Grab Bag

A big space toy staple of the 1960's were the Hill Climbing Moon Grabbers, by Marx. They were released over several years, with three basic models and a special Moon Train set in the states, featuring small trailers with a rocket and a helicopter on board.

They were always highly visible in christmas shop window displays along with Billy Blastoff and Matt Mason and could often be seen trundling across the floor of large department stores along with robots, airplanes and barking dogs.

My favourite of the three is the Moon Scout with its huge grab arm and the iconic multi dish radar, which appeared on the later Spacex Apollo Tracker.

A curious design, with no apparent cockpit and two large domes enclosing what must be remote sensing equipment for the vehicle.

Marx also made small boxed sets with hand painted figures, rocks and a tiny version of the vehicles, adding a fourth space tank too.

Later versions of the grabbers appeared in coloured chrome finish which were still available in the early seventies.