Hello Woodsy,
Watch for number 4,
A living Hot Wheels!
Terranova47
USA
Saturday, 28 February 2026
LONE STAR STINGRAY CAP GUN
Here's the Lone Star 'Stingray' cap pistol, based on Lone Star's a popular and familiar space gun design for kids in the fifties and sixties.
Lone Star did some slight retooling, adding the 'Stingray' name on each side, and repainting it in light turquoise green and orangey red. colours.
Here's the box art showing Troy armed with his Lone Star pistol, and Stingray floating passed Marineville. What Stingray could fan in the sixties could resist that?
TV Century 21 offered a Lone Star cap gun as a competition prize in issue 38, dated October 9th, 2065.
The Dan Dare Dare, Space Ranger and Batman versions of the Lone Star die-cast gun.
In 1994, the Lone Star pistol made a cameo appearance on the front cover of 'Stingray' comic, thanks to artist, Steve Kyte, a long time fan of Gerry & Sylvia Anderson's series.
FAIRYLITE STINGRAY WATER PISTOL
Continuing on from my JR21 Thunderbird water pistol post, here's the Stingray water pistol from Fairylite toys.
Unlike the Thunderbird pistol which looks like what we saw in the series, Fairylite chose to do a unique moulding of Stingray in a light blue colour.
The water jet comes out of the front, and doesn't have the multi-directional part seen on later re-issued versions of the Stingray water pistol which don't have the 'Stingray' name on the sides, and are usually in a red or yellow plastic.
Below: Red & yellow re-issued water pistols with replica cards
A LOOK AT THE JR21 MULTI-DIRECTIONAL WATER PISTOL
One of my recent acquisitions is this JR21 Thunderbirds water pistol, sadly missing it's finger guard, but something I remember owning as a youngster.
TV 21 carried plenty of adverts for these inexpensive toy guns, along with their dearer Thunderbird toys, although the water pistol did get a half page all to itself.
The water pistol was apparently released first in 1965, followed in 1966 with a blue, and later a green version of the cap firing pistol.
Both look great, but I think from a nostalgic point of view, I prefer the water pistol.
Apollo-X by Tomy: Japan's Apollo Saturn
Hot on the heels of Ed's wonderful Project SWORD Apollo Saturn by Century 21 Toys.
Here's some pics from Japan of the likely origin, one of a number of Japanese toys and kits which very likely inspired Project SWORD toy designs.
This is
Tomy's Apollo-X in its Japanese box, presumably for the mid-1960's home market.
(Their next or other version was the Ranger-7 in an English language box)
I'm not convinced this original version had a parachute capsule, although clearly the red tip detached. It's not clear.
Certainly the parachute capsule appeared in the next Tomy iteration, the Ranger-7 Interplanetary Rocket with the English box.
Century 21 Toys repeated the feature on their Apollo Saturn.
Has anyone got a Tomy Apollo-X in its Japanese box?
Friday, 27 February 2026
A LOOK AT THE RETRO SIXTEEN 12 UFO INTERCEPTOR
Here’s some photos of the Sixteen 12 ‘Retro UFO Interceptor’ which appeared in 2020, naturally, taking it’s inspiration from the 1971 Green Dinky version.
Certainly a controversial and divisive decision for some, who still hark back to why Dinky finally chose a metallic green over a possible prototype metallic blue, or the more accurate white colour.
When I bought my first Dinky UFO Interceptor back in 1971, the box art showed a white Interceptor, and inside a disappointingly green example.
While there’s no definitive answer to the “why green” question, it doesn’t stop a plethora of differing opinions explaining the reason why.
Some offer the fact that Dinky felt some white toys didn’t sell, to youngsters as well as those in more attractive bright colours.
There’s the perennial story that Dinky had an excess of green metallic paint left over from their Johnston Road Sweeper model, and decided to use it for the Interceptor, and later for the Space: 1999 Eagle Transporter.
One person even suggested that Mattel’s Hot Wheels 1968-69 range with their gaudy candy colouring and metallic paint colour schemes might be to blame, prompting Dinky to follow the suite.
All, in part could well be be true, and frankly your guess is as good as mine. Anyway, I think I’m over it now, and very glad to own both a Dinky and Sixteen 12 green UFO Interceptor.
Mystery Ship: Solved!
Here's a mystery toy ship.
It looks well designed but I've no idea what it is.
You?
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*
An anonymous reader solved this one. It's the Kidco Super Star Cruiser.
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Quelle International also released this toy in Europe, called simply Raumschiff or Spaceship.
There's also a Japanese Yonezawa version, which may well be the original and have it's roots in Anime? I don't know.
Here is a lovely webpage all about the Yonezawa version.
Spanish toy Arsenal
Like Jefe's harpoon last month here's a similar hilted tinplate toy pistol, the Aviador with a big missile.
This is an odd bit of card art showing a 60's style Soulet boy brandishing an FBI snub-nosed. I guess it's meant to be hippiedom, the Agente Federal.
Finally this Agente Zero's big scope recalls the huge unit on the Man from Uncle toy rifle. Rather than an Agents toy rifle, the stick depicts a gazelle!
Thursday, 26 February 2026
ROB GRANT R.I.P.
Sorry to hear that Rob Grant, co-creator of the cult comedy sci-fi series Red Dwarf passed away yesterday, aged just 70.
Our sincere condolences to his family and friends.
