The Atlantis U.S. Space Missiles Set

I mentioned this Atlantis set, M6871, some time ago. It is a re-issue of an old Monogram U.S. Space Missiles set from the 1960s, which itself was an up-dated version of the U.S. Missile Arsenal set first released in 1958.

Despite the name on the box, these are all military missiles, although a few were adapted for launching space satellites and even manned missions. All are U.S. types, but some were used by other countries.

You get 36 missiles, from small air-to-air and anti-tank types, up to Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, so there is a wide range of sizes. The set is made to 1/128th scale - half of 1/64th - which was once used for larger aircraft types and missiles, but died out many years ago.

Two figures are included for comparison. These are only 14mm tall.

There are 69 missile parts, plus the two figures, in white plastic. A decal sheet is included for the various markings.

The angled display base is blue plastic, and has the name of each missile, its role, and operating service (Army, Navy, or Air Force) in raised lettering. Each of the assembly diagrams includes painting and decal placement instructions.

The base is 320 mm x 143 mm. Height once assembled is nearly 270mm.

Some of the missiles are one-piece mouldings (16); others have two parts (11); three (7); four (1). The most complicated model is the winged Bomarc, which has six parts.

There is a leaflet, reproduced from the Monogram kit, giving details of each missile type. The bottom of the Atlantis box also has a full-colour star field, against which to display the finished models.

Although rather on the expensive side, this is a really nice set, with a pretty full box. Much later, Monogram did a joint U.S. and U.S.S.R. Missile Display set in 1/144th scale, with 9 US and 11 Soviet missiles.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

THE MEREHALL MISSILE CAR

I've always loved this little plastic Missile Car by Merehall [I think] ever since Bill Wotan posted it on the blog years ago.

Its got all the gear a cool Sixties space toy needed; huge front clear window, small radar, slick lines and a gobsmacking missile parched on top.

The box is just ace of spades too and I would have been drawn to it like a bee in a toy shop!

A rare bird, Google Search brought up just one more Missile Car, a green one in an old Saleroom lot.

Have you got anything like this readers?

THE MODELCOLLECT V-1

Sometime ago we mentioned rockets and launch ramps. On a visit to a model shop I spotted this kit - the Modelcollect Fieseler Fi 103 Vergeltungswaffe 1 mit Startrampe. In other words, the WW2 German V-1 Flying Bomb with launch ramp.

The V-1 actually had a pulse jet engine rather than a rocket, but it still looks like a nice model. The kit is 1/72nd scale, giving the V-1 a wingspan of 74 mm. The box contains six sprues in light grey plastic. There are two identical sprues with the V-1 (so you get two in the box - five parts per bomb), with four smaller sprues containing the launch ramp sections. There are no decals with this version of the kit, but it seems decals were previously included.

There is also a Full Size Ver of the kit, with a longer ramp. So this one is presumably a bit under-sized. Assembled, it will still be around 15 inches long.

The instructions do say the V-1 'rockets' can be displayed separately, but there is no transport trolley to carry them, which is a pity.

This version of the kit does not contain any painting instructions, but a different version of the instructions can be downloaded from the Scalemates site, and this does include painting guides for both the V-1 and its launch ramp.

https://www.scalemates.com/products/img/8/4/4/1010844-59-instructions.pdf

There have been a number of other kits of the V-1, or which contain a V-1 as part of an aircraft kit, but these do not usually come with the original launch ramp.

This would certainly be a good addition to any collection of missile models. It would look good in a diorama with some figures, such as the Airfix Luftwaffe Personnel Set, and some vehicles.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

JUNIOR 7

 We wuz over at Junior's place recently, when he'd just turned 7.

As a party favour, I got him some random toy missiles but I've no idea what they're off. Have you?

We visited the local scrap-store, where junk destined for landfill gets stocked and sold to crafters. I bought Junior a black funnel type thingy to make a rocket from! there's a whole stack of them on a shelf in this pic. Just ten pence each!

Junior was seven at the end of September and his folks got him this Playmobil spy station. It's big and complex, with false walls and radar cars and more! We would have loved it in the Sixties and Seventies too!

Did you have a spy station or base?

Bloggiversary Finale: Then and the Art of War: Sea Power

There have been a number of posts recently about ships and boats, but the definitive boat toys for me have to be the Deluxe Reading or Topper Toys range. Topper were responsible for the Johnny Seven gun, the Tiger Joe Tank, Johnny Astro and Johnny Speed toys, but also the wonderful Cape Canaveral Rocket Base and Armoured Battalion sets. All the toys were big, substantial and made to appeal to boys! All the space and army toys bristle with cannons, rockets and missiles and almost all of them launch or fire in some way. The Task Force set is no exception and the stand alone destroyer toy, the U.S.S Battlewagon was the ultimate in boat toys.

 

The Battlewagon is a huge toy, a good three feet of battery powered plastic, which rolled along on wheels, blasting off rockets, planes, shells and torpedoes. You can see it in action on this You Tube link:

https://youtu.be/_7KnQSWB7cw?feature=shared

The downside of this amazing toy is that it is a horror to try and photograph, as it’s massive! You can see it below in my fully featured studio, complete with microwave, that it takes up all the worktop!

But just as the Topper adverts proudly proclaim, “You get all this!” A bank of firing cannons on the front deck, torpedo launchers, jet catapult and anti-aircraft missiles to the stern.

The missiles on the back are the same ‘Nike Hercules’ type that come with the Cape Canaveral Missile bank, discriminated by red nose cones, rather than black.

I was really lucky to find all three ships in a loose lot many years ago on eBay, with almost all the accessories included. I have never tried to start up the Battlewagon, as it takes the really hefty C cell batteries, but all the wiring looks intact. The Anson signal light was missing along with the battery cover, too.

Next we have the Task Force, which consists of a destroyer, motor patrol boat and a target float.

The Destroyer was in good shape overall, even coming with original shells and depth charges. However, the little landing craft was missing, so I had to build one out of an old Aurora ‘Anzio Beach’ model.

The Destroyer has launching depth charges at rear and a large turret on the front, along with a crane to hold the landing craft. All models come with a full crew of figures, each about 1/55 scale, around an inch or so high.

The Patrol Boat has a large red missile on the front and two gun turrets. This was missing part of the central mast, but was otherwise in good order.

Earlier last month, I spotted a pair of Topper boats on eBay, both looking a little weather beaten and forlorn, so I grabbed them and took them home to the shipyards!

As the destroyer was missing quite a bit of the main bodywork, I fashioned a new cabin arrangement and funnel, then replaced the landing craft bay with a new crane and a mini-sub pen. An old Action Man Anson lamp formed a searchlight on the rear. The sub comes direct from Bluebird Zero Hour, which is just a slightly smaller scale at around 1/65.

The patrol boat was again, a bit of a blank canvas, as a lot of the surface detail had gone. I was able to attach a large torpedo bay from an old army playset and reposition the frigates depth charge launcher on the front. Zero Hour accessories in the form of oil tanks made excellent cannisters and some of the small boxes and other parts were used as detail.

The torpedoes were mounted on the sides in classic patrol boat style, but can only be launched from the rear. A few spare radar arrays and aerials completed the outfitting of both vessels and my daughter kindly fashioned some new vinyl decals for both ships, including a new Submarine Hunter designation for the destroyer.

The second boat had slightly different colours too, which made it easier to give it the look of a different model.

And of course, what’s the use of having all these submarine warfare vessels on hand if there’s no enemy vessels to hunt? So I took another playset toy, in the form of a submarine and used that as the quarry!

U.S. SPACE MISSILES BY PAUL ADAMS

Atlantis is a US model company that specialises in re-issuing old and classic kits from past decades. One of their new releases for 2022 is the U.S. Space Missile set, containing 36 US missiles and rockets from the 1950s and 1960s.

This set started out in 1958 as the Monogram U.S. Missile Arsenal in 1/128th scale, 3/32 inch to the foot (this was once regarded as a standard model aircraft scale, and is half of 1/64th). The set contained 31 missiles, a display stand, and a 32-page booklet on missiles, which had an introduction by Willy Ley.

In 1959 the missiles from this set were also released in six smaller sets, in plastic bags.

In 1969 the set was revised, and re-issued under the title U.S. Space Missiles. Five of the older missiles were deleted, mostly the winged types, and ten newer missiles were added. This brought the missile count up to 36.

Actually, most of the missiles were military. They ranged from small tactical battlefield and air-to-air missiles to Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, so there is a vast difference in their sizes. Two human figures were included to give an idea of scale.

The display is 12 3/4 inches wide, and 10 1/2 inches to the tip of the tallest missile. Some of the missiles are one-piece mouldings, others contain up to six parts.

It is the U.S. Space Missiles set, with 36 missiles, that Atlantis is re-issuing. The Atlantis web site gives a US retail price of $39.99, and an expected release date of July 2022. Again, a booklet on missiles is included.

Atlantis Plastic Model kits Made in the USA! (atlantis-models.com)

The instruction sheet for the Monogram version can be downloaded from the Scalemates site.

U.S. Space Missiles, Monogram 6055 (1983) (scalemates.com)

Apart from the U.S. Missile Arsenal and the U.S. Space Missiles sets, Monogram did a U.S. and U.S.S.R. Missile Display set in 1984, to 1/144th scale, which today is a much more common aircraft scale than 1/128th. There were 20 missiles in this set.

Thanks to Max from Max's Models for mentioning this great set.

The photo of the Atlantis set is from the Atlantis site, while the rest are from Worthpoint.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

Have you got a set like this?

A PROPELLING ARGUMENT

Hello

The UK Revell Catalogue of 1961/62, price 6d, offered these kits. see attached

In 1960 a classmate of mine turned an Airfix Bloodhound kit into a propelling pencil.

Our teacher of course confiscated it! I wonder if David Allen ever had it returned?

Terranova47

USA

STIFF UPPER KITS: BRITISH MODEL MISSILES

The late 1950s and early 1960s saw a host of guided missile kits hit the shops in America. Most companies that made model aircraft also made at least a few missile kits. 

Most were to accepted model aircraft scales, or to odd 'fit the box' scales. Some missiles were made by more than one company. Many of the kits included launchers, and some also had transport vehicles, support equipment, and figures. Missiles were also included in the armament of many aircraft and ship kits, but these were generally to much smaller scales than the separate kits.

Outside America, there was less interest in missiles, and kits were rare. In Britain, the only makers seem to have been Airfix and Frog.

All photos from Ebay or Worthpoint, and one from me.

The Bristol Bloodhound Surface-to-Air Missile was developed in Britain in the 1950s. The Mk.I entered service with the RAF in 1958, followed by the Mk.II in 1964. It was exported to Australia, Sweden, and Switzerland. Ex-RAF missiles were also used by Singapore. According to Wikipedia, some of these later went to Myanmar (Burma).

Airfix

This was the first military vehicle kit from Airfix, and pre-dates the tank line. The kit depicts the early Mk.I missile, and was released in 1960. It has been re-issued several times over the years. Included are the Bloodhound missile, launcher, transport trailer, Short Wheel Base Land Rover towing vehicle (no interior detail at all), five human figures, and a dog. Original kit number A1V, later A209V, then 02309-0. The scale was originally given as 1/72nd, the same as the aircraft kits; later changed to OO (which is 1/76th scale) to match the tank kits, then HO/OO, and finally back to 1/72nd. Originally sold in a plastic bag, with a paper header/instruction sheet. Later issues were sold in boxes.

The Airfix Corporation of America release has different box art, and is very strange - it seems to show the launcher sitting on top of the missile transport trailer.

When Airfix released their Lockheed Hercules kit in 1971, initially as an RAF C-130K, the Bloodhound was included as a load. This was dropped when the Hercules was re-issued as a USAF C-130E in 1975.

Bristol Bloodhound, Airfix A1V (1960) (scalemates.com)

144747-30-instructions.pdf (scalemates.com)

Airfix 1/76 Bloodhound Missile, by Greg Ewald (modelingmadness.com)

Plastic Soldier Review - Airfix Kit Figures - Bristol Bloodhound

AIRFIX 1/72 BRISTOL BLOODHOUND Mk1 SURFACE TO AIR MISSILE - Ready for Inspection - Aircraft - Britmodeller.com

Frog

This kit was also released in 1960, and depicted the Mk.I missile on its launcher. It was far larger than the Airfix version, being made to 1/24th scale. Height 13 1/2 inches. Kit number 344P included the missile, its launcher, and four figures. Moulded in white and khaki, with the figures in blue. The box top boasted 125 parts. Price was 12/6, which would have bought you six Airfix Series 1 kits.

The entry for this kit in Frog Model Aircraft 1932-1976 by Richard Lines and Leif Hellstrom, New Cavendish Books, 1989 states that the kit was only available 1960-62, as it did not sell well, and has never been re-issued - 'The ultimate fate of the mould is unknown'. It is considered one of the rarest of all Frog kits, which means it is really expensive when an example does show up.

Bristol Bloodhound, FROG 344P (195x) (scalemates.com)

RARE Frog Bristol Bloodhound guided missile kit - boxed | #166055178 (worthpoint.com)

Classic British Aviation Industry Advertisements 1909 - 1990 (aviationancestry.co.uk)

There have also been die-cast versions from Corgi in 1958, and a much more recent version in 1/76th scale from Oxford Diecast.

The SA-2 Guideline was an early Soviet Surface-to-Air Missile, widely used in Vietnam and the Middle East. Given the lack of information on Soviet weaponry during the Cold War, code names were assigned to each new type as it became known to the West, in order to keep track of everything. This was similar to the system used for Japanese aircraft during WW2. SA-2 meant the second type of SAM identified. All Soviet SAM missiles had code names beginning with the letter G.

Airfix

The SAM-2 Missile kit dates from the early 1970s. Like the earlier Bloodhound kit it included the missile itself, launcher, a transporter - comprising a truck and trailer, but this time the only figure is the truck driver (who looks very British). This was a Series 3 kit, hence the numbers A303V and 03303-5. The scale was given as OO, or 1/76th.

This was a short-lived kit, and has not been re-issued. It seems the moulds for this kit were either damaged, destroyed, or simply went missing, and it has not been seen since the late 1970s. Given how short-lived the kit was, there are only small variations in the standard box art.

Checking the Vintage Airfix site, I was astounded to see this kit listed as dating from 1971, when it was in the 9th Edition catalogue, under the number A303V. Luckily, I have that catalogue, and a box top is illustrated on page 45, with the tractor in green rather than the usual sand. It seems this kit was announced long before it was released. Most references give a release date of 1973, which I still thought was too early, as I remember this kit coming out, and I did not start modelling until 1974. On checking the Internet Archive, the kit is included in the Newcomers section of Airfix Magazine, August 1974, page 685. Therefore I believe the correct release date is 1974.

SAM-2 Missile, Airfix 03303-5 (1973) (scalemates.com)

SAM 2 Guideline Missile - A303V (vintage-airfix.com)

Airfix Magazine 1974 08 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

miniafv: Airfix 1/72 Sam-2 Missile with Launcher and Transporter **inbox preview** (by Cem Esen)

Airfix 1/76 SA-2 'Guideline' Preview (modelingmadness.com)

In 1960 Frog released eleven ex-Renwal kits as Frog De-Luxe models. These were a mix of ships, military vehicles, and a single missile kit. Frog model M550 was the Renwal Nike SAM kit in 1/32nd scale, so it was to a smaller scale than the Bloodhound kit. Missile, launcher, and three figures. Moulded in authentic white and olive drab colours. Over 14 inches long. Frog retained the original Renwal box art. This kit was also re-issued by Revell (but still with the Renwal name on the box).

Antiaircraft Guided Missile NIKE, Renwal M 550-149 (1955) (scalemates.com)

VINTAGE FROG DELUXE MODEL KIT NIKE ANTI AIRCRAFT GUIDED MISSILE ROCKET COMPLETE | #500572729 (worthpoint.com)

More peripheral are various aircraft kits that included a model of the German V-1 Flying Bomb of WW2. All 1/72nd scale.

Frog Supermarine Spitfire Mk.14 (or Mk.XIV) and German Flying Bomb. Kit number F194, released in 1969. The kit included a stand with two arms, so the Spitfire could be posed attacking the V-1. The kit came with two decal options for the Spitfire, one of them South East Asia Command, which would have looked very odd alongside a V-1. This kit has been re-released under many different company names.

Supermarine Spitfire Mk14 & German 'Flying Bomb', FROG F194 (1969) (scalemates.com)

Frog Arado Ar234 Blitz jet bomber. Released in 1976, this was one of the last Frog kits. Number F417. Could be built with either two or four engines. The kit included a V-1 flying bomb, which could be carried above the fuselage, and air-launched. The Scalemates entry includes the instruction sheet.

Arado Ar234 "Blitz" Jet Bomber, FROG F417 (1976) (scalemates.com)

In 2005 Airfix released a Dogfight Double kit of the V1 Flying Bomb/Gloster Meteor III, with paints, brushes, and cement, as kit number 03148G. In 2008 the box was changed, and the kit re-number A50039.

Gloster Meteor III And V.1 Flying (Doodle Bug) Bomb, Airfix 03148G (2005) (scalemates.com)

German flying bomb V1 and british Gloster Meteor III (Dogfight Doubles series) Airfix 50039 (super-hobby.com)

In 1992 Airfix released the RAF/NATO Weapons Kit in 1/72nd scale. Only some of the items were British. This was described as a Hi-Tech Series kit, and came with etched brass missile fins. This made the set more expensive than a normal, all plastic kit. Series 5, model number 05041. The set contained a mix of missiles, bombs, and various pods. All for use on modern (1990s) aircraft. The Scalemates entry for this set includes the instruction sheet, which can be down-loaded.

RAF/NATO Weapons Kit, Airfix 05041 (1992) (scalemates.com)

Several American companies, such as Revell and Aurora, had British branches, and they may have released various missile kits under their own names in Britain. Some of the smaller British firms might also have re-issued American kits in Britain, as Frog had done with Renwal.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

JEEP MISSILE INTERCEPTOR

I dunno. I liked the look of this old plastic cheapo jeep and its simple card art so I saved the pic for MC.

Its a Park's Missile Interceptor and somehow captures the UFO vibe for me.

Park's hail from Linden, NJ. Do you know it?

There's a hint of the SpaceX Apollo Tracker too and maybe Major Matt Mason's Satellite Launcher.

Have you anything like this readers or did you have as a kid?

Model Missile Kits

Hi,

         This video from Celebrating Aviation With Mike Machat covers the many US missile kits of the 1950s and early 1960s, with background information on the real missiles, and on the models, with lots of great box art. At one point he and his wife lived next door to a Nike Hercules missile site at Los Angeles International Airport. Wow.

MISSILE MODELS - Were they the hottest kits during the Cold War? - YouTube

Paul Adams from New Zealand

ZELL: ZERO LENGTH LAUNCH HISTORY

Hi

         In reply to the item on the Hawk Guerrilla Combat Team kit from the early 1960s, I thought he and others might be interested in a short history of this US programme.

Zero Length Launch involved mounting a rocket engine under a normal jet fighter, and simply blasting the aircraft in to the air. The rocket motor would then be jettisoned, and the aircraft would fly its normal mission. 

 The idea was to get aircraft in to the air as quickly as possible, and allow them to be dispersed away from airfields that would be under attack in the opening stages of World War Three. To make deployment easier, the aircraft and launching ramps would be mounted on heavy trucks. But you still needed a normal runway for landing.

Experiments using fixed ramps were conducted by the United States Air Force in the 1950s, involving the Republic F-84 Thunderjet (as modelled by Hawk), the North American F-100 Super Sabre, and the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter. 

The tests were successful, but the system was not adopted for service use. Having small groups of jets scattered all over the countryside would have posed plenty of problems in command and control, and supply, as well as field security.

First up, the original entry on the Hawk kit.

MOONBASE CENTRAL: Hawk Guerrilla Combat Team Thunderjet (projectswordtoys.blogspot.com)

Next, here are a few references.

Wikipedia entry for ZELL.

Zero-length launch - Wikipedia

Several film clips of ZELL in action, including this documentary, which includes a German Starfighter, and a Soviet version using the MiG-19.

Cold War Tactics | ZERO LENGTH LAUNCH - YouTube

Episode 3 of the US TV series Steve Canyon, Operation Zero Launch, is based around the ZELL trials, using the F-100 Super Sabre. The colour is poor, but the film is great.

Steve Canyon TV 1958 colorized s01e03 "Operation Zero Launch" - YouTube

I do not think I would like to be aboard an aircraft launched this way either.

Paul Adams from New Zealand

CEFA ATLAS MISSILE TOY

 

This is an interesting Atlas missile toy set I saw on the Spanish Todocollecion site.

The box art seems to show launches on either side of the Atlantic!

Have you anything like this?

JAMES BOND'S VOLCANO SET: THE MISSILE INSIDE

Looking at Looey's recent 007 volcano set he spotted online at jamesbondtoys

https://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2021/02/a-james-bond-volcano-toy-licence-to.html

I thought, hmmm, I've seen that toy missile launch platform at jamesbondtoys.com before.

I had a hunch that Wotan had something like it in his vast collection and had blogged it.

He had!

and here...

https://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2013/01/kennedy-capers.html?m=1

Result!

Anyone else got anything like this?

MORE MISSILES

.... The Nike would come up from the underground storage (left side of pic with car), then move down the rail to the end (near where car is), then be raised up into firing position.

Jim H

Nevada

US