Certain space figures are destined to recall a part of collecting history and for me are the essence of periods in the space age. Golden astronaut figures always remind me of the late sixties and similarly, these Cherilea Swoppet figures mark the transition to the seventies. Larger than the average Cherilea or Britains soldier by a good head and shoulders, the construction was basically the same - legs and torso and head could be swapped about and the back packs were detachable too, making it possible to create your own custom spaceman. Earlier models came without a base and had slightly enlarged feet allowing them to stand, but the bulk of the figures seen today have plastic bases. Boxed sets complete with a repurposed Dr Who Mechanoid body made into a space capsule were available, but the chances of more than one spaceman fitting inside the cricket ball sized capsule were remote! Box set courtesy of Mark Bergin toys and loose figures from Joe Langs own collections. More to follow soon!
Certain space figures are destined to recall a part of collecting history and for me are the essence of periods in the space age. Golden astronaut figures always remind me of the late sixties and similarly, these Cherilea Swoppet figures mark the transition to the seventies. Larger than the average Cherilea or Britains soldier by a good head and shoulders, the construction was basically the same - legs and torso and head could be swapped about and the back packs were detachable too, making it possible to create your own custom spaceman. Earlier models came without a base and had slightly enlarged feet allowing them to stand, but the bulk of the figures seen today have plastic bases. Boxed sets complete with a repurposed Dr Who Mechanoid body made into a space capsule were available, but the chances of more than one spaceman fitting inside the cricket ball sized capsule were remote! Box set courtesy of Mark Bergin toys and loose figures from Joe Langs own collections. More to follow soon!
I could do with a repurposed body!
ReplyDeleteI really like the design of the figures. It would have been nice to get those figures here in the US. The backpack designs are expecially interesting.
ReplyDeleteI had some of these, or at least a variation with mostly black, white and red coloring during my Midwest childhood. So they must have been available in some parts of the U.S. I need to scrounge around my mom's basement next time I visit! Thanks for the pictures!
ReplyDelete