Opening Imperial Toy Corp. "Apollo Moon Exploring" Set #304D with the Major Matt Mason Rocket Launching Moon Sled Ripoff -- YES!!

Click here to open exciting thrill-ride of a video in a new window.

And for once it's not just opening my mail.

THE EXCITEMENT CONTINUES!! and now I have a second Major Matt Mason ripoff Moon Vehicle for my photo-based space art diorama works. Hot Damn, wait till I tell the Mrs.

Sweet.

The Rocket Launcher Sled has no markings but features its own unique astronaut figure, with his (her?) left hand resting on the vehicle controls. No markings on the white coned rocket as expected, the Apollo CSM marked "Made In Hong Kong" on the side, and the set's Golden Astronaut marked with the LP Toys logo + "Made In Hong Kong".

Click here to visit the Triang Spacex / Golden Astronaut website's detailed analysis of the "Apollo Moon Exploring" series, including carded examples of all 12 sets.

Or

Click here to visit the Sx/GA site's can of worms opening type rundown on how "Lik Be Plastics" aka LP Toys' emulation of the Sx/GA toys continues to f$ck things up for collectors to this very day. In a good way, mind you  ;D

The chromed CSM standing up.

The chromed CSM lying down. 

I know, but please try to contain your excitement!! Ohh man!

Let's take a look at the card after our procedure. And now I'm tempted to loosen all of the plastic to try and get a hirez scan of that planetary artwork. Wicked cool!!

This about ninety minutes after opening, and one can see how the ink has crasing fragments like a ceramic surface. That could be due to ink, glue and acid-rich cardboard being 50 years old, and might be something for collectors to look for when purchasing "New Old Stock / Mint On Card" collectibles. I know I wouldn't have looked twice at it, writing it off to the card's aging + exposure to moisture.

LOL ... what the heck??? It's happy we opened it! :D and after 90 minutes the stain from the acetone still has not faded on the 50 year old cardboard. So another attribute to potentially look for when evaluating vintage New Old Stock purchases on sealed blister cards. Look for acetone states, crased ink, and evidence of the blister being loose from such a procedure. Good news of course is that none of this is going anywhere. Worked hard to score these sets! but it is nice to know I will have the option of packing them back up to hang on the Ogle Wall.

Blister and card still more or less intact with no cuts or rips. <3 the MMM moon sled too. Not sure what they mean by that "THEY REALLY WORK" pimp up top ... Work as in, occupying physical space & having potential play value?

Get out that big "Mission Accomplished" banner they flew on the aircraft carrier when Dubya landed his jet on the tailhook. And as I love pointing out, this beats painting baskets of apples & is still cheaper than collecting Civil War era repeating firearms no matter how much of this crap I scarf up ... You do not want to get me started on what having a Colt factory-boxed cap and ball 1851 Navy revolver with a functioning Henry Rifle chambered for .440 Winchester would mean to me. You really don't. Let's stick to the Space Toys and still be able to finance a new USS Epping Forest come winter.

Imperial Toy Corp. "Apollo Moon Exploring" #304D: Which One To Open???

Click here to open video in a separate window.

UPDATE: Have been waddling around referring to this set as AME #304B, when it is in fact AME #304D, and yeah it makes all the difference in the world. Click here for a visit to the reference page for the full "Apollo Moon Exploring" series at the venerable Triang Spacex / Golden Astronaut website assembled by researcher Paul Vreede. It is utterly addictive material.

Or,

Click here for AME #304D at the Sx/GA website.

SO ... In a happy bit of "WTF do I do??" I scored two AME #304D units last month when acquiring a nice heap of them as a "Lot" buy and am attempting to decide which one should be opened and utilized as elements for diorama photography -- The stated reason why I started collecting this stuff in the first place, and am ready to get busy for real. Feel welcome to comment below or message using the form at right.

In case you skipped the video, the story is that example A has the more compromised packaging material of the two, while example B has a vehicle (adapted from Mattel's "Major Matt Mason" Laser Cannon Sled) which is smeared with now turned brown adhesive from what must have been a very long day at the LP Toys plant there in Hong Kong where the components were manufactured. All ITC  appears to have done was scarf the packaging design from Multiple Toymakers' "Golden Astronaut" sets and put their name on the package. Lending to speculation that the entire Apollo Moon Exploring line was LP Toys pulling a fast one on the companies which contracted them to make the Golden Astronaut figures & ITC willing pigeons.

Click here for the Sx/GA website's exhaustively researched page on LP Toys' legacy of space stuff.

The delaminated corner of example A, and its blister package also is just about ready to give along the bottom.

Example B's brown encrusted MMM LC sled.

Example A's nice clean sled, and my gut instinct is to open A so that having a loose gooped up sled I am wary to try and clean for fear of it falling to pieces won't drive me crazy. The sealed unit stays on my Ogle Wall anyway and I am usually not staring at it. But when I do, I can have fun wondering "What's still-sealed a Major Matt Mason ripoff Error Car worth?"

Another look at the sealed units as individuals to not cloud judgement.

Any opinions welcome!

Slightly different Golden Astronaut poses & finishings, and I do think I like this guy better with his US flag remnant. Will have to look at my other GAs to see which pose I may have more of.

...

ISN'T THIS EXCITING!!! and as I love to make note of, both backing cards appear to have been used as a sponge. Fist pump!

And UPDATE: It will be example A which gets to appear in my diorama based artworks, once I decide how to open the poor thing without totally destroying the package. Film at eleven.

Imperial Toy Corp. "Apollo Moon Exploring" Set #304E with Launching Rocket Gantry (and "Rocket" by MUD)

I have a thing about Rocket Gantries. This one not only on LP Toys wheels but with a spring loaded "launch" mechanism which spits its rocket form vertically. Likely to a height about equal to the top of the gantry. And you know, when I was six that would have been plenty.

Appears to have been used as a sponge, a phrase we invented to describe used/trade-in product which would arrive with visible water damage at Rhino Records in Albany, NY (now closed, and one of my favorite jobs ever). The trade-in form which would be added to the register drawer for the day would have looked like this:

TITLE: Apollo Moon Exploring #304-E

GENRE: Hong Kong Space Toys

MEDIUM: Moulded plastic.

CONDITION: Appears to have been used as a sponge.

APPRAISED VALUE: n/a (see above)

PAYOUT: $.75

AS: Store Credit

INITIALS: SN

DATE: 6.22.19

NOTES: Immediately purchased by SN from store for $2.50

Been wondering where to find or how to make more of that checkered rocket bling label ... Model shop? See, I want to use it to decorate space looking stuff that I've been collected. Instantly looks like something from a missile range.

Am not holding my breath on it functioning.

The launch trigger.

The only markings visible through the packaging.

Which is about ready to come apart, and I may decide to help make that happen for real.

The set's Golden Astronaut, and by golly if he isn't a real one.

Yup.

To be complete here's what appears to be a matching gantry set from a Creepy Clown "Unique Cake Decorations" set I have posted previously.

ISN'T THIS EXCITING??

Difference being of course that while apparently utilizing the same basic moulding for the gantry + rocket the base does not have the spring loaded launching mechanism.

Just an empty box for static display only, on top of your cake. Right.

Figures likely sourced from MPC.

Hong Kong on their bases, no markings on the gantry. A second example of the set in a compromised package is incoming and I cannot wait to open it.

Imperial Toy Corporation "Apollo Moon Exploring" Haul: MoC/NoS Hong Kong Space Toys

Last week's lunch money, with some lunch money from a prior week as well. The video below shows my other NoS Hong Kong space goodies related to the SpaceX/LP Toys legacy as well. 

At some point I'll open a couple of them -- I want that rocket gantry!!! and the command center unit. In my hands, looking at me. Then in my art.

Click here to open in a separate window.

Pretty sure I'm opening the duplicate set with the more battered card as given the insanity of this toy line's legacy the compromised vehicle might be more collectible ... How much is a Major Matt Mason ripoff Error Car worth??