One of the good things about collecting Spacex stuff in the late sixties and early seventies was that they were cheap, and to my mind pretty good quality pocket money toys.
The fact that they had designs that I’d seen in TV21 made them even more desirable.
Even the little bubble packs they came in were collectable with those four different pictures of other models on the back. I got quite a buzz when I found a picture of one I didn’t have.
The three Spacex Majors were quite mysterious too, especially the Moon base as that didn’t even have a proper photo.
When I eventually saw the Major boxes in a local toy shop I can still remember that initial excitement at finding them.
One set I never had as a kid was the Spacex Superset. I saw a photo of it on a comic site of all things, which was celebrating the fact that the Space Patrol 1 toy had originated in the TV21 Dalek strip.
For me this set had that unique moulded crater, perfect for that Spacex diorama!
Nice post. I loved the Spacex toys as a kid. I also remember a shop with all 3 of the large sets (one major and lots of the smaller craft). I bought the "Space station" set, which was the nuclear pulse and many of the spaceships. It also came with a poster of a starfield.
ReplyDeleteVery well described, Scoop!
ReplyDeleteI remember being very annoyed about not being able to complete the series when young. Couldn't find a Helicopter P3 in any of the toy shops I knew...
And now, much later in life, it turns out there is -so- much to discover about these little toys. And again, so much that seems to stay beyond reach. ;)
Best -- Paul
I agree Scoop, they were really well made and excellent value for money at the time, although I don't remember buying any. I assume I got mine at Xmas from my folks. Never had any of the sets, just the cool carded Spacex I stuff. The photos on the back are really cool aren't they. Bet you could recreate them with all those skills of yours!!!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat article Scoop! For the collector whose cramped on space, the small size of the toys is excellent. You wouldn't even need that much space to build a half-way decent diorama.
ReplyDeleteThat's true, Ed . The smallest diorama I''ve done for the Spacex is 7" x 12". A piece of ply with some plaster craters, all painted grey- simples !
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