Here we go again -- Attrition Week continues here at the Space Garage with the arrival of a second unit of Imperial Toy Corporation's ridiculous "Apollo Moon Exploring" set No.304k, obtained so I can finally open either one of the two to utilize the very cool rocket ship included in my space art. As the video attests, my enthusiasm for the condition of the new arrival's superb condition backing card and blister package incited my overlooking damage to its upper right engine nacelle, cracked off to the point of being backwards in the package. And that for ten awful minutes of my life was convinced that I had inflicted the damage while trying to wrap the entire package up in an acid free polyvinyl storage bag meant for comic books ...
D'oh?
Actually NO, as the ineptly prepared image from the vendor's e-Bay listing attests. Any suspicion that the seller had purposefully uploaded a deliberately blurred image to disguise the flaw are instantly mitigated by the comically bizarre nature of the transaction; Just from our all to brief interaction I can confirm that was pretty much the best picture that the vendor could manage at all. And was sufficient to demonstrate which AME set it was & that all of the components were included. I did manage to wheedle a discount on it by purchasing two sets they had listed -- which is when the transaction started going to Weirdsville: a transcript of our communications would make fascinating reading -- and in the end am content knowing simply that I did get the right rocket, will have one to open for my art, and won't be back for more. The idea of trying to facilitate a return is daunting given the perceived cognitive limits of the vendor's cranial capacity. More hassle then its worth, better to just keep the damn thing as it was exactly what I'd wanted. Just not how I'd wanted it.
So instead, the issue turns to one of which set to open: The new arrival with its sweet looking card but broken rocket nacelle (A) or the unit I'd already had with its compromised card but (more or less) intact rocket? And while you're processing your own thoughts on it, let's learn more about the "Apollo Moon Exploring" series by visiting the reference page for them at Commodore Vreede's Triang Spacex / Golden Astronaut website, which you can read by clicking here. The specific post on AME 304K is 2nd from the bottom.
And then click here to visit the Sx/GA website's reference page for AME 304k's RM-1 rocket, also a product made by LP, who not only produced all of the toy forms used in the Apollo Moon Exploring series, but also manufactured the spaceman figures for the Spacex & Golden Astronaut toy lines. They kept busy!
Set A's Major Matt Mason satellite launching moon sled. It's a static copy which does not launch anything on chinsy little wheels, but has its own unique astronaut figure.
Set A's RM-1 rocket.
Mehh.
Set A's Golden Astronaut figure which does have the correct LP Toys markings on its base.
"They Really Work" at just sitting there doing nothing. Most fascinating point of the packaging being that the toy range title has encouraged some vendors to list the units they have for sale as Apollo Program space memorabilia. It isn't.
The exciting data on Imperial. I am getting no less then four different fonts off that printing.
Illustrating the dilemma of the choice: Example A in the foreground with its superb (for a $.39 cent rack toy made in 1970) condition card but broken rocket, or B in the background with its curled up crinkled and water damaged card but intact rocket.
Which would you open? And my issue rests on which one will then be tacked up onto the Ogle Wall to be looked at & thought about while the components of the set which is opened are boxed up with my other loose LP Toys vehicles. Which will bug me less? Having the broken rocket on the wall, or having the compromised package on the wall?
Set B's bent forward nose assembly, which from experience might be more of a delicate job to re-fit then simply gluing the cracked nacelle from set A back in place. The plastic of this rocket also slightly discolored from adhesive overflow which has turned dark over the 50 years since the set was slabbed.
Set B's Golden Astronaut in an identical pose to set A's, likewise marked with the LP logo and with a slightly stronger gold hue. The dye hasn't faded as badly.
Set B's crinkled & crumpled blister plastic. Original intention had been to just slice it all away and remove as much of the plastic as possible to enable a hi-rez flatbed scan of the blister card artwork.
And let's do it: Here are the backs of the two blister card, set A in well-cared for condition and set B having been used as a sponge at some point during its existence.
ISN'T THIS EXCITING??? YES!!!
YES!
Will post up any results of whatever decision is made driving between Utica and Syracuse studio locations, which is how I usually do my best thinking.
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