Jumping for Joy

Italy's Quercetti is well known for rockets and parachutes.

Their JR21 marketed Fireball XL5 has featured here many times, as has the Mach-1 and TOR.

These toys incorporated a small blow moulded parachutist and chute.

Eolo's much bigger set had a similar jumping astronaut cum pilot.

This bended knee jumper became a staple. Here's a more recent bag of three. 

I think you can still get this toy in some form.

It's become a party favour!

Quantity 21

This was an interesting mixed quantity on auction ages ago.

Is that the Quercetti JR21 Fireball XL5?

Who are those figures?

Recognise anything else?

US ROCKET TOY AT THE SMITHSONIAN

This is both unusual and familiar at the same time!

Clearly related to the old Sixties TOR and MACH-1 parachute rockets from Quercetti and JR21, this is an unbranded boxed version, U.S. Rocket, held at the Smithsonian.

I love the box art. It was donated in 1973. 

Anyone seen this model before?

https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/rocket-flying-model-us-rocket/nasm_A19930629000

WILL O'S TV21 FIREBALL XL5

 

From Will's new TV21 comics collection, his JR21 XL5 parachuting spaceship and the ad in a November 1965 edition of the comic.

Did you have one of these XL5's or the other rockets advertised?

PHOTO BOX ART OR NOT?

 

I saw this Quercetti Mach X rocket and thought, hmm, not sure about that card art. I think I prefer an illustrated card rather than large photo's of people like this one.

Having said that its very noticable and modern looking.

What do you prefer?

[picture courtesy of retro container]

THE US ROCKET

I was fascinated by the detail of this online gallery for one boxed toy, the US Rocket. A battery-fired plastic rocket with parachute, each component is lovingly photographed. The most interesting item is the box of engines and wires, which we don't see, just the box, the contents of which were made in Macau. Having never had anything like it I have no idea really how this worked.

Its a strange title, US Rocket. Bland, non-specific, but overall the toy recalls the JR21 Quercetti Tor and Fireball XL5 rocketry missiles seen on the blog.

What do you think of the US Rocket? Were you a rocketeer? 

https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/rocket-flying-model--us-rocket/nasm_A19930629000

ROCKET MAN PARACHUTE TOY

This is strange. Rocket Man. I've seen that rocket man and face before somewhere - Dr. Who?

Anyways, its an unusual rocket parachute toy. More like a torpedo than a rocket.

Made in Hong Kong this carded example was on Worthpoint a while ago.

I've not seen one before. You?

AN AMAZING WEBSITE: GUNTHER FLUGSPIELE: ELASTIC ROCKETS

https://missgwendoline2.de.tl/

Elastic rockets, elastic planes, elastic helicopters.

Its just brilliant!

Check out Raketen 1 and 2. Lots of Tor rockets!

In German.

What do you think?

BACK TO EARTH

I've not seen this toy rocket before, the Mercury Atlas Booster by Gladen. Its like a larger version of the similar LP rockets we know well on Moonbase. This Atlas I saw on Ebay. It has a parachute and reminds of the Quercetti/ JR21 rockets many of us had as kids.

The header card has a striking image of separating modules. It reminds me of the brilliant card art for the Triang SpaceX Nuclear Ferry.

QUERCETTI IN WETHERBY

On a grand day out yesterday in the town of Wetherby the Missus and me went into a few charity shops.

In two different ones we found Quercetti toys. I recognised the name immediately as I know many readers have talked enthusiastically about their Quercetti-JR21 Fireball XL5's.

Neither of the two toys I saw were as exciting as an XL5 but they were interesting to see and both were branded as 'Intelligent Toys' as well. I couldn't take any snaps as I'd left my phone at home.

They were: 

1. A sort of huge ball bearing run like a Mighty Mike track and called Skyrail Glow in the Dark.

Looking up Skyrail I see its part of a large line of different Skyrail sets. In fact the one I saw in the Charity shop was strapped together to another box so there may well have been two sets.

I have no idea of the date of manufacture.

2. In another Charity shop I saw a Quercetti helicopter. Again marked as 'Intelligent Toys', it looked like the most basic of helicopters, a skeleton in fact, which I imagine must fly. It looked like a large yellow plastic fish-hook or half a coat-hanger. I can't find any reference to this online and alas don't recall the name of the toy.

Again, the date of manufacture is a mystery.

Amazingly Quercetti is still going strong unlike many of its Sixties contemporaries. These two toys I've seen may not be vintage at all, its hard to say.

I mentioned JR21 and Quercetti. If you haven't already read on Paul V's fab SpaceX website how, as described by his daughter, Jack Rosenthal met the Quercetti family then its well worth it. Fascinating stuff and brilliant research by Paul V. http://www.triangspacextoys.info/JackRBio/JRrec3RR.html

Have you any Quercetti toys?

THE QUERCETTI FIREBALL XL5

There's a brilliant short article about the development of Quercetti's Fireball XL5 toy by Graeme Walker of Canada. This article appears on The Big Red Toy Box.