Like many budding space cadets of my generation I loved Mattel's Major Matt Mason toys and the similar Colourforms Outer Space Men. The sheer attention to detail by both companies was stunning and made for great play sessions. It's only in the last ten years, however, that I became aware of Mattel's Major Matt Mason ORBITOR pictured above in 1970. I first came across it in an excellent book by James Gillam called Space Toys of the 60's and was immediately intrigued by the mystery surrounding this toy. Like SWORD's Moon Base Play Set, was the ORBITOR ever made?
Basically the design appears to be a circular spinning rotor with a central clear dome containing a blue seated alien, who incidentally, is called OR. The spinner is propelled upwards by means of a levered device as you can see in the picture. The rotor and overall concept recalls my favourite Matt Mason gadget as a kid, the Satellite Launch Pak shown below. Consulting what I consider to be the best Matt Mason site, John Eaton's Wildtoys, it would appear that OR and his ORBITOR never left the ground and remained on the Mattel workbench. However, ace modeller Frank May, who has displayed large SpaceX models befire here at Moonbase, has made a mock-up of ORBITOR, which you can see at Wildtoys.
The concept of domed satellite spinners has been around a while. Below is the PLANET PATROL SAUCER ray gun set with domed rotors that fly from the end of the gun and is from the 1950's.
And finally here os the LUNAR ORBITOR by NP of Germany. Although oit has no dome, the centre is topped with a neat silver radar. I don't know the date of this. There are many more examples of saellite toys with domes and thingies stuck on top. Maybe you have one like the ORBITOR. Or?
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