SPACE BALL: all Strung Up.

 This a a new one on me I saw online.

The Space Ball.

A ball with a parachute.

Chuck it in the air and it floats back down.

Neat and simple. A born stocking filler.

I wonder if it worked?

Did you have one?

The chute reminds me of the chute on the Project SWORD Apollo Saturn capsule.

The plastic ball makes me want to fill it with ice cream! Remember those?

THE CATWEAZLE APOLLO SATURN LETTERING

I've been trying to recreate the lettering seen on the Catweazle Apollo Saturn spotted by Bill Ev.

I removed TURN and blurred the rest in the hope that the SA was the WA I think I can see.

Its not the same. A completely different font.

Anyone know what it says?

Project Catweazle

Watching an episode of Catweazle this week and saw this!

The Project SWORD Apollo Saturn! 

Bill Ev

UK

TOMY APOLLO SATURN TOYS ON FILM

 There are two, yes two Japanese Tomy Apollo-X rockets in this footage of Tochgi toy village factory - is that a Tomy sign at the entrance?

 The Apollo X was the forerunner of the Century 21 Toys Project SWORD Apollo Saturn.

Enjoy this short British Pathe film: first half shows toy robot making [I love how they obediently stand up on the conveyor belt!] and the second part, with the rockets, shows other Tomy toys like the Space Nik track set.

https://www.britishpathe.com/video/VLVADBB7USTRWIDMFNANBI4GX912U-JAPAN-TOY-TOWN-PRODUCES-SPACE-AGE-CHRISTMAS-GIFTS/query/japan+toy

What do you think?

CALLING OCCUPANTS

Its always good to see some Project SWORD and relatives on surfin' forays. Here's an old chum, the TOMY Interplanetary Space Rocket, complete with parachute, a forerunner of the Project SWORD Apollo Saturn toy.

Seen on Yahoo Japan.

Have you anything like this?

TEARS FOR SEARS

 Years ago the blog's focus was on Project SWORD toys and their many relatives.

One such relative was the wondrous US Rocket Base released by Sears in the mid-Sixties. Its an early version of the Project SWORD Apollo Saturn. There are Japanese versions too. Bill has one of those.

I don't 😥

I've just found this short video on YT about the Sears Rocket Base. Have a gander. Do you have anything like this? What do you think?

WILL O'S PROJECT SWORD APOLLO SATURN AND TV21

 

Can you spot it in the boy's arms?

SEARS ROCKET BASE: PROJECT SWORD LOOKALIKE

 

We've featured the uber-cool Sears Rocket Base here many many times. Its part of the Project SWORD toy story.

I recently saw this picture on Worthpoint and it highlights again how similar this toy is to the Project SWORD Apollo Saturn. Here you can even see the transparent capsule rod and the folded red check parachute in front of the rocket, the same features that the Apollo Saturn has.

Anyone got either - or both! - of these toys! I've got the Apollo Saturn but not the Sears rocket.

APOLLO SATURN ANYONE?

 

I liked this modern toy box cover image.

It reminded me completely of these Project SWORD Apollo Saturn toys.

Anyone got one of these?

DREAMS ARE MADE OF THIS

The American relative of the Century 21 Toys Project SWORD Apollo Saturn.

The Sears Rocket Base on You Tube.

Cor blimey!

I'd love that rocket!

Anyone got one?

XMAS AROUND THE WORLD: APOLLO SATURN ROCKET ON FILM

https://www.britishpathe.com/video/xmas-round-the-world/query/xmas+round+the+world

Did you see it? 

TOCHGI APOLLO SATURNS

There are two, yes two Japanese Tomy Apollo-X rockets in this footage of Tochgi toy village factory. The Apollo X was the forerunner of the Century 21 Toys Apollo Saturn.

Enjoy this British Pathe film
https://www.britishpathe.com/video/VLVADBB7USTRWIDMFNANBI4GX912U-JAPAN-TOY-TOWN-PRODUCES-SPACE-AGE-CHRISTMAS-GIFTS/query/japan+toy

BRITISH PATHE: SEARS ROCKET BASE 1966

Feast your eyes on this Sears Rocket Base at the 17th International Nurenburg Toy Fair 1966. It appears at 29 seconds with a pup barking at it.

The Sears Rocket Base was the forerunner of the Century 21 Toys Project SWORD Apollo Saturn rocket.

https://www.britishpathe.com/video/VLVA2SQVZYBI990ARPHYFBIFHVWKJ-WEST-GERMANY-17TH-NURENBURG-INTERNATIONAL-TOY-FAIR/query/toy+fair

Anyone got one?

TO THE MOON AND BACK

Celebrating further the magnificent Moon Mission of '69, 

here's Project SWORD Apollo Saturn blasting off courtesy of some 3D effects!

For the US version there is a neat video on You Tube about the Sears Rocket Base, which, unlike the UK version, even has a real smoking effect from the engine!

Have you got this toy readers?

YONEZAWA ATLAS 7 1965 ROCKET

There is just something abut this toy rocket I saw on Ebay that reminds me of the Project SWORD Apollo Saturn Rocket and its relatives below.

I thinks its the overall shape, the bottom fins and in particular the nosecone.

What do you think?

Here's the complete toy on Alphadrome showing the spinning rotor and the box.

http://www.danefield.com/data/displayimage-12-4802.html

Anyone got one?

SEARS ROCKET BASE: THE AMERICAN PROJECT SWORD APOLLO SATURN ON YOU TUBE

Have you got one?

PROJECT SWORD PRECURSOR: SEARS ROCKET BASE ON YOU TUBE

Courtesy of You Tube.

But who is Simpson LTD mentioned in the blurb beneath the film?

Sears Apollo Saturn Rocket on British Pathe 1964

I've blogged this before many times. Browsing Ebay reader Tony K reminded me just how fabulous it looks recently and as I'm such a huge fan of the Project SWORD Apollo Saturn rocket here goes again. 

This footage from British Pathe depicts Christmas in London and around the World in 1964.

https://www.britishpathe.com/video/xmas-round-the-world

You should see if you watch closely what I assume is the US Sears version of the Apollo Saturn based on Tomy's Japanese original. There's no box, just the rocket as shown below but in black and white.

I know a few readers are lucky enough to own the Sears rocket. It was part of the Sears Turnpike range and actually emitted smoke.

There was also a mirror on the baseplate. Was that to reflect the smoke and give it even more dramatic umph?

By the way, If you are able to send me a clip of your toy rocket giving off smoke that would be so fab for me and blog readers to see!

Sears Rocket Base Mysteries

Eagle-eyed reader Tony K alerted me to this superb example of the Sears Rocket Base he spotted on auction.

I don't have this toy set so looking at the excellent images I noticed a few things.

The base-plate has a mirror beneath the rocket's engines. In fact the engines are reflected in it. I assume that this feature was to make the smoke emission even more dramatic by reflecting it in the mirror too. Is this correct?

The gantry, which looks like its made of tin, has two levers, which can rotate either way.

I can only guess that the right hand lever draws the whole gantry forwards and backwards on the metal track which is visible.

The second lever on the left presumably moves the elevator up and down the gantry tower.

Could a plastic astronaut figure fit in the elevator?

What is the grey mechanism at the bottom of the chain in the above picture? A lock? Could the rocket itself be moved backwards and forwards on this movable gantry?

Last but not least is the image of the rocket bottom. Since this example is missing its engine window panes its possible to see inside.

What's visible is a cylinder with holes. It looks like its made of metal. Am I right in thinking that this is the unit that creates and distributes the smoke?

You can see the word SMOKE at the top of the switch.

If you own one have you ever had yours smoking?

jeff j's apollo saturns: project sword and sears rocket base

Pictures courtesy of Jeff J for Moonbase readers to enjoy.

Anyone else got any toy rockets like this?