Some time ago I suggested a similarity between the US Ideal Astro Base Scout Car and the Project SWORD Moon Ranger. I would like now to formally link the two.
Here is the Ideal Astro Base Scout Car:
To remind readers of how the Ideal Astro Base and car operate then the best place is to go is to an original TV advert, which fortunately for us can still be seen on the Classic Airliners and Vintage Pop Culture You Tube channel:
The features between the Scout Car and the Moon Ranger which I would like to suggest are the same or related are: the pilot, the pilot's seat and the cockpit dome.
The pilots of the Ideal Astro Base Car and the Century 21 Moon Ranger appear to be the same as you can see from the comparison shots I've put together. The only difference is colouring and perhaps size, but as I don't have the Ideal toy I can't be sure about dimensions.
The pilot's seats are related. The ribbing is virtually the same. Only the overall shapes differ. I have compared them below.
The cockpit domes are related as well I would say. Both of them even have a similar top feature. The radar antennae are also of a similar rotating type.
This link that I am proposing also pushes back the date for the toy origin of the Project SWORD Moon Ranger. Previously in my post New Origins of Project SWORD the date of origin I gave was 1963, the year of manufacture of the Japanese Nichimo Car Boat Pioneer seen below.
The new date can be pushed back to 1960, the year of manufacture for the Ideal Astro Base [ref: Alphadrome - the site also mentions a US patent for the Astro car but I have been unable to find it]. Comparing the Nichimo pilot with it it seems likely that the Japanese Pioneer is also based in part on the Ideal Astro Base Car.
Finally, if this is all indeed correct then not only is the date of the Moon Ranger toy origin pushed back but also the date of the toy origin of ANY Project SWORD toy, now 1960.
What do you think? Anyone got both toys?
Morning Woodsy,
ReplyDeletehere's the link to the patent mentioned on Alphadrome:
http://pdfpiw.uspto.gov/.piw?PageNum=1&docid=03071895
which has 7 pages of drawings for the mechanism in that base structure (just click on the yellow arrows in margin at left for the next one). Nothing on the vehicle though, but hope it helps anyway.
Best -- Paul
Great work Woodsy. I remember the Astro Base commercials but was always more interested in the smaller side of space like Marx Cape Canaveral stuff or Premier Plastics Flash Gordon rocket ships. But looking at this stuff certainly makes me feel like I missed out on something!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the link Paul. I've tried the number for the Space car as per Alphadrom'e thread but it come's up with another toy, the Brain. Very odd. I'd love to know of Marx came up with the pilot themselves or did they get the shape from something earlier. Maybe the Astro car patent would solve that one?
ReplyDeleteAnd Ed, yes, what a cool toy it was. I had the Johnny Astro with the flying balloon but never the Astro Base. The working astronaut crane is amazing! Didn't know anyone with the toy either!