My Custom Ahi Planet of the Apes Stunt Cycle

 Being a big fan of vintage Planet of the Apes rack toys I thought I'd have a bash at making my version of the Ahi Stunt Cycle.

See what you think.

Monkey Business

 Whilst relaxing among the mountains of Cumbria I got to thinking about my latest bit of messing with toys back home.

I was reminded of it by a gorilla. A small plastic one I bagged for 59p in a toyshop. I had to get it even though yesterday whilst at Moonbase I ordered two apes on eBay. These were dearer, around £4.

Ah well, I'll have three to choose from for my ape motorbike rider. I only need the head.

The old toy I'm emulating is this rare Ahi Planet of the Apes stunt cycle.

I've got my bike and my rider ready. The saw will remove the bike's fork rigging and the riders head.

I'll carry on aping around when I'm back home.

ARTO'S BATCOPTER!

 Arto recently got himself a cool carded Batcopter.

At first glance it looked like the Ahi - Azrak Hamway - version, seen below, but Arto's has a globe maker's mark! You can see it bottom left above. Is that a C wrapped round one side too? Anyone recognise it? It's from 1977.

The card art reminds me of Mego Comic Action Heroes or similar.

Anyways, here's the Ahi carded original from 1974.

and Ahi's later 1977 card

However, Arto's version has the same backing card as the 1979 UK version of the toy by Jotastar, seen here third from the left listed on an old Heritage Auctions auction.

Here's a closer look at the 1979 Jotastar.

The Jotastar Batcopter was available in 1978 as seen in this comic ad. It cost £1.15p!

There is at least one more version of this toy, this time adhering to Ahi's backing - the LHT or Len Hunter Trading toy seen below.

Len Hunter Trading is an Australian company and also re-issued the magnificent Ahi Batmobile and Batboat. Their address appears clearly on the side of its box.

In France it was Pin Pin Toys who got the Batcoptere in the shops.

Ahi themselves recycled their copter for many other Super heroes such as the Hulk and Spidey, seen below.

They also issued a different card and handle,

Not to be confused with their Batscout!

Have you any Copters readers?

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[images courtesy of Ebay, Hakes, Heritage Auctions, Plaidstallions and Arto]

FURRED TEETH: THE AHI DENTIST BEAR

It appears that dentistry is a popular profession with Teddy Bears! 

This is the Battery Operated Dentist Bear with Drilling Hand Piece and Crying Baby Bear, No.6484. By AHI of Japan. Share A Joy With AHI Toys. The front of the box also says S & E, in a diamond, just above MADE IN JAPAN.

It is made of printed tinplate, with fur and fabric for the Teddys and their clothing. There is a letter D on the back of the Dentist Bear's smock. The battery compartment is in the base. The tip of the drill lights up.

There are a few of these around. It is 10 inches high, and seems to date from the 1950s.

Two photographs from Worthpoint.

You got one of these?

Paul Adams from New Zealand

AHI PENGUIN MOTORBIKE

Here's a Batman related toy I've not seen before, the Azrak Hamway [AHI] penguin bike. I will try to find a carded example online.

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-batmans-comic-action-figure-3103779259

CENTURY 21 TOYS MOONSHIP: SLIDESHOW

Here's an interesting slide show from an old Dutch seller's boxed Century 21 Toys Moonship.

It's white with red side trims and nacelles. It also got the UK Union Jack flag.

Have you got anything like this toy?

https://vintagespacetoys.com/products/hk-moonship/

SUPER ROCKET PLANE ON ALPHADROME

Joe K's great post about the AHI Super Rocket Plane aka the Century 21 Moonship

http://danefield.com/alpha/forums/topic/19374-1969-super-rocket-plane-by-ahi/

plastic supersonic

I love supersonic plane toys.

Sanchis of Spain made some brilliant planes and here's their remote controlled Concorde.

What a sleek gem it looks!

Drooling over it I also couldn't help noticing the similar sleekness and red-blue colour scheme of my ahi Super Rocket Plane aka Moonship.

Have you got any sleek plastic toy planes?

american shipping news: moonship catalogue entries

Courtesy of the amazing Alphadrome its interesting to place together the two known catalogue entries for American Moonships.

Here's the "Super Rocket Plane" from the AHI 1969 catalogue

Here's the "Moonship" from the 1969-1970 M.W. Kasch catalogue.

I've discussed both of these entries separately before [Super Rocket Plane and Moonship] but never together like this I don't think.

What's interesting is that both these catalogues were American and yet two different brands are shown. The super Rocket Plane is the AHI name for the toy and Moonship is Century 21 Toys' name.

As I've said recently though, I think the Super Rocket Plane shown is actually a Century 21 Toys Moonship.

These two toys looks the same to me!

What do you think?

It would appear that there were quite a few Century 21 Moonships in America in 1969. Looks like AHI had access to them too!

Have you a Super Rocket Plane, a Moonship, either box or any pictures from catalogues, comics and books?

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[pictures: Alphadrome/Toy Memories]

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For interest here's the original release note for the Century 21 Toys Moonship from Toys International the summer of 1969. Read the article headed with "It's not so unfamiliar ....."

moonship and super rocket plane: a case of mistaken identity?

This image appears in the 1969 AHI Catalogue as featured on the brilliant Alphadrome.

It is the AHI Super Rocket Plane in what appears to be black and white.

A question was raised on Alphadrome [by Joe K] as to whether this was a AHI or a Century 21 version?

I was interested to see if a colour picture of this AHI toy would look the same when rendered black and white too.

Here's a colour shot from the book Future Toys along with the back panel of the window box.

Here's the above colour image turned a dark form of monochrome on my laptop.

and here's the same in a lighter tone.

What do youi think readers? Is the top AHI catalogue photo the same?

I'm not so sure.

For the sake of completeness here is the Century 21 version called the Moonship.

In colour

and black and white

Here's the AHI Catalogue image again

Apart from the Union Jack sticker they look the same to me.

I think Joe K was right. AHI photographed a white Century 21 toy rather than the correct blue AHI version for their 1969 catalogue.

But why?

american moonship

I'm fascinated by early online references to the toys I love.

Here's a reference to the AHI Super Rocket Plane half-way down this thread on Alphadrome from 2004, four years before Moonbase Central was even thought of.

http://danefield.com/alpha/forums/topic/1060-under-the-radar-for-the-most-part/#comment-6989

Anyone found an earlier online sighting of this toy?

ahi azrak hamway super rocket plane appears in 1969 catalogue

Years ago we were hot on Moonships here at Moonbase.

They were a blog legend after all.

Its been a while since reporting anything about them but just this week I saw an old toy catalogue with, yes, one in!

Its the US version by ahi, the Super Rocket Plane and the catalogue's date of 1969 gives us at least one year we know the toy was in the shops.

The wording appears to be " 2869 Giant Frict. Super Rocket Plane, window packaged, 72 pcs ...?". I can't read the final bit. It looks like the price.

A few things spring to mind about this. Its clearly a trade catalogue and not a public one given that 72 rocket planes were sold as a bulk buy. 

The reference number 2869 does not refer to the model number on the base of the toy [below], which remains a mystery, though it is the same on the UK version of the Moonship by Century 21.

The final thing is the phrase window packaged. Up to press I had thought that this toy came in a windowless box given the nature of the box top flat scan I saw in a book years ago [below]:

So if this ahi box had a window [like the Century 21 version it must be said] then what did it look like?  Was the picture above that I had assumed was the box top actually the box rear? Anyone any idea?

For comparison here's the UK Century 21 Moonship and window box.

The Mystery Marbled Plastic of the AHI Super Rocket Plane

 

The summer holidays meant one thing when I was but a maggot; sandy beaches, buckets and spades! It's odd how all children and men turn into master castle builders on the beach, instantly developing  a fine eye for an effective moat! My family were no different and when Dad and Brother-In-Law were bored of their bastions they would take great pleasure in burying me completely in the sand! Fortunately they never decided to do it near the incoming tide!

 

 

I remember my spades came in all sorts of shapes and materials: plastic, rubber and metal-bladed. I particularly recall spades made of a strange marbled plastic like the one pictured here [ebay].

 

I had assumed later on, when I could be bothered to think on such heavy matters, that the plastic was marbled because the manufacturers had simply mixed different colours together.

 

I'm still pretty sure this is the case, but a vintage toy I picked up a few years back, the AHI Super Rocket Plane, has similar marbling. albeit not as colourful, on the front and rear tips as shown below. Consulting Tony Emchowitz's superb book, Future Toys, its clear that the tips should be silvered.

 

 

Could this suggest that the marbled plastic is in fact inferior to normal plastic? More to the point, is it marbled because its recycled, combining various grades of plastic together? Any thoughts readers?

THIS SUMMER'S CATCH

What a summer! A bumper haul of vintage plastic was netted in Moonbase waters! T in a Circle, AHI, Tarheel, JR21, Century 21, Empire, Yonezawa and Hoover all in the net. 

The AHI purple rockets were a gift from my good friend WOTAN. The Yonezawa Wasser Spinne was exchanged for another toy with the friendly Nico of Toys and Space . 

The rest of the catch were Ebayed. The biggest investment was the Century 21 Aston Martin, which I absolutely love (the closest I'll get to owning the real thing!). 

But my favourite Summer bounty remains the awesome boxed Tarheel Rescue Helicopter. More on Tarheel, T in a Circle and Empire to follow. 

There is also a brand new and completely awesome discovery, a real corker, from blog reader Arto - presented to Moonbase for the bloggiversary. I couldn't beleive it! Watch this space!