All this talk of Hover has made me delve into the archives and re-blog one of my favourite postings from the early days, the wonderful boxed HOVER MOON BASE and associated carded toys (Hover brand not visible but I'm confident they're Hover) from back in February 2009. Enjoy again! Any updates, new photo's, omissions (a carded Scramble Bug or Lunar Rover?), variations and general Hover wisdom are welcomed! And just what are those groovy fonts they've used? Austin Powers? Yeah Baby!
The fabulous Hover Moon Base, Space Glider and Adventure: Now these little fellows I adore although they somehow passed me by as a kid ( then again I was 10 in 1970 and had discovered pop music!). The fabulous Hover Moon Base and fleet of spacecraft. Although a Spacex knockoff it did offer value for money as you got not one but two silver astronauts on the carded toys and a veritable academy of six in the box! Added to this were little plastic pieces of pink moonscape (they look pink in the pics!). So cool.
A couple of inevitable questions arise looking at these pictures: what was on the box and card backs - nothing?, did the Scramble Bug come on a card too? and did the pink roving vehicle, which appears on the header cards come as a toy too? Where there any more of these little beauties?
One final thought, I can't help thinking that the Space Adventure is a typo with an 'r' missing. I think it should have been 'Space Adventurer', which would fit in with other two factual titles of Space Glider and Moon Base.
(picture credits: 1 (top) Ebay, 2 MM, 4 (bottom) MM - thank you)
And presto! as if by magic we have a Hover Lunar Rover! - the blue one with the red wheels ( they look the same as those on the line's Scramble Bug) - next to the blue Hover Space Glider (alas, minus antenna) and more Major Matt Mason vehicle - look-alikes courtesy of WOTAN. Not sure what the red rocket truck is? I love the wooden gantry with skyray rocket holding the paper down!
ADDENDUM:
HOVER 747 on Ebay May 2010, Made in Hong kong, 18 inches long. Model no. on the box 874.
ADDENDUM
Interesting pics. Why do you think these toys are by Hover, Paul?
ReplyDeleteSean
The boxed Moon Base set has the Hover brand on it, so that's easy. The carded sets have the same illustrations as the on the boxed set, so ipso facto, Hover too. Shakey I know but it's neat. I'd love to be proved wrong Sean! PS. I've never seen any of these little beauties in the flesh unlike WOTAN who has owned several.
ReplyDeleteI had all of the toys apart from the bubble saucer thing. The scramble bug and rover fell apart as they are very flimsy. Ive still got the Glider and that has no makers marks on it at all.They were sold loose in sweet shops next to other candy premiums.
ReplyDeleteon the top of the carded items, note the very close similarity of the moon rover illustration to the one included in the mythical SWORD Moon Base - too close for comfort!
ReplyDeleteNow that's one sweet shop I'd love to have gone to! None like that in Preston! Wonder if any of those Gliders and Rovers got mistaken for sweets and got chomped?!?
ReplyDelete