Meet me at the Turnpike

I've said before that the Sears Bandai line are some of the most beautiful tin toys ever.

I mean look at the cruising lines of these Turnpike trucks. They're so Thunderbirds! 

Do you like them? Got any?

THE SEARS SPACE COMMAND CENTER AND SOUND STUDIO

I love a good space toy mystery, especially one involving box art. This unusual Sears Space Command Centre and Sound Studio appeared on fleabay recently. It seems to be a plastic work station surrounded by card screens and was presumably generic enough for all 12inch figures at the time such as GI Joe and Barbie [Barbie did get her own Space Station].

It's the four card art screens that I like [pictured above right]. Depicting various spacecraft, I recognised the floating city as being from a beautiful Ken Fagg cover from a 1954 If magazine [below left]. I know I've seen the spaceship, which is flying below the floating city, before but just can't place it. As for the rest of the craft shown I would be amazed if they're not from similar Sci Fi pulp covers of the 1950's and 60's. 

Anyone recognise them?

A reader has struck gold identifying the Discovery panel, above right, as the cover of the paperback The Lost Worlds of 2001. The cover was painted by Bruce Pennington and he became famous overnight when it appeared on the first issue of Science Fiction Monthly in January 1974 [below].

Arto's Sears Super Sonic Jetliner

Re. your blog post on the subject, I sent you these photos of my orange Sears Super Sonic Jetliner back in 2022. 

It came up here in Finland, in great working condition and with a survivor original box. It is an imposing, sizeable toy in its 62 cm long box.

Sad news, the Suomenlinna Toy Museum which featured my space toy exhibition back in 2017 has closed down after 40 years. Still reeling from the shock.

https://www.hs.fi/helsinki/art-2000011053511.html

Arto

Helsinki Base

The Bandai Sears Supersonic Jetliner

 I've never seen this Bandai tinplate beauty in the flesh. I think it was a Sears Christmas exclusive.

Online auction pictures like these have to suffice but boy oh boy does it look grand!

Has anyone been lucky enough to have one?

The double teardrop cockpit blisters really make it for me. The flattened engines too. It's so Gerry Anderson! What a toy, almost too good to play with!

Do you like it readers?

oh, and here's its US patent diagram online:

https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/29/b2/62/ae0439f73b5712/USD193013-drawings-page-1.png

IN SPACE NO ONE CAN HEAR YOUR BULL HORN!

Oh Yes they can! This Sears toy Space Bull Horn and Walkie Talkie looks right for the job!

Battery operated with twiddles, buttons and a scope, I would have loved it as a young astronaut hailing my mates drinking Tizer on the space station.

I assume a bull horn is a loud noise maker.

You could scare your big brothers with the horn and then buzz your Mum on the Walkie Talkie and ask what's for tea!

It does look good, I love all the decals of dials and gauges. Very Matt Mason!

Is this something you had? I saw it on an old auction so saved the snaps.

Do you like it readers?

SS KRESGE SEARS PLASTIC 20" PRE-SCHOOL ROCKET TOY

 This Pre-Scool 15 piece 20 inch blow moulded rocket is neat and one I haven't seen before, this example appearing on an old auction,

I do like the box art and the overall Saturn 5 - styled toy design and the big pink wheels and pull-string are a nice childish touch.

Even neater are the plastic bots and bobs found inside, coloured multi-faced shapes [what are they called?]

Do you like it?

THE SKIES THE LIMIT: THE SEARS FIELD HELICOPTER

 Sears never fail to blow me away.

Here's another barnstormer, the Field Helicopter.

The toy looks spectacular, a backpack with rotors! Just amazing and the closest thing kids would have got to a jet pack!

I imagine these are uncommon and one on Ebay USA commanded a hefty tag.

Here's a video I found about the toy on You Tube.

Is this something you were lucky enough to own one Christmas readers?

Where did you fly to?

TEARS FOR SEARS

 Years ago the blog's focus was on Project SWORD toys and their many relatives.

One such relative was the wondrous US Rocket Base released by Sears in the mid-Sixties. Its an early version of the Project SWORD Apollo Saturn. There are Japanese versions too. Bill has one of those.

I don't 😥

I've just found this short video on YT about the Sears Rocket Base. Have a gander. Do you have anything like this? What do you think?

WHO IS THE MASTER OF THE TANTALOUS VASE?

I enjoyed oggling over this old auction mixed lot. There's something for everyone in there! One thing that caught my eye was the boxed Mysterious Tantalous Vase by Peter Pan Playthings, bottom centre in the lower box.

Now that's a toy I've not seen before. Just what is a tantalous vase? Anyone know?

Looking again, what is the green thing just above to the left and what is that brown action figure just behind the Tantalous Vase next to the Coffin Bank?

Over to you readers?

*

Addendum:

here's some of the thing's readers have ID'd so far:

The Sutcliffe Comet

The Wells Brimtoy Cinderalla and Prince Charming Waltzing Figures

I've spotted this tin Dutch Sight Seeing Bus from 1972

and the magnificent Bandai Moon Mobile Rocket Launcher, a Sear Exclusive [Mark Bergin Toys site]

The green thingy remained stoically anonymous but lo! ....!

It's the Triang Loch Ness Monster!

THE DRUM OF ALL SEARS

I was really taken with this online snap of the Sear's Robot Space Lab.

Looks like it was a carry case full of neat space vehicles and bots, maybe for pre-school astronauts.

Is this something you've seen before readers?

SEARS ROCKET BASE: PROJECT SWORD LOOKALIKE

 

We've featured the uber-cool Sears Rocket Base here many many times. Its part of the Project SWORD toy story.

I recently saw this picture on Worthpoint and it highlights again how similar this toy is to the Project SWORD Apollo Saturn. Here you can even see the transparent capsule rod and the folded red check parachute in front of the rocket, the same features that the Apollo Saturn has.

Anyone got either - or both! - of these toys! I've got the Apollo Saturn but not the Sears rocket.

SEARS TURNPIKE WRECKER

 Similar to Will Osborne's Cragstan Moon Mobile, here's Sears Exclusive Turnpike Wrecker. The Sears Turnpike Line and the Cragstan tin were all related and branded Exclusive Toy on the box front.

Anyone got any Sears Turnpike Line toys or Bandai or Cragstan Exclusive Toys?

photos; live auctioneers

Sears Moon Mobile Scout Wagon Explorer

Hi Woodsy

Sending you a piccy as requested by Wotan. Here's a photo of one I found in an antique shop here in Finland. Missing bits and pieces like one railing and the little green figures from the deck, but I still find it pretty decent.

Cheers

Arto

THE SEARS MOUNTAIN MOVER SHOVEL

Over the past year or so I've begun to notice this beautiful toy.

The Mountain Mover Shovel.

 The box art is a masterpiece.

And the toy. 

I mean, wow!

It was a Sears exclusive like the Moon Mobile Rocket Launcher and the Turnpike Van Trailer and many more in a staggeringly gorgeous series of tinplate toys, which seem to sum up the future in their sleek angles and big ideas.

I don't have any, I didn't know about them as a kid but I adore them now. 

And the Mountain Mover Shovel is one of my faves.

This example was on Worthpoint.

Were you or are you lucky enough to own a Sears exclusive?

You can see more clicking on the labels below.

DREAMS ARE MADE OF THIS

The American relative of the Century 21 Toys Project SWORD Apollo Saturn.

The Sears Rocket Base on You Tube.

Cor blimey!

I'd love that rocket!

Anyone got one?

BRITISH PATHE: SEARS ROCKET BASE 1966

Feast your eyes on this Sears Rocket Base at the 17th International Nurenburg Toy Fair 1966. It appears at 29 seconds with a pup barking at it.

The Sears Rocket Base was the forerunner of the Century 21 Toys Project SWORD Apollo Saturn rocket.

https://www.britishpathe.com/video/VLVA2SQVZYBI990ARPHYFBIFHVWKJ-WEST-GERMANY-17TH-NURENBURG-INTERNATIONAL-TOY-FAIR/query/toy+fair

Anyone got one?

TO THE MOON AND BACK

Celebrating further the magnificent Moon Mission of '69, 

here's Project SWORD Apollo Saturn blasting off courtesy of some 3D effects!

For the US version there is a neat video on You Tube about the Sears Rocket Base, which, unlike the UK version, even has a real smoking effect from the engine!

Have you got this toy readers?

THE TURNPIKE LINE

I love the American Sears Turnpike line of toys from the early Sixties.

They could have come straight off the set of Thunderbirds!

Have you got any of these trucks or the big crane?

SEARS ROCKET BASE: THE AMERICAN PROJECT SWORD APOLLO SATURN ON YOU TUBE

Have you got one?

PROJECT SWORD PRECURSOR: SEARS ROCKET BASE ON YOU TUBE

Courtesy of You Tube.

But who is Simpson LTD mentioned in the blurb beneath the film?