Occasionally I come across these two American space toys by Ideal in cyberspace. This time I've stopped and wondered what they are. I have the impression that they may be important in the development of US space toys.
The yellow Space Fighter Transport reminds me of the Seaview from Voyage to the Bottom of The Sea for some reason. It's split window bay is straight from those classic Spaceways stories from the 1950's.
The clear tear-drop ship is far more elusive to place. It looks a complex and fragile toy as I imagine that the clear canopy comes away to reveal the spacemen inside. All in all I do like the look of them both but as they are outside my British childhood I can't put them in context.
Does anyone know where the story behind these American beauties?
Wish I could help. I too have seen these a number of times and have put them on my eBay 'watch' list but just never got around to buying them. The fighter transport almost reminds me of the latter day 'Battlestar Galactica' concept.
ReplyDeleteI never saw either of these before in my life, which really shocked me given my affection for the Ideal brand, until I found more info on the clear bubble domed ship:
ReplyDeletehttp://danefield.com/alpha/forums/topic/11111-ideal-futuramic-take-apart-spaceship/
Now I understand I showed up a bit too late for either of these.
Cheers for your comments guys. The link to Danefield was really insightful Richard. Thanks. Like you I am too young to have ever have come across these, that's if they were even available in the UK. They have that unique quality of space toys of that era, combining Victorian design with cutting edge technology. Sort of steampunk!
ReplyDeleteI had the ship pictured at the top and it was one of my favorite toys. I would like to get it again as I am somewhat of a collector. This is the first picture I've seen of it since I had one. The red circular disc on top would unscrew and the transparent top could be removed to get a the figures. They had a base with a hole in it and pegs on the deck, so you could re-arrange the crew. I loved it.
ReplyDeleteThe Futuramic ship sell for $3000 on auctions
ReplyDeleteAs a child this was one of my favorite toys. I spent a lot of time traveling the cosmos with it. I would love to own one again, especially with the radar unit intact on the roof. One sold recently for $600 - sadly I didn't see it until after the auction.
ReplyDeletesorry you missed that one. Hopefully another one will turn up in your neck of the universe and a lot cheaper! It is a lovely American toy. Not sure it was available here in the UK.
DeleteI Have the original injection molds for the transporter. Left in my basement from previos owner.
ReplyDeleteReally? Fascinating! Why not send me some pics for the blog? Email is moonbasecentral@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteAs a child in the 50s I had a Futuramic Spaceship by Ideal. It was my favorite toy and I lost it during a move in the 1970s. Closest I ever came to getting it back was a guy in Indiana that wanted over $1,000 for it. Guess I'll never have another one.
ReplyDeleteThe price of some old toys is crazy nowadays I agree. Nostalgia gone mad. Its a shame our toys got thrown away but that's part of growing up I suppose. Hope you find a cheap one in a yard sale when everyone else is asleep!
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