Space Ranger

Yesterday was a crappy day computer-wise. I had nothing but problems and by the time everything was sorted out I didn't fell like posting.

Today's 'space art' is a deliberate attempt at a more cartoony image. Pyro's X-200 Space Ranger in yellow and blue already has that cartoon-like look to it, so some bright colored flames and a bright background help to complete the effect. Even the name of the toy: 'Space Ranger" reminds me of a '60s era Hanna-Barbera cartoon and that name had already been used in the early '50s for the 'Rocky Jones Space Ranger' TV series. Enjoy! Opa Fritz

Kleeware X-200 Space Ranger

Well, I've been kinda busy this week and Bettina has been good enough to take over the blogging duties while I sorted through what must have been a million Kinder Surprise Egg toys by Ferero that I had gathered in Germany and Hungary. Man was I ever hooked on those, they were just fascinating little things but after 20+ years most of them had to go. I spent nearly a week sorting, re-assembling, matching up with their instructions, and bagging a big box full. I did keep a bunch aside for myself and perhaps will blog them some day but the rest went to the thrift store. I'm not even going to attempt to sell them - way too much of a hassle. Now, on to our vintage nifty '50s space ship.

The Pyro X-200 Space Ranger was one of those iconic space ship designs of the 1950s. So much so that copies were made by Kleeware, Tudor Rose, Moldex, and Dimestore Dreams. While today's toy isn't marked as Kleeware I believe it is for a couple of reasons. Kleeware (of England) made its copy under an agreement with Pyro and retained the 'X-200 Space Ranger' markings on the fuselage, while the Tudor Rose 'Space Patrol Ship' had fancier rear wings. Moldex of Australia made a copy but it was quite large - about 12" long. The Dimestore Dreams version was much smaller and didn't come out until 2000. 

The Kleeware copy presented here today differs from the original Pyro version (blogged on Oct 6, 2012) in that there is no maker's mark under the rear port wing and there is a guide pin at the top of the fuselage which probably allowed the space ship to be attached to a tower by means of a vinyl tube. Being a direct copy the Kleeware X-200 also measures 7 1/4" (18.4cm) L x 3 1/2" (8.9cm) wingspan. Enjoy!

An original Pyro X-200 with the Pyro mark under the rear port wing.

Pyro X-200 Space Ranger - Silver-Gray

Last week we featured a really nifty toy from the Golden Age of space toys - the Pyro X-200 Space Ranger in an eye-glaring yellow and blue color scheme. This week we have a more subdued version in silver-gray hard plastic. For me, this color represents a more realistic - if that's an appropriate description - hue for a spaceship. I mean, think of it, from any of the Flash Gordon/Buck Rogers spaceships, to Rocky Jones 'Orbit Jet', to Destination Moon's 'Luna', ad infinitum, spaceships were silver. Not until 1966 when that beautiful white Starship Enterprise hit the airwaves that we began to think of spacecraft in a different light. Well, without further ado let's take a look at Pyro's X-200 Space Ranger. Enjoy!

Pyro X-200 Space Ranger - Yellow and Blue

Today, Toys & Stuff has a wonderful selection for our Sci-Fi and Fantasy Saturday, the Pyro X-200 Space Ranger coming from what is known as the Golden Age of space toys. Buck Rogers gave birth to the Golden Age in the 1920s and Sputnik killed it off in 1957 giving way to the Silver Age with a whole different design ethic. Pyro made a series of four spacecraft in the early 1950s: X-100 Space Scout (featured on Toys & Stuff back on May 5, 2012 - Pyro X-100 Space Scout); X-200 Space Ranger; X-300 Space Cruiser; and X-400 Space Explorer. The designs were sleek and reminded kids of the time of the old Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers serials which were being replayed on television a lot during the '50s.

The Space Ranger we're featuring today comes in yellow and blue but they also came in silver and measures 7 1/4" (18.4cm) L x 3 1/2" (8.9cm) Wingspan. In addition, Kleeware and Tudor Rose of Great Britain received permission to produce this series in their factories which resulted in an unknown number of color variants. The Tudor Rose version though was given more detailing and they also had an awesome Space City Control Tower with two X-200s connected by wires to a central tower. In the late 1950s, Moldex of Australia made a larger 11" (27.9cm) L version and in the 1990s, Dimestore Dreams made a smaller version! For a more detailed look at the Golden Age of Space toys, I heartily recommend the book "Blast Off" by S. Mark Young, Steve Duin, and Mike Richardson (Dark Horse Books). Enjoy!