Hing Fat / Astronaut Bucket "Lunar Module" Design

[space.trucks]

 

Been in love with this thing since I was like five. Did some nosing around and believe it is based on an early LEM design by General Dynamics (1962 or 1963) with removal of its boom-arms to simplify the form. People are still making them fifty years later: Destroyed mine as a kid, this one made in the 80s. Just about to order up a sealed bucket (TinToyArcade.com has the best deal) knowing that the design is still exactly the same, with the only variation being a decal label on the top plate of the descent stage. Other than that the two will be identical, as well as the Moon Buggy, astronauts, flag + base, playmat, etc.

I can't think of any other toy company who made one of these contraptions. Or model kit. The design seems to be unique to these Astronaut Bucket collections.

 

Pretty sure that's it. For the toy design the boom arms were removed, antennae placed on top, and thruster nozzles repositioned at what became the four corners of the simplified crew compartment. So simple it did away with the windows.

 

Robotic looking with no door or ladder. I believe the crew hatch was on the top. Then they'd fling a rope ladder over the side and spider their way up & down.

 

 

Pretty sure that's it. Here's more on the thing:

 

https://spacetrucks.blogspot.com/2019/07/the-space-buckets-lunar-module-made-in.html

 

[Golddalek]

Fascinating..Yes, the design and number of windows were simplified to reduce weight.

Kind of a Space helicopter in flying the LEM.

 

[space.trucks]

Totally a Lunar Helicopter, meant to work in a vacuum. Finally had a chance to watch this: Convair / General Dynamics Lunar Excursion Vehicle Proposal Film, 1962. Corporate pitch by suits with some cool experimental aircraft footage -- the LEM vehicle is shown towards the end. Grumman won the contract.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbZEQalT48A

 

Has anyone ever encountered a model kit of the thing?

[space.trucks]

Found a few more interesting pix of this contraption. Alamy stock pix of Convair's model is pretty convincing that it was the departure point for whichever Hong Kong based designer did the paperwork which resulted in the Hing Fat lander. Chop the arms off, stick the antennae on top, make the windows into solid cutouts, stick the thrusters on them, make the leg struts meet at the side rather than underneath so there is no "underneath" and that's it. Also subtly changed just enough to ward off any design infringement concerns, if that even would have been a concern.

 

Bitchin' ascent stage. Looks even more like a helicopter, which GD made lots of.

 

Never flew -- being maneuvered by an overhead crane.

[space.trucks]

As above in blog form:

 

https://spacetrucks.blogspot.com/2019/07/general-dynamics-convair-lunar.html

 

The video linked a post or two back is fascinating. Kind of too bad this one didn't fly! Would enjoy knowing if anyone else may have pursued it as a toy or plastic model design.

[space.trucks]

To follow up: Got my Daron Industries 20 piece Space Exploration series Astronaut Bucket set from TinToyArcade.com, $18 shipped (look for the free shipping code). Thirteen astronauts, non-numbered lighter waxy gray plastic with Made In China on the bottoms of their bases. No pilot figure, but no Lunar Rover vehicle either. One nice rocket, one space shuttle I don't give a damn about, that same US flag on rock pile -- with the flag decal only on one side?? wtf -- and the LEM with the descent stage top plate sticker I'd wanted. There is at least one immediately visible design change from my older LEM suspected to be from the mid 80s, and the parts don't fit together as snugly. Thrusters rattle when pegged in place and that's new, and most interestingly the two ascent stages are not interchangeable. Peg positioning has been changed relative to where the holes are. Plastic of the gray parts is also of different texture, harder and lighter in color.

Left: "New"

Right: Mid 80s.

Left: "New"

Right: Mid 80s

Left: "New"

Right: Mid 80s

 

The top step in the upper part of the dome has been widened.

Bucket somewhat flimsy with rope handle, I recall my childhood issue as an impressive beach type bucket design with plastic handle, opaque plastic with some sort of graphics tampo printed on the sides & top. The playmat is especially interesting with the big HING FAT TOY along the bottom, pretty much confirming the conclusion that Hing Fat presses the plastics at their plant on mainland China and sell the pieces in bulk via their Hong Kong headquarters to companies like Daron, who then re-package with little or no mention of where it came from. HF is not mentioned anywhere on the packaging, just the playmat, which also has a different moon landscape graphic then the older used set I'd found over the winter.

Flag is now only one-sided, the cheapskates. Every other variation on this I have is two-sided.

[Golddalek]

Very detailed, sharp, crisp figures.

[Andyman]

I like that design of the LEM but it looks too heavy for the Apollo mission.

[space.trucks]

20 hours ago, Golddalek said:

Very detailed, sharp, crisp figures.

This just got interesting! will prepare a more thorough look in blog format & post to Space Figures.

Left: Unknown blue casting from a European vendor.

Center: New Daron bucket set figure.

Right: From matched/numbered set believed to be from 1970s.

 

Newer casting much less defined and both he & the blue guy are missing the boot detailings on the (suspected) 70s figure. His rope also far more detailed then the new one and of different detailing then the blue guy, who sadly is the only blue one I have so far. Blue guy and new one also have a round "node" in the middle of their upper chest where the older guy has a box unit. Blue guy and new guy also appear to be about 1/4 a head taller, and their faces are different than the older guy.

Left: From matched/numbered set believed to be from 1970s.

Center: New.

Right: Blue dude.

 

Flipped the picture to make it more apparent that not only is the font of the MADE IN CHINA on the new one at center different from the older one to the left, but some sort of marking has been scratched off underneath the text. Note how the number on the (suspected) 70s figure is above its text. Blue guy smooth. New text also looks odd, like the letters were stamped on individually by hand (and in a hurry) where the other ones are in a more unified alignment. Plastic of different texture: The new figures "clink" when pouring them out of the bucket, older one thuds as does blue.

Left: New

Right: 70s (suspected)

 

Facial characteristics different. Guy on the right is looking out, guy on the left looking down and with much more pronounced cheekbones. Older guy has additional detailing strokes to his helmet, boots, more spacesuit folds and a different rope coil. Triangle tool differently shaped, newer one's grip hand looks goofy but the inside of the triangle better defined. And of course the box unit on his chest vs. the round node, so not the same mould at all.

 

Will look in more detail at the others over the weekend. Army Man set collectors had been going on a year or two back about how Hing Fat's newer toy soldier pours are unexpectedly fragile with arms/parts breaking off. Not a difficult subject to Google up!

[JC Carbonel]

Most intriguing. Indeed those are different toolings. I would think the blue version is earlier than the grey version as the  conical chest detail is better molded on the blue guy than on the grey one.

 

JCC