Would love to find out more about this. If anyone has any info please advise.

Thank You!

The Spaceman Gun measures 8 inches, is pressed from steel, and has a wonderful swirling metallic lacquer on it. It is a pop/pellet gun, which either fired corks or small balls.

There were two versions of this gun, this one is the earliest, the latter being a cap gun.

It has a charging handle on the left side. To cock the gun, just pull the yellow ball back until it seats in a notch, the trigger is a simple piece of band steel, that simply pivots in place, the upper end catches the charging handle, pushing it up, until the powerful spring takes over, throwing the bolt forward.

The condition is very good, but not mint, and has paint chips and surface rust, but I doubt I'll be finding a better one any time too soon. ^_^

Unfortunately, the firing mechanism is non-functional.  The handle pivots forward and back, but it doesn't engage the spring.  Either the spring is broken or disconnected, or the hook that seizes it is out of alignment.  I notice that the entire toy is held together by 5 screws; if I manage to summon enough gumption, I may try to fix it.  

Rocket -[O_O]-

On closer inspection that Pyro clicker space gun perhaps doesn't belong. The box claims that the gun has a click and a light, so that rules out the Pyro. Perhaps the Electro Signal Gun is the one meant to be there. No manufacturer's name anywhere on the big box, though Esquire is a possibility. I just love this crossover stuff.

The red version is most common, and the earliest version came with a metallic purple fringe attached to the front of the paper roll (which also features spacey graphics). It was sold both boxed and bagged, but I've only seen the purple fringe on boxed examples.

A few years ago I learned about a yellow version, and I thought it was pretty neat! Yellow's a great color for plastic ray guns because even the shallowest details really pop against the lighter color. Red's cool, too, but I find some of the more subtle bits -- like text, for instance -- can get lost. You can see the plainer paper roll most often found on bagged examples. These plain rolls were also sold as replacements for when the original one got torn to shreds.

Not long after the yellow one landed in my lap, good ol' Fineas picked up a gold version. Gold! Freakin' amazing! I lusted after it from afar, but he and I eventually worked out a trade and I was able to stick it on my toy shelf. It's got some nice streaks of darker gold running through it -- those lines aren't cracks -- and its roll features a Native American face. This is the same roll that's commonly found on Tigrett's Jet Zoom gun.

Finally, not too long ago, I managed to score a blue version of the Zoomeray off eBay. I'd never even heard of one in blue, so it was a fun little discovery. There aren't nearly enough blue ray guns in the world. The roll on this one implores people to buy Defense Bonds, so I'm guessing this was some sort of premium or something. I can't imagine a kid's toy having an add for Defense Bonds, but then again... the Fifties were a strange and fascinating time, and the more I explore the decade, the less I'm surprised by any of the weirdness it throws at me.

Anyone else have any of the color variations? What about other colors entirely -- I'd love to see some pics of those (if they even exist).

For further reference:

Article about Tigrett (scroll down) -- http://danefield.com/alpha/forums/topic/10241-the-jet-zoom-gun-and-box/page__st__8

Timeline Entry -- http://danefield.com/alpha/forums/topic/10607-1951-zoomeray-by-tigrett/

Well the guns arrived today, and not only did I get six minty 1950s Alps rocket space cap guns for my negligible investment, but sure enough, they were shipped in their original trade box (an extremely dilapidated trade box, I should point out, but a trade box just the same). Pictures below. Notice that the box graphics feature cowboys, but that (to cover all the bases, I suppose) there is an image of a sort of futuristic "rocket plane" streaking across the sky above them -- how wonderfully odd. Also notice that on the side panel, the gun is depicted as it actually looks (with the embossed rocket). And finally, the gun is called the "Rocket Repeating Alps Pistol" on the box -- a name oddly inconsistent with a cowboy theme. I'm not suffering under any delusion that this is some holy grail of space toy collecting, but I thought it was a pretty fortunate find, and at a ridiculous price. It also occurs to me that this might be a good update for the space gun database, since no trade box is shown with the gun at present.

One thing that strikes me about the pistols and the box is the prominence of the ALPS name and (in part) trademark. Since I'm primarily a robot collector with several ALPS-manufactured / trademarked robots and spacemen in my little stable, the guns and box complement my collection nicely.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/276430176131?itmmeta=01HVY4DMQ9JXR0YBF32PFQATRQ&hash=item405c85bf83%3Ag%3A3KYAAOSwwxZmF5-o&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAAwG0JIFVms8dv9RG2Ub885cFxsh3Zfid3n%2B5KyxiE%2BHk8o3hrvOkWAO99TbsCX9Vj5i%2B4dOABWMZGS7BAD9XVTVPpbS%2BN7R7FhmjBh%2FebjwkE%2FfQN2nYQzZavrCOgWCe5LNVJouvPXbBhcIbMeZsS4%2FyMLCCo0VpmMabv3JVKdCFaRRw5c0KjSy56i3l6TxbyUUsNE7Xt%2FHQOtDEPNdGR6I%2FtFdMCXtibK%2FAnwBfGQ8RJk%2FCIh6j0q9WuAs6iDCohbA%3D%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR9zLtsTfYw&LH_Auction=1

The seller claims the manufacturer is Popy. Is It?

In the Alphadrome Robot and Space Toy Database, file 161/1886 (in the Space Guns category) reads as follows (and provides a photo of the referenced ROSKO-branded gun):

Quote

 

BATTERY POWERED SPACE PISTOL - ROSKO/NOMURA - JAPAN

Metallic blue lithographed tin battery operated pistol raygun Light and sound. Clear angular plastic window bay at front. Japan. Rosko importer logo. White star. Atomic wording. With Flashing Light and Noise.

The similarity to the Battery Powered Space Pistol by Nomura would suggest that Nomura is the maker.

 

I recently purchased a space gun that can confirm the hypothesis expressed in that last line, and I respectfully submit the attached photos of the identical Nomura-branded version of the gun in evidence of that assertion. Again, I realize that the manufacturer was never really in doubt, but since I could actually provide photos of the Nomura-branded version of the same exact toy (and original Nomura-branded box), I figured I'd do my part for the cause...

The top example is entirely wood and has a partial mechanism inside the body (a few springs) but is missing the trigger.

The bottom example is wood, aluminum, and steel (the trigger guard is magnetic, the rest isn't).  There is no trigger and no hole to accept one, but the trigger guard is meant to bend down on a hinge (it's very stiff, and I'm not going to force it).  

Both rifles have hollow barrels, so I presume they were supposed to fire corks or some such.  Both have nearly identical logos on the stocks, but the bottom one also has the words, "Hollywood, Calif."  On his website, Justin attributes these guns to Hollywood Toys, but I can't find any attribution (Justin...if you still check out this site, I'd love to know if you have a source).

The use of "Atom" in the name and the aluminum elements point to post-WW2 production.  Justin attributes them to the 1950s, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were late 1940s.  The all-wood construction of the top example reminds me of the all-wood toys made during the War.  Does anyone have any more information on these?

I procured this two Italian rayguns: a CoMa "Spaziale" & CoMa "Marziana" (with Holster).

The guns are in excellent conditions, whitout any broken part (see the images below and feel free to ask me for more if needed).

Unfortunately for me the prospective buyer got last minute Cold Feet after I had already paid the Seller for which I was Brokering, so I need to move them ASAP to recover as much as possible of my expenses.

The total price for the two guns is 470 euros, S&H for the USA included (65 euros for DHL Express Shipment).

Payment in euros with PayPal as "Friend/Family".

If interested you can contact me posting in this thread, PM me here on AD or mail me at ercus@mac.com

Cheers

Ervino

This isn't quite a ray gun, but a paper popper, but if it's actually from 1933 (made for the world's fair) because of the Buck Rogers craze, it could very well be the 2nd or 3rd 'Space' gun ever. Any comments would be appreciated.

Follows is what the website says:

Back in 1933, the theme of the Chicago World’s Fair was “A Century of Progress.” To set the stage, the first Buck Rogers movie premiered at this Fair. What an awesome experience that must have been to be present at the ushering in of the Sci-Fi / Atomic Space Age!

To commemorate the event, local Chicago toy company – Langson Mfg Co (LMCO) created a spectacular toy for the Fair – the Double Action Automatic Paper Gun. It’s Space Age design is sure to light the fire in any atomic disintegrator lover’s heart – pure Buck Rogers style joy! A very RARE find today. Here are the particulars:

DETAILS:
Maker: LMCO – Langson Mfg Co., 1933

Model: Double Action Automatic Paper Gun

Description: Paper popper toy gun, manufactured especially for the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair – “A Century of Progress”. 8.5 inches in length.

See the BIN listing #225854441565

Shouldn't there be more information on that SAMPLE tag?

I hve not been able to find any other images of this ping pong ball firing piece. Anyone else recognize it? Manufacturer?

Perhaps it never made it into production?

Might it be considered a space gun?