****Breaking News****
(CNN) -- Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, has died, his family said Saturday. He was 82.
"We are heartbroken to share the news that Neil Armstrong has passed away following complications resulting from cardiovascular procedures," Armstrong's family said in a statement.
On a day when Toys & Stuff regularly featuring space and Sci-Fi related toys, the man who helped bring the Moon just a little bit closer has passed away. I remember our whole family sitting up into the wee hours of the morning watching this spectacular accomplishment back on July 20, 1969. It's sad to see another pioneer of space travel gone.
Restoration Hardware's Space Master X-7 Tin-Litho Rocket Ship. Okay, you've seen this before but may not know who made it. Last year I whipped up a quickie a space diorama where this rocket took center stage in several pictures. Then last week it popped up again as a prop when photographing the latest space diorama project. We're finally going to have a little more in-depth coverage. The rocket was available from a firm called Restoration Hardware (Restoration Hardware homepage). As their name implies, they sell hardware for the house like door knobs, handles, lights, rugs, furniture and a myriad of other things people might need while restoring, renovating, or decorating their houses. But a portion of their site used to be dedicated to tin-litho gift toys. I tried finding the toy section for this post but it appears as if they've discontinued it. Today's toy is about ten years old or older now and while it is marked for Restoration Hardware it has the look and feel of Schylling. It's not a large toy at only 10" (25.4cm) high but fits in quite nicely with a wide variety of other space toys. I should probably have taken a few more pics but got distracted with other things - oh well. The graphics are fairly simple: a 3-tone red, black,gray color scheme; some bolts, a hatch, rocket exhaust fins. It's simple, it evokes 50s era styling, and it's beautiful! Enjoy!
