Back when I was a wee anklebiter in the family home in Preston, it would have been Christmas 1967 and 1968 when I got my Project SWORD toys. Santa delivered the the SWORD Annual in 1968 too. SpaceX toys came along Christmas 1970. Or was it 1969? Alas, I don't have any family photo's of Christmasses back then so I can't check what else I got at the same time.
Just looking at the dates again it does seem odd that I got my SWORD toys a whole 2 years before my SpaceX. It's a long time to wait, from being 8 years old to the grand old age of 10! Did the space craze last much beyond 1970?
When did you get your SWORD or SpaceX toys as a kid in your neck of the woods? Did you get Century 21 SWORD toys, Tarheel SWORD toys, Tri-ang SpaceX, Multiple Golden Astronaut Imperial Apollo Moon Exploring or others? Did you get SWORD toys before SpaceX?
Did anyone actually get any of the SWORD or SpaceX knockoffs as a kid by the likes of Hover, Hoover, Roxy etc?
Me [left] circa summer 1967 with toy die-cast cap rifle [make?] and chum, David Hindle.
Butlins Holiday Resort, maybe Minehead.
I had some Star Mites in the summer of 1978.They were bought at K Mart.I guess this was in the wake of the massive Star Wars craze and toy companies were quick to re-issue older space toys and turn a profit.The Star Mites were inexpensive,good looking and tough toys.I should know, they accompanied me to the sandbox,playground and beach all summer long.I recall having them around for many years afterward.
ReplyDeleteI've added your site to my blog list on http://kidr77.blogspot.com - there's a few '60s pics of me as a kid scattered around, with various Gerry Anderson toys and even a Dalek. Ain't nostalgia wonderful?!
ReplyDeleteI am not certain, but I think I had Sword before Spacex.
ReplyDeleteNever had any Sword when young in Holland, and sadly can't recall with exactitude when I had Spacex. Can't link it to any other event that would date it... Can't recall seeing any of the knock-offs at the time either.
ReplyDeleteAt any rate, Sword came out well before Spacex was introduced in early 1969.
Best -- Paul
Sword- probably 1967.
ReplyDeleteSpacex, later probably 1969?
Christmas 1967 was when Santa flew in the SWORD Zero-X "Five-Toys-In-One" for me. I seem to remember getting a couple of Space-X toys around 1969.
ReplyDeleteBrian, Star Mites eh. Never had any of those. Were they made by Empire? Is that Empire of Tarboro?
ReplyDeleteAnd Kid, had a great time this morning browsing your blog. Very poignant stories about moving house and I love the two Alan Fennell tales. Couldn't see any pics of you with vintage toys though. Are they in a particular thread?
And Bill, I had to laugh at Santa and your Zero-X. I had visions of him landing on the roof on it, flying down the chimney in the MEV and parking up under the tree! ha ha. I suppose in a way he is an astronaut of sorts. Definately a Tracy brother piloting his own 'sled'!
Yes,Star Mites were made by Empire and they are they were a series of robots and Futuristic construction vehicles.The vehicles particularly appealed to me because they stood up to rough play in the sand.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that I even noticed as a seven/ eight year old was the amount of batteries Zero-X went through; it used to eat them. Even the box stated that it needed high power batteries.
ReplyDeleteI remember waking up on Christmas Morning 1967 and finding this huge box shoe-horned into my pillow-case. I had many adventures with my Zero-X and Thunderbirds 1, 2, 3 and 5. Plus the Dinky FAB-1 and the SPV.
They were literally loved to bits!