To LP or not to LP? That is the Motorcycle

Hi,

I picked up the the LP Space Motorcycle this new year. It is a wondrous beauty! 

The motorcycle itself is in mint condition, with handle bar still in a separate plastic bag (will I ever be able to open it, just to see the motorcycle complete - wouldn't bet on it). The box is wonderfully in shape, but has some slight water damage on one end and one picture panel. Still, the box displays nicely too

Only when I received the item, I noticed that there are two different box versions! Just compare the photos attached. My example has the LP logo and item number, #106, printed on the picture panel. while the Alphadrome example has none [below left]. 

I wonder which came first, and why there are two editions of this elusive space toy? The colour of the motorcycle dashboard is also different between the toys themselves.

Anyone else got one?

Arto

Helsinki Base

image: Alphadrome: LP and Spanish versions

Ed's Blue Shield Apollo Capsule Set

Woodsy,

Here's a small Lunar Module set you might like: the Blue Shield Apollo Capsule with six Astronauts along with a comparison shot of a plated LP (Lik Bee) Lunar Module and astronaut.

From Vegas Base

Ed

Ed's LP Green and Grey Aliens

Woodsy, this year has been one for catching up on posting figure photos on my blog Toys and Stuff* where I've been posting many spacemen, aliens, and WWII figures.

 The photos show my complete sets of LP 25mm and 50mm aliens which I just posted back in August and September.

From Vegas Base

Ed

*

* Woodsy says get over to Ed's blog, he takes the best vintage toy close-ups anywhere on the net! Fabulous stuff!

MASH-UP MASTERS: LARAMI AND TIARRI DRAGON MASTER SETS

Here's a classic mash-up: Dragon Master.

The 'fantasy monsters' are our old friends the LP aliens - these one's suckered - and here being recycled as part of the sword and sorcery craze. I saw it on auction so saved the snaps a while back.

And its a Larami toy and not LP!

There's a bar code over the word Master, so its relatively modern as LP aliens go.

Do you like it?

 

Larami developed the line into proper dragons and warriors like this one.

and a sub-set of pocket puzzles.

Here's the same 'LP' set shown first - now called Fantasy Figures - released by someone else, Tiarri Management Services of N.S.W - New South Wales? Was this for the Australian market?

Tiarri were busy too: here's their dinosaur mash-up - are they Imperial's - with two unknown dragons at the top.

and what appear to be robot orcs and goblins. Are these from another line?

LP Clown Car #307 Lik Be

I recently saw this on Ebay, the LP clown car. It's been on MC as part of a circus set before but not up close like this courtesy of the auction listing.

Is this a toy you have? Do you like it?

LP FARM FRIENDS BAGGED #1006 Lik Be

New to the blog - I think! - this LP bag of Farm Friends I saw on Worthpoint. 

I like the header art. It has a sort of Disneyesque look to it.

I imagine each individual animal and figure is numbered on the base too.

Have you got anything like this readers! 

LP Set Undersea Expedition Lik Be #303D

We've seen it before but what a set from LP, mixing their three specialities, animals, deep sea divers and space! 

What a box too! But why the D on the end of 303? (Just about visible on the front edge).

Anyone got one?

Christmas is LP!

Station to Station

 I've always liked the rare three-legged space station by LP or Lik Be seen here top right in Wotan Bill's old collection.

It's composition is described in detail by Bill n MC and our friend Paul V's Triang SpaceX site (link to site in the labels below)

Such a cool and simple thing, I love the two flat circular platforms the most.

Another structure with circles are these futuristic buildings with Saturn-like rings on the old cover of the US Tarheel Project SWORD catalogue.

Here it is in close up. Again, simple but effective.

The busy cover brings to mind a Worlds Fair like this artwork for Seattle in 1962 with it's iconic double-ringed needle.

Or Mike Trim's Car Vu, with those spiral ramps and the saucer tops, seen in the first episode of Captain Scarlet, where an SPV drives to the top!

Another rare toy is the card space-port tower found on the back of the Golden Astronaut gift pack described again on Paul's fabulous Triang SpaceX  site ( the only place I've ever seen it).

In close-up it's a central spike topped with another ring structure and a final smaller ring like the LP station.

Again it recalls the Seattle Century 21 Needle

Or even the Tracy Island roundhouse from Century 21's Thunderbirds, seen here being worked on by Mike Trim back in the day.

Another Century 21 building I like is this yellow Century 21 Toys, where Agent21 gets all his deadly gadgets in TV21.

That huge glass sweeping front could be straight off the pavillion at New Yorks World Fair in 1964.

My final sweeping structure is this excellent building and skyway on the box of Bichi's Carlos V Batmobile released in South America.

There is a black and white sweeping cityscape with FAB1 too but I can't find it.

Can you think of any circular space stations, ringed towers or sweeping future scapes you like readers?

THOSE PUPS JUST KEEP ROLLING THEIR EYES

 Years ago my friend Paul V discovered that LP Lik Be re-used their toy puppy eyes as space domes. You can read about this fascinating discovery on his fab SpaceX website.

https://www.triangspacextoys.info/SpGAderv/LPHK/LPhkSmTy/LPdomes/LPdomes.html

Those domes are a mindworm. I just cant help coming across rolling dog dome eyes. I've spoken about blow moulds before and here's another one in the US, a large ball visible underneath that propels the pooch along.

This is a big puppy at 12 inches long, much bigger than the LP Space Dog but the same principle.

Paul V has just found one of these doggies pictured in a French Sitap toy catalogue too!

Can you spot any dome eyes readers? Keep your eyes peeled.

Let me know.

BIRTHDAY TREATS: HONG KONG TOYS TRADE CATALOGUES 1970, 1971, 1972 AND 1973

A Bloggiversary treat, these were on Ebay years ago so I saved the pictures.

Lots of goodies here.

Billy!

Nova Rockets, Quacky Duck Car, Spacex

James Bond style frogman

The robot is the Apollo Spaceman, released by many toy companies including Century 21 Toys. There's a great gallery of the different versions on Alphadrome.

Lovely shots of SpaceX toys

A big pile of carded SpaceX I

Tai Hing or T in a Circle toy assortment including the two SWORD forerunners, the Moon Prospector and the Moon Bus. Notice that these examples are without the SWORD emblems as they are pre-Century 21.

I've managed to pick up all of these Tai Hing toys over the years except the Moon Bus, a big gap in my SWORD fleet and the red and yellow Gemini capsule.

On the right is Blue Box. Of interest is the Astronaut action figure, which we've covered before on Moonbase.

Roxy toys showing cool artwork for two  of their SpaceX knockoffs. I don't believe that the space station is a Roxy toy that exists. Or?

1971

Lion Rock is interesting here: I know the name from Little Big Man action figures. 

It also appears to embrace the Mego [Hong Kong] brand [not the super heroes one]. I know Mego from their Space Tract space glider toy.

Two space toys I'm not familiar with, although the big orange rover rings a bell.

Anyone know them?

Space Safari and Moon Scout

Scientific Toys or AA

Of interest here is the white rocket to the left. This is the forerunner of the Project SWORD Probe Force 2. There are also flip tumble cars and a large LEM.

1972

LP or Lik Be

1973

MAK'S, Tai Hing [T in a Circle] and Hover/ Hoover
[showing addresses]

The Tai Hing assortment includes two toys I've never seen under the T in a Circle brand: the rocket and the small blue boat. The list of toys they produced also includes items I'm unaware of like fancy goods and Beauty and Dressing Sets.

Anyone seen any?

I've seen the rocket before, maybe Nomura or Yonezawa. I assume Tai Hing's is plastic.

Anyone seen that rocket before?

See anything you like or have readers?

*

My friend Paul V covers the SpaceX, Polyline and LP section in much more detail on his fabulous SpaceX Toys website.