dratomic Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 You know how there are some toys that you really want but never expect to own? Not so much because of how much they cost, but simply because the odds of your finding one are about the same as sprouting wings and flying to the moon? For me, the Pyrotomic Disintegrator pistol falls into that category. Or rather, I should say that it fell into that category. Because mine just arrived in the mail. :)The following picture is from the guy I bought it from... better ones will follow as soon as I get to a digital camera.Made in the mid Fifties out of amazingly brittle plastic -- in two color variations (copper/silver and primary red/blue/yellow), as well as a rifle version -- this toy gun is rarer than rare. Just looking at it wrong could cause it to break. But its desireability stems more from design than scarcity. In my mind, this is as close to the Platonic ideal of what a vintage ray gun should be as you're likely to get; heck, forget "as close to." This is Plato's ray gun. The sleek lines, the flared rings, the streamlined look that hearkens back to the classic space ship shape -- these all scream 1950s science fiction. Like most cool plastic guns from the Fifties, the Pyrotomic Disintegrator doesn't do a whole heck of a lot -- pull the trigger and the barrel reciprocates while making a clicking noise. All form, little function. That's okay, I'll take it.By my (admittedly rough) estimation, only about 10 collectors have one, including myself (obviously, others must have one -- but I don't know who they are). Needless to say, I'm pretty darn excited at the moment.Special thanks to Fineas J. Whoopie, who let me know this thing was up for grabs... I owe ya big time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyman Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 That is the coolest ray gun I have ever seen! Congrats! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 It's a real beauty Dratomic and certainly a showstopper in your ever growing collection. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
duxastrogirl Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 Looks super cool!! Congrats Dr.atomic!!! Doesn't it feel great when you get a toy you were longing to have? :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 Duxastrogirl-"Doesn't it feel great when you get a toy you were longing to have?" Those words are so true-the real question is for how long can you "stretch-out" that special feeling before you start longing for that next item on your hit list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dratomic Posted June 17, 2004 Author Share Posted June 17, 2004 The real lesson for me has been, "Never count out a toy." You might say that you'll never own a Diamond Planet or Robot 5... but you just never know. These things can fall out of the blue for less money than you might imagine, and lo and behold -- it's yours! Never say never. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fineas J. Whoopie Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 In this case it only took seven months before this particular dream came true. Dratomic's introduction to this toy has been documented here on Alphadrome and is interesting to go back and review (see link below and scroll down to Rockets first post) in retrospect I find Rocket's advice on how "your Pyrotomic disintegrator is out there somewhere" pretty insightfull. http://danefield.com/alpha/forums/index.ph...19&hl=pyrotomic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nikola Tesla Posted June 17, 2004 Share Posted June 17, 2004 Spectacular! You done good, Doc. I guess it was a year ago when we were posting those patent illustrations of the Pyrotomic weapons---they look fantastic, even in black & white. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Campy Craig Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 Wow, a real beaut Doc! Waiting for an update on your display of the whole ray gun collection. I dig the vicarious thrill I get when someone scores a toy they deserve; it's easier on the wallet too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(id) Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 Dr. Atomic, this "Space Razer" gun is on ebay at the moment. The seller says it's old... maybe you know if it is or not.http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...5904511163&rd=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry seven Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 :) While the subject of toy ray guns is on topic, I have a question. Were there very many different models of toy guns that blew smoke rings? If I had recieved one of those as a child, I would still be holding it in my hand today, 40 years later! I can't imagine a cooler action for a toy! They would have to pry it from my cold, dead hands! (My imaginary childhood smoke ring gun, that is, not my S&W model 24, .44 special, in stainless steel.) -Larry 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fineas J. Whoopie Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 Dratomic's introduction to this toy has been documented here on Alphadrome. Whoops! I just realized that I was wrong, Dr. A already was a fan of this gun back when Rocket posted about it. I guess this was my first introduction to this beautiful toy. :P Still, I think the posts were prophetic in light of the fact that Dratomic now has his example of the "Diamond Planet" of rayguns. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Campy Craig Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 Larry7, are you talking about these new toys?http://www.zerotoys.com/newsite/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dratomic Posted June 18, 2004 Author Share Posted June 18, 2004 (id) -- There are lots of these, and similar, ray guns floating around ebay. They're mostly from the Seventies and later, maybe some are from the Sixties, but I'm not positive. I'm not sure which of the many versions came first. So are they old? Depends on your definition. Are they cool and worth buying? Depends on your tastes. I don't think they should cost you too much, and that's always an appeal. Make sure they spark, though -- while it's okay for robots and ray guns from the Fifties to lose their sparking mechanism with time, a toy from the Seventies should perform properly. Larry -- My favorite smoker is the Nu-Age Smoke Ring Gun (Fifties). Available in Grey or Yellow variations (and maybe others I'm not aware of), the toy originally came with rocket-shaped smoke matches. Talk about unsafe... You'd put them in the gun; a membrane would cause it to make rings. Very cool. They appear on ebay every now and again, rarely in working condition as the membrane (made of rubber) deteriorates over time.There were also powder guns, like the Space Patrol Smoke Gun (Fifties), which fired a burst of talc. Great toy, pretty expensive when it's on ebay. Metallic green, very striking. I don't have either of the above, though they're on my list...There are three great toy ray gun resources -- Ray Gun, by Eugene Metcalf; Zap!, by Leslie Singer; and www.toyraygun.com, the site run by Justin Pinchot (originally owned by Ray Gun's Metcalf). The web site is the most complete, with pictures of hundreds of guns, many boxes, and loads of accessories. Broken up by decade, material, and country. Plus some really well penned essays on the history of toy ray guns. My only complaint is that the pictures are a bit small, though this does keep the pages loading quickly. Ray Gun has some wonderful photos of a nice variety of both plastic and tin litho guns, from the Thirties through the Sixties. Nice essays in the front of the book, though they're more or less the same as those found on the web site. Zap! covers toys from the Thirties through the Eighties. It's the oldest of the three sources, so some of the info isn't accurate, and some of the guns are in so-so condition (they were the best examples available at the time, though, so all's forgiven). It's got different pieces than Metcalf's book, though, so it's fun to flip through. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robobob Posted June 18, 2004 Share Posted June 18, 2004 Congratulations, Doc !!!The design does indeed SCREAM Ray Gun....And it looks to be a pretty pristine example...Way to Go !! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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