Here’s a familiar toy we’ve seen quite a few times on the
blog, the JR21 X-60 Space Rocket on Launching Truck.
Although it also appeared in an unbranded box, It’s one of
the ‘X’ range of toys that is reasonable to assume that Jack Rosenthal (Toys) Ltd distributed, although as far as I’m
aware, the X-60 is the only ‘X’ toy that carried the JR21 brand logo.
The toy does appear in TV21 issue 64 (dated 9th
April, 2066) as a competition prize, and is described as a JR21 produced toy.
It’s often been speculated that the toy might have been chosen
to be part of the future Project SWORD line, like the Apollo Rocket that also
appeared as a Lyons Maid 'Zoom' competition prize in TV21 prior to its inclusion to the SWORD
range.
The Space Rocket on the Truck looked a little similar to
another separate friction drive toy, the’ Lunar Probe’ distributed by ‘Lucky’
toys. There was also an old Midori kit that Woodsy featured on the blog awhile back.
The gimmick of the toy is the front cabin push- pad releases and
raises the rocket, which then releases the nose cone.
The X-60 is one of those toys that as kid growing up in the
sixties, I always felt it was part of my own Gerry Anderson universe, just like
Spacex toys were.
Never knew about this as a kid but got one now, it's ace. Good photos too.
ReplyDeleteThanks Kev.Yeah,I find this toy very evocative of the early sixties for some reason. I remember having one so I must have got it around that time.
DeleteLike Kevin, I'd never seen this toy before. Its fantastic! I would have loved it.
ReplyDeleteKeep it up Moonbase Central !
Mish.
Like I mention in the post, it's very remenisant of a Sword toy that just didn't make it. As you say it's a super looking and colourful toy.
DeleteA beautiful toy Scoop and wonderfully photographed. I bet the kids who won one from that TV21 competition were thrilled with it!
ReplyDeleteThanks Woodsy. Yeah, 120 kids must have been chuffed to have received one. I think my original one was bought at Rochdale market. :D
DeleteI also had one of these. I was always a bit disappointed the whole rocket did not detach, and hated the crude driver figure. But yes, otherwise it's a great toy.
ReplyDeleteThere's a silver-grey Hungarian toy rocket very similar to this as well and one is often on Ebay from Easter Europe.
ReplyDelete