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Plug Head "Swoppet Style" Spacemen by Cherilea & Unknowns


space.trucks

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Just watched "Assignment Outer Space" with that suicidal 4 inch spaceman figure who bails out in the thick of it.

 

 

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4 hours ago, space.trucks said:

Just watched "Assignment Outer Space" with that suicidal 4 inch spaceman figure who bails out in the thick of it.

 

"Assignment Outer Space" (or "Space Men") is one of the movies that started the Space/SF fascination for a lot of us Italian kids in the '60. Ah, those green-colored space scenes!🤩😺

 

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These are the swoppet figures I have. I also have some odds and ends of backpacks, torsos and heads. I basically bought a job lot because they were weird.

 

 

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Wow yeah baby! The green one rocks, looks like his head and helmet are the same piece of plastic where all mine are separately cast heads pushed into their helmets. He's a Marx guy for sure, the others Cherilea era. You've got both brown and green bases too -- Do the green bases have any markings on their bottom?? What I am believing is that "original" Cherilea pieces will have peg feet (or knees if kneeling) which fit into a base, have no painted features, and sharp happy-looking facial details.

 

Not sure where I found this picture, maybe the database? The first Marx variation on the form has pod feet rather then bases, painted details, sharp facial details with freaked-out looking expressions, and are cast in a somewhat flexible "rubberized" plastic. Foot bottoms (or knees if kneeling) will have a single circular indentation on each foot which is consistent with how they marked their pre-Apollo space figure bases. So this set below is a "first run" Marx swoppet group, with what I think says "Contents Made In Taiwan" at lower right. (Would do lawn chores for the owner of that card just to get to come over and look at it in person.)

IMG_3860.jpg.abe69e8c5b41c669e23e4e1cd1c1cec5.jpg

 

They (or someone using their moulds?) also apparently did a "second run" in standard Army Man plastic which do not have painted features but still have the pod feet with circular indentation.

 

From what I have seen later anonymous Hong Kong copies will have no base or pod feet, no circular indentation on foot bottom, no painted details, and fuzzy or indistinct faces. All the HK copies I've scored have also been in standing poses, which I guess makes sense if you're selling them as birthday cake decorations.

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The green bases have no markings nor do the brown ones.

 

As to the Marx figure the head is separate from the helmet. When you remove the head and helmet, the colour difference is more noticeable at the base of the head and helmet.

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In Italy, those were also used as pilots for the Tibidabo 'Lunik' spaceships. An example from internet, various poses were chosen indifferently (for ex. I have the one holding the camera as pilot for mine)

tibidabo.jpg

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On 8/19/2019 at 10:13 AM, ANZinSpace said:

The green bases have no markings nor do the brown ones.

 

As to the Marx figure the head is separate from the helmet. When you remove the head and helmet, the colour difference is more noticeable at the base of the head and helmet.

Interesting!!! and shucks: I was hoping there was a Britains logo on the green bases. Still confident they are from the same manufacturer (or someone using the same molds) and thank you for the info on the green dude!

 

I like that ship, love how the figure is just stuck in there with his gun drawn -- Is the canopy removable? and is there a known year for it? That's the first applied use of them I've seen other then the Marx Moon Train box, which just has them standing there next to the vehicles, no clue if they were even included ... The "Gotta Have One" itch begins ...

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There are two versions, one has the word Lunik embossed, the other has no signs. Not a precise date, it's generally  set in the second part of the 60s. Makes a terrible loud sound when moving, like a machine gun. Canopy isn't removable, you have to completely open the ship to get inside. Figures are different in poses and glued at the base (vinylic glue).

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  • 4 weeks later...
  • 1 month later...

Swoppets Update, and that carded set is currently in serious danger of being opened.

 

 

 

IMG_9721.jpg.5ccdf999cf633f5a1cb81c558837e145.jpg

(Take Your Swoppet To Work Day, Chenango County NY)

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Anyone got a dollar? Not mine but fascinating. 1967 is earlier than I had expected to see them packaged as cake decorations. I like the Ajax guys in the illustration.

 

gay-gems1967.jpg

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  • 1 month later...

Patience pays off. Looks like the same pieces in the set AznSpace linked above. No manufacturer name and the packaging says Made in China. Has UPC barcode on back.

 

IMG_2345.jpg

 

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Anyone recognize that train logo??

 

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All figures have the circles on foot or knee/leg underside as do all of the Pod Foots I have. The standing figures I have like in the Gay-Gem set above do not have the circles but at least one is marked Hong Kong.

 

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"Space Bullet"

 

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Underside of Space Bullet launcher.

 

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(Flipped.)

 

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Familiar looking. I don't recognize the Space Bullet but am certain the saucer craft has nothing to do with Marx, who as far as I know never had any of their toys made in China.

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  • 3 years later...

Here's a 1968 Penneys Christmas catalog showing a Space Exploration Set consisting of three of these above mentioned figures teamed up with a Marx Moon Grabber vehicle and three sections of rectangular outer space terrain:

498886282_1968penneyscatcov3.jpg.5cb1dabba878cdbfd0b864f344785d09.jpg115375595_1968penneyscatint3.jpg.c6f4c3eb6cee401918b4d2e96f6face0.jpg

2109148038_1968penneyscatintcu3.jpg.fb9a6de002ca2259011ba6678203da18.jpg

1310580202_marxmoongrabber.jpg.a51837c6b08f5ac31b7004174b06b600.jpg

 

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