CHOPPER SQUAD

Just arrived today is a toy iv'e been aware of for many, many years. When I visited a grotto in Liverpool at christmas in Liverpool, during the sixties, this little copter would invariably be patrolling the toy department floor along with barking dogs, hurdling jeeps and the odd Moon Grabber.

Marx Moon Scout Helicopter has been around since the mid-sixties, when the Hill Climbing Moon Grabbers appeared. Whether it was intentionally allied to the vehicles, is uncertain, but its certainly scaled to fit.

The american release of the Grabbers included a large set with a pair of trailers, one of which carried a copter. The idea of a helicopter in space is something which has annoyed me since I was old enough to comprehend that a rotor won't function in an airless environment. My annoyance was compounded by the release of Tri-angs Helicopter P3, which is shown on the cardback as whirling happily along in a nebula!

But now i'm older, wiser and perhaps more forgiving, i'm just pleased to add a fine toy to my collection.

Its a well made, sturdy little thing, with a plastic body and metal tail. I especially like the way the rear rotor reflects the Captain Scarlet Helicopter too. Its adorned with US flags and NASA symbols, which date it nicely to the moon race period. Like so many toy copters of its day, from Marx, Durham and many other makers, the rotors have lights at their tips which illuminate as it rolls along.

My only reservation with the toy is the racket it makes when you switch it on. Inside is a small cam and a hammer, which strikes a timpanum inside made from a piece of spare tin and a plastic box. Presumably its intended to make the classic copter engine sound, but its really loud and abrasive! Perhaps im not as forgiving as I thought I was!

Two little suited astronauts huddle up in what clearly resembles a pressurised cockpit, so perhaps Marx weren't completely outside the ballpark with their thinking. Box art is gorgeously typical of the period, with big garish moon craters behind the copter and generous use of colour. Looking at it, I can just imagine it sitting in a toy shop window now and can't imagine why I left it so long to get one!