This set is at first glance a bit of a mystery.
Is it a sort of splashdown set? I say this because I can see an aircraft carrier in there.
But what about the capsule? Does it in some way fire the round green rotors?
The Nike Hercules missile looks like its ejected from a spring-loaded red stand.
As for the header art, it looks like a photograph. is it a still from a film? Anyone know?
Is the backing card graphic a sort of playmat? A seascape? A chart? A launch site?
Anyone got this space toy set?
Questions! First off the backer card is probably a target to land on, the 'still' is a coloured line drawing taken from a shot of Cape Canveral from any one of thosands of books. The Nike is a copy of the Marx Cape Canaveral Rockt set, so probably fires off the red launcher. The Mercury capsule will be a spring wound launcher for the green 'satellites' and the boat - I used to have and it takes me back! Sits on the target backer to make splashdown look authentic!
ReplyDeleteSo many answers there Billster. Is your middle name Canaveral? I can't believe you had the boat! Where did that go?
DeleteI really like these old cheap plastic space toys, Woodsy. Certainly haven't seen this one before. Always nice to see these things appear on the blog :)
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean Tine. These rack toys are quite beautiful and its always fun to have them featured on Moonbase. I wonder if rack toys are still being made?
DeleteTine? I mean Tone Tone!
ReplyDeleteInteresting question, Woodsy. The family-run corner shop, the little local news agent (the paper shop) and virtually all of the small community post offices of childhood, where rack toys were sold, have long since vanished from the landscape - at least around here. The cheap and exciting rack toys disappeared along with the shops when I wasn't looking. Gone but not forgotten :)
ReplyDeleteI fear you may be right Tone.
DeletePerhaps not the exact same toys, but something similar are still being made (in China) and sold in what are known as $2 shops in NZ - these would be pound shops in Britain or dollar stores in America. Most are actually a lot more than $2 now, but the name is still used. Sometimes similar items can be found in the party goods aisle as well. Quality is usually not great.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see one of those toys Paul!
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