Rack Toy Heaven! The Cosmonaut's Set by Tony K

Firstly, a shout out to an old friend who found this for me... cheers buddy!

I bagged another classic '60s-early '70s vintage Hong Hong rack toy at its absolute mishmash best!

Firstly, the backing card is a gigantic 15 inches x 10 inches. It's illustrated with out of this world art, showing lots of Space stuff going on. 'The Cosmonaut's Set' was a curious marketing title, but I guess it sounded suitably futuristic to satisfy our younger selves.

The blue plastic WW2 Thompson, fired the ammo of the era, spring loaded sucker-darts. It has a wonderfully out of place wild west Indian Chief's head embossed on the white plastic butt... all a far cry from the sci fi ray gun depicted in the Space Patrol Cosmonaut's hand. It looks as if the design of the illustrated ray gun was 'inspired' by those popular Lone Star diecast cap gun's of the time. The 4x large blue hollow blown plastic target spacemen share a familiar pose found in their smaller cosmic cousins from LP.

The true sense of originality found in these enigmatic toys, can be felt through the comically insane mismatch of ingredients which were thrown together and peddled under the disguise of yesterday's popular fads.

Hong Kong rack toys are a lost art form, so cheap, so quirky, so disposable and now so rare. They have an undeniable appeal that draws me back to a different world.

Tony K.

HONG KONG RACK TOYS - UNLICENSED TO KILL by Tony K

I recently stumbled across two fantastic plastic knock off carded rack toys. 

I immediately recognised the 'Sea Explorer' duo from my own childhood summertime inflatable paddling pool days.  I think around the late '60s - early '70s.

The card art is simple and colourful, packed with the promise of underwater adventure and excitement. The illustrated character with the tuxedo and bow tie needs no intro. The futuristic plastic underwater craft offer a shamelessly unlicensed nod towards 'Thunderball'. The generic plastic frogman were familiar favourites often found in an assortment of HK rack toys from the era. A paddling pool of warm summer water and imagination set the scene.

Once, cheerfully cheap and very disposable, these vintage gems are now very difficult to find. I had endless fun with rack toys as a kid and perhaps appreciate them even more now, when I think back to the fun and value for money they provided.

Tony K

UK

Hooked on TJ Hooker

 Avoiding watching the TV News (it's always bad!) on a morning I've opted for an old TV cop show on repeat.

TJ. Hooker

Yep, Captain Kirk going where no cop has gone before. 

I really enjoyed it. It reminded me how gritty these US shows were, like the ones I watched as a kid, like Kojak, Canon and Ironside. Too many to name.

Those shows must have seemed incredibly urban and exotic to our UK parents at the time. Maybe even shocking. Full of massive cars, skyscrapers, dope, heroin, triads, pimps, hookers (not the TJ kind either!).

We're these shows really suitable for us kids?

Did they shock American audiences?

TJ came later I think. I didn't watch it. I guess I was older and doing other stuff. But I adored it's cop predecessors and Bill Shatner would have drawn me in. I loved Star Trek in the Sixties.

Surprisingly, for shows that really weren't for kids, like Kojak et al and our gritty British cop drama The Sweeney, there were indeed toys! Lots of 'em! 

TJ Hooker too.

Here's his rack toy patrol car by Fleetwood ( I'm sure it's the same one as their CHiPS car!) as seen on the web.

And the mpc kit version too

And there's a comical look at more TJ toys on Junkman's You Tube

https://youtu.be/W3g-r0enuFg?is=qhYm2kv3af56YtMB

Did you watch TJ Hooker? Which was your fave cop show? Have you got any collectables?

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Fleetwood Toys police car comparison

CHiPs 1978

TJ Hooker 1983

Chute! What is it?

 I've been scratching my noggin over these car boot oddities.

Parachute shoulders, dart gun legs, robot face. 

Sound familiar?

It did to me and then bingo!

That Cylon face!

It's a dart from the Battlestar Galactica Parachute gun by rack toy jedi Larami. Here's a set on Plaid Stallions from erstwhile toy gurus Toys R Us.

Looks like the other dart is a rocket, not a cylon. I've got two.

Have you any Galactica toys or collectables?

Rack of Lem

More vintage Hong Kong blister rack toys of space vehicles seen on Worthpoint.

There appears to be a bundle of golden astronauts in the top Toy House set above the blue capsule - or is it a LEM? I love the little orange Billy Blastoff space sled.

The bottom set by Larami includes four golden astronauts.

Do you like these sets? Are they must haves  for SpaceX Golden Astronaut collectors?

Rack Toy Recess

 With the Missus happy gardening, I've taken a break to bag up my latest mini monster creations for safe-keeping.

Not good enough for the full packaging effort, I've placed the Cronos bug and the Lifeforce ship in simple cellophane bags.

Then I added small 'movie' labels,  which we can print at home and a custom Zodiac price tag each courtesy of Bill. The missus's stamp set provided the price!

Complete and punched, here they are hung on my kitchen 'shop' rack! 

What do you think readers? Mom and Pop store material? 

LONE STAR TARZAN: BLING OF THE JUNGLE

 Years ago I blogged the elusive Lone Star Tarzan set, a small carded blog legend.

First seen on the cover of a 1995 Plastic Warrior magazine decades ago the scarce rack toy has fascinated me ever since.

Well recently I found this colour picture of the set, the very first time I've seen it in colour. Alas I failed to note down where I saw it but here goes. I assume it was an old auction.

Feast your eyes!

Googling further for Lone Star Tarzans I came up with this holster and pistol set on the very same card, which is a little strange. Anyone know this holster set?

There's also a Lone Star badge with the same letter Tarzan lettering.

Can anyone shed any light on Lone Star's Tarzan output?

IN SPACE WE WILL PLAY BADMINTON!

 This old space toy caught my eye.

Thankfully not literally but online.

The Space Vehicle Launcher.

Its essentially a catapult of sorts and a ....

.... shuttlecock!

Talk about recycling!

The blurb mentions a loud bang. How was that created? I can't see any caps.

Can you imagine a game of Badminton with two of these! ha ha

Do you like this toy readers?

OFF THE CUFF

 This is a strange mash-up of a toy I saw on Ebay. 

I really like the old fashioned header art showing a British bobby in London [not sure which street] with a double decker bus. Its unpunched too!

But then the toy is odd. OK, the handcuffs and whistle go well with the bobby but surely not the Marshall's star with the cowboy picture? Is it Roy Rogers?

This was on Ebay in the US. Overall I like the 60's feel of the whole thing.

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From Ed B

Las Vegas

Woodsy, Here's a flipped and cropped copy of the image you posted. I have to admit I'm having a heckuva time trying to figure out who's image this is but it's not Roy Rogers. Attached also is a photo of a Roy Rogers badge in my collection.

Ed

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From Terranova47

NYC

To my memory that cowboy face belongs to actor Dick Jones who played Dick West the partner of the RANGE RIDER played by Jock Mahoney

This TV show was on the BBC about 1954.

T.

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From Paul A.

New Zealand

I do not know if this helps with the Marshall star, but here are a few items I found on Worthpoint. Some are listed as Roy Rogers, but the photograph in your example seems to be different, and holding a revolver ?

Said to be a Roy Rogers set, but the card is not shown

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/roy-rogers-marshalls-badge-set-1960s-134679587

Also Roy Rogers

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-roy-rogers-marshall-badge-1806213546

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-roy-rogers-deputy-toy-jail-3785009236

One of these looks like your badge. Listing says Hopalong Cassidy, if so then it would be William Boyd. But is it Boyd ? The others seem to be Roy Rogers.

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-badges-pins-marshal-hopalong-429030978

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/vintage-badges-pins-marshal-hopalong-420121722

Different star and photo

https://www.hakes.com/Auction/ItemDetail/57634/HOPALONG-CASSIDY-PICTORIAL-ENGLISH-BADGES-ON-DIE-CUT-DISPLAY-CARD

Lone Star badge

https://www.theodorebruceauctions.com.au/auction-lot/sheriff-collection-tin-plate-plastic-power-rif_0244A03AF7

Just not sure!

Paul Adams.

WHO WAS RICHARD PETTY?

As I like rack toys, this Ja Ru one from 1984 on auction caught my eye. I've never heard of Richard Petty. Who was he?

MYSTERIES IN THE BLISTER: UFO RACK TOY SETS

 I've blogged these before.

I've still only ever seen them online,

UFO, Mysteries of the Universe and Visitors from Outer Space.

Like a Sci-Fi Polly Pocket, these plastic flying saucers come with a gaggle of aliens and a gadget or two.

A classic rack toy, these sets were made with love.

As a kid I would have adored them.

Just look at the maggoty alien babies inside the one below! How great!

The use of NAZCA symbols and ancient wonders on the card back just make them even more interesting for budding Ufologists. I mean how many toys have a NAZCA spider on them?

If it was the Sixties LP would snapped them up but these are from the 80's or 90's and appear to be unbranded.

Anyone know the maker and the date?

The saucers open up like flowers on Mars and away you go.

Closed up they're a neat domed UFO that probably fits in the pocket.

There were three different saucer sets and all made in China. I cannot see a brand name.

Anyone remember these?

Do you like them?

EIGHTIES RACK TOY VEHICLES

My new small plastic A-Team Van is from a Galoob rack toy set called the Dynamite Blaster. Here's an image I found on an old auction. It looks pneumatic.

It reminds me of another loose vehicle I found in 2020, a small plastic Thundercats Thundertank.

Its also from a rack toy, Power Booster, this time by Rainbow Toys, which looks to have a launcher and some plastic oil drums reminiscent of drums in another old toy which I just cannot think of.

Have you any rack toy vehicles?

Rack Toys Kindle Book: Cheap and Crazy!

Hi

I just found this on Amazon (listed on both UK and US). A Kindle book called Rack Toys - Cheap, Crazed Playthings, Brian Heiler, 2017. There does not look to be a print edition. 

If you click on Look Inside, you get to see a few pages. There is a plastic Batman Seaplane from the 1960s. I actually had a non-Batman version of that plane in the 1970s. 

At least I think it is the same toy. A Grumman amphibian from the 1940s, so it would be the right period for the early Batman. Looks like a fun read.

Rack Toys: Cheap Crazed Playthings eBook : Heiler, Brian, Patterson, Matt, Chatlin, Rob: Amazon.co.uk: Books

 Paul Adams, NZ

SPACE TRUCK'S WONDER WALL OF TOYS

Check out Space Trucks aka Steve Nyland's amazing wall of vintage rack space packs. There's SpaceX, Golden Astronaut, Marx and more! I'm drooling already! You?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChdI4Qx7br8

CAPE KENNEDY ROCKET RACK TOY: HOW DO YOU PLAY WITH IT?

This set is at first glance a bit of a mystery.

Is it a sort of splashdown set? I say this because I can see an aircraft carrier in there.

But what about the capsule? Does it in some way fire the round green rotors?

The Nike Hercules missile looks like its ejected from a spring-loaded red stand.

As for the header art, it looks like a photograph. is it a still from a film? Anyone know?

Is the backing card graphic a sort of playmat? A seascape? A chart? A launch site?

Anyone got this space toy set?

RIDERS IN THE STORE

I've always loved rack toys. My two favourite toy shops in Preston when I was a nipper, Thomas Mears and Zodiac, had stacks of toys on racks. They were mostly cheap, knock 'em out quick coloured plastics.

  

I still love rack toys and one of my favourite adult acquisitions was the Ghost Rider by Fleetwood. It came out in the 1970's. Fleetwood did loads of cheapo rack stuff and despite their pocket money origins they are all quite beautiful and now very collectible. Ghost Rider the comic hero was born in Marvel comics in the summer of 1972.

Fleetwood made a later version of the Rider with a different card. The bike came in red with no silver.

Not being one of Marvel's A-listers, Johnny Blaze aka the Ghost Rider has a strong comic following and every now and then he rode out into the toy stores again. Here's another carded rider but the transparent toy remains a mystery to me. I found the image on an old Ebay archive.

Toy Biz re-invigorated many Marvel heroes in the Nineties and Naughties. In 1995 they issued the Flamin' Stunt Cycles including this, Blaze's Dark Cycle.

Ghostie got at least seven incarnations in the Marvel Legends line including this 2004 issue with another red bike.

In 2007 Ghost Rider made his Hollywood debut and came of age. I loved the fact that the rider had his own film but Nic Cage was wooden as the lead. The 2012 sequel was awful. Rider's brush with Tinseltown spawned some cool toys though, like this Ultimate Ghost Rider by Hasbro.

I still prefer my Fleetwood rack toy from 1977. Issued just 5 years after the rider's fiery birth at Marvel it remains true to the comic and untainted by the glitz of Hollywood.

I'll end with another beautiful Rider collectible from the Seventies, equally as cheap as a rack toy at the time but no less cool, the Ghost Rider gumball ring. Blazin'!

Are you keen on rack toys readers? Which ones?

Glimpses of Moonbase 3: SWORD Rack Toys

 

My SWORD rack toys display.

There's a shopkeeper in every one of us!

An early mock-up of the recent Bloggiversary give-away is middle left.

Wotan will reveal it's true splendour over the weekend!