ATOMIC RACER 7 - ALPS - JAPAN

This is a most unusual space toy from Alps. A red, blue and yellow lithographed tin friction rocket with wings. The tricycle vehicle has wide rear side fins and a blue upright fin. A yellow astronaut, looking like a biker with helmet, sits in a cockpit behind a clear plastic windscreen. There is a small red spark window behind the cockpit. The number 7 is printed on the nose. The cycle look is emphasised on the box art which shows the rocket travelling around a race track. 10 ins

Packed in an early 1950s style brown box with paper label and in one case the number S129 overprinted.

This is a variation of the Alps Space Raider with the addition of the pilot behind the windscreen and the extra vertical tailfin. The size of the driver completely alters the scale of the vehicle. Circa 1953