DINKY LUNAR ROVING VEHICLE

The Dinky Lunar Roving Vehicle (L.R.V.) aka Lunar Rover aka Moon Buggy  came out in 1972 and was based on the real Lunar Rovers' that were used during the Apollo 15, 16 and 17 missions to the Moon.

The toy has a pivoting central control lever which turns the front and rear axles in opposite directions just like the real Rover, which had a tight turning circle of just 10 feet.

Like the original, there are two astronauts on board, although the one in the left hand seat would be the mission commander and the driver of the Rover. It's top speed was down as 8 mph, although the lunar land speed record is held by Apollo 17 Commander Eugene Cernan who recorded a speed of 11.2 mph.

The real Rover  carried two 36 volt non-rechargeable batteries which carried enough power to cover a range of 57 miles, although the astronauts used the 'Walkback Limit', which meant that if the Rover broke down it would always be possible to walk back to the Lunar Module. Apollo 17 went the furtherest from the L.M. at 4.7 miles.

Like the Descent Stage of the Apollo Lunar Module, each of the three Rovers remain on the Moon.