I love a good space toy mystery, especially one involving box art. This unusual Sears Space Command Centre and Sound Studio appeared on fleabay recently. It seems to be a plastic work station surrounded by card screens and was presumably generic enough for all 12inch figures at the time such as GI Joe and Barbie [Barbie did get her own Space Station].
It's the four card art screens that I like [pictured above right]. Depicting various spacecraft, I recognised the floating city as being from a beautiful Ken Fagg cover from a 1954 If magazine [below left]. I know I've seen the spaceship, which is flying below the floating city, before but just can't place it. As for the rest of the craft shown I would be amazed if they're not from similar Sci Fi pulp covers of the 1950's and 60's.
Anyone recognise them?
A reader has struck gold identifying the Discovery panel, above right, as the cover of the paperback The Lost Worlds of 2001. The cover was painted by Bruce Pennington and he became famous overnight when it appeared on the first issue of Science Fiction Monthly in January 1974 [below].
OK. It's where you sit to issue commands. In space. And when you have nothing else to do, you can mix some snappy tunes to play back on your Space Walkman? Or DJ for your favorite disco, remotely? The future is, indeed, a wonderful place.
ReplyDeleteYep, the future is tantalizingly just round the corner Baron, always, and it promises much.
DeleteThe orange sky card features a vehicle whose cockpit looks like a Work Bee from 1979's Star Trek TMP.
ReplyDelete-but maybe that's just me...
Just looked that up Looey and yes, totally. Good spot! I was thinking also a Space 1999 Eagle or a 2001 Moonbus!
DeleteO/T
ReplyDeleteHeechee ship from Starship Modeler
http://www.starshipmodeler.com/wallpapers/2025_03/mar2025-2560x1600-nocalendar.jpg