I saw these on Etsy or Ebay earlier in the year and thought I'd save the pics because these spacemen are new to me.
Described as Thomas Spacemen I really don't think I've seen them before. They look intriguing too.
This first one is like a gunslinger with cowboy style trousers.
This one has a sort of duck face, almost Tusken Raider. The weapon looks like a Third Reich stick grenade!
This third one is more classically Buck Rogers-ish or Flash Gordon.
This final one has a lovely blue sheen and looks female, with a hint of Metropolis's Maria maybe.
Anyone know anything about Thomas spacemen?
Alas I know nothing about Thomas Toys, but I have seen these figures before on the alphadrome website. If you google 'ferriot alphadrome' the first site that comes up should take you to the right page. Also they have that mettalic blue one aswell, just above ferriot,listed as cracker toys. I dont know if theres more info on Thomas Toys available on the site, me I just look at the pretty pictures....
ReplyDeleteThe cracker connection is fascinating. At first I thought you meant Crackerjack toys but you mean Christmas crackers I think Timmy.
DeleteAfter some digging, I've found out that these were apparently made by a UK company called Tudor Rose, probably in the 1950s, and despite their metallic look are made from polythene plastic.
ReplyDeleteWow, Tudor Rose! Thanks Mish! An iconic toy company Mish, who released some fabulous toys including the space explorer and the fantastic Batman control Tower. There's an interesting article on TR toys here, which includes Ed Kelly, a batman collector I met when he used to stand at Memorabilia at the NEC.
Deletehttps://scoop.previewsworld.com/Home/4/1/73/1017?articleID=190083
DeleteAlso, the reference to 'cracker toys' may relate to the free gift toys found in boxes of Cracker Jack popcorn (though I'm not sure these were such items, but merely looked like they were).
ReplyDeleteOf course, I could be completely wrong !
I think it means Christmas crackers Mish but some proof is needed.
DeleteI had these in the mid 50's as the contents of a box of Christmas Crackers labeled as Dan Dare. They were also sold loose over the counter by Tudor Rose. There is another figure with a spiked helmet and his arms out stretched to the side.
ReplyDeleteAnd Terranova47 provides the proof we needed that they are indeed Christmas crackers! That must be a very collectable Dan dare item. Thanks! And more Tudor Rose evidence. brilliant! Thanks for the email too!
DeleteFor me these figures are among the finest spaceman designs ever, never come across any of them before. I am especially fond of the gill man.
ReplyDeleteInstead of Tudor Rose, Alphadrome Database credits them to a UK manufacturer Poplar
https://tinyurl.com/yfpjlrhn
I agree Arto, these figures are stupendous and the gill man is my fave too! Poplar eh? Interesting.
DeletePoplar produced the figures in metallic colours. Tudor Rose made them in yellow, gray and red. I remember them being sold to go with the X-400 Space Explorer shown on this blog 9th February 2021.
ReplyDeleteFantastic Terran! Poplar and Tudor Rose! So do you think the one's pictured are Poplar?
DeleteYes, these are metallic finish therefore Poplar. Tudor Rose were garish bright colours except for the gray. The Archer spacemen from the US were also made in England and sold as Dan Dare even though they didn't look the part.
DeleteFab Terran. Where does the name Thomas come from? Any idea?
DeleteThomas had the originals made in the US from . . . I can't remember, gallenite, ferrocite or something (the originals have been in Plastic Warrior) and then produced them in the metallic PVC (silver, gold, bronze and gun-metal), Poplar (who were origianlly a subsidiary/sister of TNT) then issued them in polyethylene 'brights', possibly after the demise of Thomas in the US, although both painted and grey ones turn-up, finally they were copied by someone (France or Hong Kong) with added bases - two known so far, both red polyethylene. Tudor Rose made chunkier figures in Hard 'styrene metallics like the cracker toy but more animated, copied/licenced from Reliable or Lido . . . Pyro - someone like that? There was an Australian issue of the TR ones with a different back-mark ('G'?). The cracker story was also in Plastic Warrior.
ReplyDeleteH
Hugh, fabulous info so thanks for sharing. I thought you'd know the background of these spacemen.
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