Hi
Here, as promised, are some photographs of my Hoover Space Bird 3 car. It is in the same colours as the one you showed in the recent post on Hoover toys.
Thank you to Woodsy for identifying this toy; and thank you to Wotan for identifying the real car the toy is based on, the 1963 Silhouette, a custom design by Bill Cushenberry. I had not known that before.
I have had this toy for a very long time, probably since the 1960s (or early 1970s), so it must be over 50 years old. I did not realise that it was considered a space toy - I always thought of it as a racing car, especially given the number 3 on the nose. I do not recall what the packaging for it was like, if it had a box or what type.
The toy is moulded in red plastic, with white spray-painted detail on the upper nose. This is rather 'soft and fuzzy'. The wheel hubs are silver-grey plastic, with black firm-rubber tyres. There are two half-figures in the cockpit, both moulded in silver-grey plastic. The driver is a normal racing car driver in an open-faced helmet with goggles, while his passenger is an astronaut - I always thought that was an odd mix. He seems to be the same astronaut as the crewmen in the Hover Space Tract toy shown a few months ago.
The box in your earlier post shows both driver and passenger wearing suits and ties, with racing car crash helmets, which is just as odd. The steering wheel has three spokes, and is yellow plastic. The clear plastic dome is held in place with three clips, but these have broken off over the years. The dome is also a bit scratched, and has a crack.
The toy is friction powered, with drive to the front wheels, although this no longer works. The box shown has 'With Siren Fiction Drive' - but I do not recall any sound effects. Metal axles front and rear. Moulded in to the underside is what I would describe as a winged-V, forming part of the word HOOVER (not HOVER). Below this is the number 303, then the words MADE IN HONG KONG. The upper and lower body are held together with two screws.
The logo seems to be the same winged-V for both Hover and Hoover, so was this the same company, just with a slight change of name ? My guess would be that as Hoover is a British nickname for vacuum-cleaner, they just decided to change it.
Length is about 8 inches, width just under 3 1/2 inches, height about 2 inches. It was a fun toy, and seems to have survived the years fairly well, apart from the clips on the plastic bubble.
Paul Adams from New Zealand
Tjhats a cracking little toy - clearly lifted from the Hot Wheels Silhouette and Ed 'Big Daddy' Roth design, I love the way its just got a random astronaut in there too! That mus be as rare as hens teeth!
ReplyDeleteThat seated astronaut could be the same one in other Hover Hoover toys Wote. 303 comes after the grey speed record racer type car they did, 302.
DeleteThat's a rare bird indeed, thanks Paul for an exhaustive presentation and for a chance to see the toy in detail. Well spotted that similarity of astronauts too. That driver - astronaut combo is just hilarious!
ReplyDeleteA lovely vintage toy, Paul. A true survivor. I do like the design and plastic bubble.
ReplyDeleteThank you. I am glad you enjoyed the toy. I had no idea it was anything special until photos of it turned up in a previous post, and Woodsy said he had not seen one before. I have no idea when or where it was bought, but I have had it as long as I can remember.
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