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Is the Rockatomic the first space rifle?


Nick Danger

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There hasn't been a lot of activity on the "Space Guns" forum lately, so I thought I'd photograph something I picked up over the summer: my personal Holy Grail, the Rockatomic rifle...

 

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It's non-functional, but the sight is still there.  And it looks great on my mantel, which is currently displaying my 1940s space guns; works of art in wood and aluminum (not a lot of color variation in 1940s space guns, but I kinda dig it).  I always wondered why Daisy didn't offer a Buck Rogers rifle alongside its pistols in the 1930s, and then I realized...Right, the Depression.  The Rocket Pistol sold for $.50 (and, I understand, quite a bit less than that while Macy's and Gimbels were competing during the Christmas of 1934), while the Rockatomic sold for $1.95 after the War.  A bit of a jump.

 

Which got me thinking...The Rockatomic was on sale in 1946.  Does that make it the first commercial space rifle toy?

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Nick,

        Congratulations on finding one of these wonderful toys. I also love your display stand, shows of the gun nicely.

 

 I have mine on the wall, and it is definitely a prize in my collection.

 

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Thanks one and all, for your kind words.

 

I can't find an earlier space rifle, either.  The Baby Zooka is a contender, since it requires two hands to operate, but I think the absence of a stock removes it from the "rifle" category.  Ideal's Atomic Machine Gun has a patent date of 1944, but for whatever reason, it didn't go into production until the early 1950s.  So, until something else comes along, I think the Rockatomic is the winner.

 

Brady...*Sigh*  Yes, I've been coveting your ray gun collection for some time; thank you for posting images of it on the forum.  I see you have displayed your Rockatomic next to your Baby Zooka, as well.  They do look good, together.  Among your stunning collection of rifles, I notice that the Radar Flash is conspicuously absent.  Do you dislike it, or are you simply waiting for a pristine example to become available?

 

For what it's worth, I had to mix-and-match stands for the Rockatomic.  Not only are they different heights, but one has a v-shaped notch and the other a semi-circular notch.  The Rockatomic is so wonderfully-oddly shaped.

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Thanks!  My Radar Flash isn't exactly in pristine condition, but I feel lucky to find one at all, and much to my wife's dismay, it works!

 

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