of tomorrow has never diminished, ever since I got my first Mattel Deora in 69. Since then, Ive pursued many a neat toy or model from this genre to supplement my space toy collection. Some of the designs are what George Lucas often referred to as vehicles which were just 'off camera' at the time filming was going on and both he and Kenner made a quite lucrative line of Expanded Universe Star Wars items using this idea. Similarly, these toys could easily have been part of the reserve SWORD fleet, carrying supplies around the base or shuttling casuals to the launch pad. First off, here are some of Eldons fab Command Cassette line. Each has a small blue cassette in the front, with a series of pegs beneath, which can be 'programmed' to affect internal gears and make the truck follow a preset route. Eldon also used a similar device on a larger scale in its Computer Truck. The sleek, lines and enclosed cockpits are very reminiscent of Hot Wheels styling and also remind me of some of the cars and trucks from Joe 90 and Captain Scarlet. Finally, my most recent acquisition, the Quadrilex 'Tomorrow Truck'. A strange truck with futuristic features and an almost General Motors feel about it. The monochrome box has a very fifties look to it, but the styling is definitely early sixties. Can anyone jelp elaborate on the background to the toy ?

BUGGIN' OUT!

Not content with designing the famous TV Batmobile, hollywood car maker George Barris turned his attention to making a feature and style laden vehicle to travel the surface of the moon! Using an electric cart chassis and some exotic styling, he came up with the 'Moonscope'.

Full details can be found here: http://www.barris.com/gallery_cars/Novelty_ProductCars/gallery_moonscope.html

MPC made a small kit of the beast too, which also saw release as the Space 1999 'Space Alien' after some considerable modification and losing the two middle wheels. I picked up this kit o ebay a year or so ago and tried to make it up. Its full of chromed parts and tiny, fiddly bits and pieces. The overall build isnt great as the main body doesnt fit together well and there is an optional windscreen piece which doesn't figure in the instructions! I gave up after several superlued hours and assigned the better parts to the kit box for scratchbuilding. The one redeeming part of the kit is the wheels - each wheel is a three part assembly of neoprene-like rubber with a chrome insert, ideally shaped for a SWORD Moon Crawler!

Check this out: http://www.showrods.com/showrod_pages/moonscope.html

TRI-ANG, ROVEX, PIPPIN, RAPHAEL LIPKIN, SPACEX - BLIMEY!

Like PROJECT SWORD, SPACEX has a similarly convoluted family tree in the UK and Europe. Tri-ang, Rovex, Pippin, Raphael Lipkin - it's all so confusing! In an attempt to unpick it, here's my own potted understanding of Tri-ang evolution - there are gaps such as when Raphael Lipkin/Pippin was established and exactly when he teamed up with Rovex on the Spacex line (can anyone fill them in?):

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1. Tri-ang formed by 3 Lines brothes (3 lines of a Triangle!) 1924
2. Rovex formed by Alexander Vanetzian 1946
3. Tri-ang buys Rovex Plastics 1951

4. Raphael Lipkin files for various toy patents (see below) 1957
5. Tri-ang buys Mini Models and the Scalex brand (see pictured boat below) 1958
6. Tri-ang buys Meccano 1964

7. Tri-ang teams up with Pippin Toys ( Raphael Lipkin)
8. Tri-ang ceases trading 1971
9. Airfix buys Meccano 1971
10. Dunbee Combex Marx buys Rovex Tri-ang 1971
11. Dunbee Combex Marx ceases trading 1980

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For more on Tri-ang Rovex go here and here.

The Scalex brand - did it influence the Spacex name? (picture Ebay)

The original Spacex Tri-ang branding: Barry Forde Collection

The later PIPPIN/ ROVEX TRI-ANG Spacex branding: Barry Forde Collection

Above -The PIPPIN/ ROVEX TRI-ANG and the RAPHAEL LIPKIN/ TRI-ANG branding on two different boxed sets (LEM Apollo and MOONBASE) Woodsy collection
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Below - two patent drawings for different toy by Raphael Lipkin as early as 1957 including a 'track' filed with Yonezawa of Japan (more on the Espacenet site)






Below - a variety of Raphael Lipkin/ Pippin toys 1960's/70's (from Vectis, Willingham and Live Auctioneers sites)

WEETO'S 25TH ANNIVERSARY: MORE FREE GIFTS FROM THE PHILOSOPHIC TOAD

Blog regular the Philosophic Toad has sent in these great pictures of his WEETOS cereals 25th Moonlanding Anniversary free gifts collection:

Yellow Saturn V (mine's blue)

Splashdown

Astronauts rear

Astronauts front - and they're happy!

MEGO APOLLO LUNAR MODULE

We first came across MEGO on the blog when a SWORD Space Glider knockoff, SPACE TRACT, was discovered earlier this year and featured extensively. As I said at the time MEGO are not well-known for space toys at all, making their name with action dolls particularly the WORLDS GREATEST SUPER HEROES, which have a huge following especially in the US. I'm still sort of uncertain of this is the same MEGO?

Continuing their small back catalogue of space toys, here we have the boxed MEGO Apollo Lunar Module as seen on Ebay USA. It would definately sit well with its Space Glider stablemate. Are there any more MEGO space toys out there?

JAPANESE KIT EXTRAVAGANZA

Here are a few japanese only kits showing the incredible diversity that the far eastern kit industry has. A Gemini Capsule Recovery model, a NASA Observation Vehicle and the wonderfully exotic Q-Land Moonbase type kit! Far out!

25th MOONLANDING ANNIVERSARY BOWL OF WEETOS

In the 1990's I started putting away cereal packets that I liked. I dug them out today - below - to see if I had any space-related ones. There were certainly lots of Spider-man and Godzilla!

But lo and behold, here we have a WEETOS Moon landing packet below. I couldn't believe that it was for the 25th Moonlanding Anniversary and its the 40th one now! I put it away 15 years ago!

On the back are all the great little free gifts that came in the boxes. I didn't get any more boxes for some reason. Probably because I ate the cereals as per normal and then stored the box! Come to think of it I really don't remember the 25th being that much of a big deal.

But I did get the little bagged-up blue plastic Saturn V in the box I got. It fell straight in my bowl like a milky splashdown! Anyone got any more of this set?

MIDORI 'LUNAR TRANSPORTER' KIT

Our man in Japan has delivered the scoop once more with this wonderful Midori kit of the principal vehicle from the B-Movie 'Green Slime'. Apparently the basis for the Spacex Lunar Transporter toy, this model is a large battery powered version - probably about 8-10 inches long judging by the pics. Even bigger is the current bid, almost £200 ! Those inscrutable japanese do love their vintage kits!

NEW PROJECT SWORD PROBE FORCE 2 DISCOVERY BY WOTAN: POP ROCKET,MISSILE AIRPLANE

Whilst browsing Ebay the mighty WOTAN discovered this, up till now, unknown PROBE FORCE 2 related toy, proceeding to win and donate two to Collecione a la Woodsy! May I introduce you to the POP ROCKET, MISSILE AIRPLANE, made in Hong Kong. The plastic rockets are about 2 inches long and obviously came in a variety of colours, though they don't really bare any resemblance to the fleet pictured on the header card.

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And it's on the header - pictured up close below - where things really get interesting. Pictured is an instantly recognisable but unliveried Project sword PROBE FORCE 2 at lower left! Compare it with the original Century 21 PF2 box art - except for the livery, I would say it's a straight lift!

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Interestingly there is also a Fireball XL5-esque rocket top right. WOTAN remembers this as the Spacebird toy in the 1960's - anyone else? Finally there's a Saturn V-esque rocket in the middle and a standard jetliner in the distance. The card is double-sided with mirror images. Unpunched too! Beautiful. If anyone wants a scan of the header (both sides) leave a comment. I have most readers' email addresses already.

ZODIAC TOYS ORIGINAL 1960's LOGO

This is the only ZODIAC TOYS item I still have from my younger days, the aforementioned 1968 Jason and The Golden Fleece picture book complete with the original slanted Zodiac logo'd price tags in old and new money! Anyone got any more Zodiac toys?

THE STARS OF THE ZODIAC: ZODIAC TOYS

I recently became a member of a wonderful website devoted to Zodiac Toys, the iconic UK 60's and 70's brand and chain of toy shops. Set up by ex-employee Roger Jones, it is a fabulous archive of shop fronts, displays and staff memories. The displays section is well worth sifting through for a glimpse of long-lost toys. I remember vividly going to the Preston Zodiac toy shop with my Mum, along with its rival Thomas Mears, looking for my next star buy. I have just one Zodiac - labelled item from my childhood now, a wonderful oversize picture book called Jason and the Golden Fleece, priced 7/6, by Purnell 1968 illustrated by artists Janet and Anne Graham Johnstone who were prolific back then giving a sort of elf-like quality to all the people in their paintings (who along with Pauline Baynes and Ron Embleton are my favourites childhood book illustrators).

Roger's site is a fine example of what a good company archive by ex-employees could be like. If only similar existed for Tarheel/Empire, T in a Circle, Tri-ang and JR21/Century 21.

Click on the piccy above (the Luton Zodiac shop) and support Roger's site.

COMPETITION TIME!

Okay folks, to add to all the current moongazing excitement, I've got one of the little plastic vintage speedboats below to give away to 4 lucky readers! Just email me the names of ALL the toys on the ground in the above TV21 (#177) reader's photograph and I will send one of the little boats to the first four I get! Email me here. The boats are about an inch long, made in HK and very cool! Closing date 28th July. That's one week. Get to it Swordheads!

WINNERS SO FAR!

1. Arto - 21st July

2. Wotan - 22nd July

3. Sean - 24th July

MOONGAZING

Tranquility Base has been established and Man has finally set foot upon his nearest neighbouring world. Lets hope that it wont be another 40 years before we watch such dramatic events live again. Probably, this time in 2049 we'll all have live feeds to our mobile 'phones' from Martian webcasts! Who knows what the future holds, but lets hope its bright and powerfully attractive just like our Luna. Meanwhile, heres my brief tribute to the bravest of the brave who set out into the unknown reaches and also to those whose courage was sadly spent in vain.

Pictured: Clifford Apollo 11 set, featuring LEM, Apollo Service module and two tiny astronauts - probably about half the size of the Spacex version, but very closely modelled apart from the inclusion of interior detailing on the Service Module, even though the capsule had been glued in place! Also gorgeous box art.
Next, LEM parade! How many do you recognise ? And finally, my own little part of Moon Week, a sketch of Eagle preparing for descent into history. Lets go again, soon....