In the 1970s, before the creation of the nanny state which now seems to preclude kids playing happily outside, I always enjoyed guns, rockets and anything which employed a projectile. Gliders, parachutes and flying saucers were always in good supply from seaside shops, so summer was always spent either on a beach, or in the garden. One toy that eluded me at the time was a simple idea, called Thundershot. Having seen it on tv, I was immediately smitten, but could never find it in the shops in Liverpool, or even on holiday. However, I was pleased to find a good quality example on ebay.The box was a little damaged, but the toy was unused.
It is essentially a pneumatic powered pump, made of two cardboard tubes, topped with a plastic rocket. Pushing down on the rocket compresses the air and releasing the rocket with a finger, lets it launch off. On tv, it shot high in the air, but in practicality, I only made about 6 feet in the air! The rocket comes with two cones, one for use with a chute and one just as a projectile. The cap should release and let out the chute, but try as I might, I couldn't get it to fly high enough to activate. Still, it's nice looking period toy and at least theres no danger of it joining my Quercetti rockets in the roof gutter!
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