Pink Explorer

 Earlier in the year Arto spotted this fabulous pink toy Space Explorer.

The pink colour is similar to the Roxy Moon car.

It boasts the 'seated' pilots found in a number of Hong Kong space toys.

Although incomplete, it's reminiscent of the beautiful JR21 X-series X-90.

Do you like it?

Arto's Wittrock X-300 Mystery

In the case of Wittrock (and the X-300) there has been a development.

Re. the eBay auction of 2012,  I found my old photo files. Unfortunately, I had saved the whole internet page, which is why the photos were reduced to tiny 2 kb micro thumbnails. Except for those box ends, which I had saved separately!

What's more, Alphadrome has stored a photo of that boxed X-300 that was auctioned.

Which enabled me to compile these six photos, the first three featuring the Telex Wittrock box version which was auctioned in 2012, and the last three the Finnish Telex version.

As you may see, the Wittrock box ends state the toy as "Rumskib X-300" in Danish, with item number 123. The visible text on the side panel, "Rymdraket", is in Swedish. And there should be an additional Finnish name "Avaruusraketti" on the other side of the box, since the Space Cruiser itself is marked Telex on the underside (visible when enlarged). So the box says "Space Rocket" in three different Scandinavian languages!

The question remains how that three-language Wittrock box came to exist, and for which market it was aimed?

 Furthermore, it is still unclear whether Wittrock issued the "Rumskib X-300" for the Danish market with an all-Dane box.

For comparison, the same three photos of the standard Telex box version, with Finnish and Swedish box ends.

Arto

Helsinki Base

Wittrock

Telex

The X-90 Flying Saucer Car

 

The X-series is thought by most collectors to be part of JR21's toy output. This X-90 is a fabulous example I saw on auction so I saved the snaps ages ago.

A wonderfully streamlines plastic space car that ejects flying rotors like the Major Matt Mason launcher many of us had as kids.

A really gorgeous toy, the model number is #241.

What do you think?

X-50 ON FILM!

Looey's comment that the X-50 appeared at the start of Superthunderstingcar had me googling for it immediately. I've heard lots about the skit but never seen it.

Yep, there it was... the X-50 on the screen! Its not an easy video to see online and the only full version I could find was on Sylvia Anderson's Facebook page, so you may not be able to watch it but, here goes:

https://www.facebook.com/SylviaAnderson.FAB/videos/superthunderstingcar-is-go-pete-dud-not-only-but-also-9th-feb-1966/833374653710148/ [Sylvia Anderson Facebook]

What do you think readers?

ARTO'S AWESOME ACQUISITIONS

Woodsy

Sending you these piccies of my recent antico mondo acquisitions.

First up is the X-50 Space Racer, a rare carded version. The blister is in tatters and the racer is missing its nose spike.



Space Capsule & Flying Saucer set on the other hand is in pretty neat condition. I think the combination here is better than the sum of its parts.

In addition, a couple of HK bin toys I came across on the Cleaning Day last Saturday.

I just love this pair of small Power Squadron speed boats, both the colours and the flower stickers. Anything with a flower on it, and I am sold!

Topo Gigio Circus presents Topo the trapeze artist. These kind of HK toys are quite common, but not too many have survived bagged.

What do you think?

Arto

Helsinki Base

TO BE OR NOT TO BE JR21? BY FERRYMAN

I first came across the X-40 Space Rocket toy back in the early 90's. It caught my eye because it bared a passing resemblance to a stretched Fireball Junior and it also featured markings that bore more than a passing resemblance to the Project Sword arrow symbol. My X-40 sat on its lonesome on my shelf for many years until in 2001 when I happened upon an X-30 Space Explorer at a collector's fair. The X-30 caught my eye because box and toy are very similar to the X-40.

The two toys sat happily together on my shelf for a few more years until a toy dealer told me they were an unbranded part of the S.W.O.R.D. range of toys. He presented the JR21 X-60 Space Rocket Truck to me as proof of the link between these toys and S.W.O.R.D. toys. I was convinced there was a link between the 'X' toys and JR21 but not that they were S.W.O.R.D. related as the designs were a lot more retro and naive. The next couple of years proved fruitful in expanding my small collection which now includes the X-50 Space Racer (obviously based on the Spirit of America record car), and the X-70 Astronaut. The X-70 is the most bizarre and unlikely member of the team but it has the right DNA – similar box art and plastic construction.

The proof for me that the 'X' toys form part of a range can be found in the product numbering on the boxes. The models' (pictured above) numbers are sequential as follows:

X-40 Space Rocket: No. 232

X-50 Space Racer: No. 233

X-60 Space Rocket on Launching Truck: No. 234

X-70 Astronaut: No. 235

The X-30 Space Explorer bucks this trend because it is marked No. 303

Maybe the factory that manufactured the 'X' toys was acquired by JR21 and the toys were so branded after that point. Or perhaps JR21 simply commissioned an exclusive run from the manufacturer of the X-60 truck in a JR21 branded box. One thing that is for sure is that adding the JR21 endorsement would have increased sales.

Whether these so called 'X' toys are actually JR21 still remains a mystery but truth is out there somewhere.

Ferryman

All pictures courtesy of Ferryman. Article specially written for the First Bloggiversary by Ferryman.

ADDENDUM: X-80 Space Capsule No.? and X-90 Space Car No. 241 dsicovered in 2010.