A few more Corgi Rockets

I Left my Heart in a Corgi Rockets Skypark

One of the most important toys I had as a nipper was the Corgi Rockets Skypark, a sort of super cool multi-storey for those ace speedsters.

Here's some fab footage of one in this awesome 1971 TV ad.

Did you or do you have a Skypark?

https://youtu.be/O8uBn9K-zok?si=slLBvMTBwjpFjSmT 

It's a Barbie Swirl

Spent a happy hour cleaning two old car boot cars.

The little merc got an overnight Dettol bath to remove a layer of red repaint (thanks Bill) and a vigorous swirl in a jam jar of soapy water. It's taken most of the original blue off as well, but that's OK. I like the look it's got now.

The big Barbie roadster is a pinanan ... A Ferrari, which has cleaned up really well with a damp scouring pad. 

Are you cleaning stuff?

Rockets in my Pockets

 Whilst my VHS project has had to be put on the back burner for financial and technical reasons, my new obsession are Corgi Rockets, largely because I've found so many so cheaply this month!

A complete Rockets novice, I do remember adoring them as a kid, easily as much as my redlines. 

Currently, for me, it's much easier finding Rockets than redlines, so it makes more sense to collect them.

It's a steep learning curve and I've been picking Bill's brains.

Apart from the usual Rockets there are some unusual sets out there containing some strange vehicles, so as I'm just discovering them, I thought I'd share them here too.

First up is Jerry's Banger, seen here with the little canon.

It's a Corgi Junior Whizzwheels but rather confusingly was included in the Corgi Rockets Tom and Jerry Crazy Chase Set.

Strange that they didn't use proper Rockets but as I say, I'm still learning!

The other car was Tom's Go Cat.

Seen here in the flesh and one I've yet to to find.

Next up is the equally odd Rockets Wall of Death Special set. Again this Rockets box contained two Corgi Juniors.

Here are the two vehicles. Is that a standard Whizzwheels Ford Capri? Which bike is that? Anyone know? Oddly, the Capri illustrated on the set box top is fully liveried.

Last but not least, the Rockets Alpine Ski Set.

Like the other two sets I certainly never saw this when I was a kid.

Looking at it I find it an odd choice for a Rockets.

The skiier is the main event. Again, I've never seen this in all the years I've been car booting.

Have you?

All fascinating stuff but I think I'll stick to the regular Rockets I think. I may have a chance of finding them!

Rocket Lunch

Excited about my new Corgi Rockets today and a wrecker truck I picked up offa eBay, thanks to a tip from Bill, I decided to waste no time in touching them up a little with a dab of Sharpie and paint pen over lunch.

Here's before and after. Not perfect but they'll do for now.

Spring Fling

 The local boot sale is in full Spring now.

I was chuffed to extend my Corgi Rockets haul by four this morning, including a golden electric one, which is all new to me.

I recognized Old MacDonalds chuck wagon from Paul A's recent haul post, altho Paul's was the Juniors version. 

The Juniors skiddoo I've yet to ID properly. 

The Wearem Scarem badge at the end was only known to me through Tony Ks marvellous post on the subject here on MC a few years ago. I was pleased to find one with its little paper and baggy.

The Shuttle is an early Transformer or similar.

There were toy collection books galore too. I passed on so many including a Kitahara Japanese tin toys guide but I enjoyed getting a Model and Toys annual a la the great Bill Breugman and a 1995 Collecting Toys, both from the US.

The middle book is an old unpunched Disney press out book.

The small plate is Arabesque. It has a small chip but I can convert it I to a Corgi Rocket I'll be pleased. 

What do you think?

Pocket Rockets

 My small Corgi Rockets fleet is growing. 

Three new pocket money Car boot ones in the last 8 days.

With my trusty pen case I decided to try to patch them up a bit as pictured above.

Great fun.

I adored these cars as a kid and loved their amazing Sky Park tower garage.

 I'll see if I can bag another Rocket next week.

Have you got any? 

My Other Car is a Carabo!

 Cue Yorkie's comment in today's Stratos post about his Matchbox Alfa Romeo Carabo Bertone, I got to thinking about my own as a kid.

My mind misremembered there being two metallic versions of the Matchbox Carabo,

The glorious purple classic ...

And the magnificent green beauty ...

But Doh! my old grey matter is wrong! The green machine was of course a Corgi Rockets toy!

I had both. Oh boy oh boy!

Which do you prefer readers, purple or green?

Have you any other Carabo cars?

In the meantime my new Bertone is just being delivered! 

https://youtu.be/3nUtQ874WV0?si=JSZOcYTsuJX2Pou7

Ha ha!

OH ROMEO! WHERE ARCH THOU?

 Slim Pickings at Leeds' Thorpe Arch boot sale today. It was a complete wash-out.

I did pick up one decent die-cast, a Corgi Rockets Alfa Romeo sand spoiler. 50p poorer and back home I touched it up with a purple sharpie and it ain't half bad. It has some residual decals on it - are they original? Did the Rockets Alfa Romeo have decals?

After filling my cabinets with tons of Superfast I'm now limiting myself to collecting Corgi Rockets and old Hot Wheels in the future. I've run out of space for any others.

In a Wetherby charity shop I went mad and lashed out a fiver on this 1978-1980 Matchbox Play Track, all loose in a placcy bag. I love the spearmint track livery. Having looked online the orange plates make up different levels of a high rise car park. 

Anyone know the name of the set in the UK?

THE REAL CORGI ROCKET!

I saw this sleek blue vintage Jensen Interceptor on Ebay recently and I think I died and went to Heaven!

Being my favourite car, ever since I held the gloriously sleek miniature Corgi Rockets version as a kid, I very nearly pressed Buy It Now, but at over £35K I would have had to sell our house!

I'll just change my name I think. To Jensen. Jensen Interceptor!

What's your favourite car readers? Do you own one?

A BONNY LOT DOWN DONNY

Today's meagre but interesting and inexpensive haul from Doncaster Car Boot.

At the rear, two blister carded Dictator toy Pistols made in China [I was drawn to the Transformer artwork on the backing card], an old Britains farm trailer with Shawnee Poole Rear Dump decals, an unbranded die-cast pull-back Dodge Charger [my fave muscle car], 

a Corgi Rockets die-cast Todd Sweeney body [no wheels, my fave Rockets car as a kid!], a die-cast red Citroen CX Palas made in Spain by Miniaturas DA or IDAI?, a Corgi Juniors die-cast Batmobile for DIY restoration, a GEN1 Transformers without the bonnet [my second like this] and the very front, the Lone Ranger and a tiny He-Man/ Galaxy Warrior miniature.

The Lone Ranger is from the 1980 Legend of the Lone Ranger figure line by Gabriel. Amazingly, having never found any of these figures before, I found General Custer two weeks ago in York! Who's next? Tonto?

Its In Will's Garage!

Following on from my last post about the corgi rocket sky Park, here are three more battery operated garages. 

The first one always reminds me of the vertical parking garage in Thunderbirds. It’s the closest I found to it. 

The Matchbox auto park I’ve always liked because of the box art. The last one is again a vertical park, just a cheaper version. 

Hope you like them . 

Will O.

UK

Have you got a garage?

WILL'S CORGI ROCKETS SKYPARK

Re. Bill's Corgi Rockets, I loved my Skypark toy when I was a kid. I do remember it took some setting up though. I remember pretending it was like the vertical car park in that Thunderbirds episode, although it's nothing like it!

Will O

UK

Get yours out again Bill!

Notes from Abroad .... Well, the Airport

 It's odd what you think about on a train journey.

Pulling up to Deansgate in Manchester I could have sworn I was looking at a Andersonesque Thunderscape of Corgi Rockets Skyparks!

Amazingly tall thin towers everywhere just like my beloved Skypark toy high rise car park. Did you have a Skypark?

In the midst of all this Utopian might was a squat derelict red brick factory called the Hotspur Press/ Percy Brothers nestled among steel and glass giants. It looked so out of place but I'm glad it was there. 

I've no idea what they printed. Surely not the Hotspur comic!

Another pop culture reference popped up just now too. 

At Archie's I had that most Travolting of burgers, the Royale with cheese. You know, the one Vincent Vega describes early on in the film Pulp Fiction before all Hell breaks loose. OK, he was on about McDonalds in Paris but I'm in Manchester. 

Have you had one?

CORGI ROCKETS: THE KEY TO CHILDHOOD

 

Blimey! This brings back memories! I adored Corgi Rockets: the shapes, the wheels, the detachable axles and that wonderful key.

The tracks and accessories were simply terrific too. God, how I loved the tall toy Sky Park. I can almost feel that small orange button under my finger again!

Did you get Corgi Rockets at Christmas in the early Seventies? What did you have?

CORGI ROCKETS SKYPARK TV AD 1971

For Billster on his Birthday.

Like me Bill loves the Corgi Rockets Skypark.

I had one as a kid.

Bill has one now!

No fair!

jensen interceptor and the corgi rockets

One of my favourite cars ever, the Jensen Interceptor.

I never owned a real one like the later Saint does here courtesy of You Tube [not a version of the Saint I know though

I did have a Corgi Rockets die-cast version. I adored the sleek metallic body and the detachable plastic axle underneath.

In fact flicking off those plastic axles with the iconic gold key was one of THE top toy play moments of my childhood. I loved it!

Here's a reminder of just how good Corgi Rockets and all those cool accessories actually were once again courtesy of You Tube. The Sky Park was one of my fave toys ever as a nipper.

Did you love Corgi Rockets and do you still have any readers?