A Different Spin on Things

 Bank Holidays were always an excuse for a day out, invariably to the seaside. Seaside always meant beach shops and all kinds of cheap rubbish that you couldn't get anywhere else as it wasn't intended to last more than a few days at the beach. In amongst all the spades, kites, buckets and water pistols, there would always be other little gems tucked away. A perennial favourite of mine would have to be the Space Boomerang. These impossibly fragile things came in two sizes, a large one about the size of an espresso saucer and the small like the one i have here, a mere two inches in diameter. Looping an elastic band around the arm on the side would sent it spinning off into oblivion. Again, like the Quercetti Rockets and Arrowcopters, you were lucky to get any play out of these things as they either shattered against a brick wall, or took off on the wind.

 

The header card with the overly complex instructions is cool, looks like its been printed with ahlf a potato!

 In a similar vein, but safely back on the Earth were the spring powered spinning saucers. a handheld launcher and a sleek plastic saucer and occasionally a rotor as well, these were another ten minute wonder. Winding the saucer against the spring was always a risk, as one too many over enthusiastic turns meant the restraining clip on the launcher would snap and that would be playtime over. But when it worked, it was magical, watching the saucer spin and in this case, humming sweetly as it whirled around..

Remember to turn up the sound on this one..

and then you can hear me cuss as it wanders out of shot!