Unceremoniously Ejected

Bill's comment the other day about the Lone Star Gemini Space Capsule pilot being 'unceremoniously ejected' got me thinking if there were other toys in my childhood, which did the same thing.

The obvious choice was the poor passenger in the Corgi James Bond Aston Martin, that helpless blue suited gunslinger who flies through the air!

There's footage of his flight in Corgis own re-issue promo. They've also added a hilarious scream!

https://youtu.be/44ivANeoTq8?si=RZNgASPXPor6q8bn 

Do you recall any other ejected toy people readers? 

A Mr.Softee Landing

It's funny how the mind goes all Mr. Whippy when you're remembering stuff.

The Artemis II splashdown reminded me of eating ice cream as a kid from a plastic capsule.

After further mind splashing I realised I was recalling a plastic ball and not a capsule.

It was the Tonibell and I remember it being a yellow or beige plastic football with a lid.

Here's a couple floating around the web along with a mag ad at the time.

So what's the plastic capsule ice cream connection I'm thinking of?

It can't be Dinky's Sea King Helicopter capsule. You'd not get much I've cream out of one of those!

No, I know now I've been misremembering something from the very early days of the blog.

Wotan Bill posted a fabulous post in 2009 about an ice cream brand called Askeys which he had as a nipper. The brand had an offer for a fantastic Lone Star Gemini space capsule, pictured here from Bills original post.

It didn't get filled with ice cream but if you are enough Askeys you'd get one. 

There can't have been many sent out I don't think. Or?

Do you remember it or an ice cream connection to NASA splashdown capsules?

Further googling brings you pictures of auctioned boxed examples like this  (with a yellow astronaut this time).

 How cool is that! 

ITS TIME TO LEAVE THE CAPSULE

 This is a beautiful toy space capsule I saw on auction.

Not one I have but I can appreciate how nice it must be to have in a collection.

Simply called SPACECRAFT this large plastic toy was released by blog legends T in a Circle aka Tai Hing of Hong Kong. Their moniker is the T in a circle pictured on the side of the box.

There are some gorgeous art panels depicting radar stations, lift off, lunar activity and splashdown.

The main box top is particularly attractive with a painting of a capsule and spacewalk.

The toy came with a small astronaut on a wire circling round the cockpit.

Let me in!

Is this one you like readers? Have you any capsules?

PHIX IT UP

 This is an interesting space capsule by HP, the Firefly XYZ Mark II.

Seen on the internet, I saved the pics as I like the design and colour scheme a lot. The shaped box is unusual too with really distinctive artwork.

The box says it has a siren too.

Its stablemate is the equally stylish Firefly XYZ Mark III, which comes with a siren and small black radar too.

PHIX released a silver-grey remote-control version of the capsule called Space Capsule.

I personally think its less attractive than the HP friction toy.

The box is a standard box style.

Interestingly the makers mark is Lucky Toys underneath.

Have you anything like this readers?

TITAN II GEMINI TWO MAN SPACE CAPSULE

 

I saw this double act on an online sale and saved the pic because one the companies is completely new to me, Gladden, on the left.

I think they've produced a real gem of a toy with this two man capsule. It looks great and quite sturdy. It would need to be because its a parachute toy. I'm unsure how it works but there's a small orange tool up top and a white nozzle at the base. Oh and a parachute. I assume its thrown in the air. Do you know?

The Quercetti Tor is a classic chute toy and many of you will have had this or similar judging by how many times its come up on Moonbase. 

Did you have any parachute toys as a kid?

WILL'S TOY ROCKETS AND PLANES

Hi. Some pictures of rockets and planes. The Gemini capsule is the same as the Clifford toys one which recently appeared on the blog, but this is a WES toys one.

The Marx toys stratojet is obviously a TSR2, in a lovely lurid yellow. The X 15 is a much nicer model. Also, I’ve got a dizzy bugs game somewhere in the games archive, if I can find it I’ll send a picture.

Best wishes and keep well. Will O.

MULVIDREN IN SPACE

I was intrigued by this capsule on the Bay.

Turns out its a Stuart Mulvidren Tablets advertising container from the US.

What are Mulvidren for?

Tony P's Gemini Space Capsule Toy

Hi Woodsy

Further to your blog item a few days ago, attached are a couple of pics of my Gemini space capsules.

I have two of these – one that I've had since I was a boy, which is still in good condition; the other is a fully boxed and unused one that I picked up a couple of years ago. 

It's a great toy – I remember having lots of fun with it when I was little.

Hope you like the pics.

Cheers

Tony P

A CAPSULE FROM ARGENTINA

This Argentinian APOLO caught my eye so I saved the pic.

Its looks like a basic plastic toy although it's got the look.

Not sure what the little things are at the side. Parachutes?

The header graphics remind me of a collectable tea card like Race into Space or something.

What do you think?

Lewis's GashaPon-Jinn Capsule Toy Vending Machine

Hi Woodsie, we were discussing Gashapons -the Japanese prize capsule/balls that come in vending machines and i mentioned I had one, here it is!

It is also referred to as gachapon. 

Both gashapon and gachapon are Japanese onomatopoeia, made up of two sounds: "gasha" or "gacha" for the turning of a crank on a toy vending machine, and "pon" for the sound of the toy capsule dropping into the receptacle.

It's an original machine bought in Australia, but I've done a bit of cleaning up and customizing on it. 

It as originally a 3 unit stack on wheels, but I separated the units and ended up giving the others to some of my friends.

Here's the distinctive curved front cover removed so you can see the supply of balls inside

Here's the business end with coin slot, turn knob and delivery chute, along with all those cool original Japanese labels!

It's quite easy to buy full sets of figures on eBay, but the advertising card usually doesn't come with them, so I downloaded the web art and tweaked it heavily in Photoshop before printing it out at the right size to fit in the curved front window.

And here's my most egregious modification to the original machine, a new top cap with a clear bubble salvaged from a defunct clothes dryer door!

Genuine machines often have a display bubble featuring what's for sale inside, so I put my full set of "Star Wars characters hanging down" figures (can you identify each film this happens in?) along with an H R Giger Alien that happened to be in the same pose! 

The long horizontal picture is a printed list of all the characters available in a particular set and is coiled up inside the prize ball along with the toy.

P.S. I also have a "Space Battleship Yamato" Pachinko machine that dispenses similar prize balls if you hit a high enough score! 

Hope you enjoy these pics (can you spot the various Gerry Anderson things in the background?) 

All the best for the New Year, 

 Regards, 

Lewis

Australia

AN ENCAPSULATING MYSTERY

I found this in my photo archive from years ago.

Its very interesting ... at least for me!

I have been collecting mini plastic Project SWORD vehicles for years and always wondered what packaging they came in.

Well it just maybe have been right under my nose all along.

Yes, these little plastic capsules!

It seems likely that the Japanese Yahoo seller photographed the little toys and the capsules because they are related.

Is it an assumption too far to think that the toys came out of the capsules?

But, some of the toys look too big!

What do you think?

Doubts aside, what are these capsules?

What are those little papers inside? They look like stamps!

What is this brand of capsule and toy? Anyone know?

BANDAI COMMAND MODULE

This plastic space capsule I saw on Ebay is a new one on me. 

From the pictures I archived it looks superb!

Its the Bandai Hit and Turn Action Command Module.

Its about 8 inches long, battery operated and it looks like it lights up!

Not sure of the year of manufacture.

Any got one of these great looking toys?

KEVIN'S CLIFFORD GEMINI CAPSULE

Hi MB,

Having seen that ad in a recent blog post [ below. Ed. ] here are some pictures of my Clifford toys Gemini. I had one of these as a kid, so was really pleased to get one off ebay a few years ago. This is a stunningly accurate toy, all of the detail on the surface shingles and the orbital module seem really right to me. Mine is missing one crewman sadly, but they hadn't really worked out all of the problems with EVA in those days.

Take care,

Kevin D

Ray's Mystery Capsule

"Hi Woodsy

I've seen your page with the mini space toys etc. and was wondering if you might have any idea what this is or anything about it? it appears to be a space capsule with a man inside laying down. and on the botton it says "Explorer, Hong kong, 1965"

Ray W.