Capsulissima

This simple post has been a while in the preparation,mainly because I had to wait till all the Moonbase Supply bags had landed. Now the cats out of the bag, I can proceed with the post! It all began a few weeks back when I received a Saturn capsule with chute, generously supplied by Kevin D. This is as close as I have got so far to the Project SWORD Saturn and is one of the toys which fascinated me as a kid.

Sunny days on the beach or in the garden almost always involved some kind of flying toy and often it involved a parachute. Countless cheap plastic soldiers and astronauts got tossed into the air and stranded in trees or inaccessible roofs but they were always disposable and easily replaced items, bought for a few pence from the corner shop. Since then, such toys have become rarer due to their limited lifespan and now I find if I come across such a toy, it never leaves the house.

Besides the wonderfully simple and fragile SWORD capsule, here are a few of my other favourites.

The Saturn Sword capsule is a simple clear plastic and 'lance' shaped affair, with a printed card insert showing the astronaut. A  similar shaped capsule came on top of the large Quercetti MACH X catapult rocket, which returned to Earth with its own chute. This three piece capsule has the astronauts moulded into the lower half and a transparent cockpit.

Not designed as a throwable toy, the Dinky Seaking Apollo Capsule is a neat little accessory which had a small ring at the apex where the copters winch could lift it. Simple, but detailed construction with an opening hatch to show the three astronauts.

A recent trip to Cornwall and the rather excellent museum in Truro revealed a neat toy in the gift shop. A basic plastic capsule and parachute. Cast in garish purple plastic, a swift wash of white enamel calmed things down. Lacking the style and aerodynamic properties of its fellows, it was a pleasant reminder of times past.

Finally, a toy which managed to slip under my radar as a kid, but which I found on ebay some years later. The Lone Star mercury capsule was also offered as a mail away with Askeys Ice Cream. A much more complex and delicate toy, the capsule is fitted with a mechanism, which when the capsule touches down, ejects the hapless astronaut out the capsule window. Consequently, it was amazing to find it intact!

So coming back to the Moonbase Supply Bags for the blog birthday - in the spirit of nostalgia, i'd urge everyone to open the bag, hitch the astronaut to the working parachute and let fly! Photos welcome!