Just two short years ago it was the blog's seventh birthday and we showcased the wonderful Tomy Interplanetary Space Rocket and as it was a Japanese release, marvelled at its rarity.
Imagine then, my surprise when one appears on ebay UK recently at a very interesting starting price, as it was slightly damaged and being sold as parts. I sat back, snuck in a cheeky bid and waited for the inevitable.
A day or so went by before, as suspected, my meagre covering bid was knocked off the top slot. Irate, I immediately emailed Woodsy for a moan and to point out this veritable treasure. Rather than the expected oohhs and aahhs, I received a tirade of abuse from the Lord of Sword as it was he who had outbid me!
I was taken aback to say the least, but it turned out that Sears Rocket owner and space enthusiast, Rob Godwin, tipped off Woodstock to this rarity and he had quickly stepped in.
With the news that the rocket had been spotted by a viewer in Canada, I fully expected a shower of bids to arrive from other specialists, eager to bag a bargain. None came however. Woodstock, being the wonderfully selfless creature that he is, argued that I should try and step in last minute to reclaim the beast.
After several seconds of heartfelt wrangling and soul-searching, I agreed and when the closing moments arrived, I struck with pityless zeal. Amazingly, having bested Woodsy's maximum by a pound or two, no other bids arrived and I won the toy for under £25!
Naturally, I was beside myself with pleasure. So a big thanks once more go to Woodsy for stepping down on something which would have graced his far superior SWORD collection and letting me take the prize.
As we have seen in previous posts, the Tomy (and SEARS version) is considerably taller than the C21 version and the motor also includes a smoke generating device.
My model was damaged by heat and the battery case will not close, so I am unable to test it, but the box proclaims that 'smoke comes out very heavily' along with flashing lights.
As I can't start the motor, I am reliant on just the static good looks of the toy and the launching capsule action, as seen in the videos!
So until my mechanical and restorative expertise improve, or I find a second fixer-upper, I have to be content with a static display model, which in itself is still fabulous.
superb slomo films Bill. I reckon they're a first. Certainly on the blog. I wonder when they were last fired like that, the Sixties? The parachute action is perfect. The capsules work brilliantly don't they! I'd love to see the smoke unit working on the Tomy rocket! Wonder how it worked?
ReplyDeleteExcellent find Bill, still missing from Helsinki Base collection. Congrats on your acquisition!
ReplyDeleteYes, I agree with Arto... a lovely find and another piece of Space Age treasure for the collection, Bill :)
ReplyDeleteI do love a good rocket and this is a classic example with all the trimmings.
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