Space Refuel Station in Orbital Flight with Jet plane and Rocket by WACO 1960's

[cyrus666]

 

The best word to describe this tin toy from early 1960’s is RARE!

 

First of all, the manufacturer WACO is not a popular tin toy company in Japan and this is the only space toy they have created. Secondly, it is the only space toy in the form a space refuel station and the production number is relatively low, not counting how many survives over the years or still in working manner. Thirdly, it is one of the most searched for space toy with fabulous litho and numerous actions & features!

 

When power on the space station travels around then stops. Then a lift pad on the bottom pushes the station into the air then it will spin around, just like rotating in the space! The Antenna rotates with the noisy sound and the two spaceships can be docked manually. Both observation rooms illuminate, and there are six crew members in it. This station has 16 colourful lights that turn on in sequence and it is marked with NASA and American flag in various locations.

The lithography of this space station is remarkably beautiful and fabulous. I am regret that the original carton box is not available when I collected this toy in 2014!

[Roboto]

What a fantastic Space Station!!

[Andyman]

Way cool.

[ckalkhof]

I am so envious! Could you perhaps show us a quick clip of it going through the motions? Revell made a space station kit that is the exact duplicate of this tin toy. I always wondered which one was made first. My guess would be the Revell kit?

 

https://wearethemutants.com/2017/07/24/revell-space-age-model-kits-1957-1959/

[nasa]

Wonderful space toy!

[cyrus666]

enjoy ! The table top is not flat so the movement is a bit shaky!

[Golddalek]

Never seen that toy before......usually they are bump-n-go but this is more bizarre in movement, .. .. It does simulate orbiting the Earth...Rare pokemon'.

[cyrus666]

It has a hydraulic type of pump to lift the whole unit up & rotate. Then it lowers itself down and moving around. Good simulation on orbit rotation!

[astrogonza]

Cool Video, Thanks for posting  !

[Andyman]

Love it! Thanks for sharing!

[robothut]

I have been holding off commenting on this, but feel I should. I have repaired 2 of these in the past for privet collectors and the collectors like there repairs to stay that way, "privet". I do have have inside videos of the guts and working on this toy I can not share it. But I took a pictures of my computer screen of one of the repair videos that you might like to enjoy. I can say that the two space stations I worked on were near mint. The way the toy is designed there is a shaft that connects to the lifting base and runs all the way up to the top of the station body top. At the top the shaft has a spring and a crimp to keep the spring in place. The spring is there to keep the shaft and lifting base in the UP position. The shaft also acts as a axel for the spinning light effect you see in the colored domes on the station body. There is a cam that pushes the Lifting base part down and that makes the ship rotate 360. There is a front wheel that can be set so that the ship will move in direction you select, it is not bump and go.

[robothut]

There is a screecher device that engages when the ship is rotating. There is not clicking device. So when you hear one of these toys making a clicking sound you know that the spinning light unit is contacting a wire that runs up the inside of the station body to back light one of the control rooms. There is a wiper that contact the spinning light unit for the lamp power. One shot is looking inside the station body and you can see the lamp wiper brush.

[Roboto]

14 hours ago, cyrus666 said:

enjoy ! The table top is not flat so the movement is a bit shaky!

Fantastic video!!

[Ethan13]

On 7/3/2020 at 6:33 PM, cyrus666 said:

The best word to describe this tin toy from early 1960’s is RARE!

 

First of all, the manufacturer WACO is not a popular tin toy company in Japan and this is the only space toy they have created. Secondly, it is the only space toy in the form a space refuel station and the production number is relatively low, not counting how many survives over the years or still in working manner. Thirdly, it is one of the most searched for space toy with fabulous litho and numerous actions & features!

 

When power on the space station travels around then stops. Then a lift pad on the bottom pushes the station into the air then it will spin around, just like rotating in the space! The Antenna rotates with the noisy sound and the two spaceships can be docked manually. Both observation rooms illuminate, and there are six crew members in it. This station has 16 colourful lights that turn on in sequence and it is marked with NASA and American flag in various locations.

The lithography of this space station is remarkably beautiful and fabulous. I am regret that the original carton box is not available when I collected this toy in 2014!

Cool stuff! Did you know that real space filling stations will be launched soon?
The first service satellite has already been launched, which can refuel satellites. what used to be fantasy becomes reality.

[Phil R]

Are you referring to the DARPA program for refurbishing satellites in orbit with MEVs, the MEV-1 (mission extension vehicle) to fix satellites. If so I read an extensive article about them in the Air and Space August 2020 issue.  That program could eventually same billions of dollar extending the life of satellites and other spacecraft.