dratomic Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 (WHOOPS! Meant to post this in Robots and Space Toys, not Robot Talk! Brian, if you get a chance, could you move this one? Thanks!)It's been a nice few weeks at the Atomic Armory... :)1. The first ray gun ever: The Buck Rogers XZ-31 Rocket Pistol. For some reason, I never got around to getting one of these. I think because they're fairly common; every time I had money, I'd spend it on rarer toys, comfortable in the knowledge that I could pick up the 31 whenever I felt like it. But I had to snag this one -- lots of bluing still intact, no rust or corrosion, VERY clean! (The blotchiness comes from the bluing.) Boy, am I glad I did. I love this gun... never realized how cool it really was. 2. These Sky Gun propellor guns are both extremely uncommon -- I've only seen a couple on eBay in the last few years. It's even harder to find the original props. I managed to snag them both in one auction -- very lucky. Despite their scarcity, these guns consistently sell for cheap. I normally don't discuss price, but I snagged these little wonders for under $30! Wild. :) Interestingly, the larger one is stamped "Planet Mercury Line; Mercury Plastics, Des Moines, Iowa." While the smaller one is stamped "Propello Toys, Des Moines, Iowa." Aside from that, the bigger one isn't actually BIGGER -- rather, the fins are bigger (both the top and the ones popping out the sides -- hard to tell in this pic). It's also got a slightly different knob on the back. I'm not sure which came first, or why they're labeled differently... If anyone's got any thoughts, I'd love to hear 'em!3. Until it appeared on eBay, I'd never seen this Smoke Ray Gun before. It's a Kellogg's cereal premium; pull the trigger and it shoots powder while making a clicking noise. Pretty neat, and very rare. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fineas J. Whoopie Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 More excellent additions Doc - all that bluing makes that XZ - 31 a super sweet piece! I can imagine the wait was well worth it. As for the Propeller guns, one theory would be that the version that used less plastic would be cheaper to make and possibly therefore the later issue. Although the two company names could mean that one company in Des Moines made toys for themselves as well as variations for some other smaller company in Des Moines. Do the logos on the handles look similar? I've heard of Mercury Plastics, has anyone heard of Propello toys? Maybe it was a dummy company just for the distribution of this one toy? Definitely some research to do. The Smoke Gun is awesome. I could swear that I've seen either a vintage ad for this gun or a carded example somewhere in a book but I can't seem to find it now. Anyone know where that pic can be found?Congrats!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyman Posted February 3, 2008 Share Posted February 3, 2008 Very nice additions, Doc! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinman Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 Very cool propeller guns Dr., I saw them up for grabs and it never occurred to me to bid on them. Nice catch! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinluver2 Posted February 4, 2008 Share Posted February 4, 2008 I'm not a space gun collector but love that Buck Rogers beauti, nice collectible Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dratomic Posted February 4, 2008 Author Share Posted February 4, 2008 Don -- If you are able to dig up a reference to the Kellogg's gun, please let me know. I'm curious to find out more about it, and I can't find anything (though, to be honest, I haven't had a chance to really dig through all my notes and books and stuff).Don & Tinluver2 -- I really like the XZ-31. Age has definitely mottled the bluing, but I think that gives it a really cool look. Almost like it was a painting done in watercolors or something... I love when age imbues a toy with personality. :)Tinman93 -- It's weird. A lot of people don't seem to know about the prop guns. I don't get it, as they're featured prominently in <i>Ray Gun</i>, by Gene Metcalf. I think part of the reason no one pays attention to them the few times they appear is exactly because they appear only a few times every couple years. Whereas most rare toys achieve legendary status, these guns just slid silently under the radar. Also, propellor guns in general are so common that most people don't bother giving these guys a closer look. Collectors don't realize that not only do these guns look completely different from their cousins, they have an entirely different mechanism, not to mention a fancier shaped propellor (it's hard to tell from the photos, but the back of the prop is pushed back from the front -- it's sort of funnel shaped, if that makes any sense...). They're really strange, unique ray guns. I like having a matched set. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phase pistol Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 That's a mighty clean '31, Doc.- k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fineas J. Whoopie Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 That's a mighty clean '31, Doc.- kHey Karl! - Where have you been? Any chance of you doing one of your awesome Posters for Botstock this year? PLEASE?? :rolleyes: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phase pistol Posted February 10, 2008 Share Posted February 10, 2008 Howdy folks! :lol: I've been around... But I'm sorry for not posting more. You'll see me more regularly now I hope.I'm planning to attend Botstock... and yes I am mulling some poster ideas. :) - k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singer Telepathic Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 I've never seen that Smoke Ray Gun before either. Are we sure this was a Kelloggs premium too along with the Space Patrol Cosmic Smoke Gun? Also, is Botstock a private event? Can any collector attend? If so, could you tell me where it is and when? Sounds fun. Leslie Singer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fineas J. Whoopie Posted February 11, 2008 Share Posted February 11, 2008 Leslie - Botstock is in fact open to any collector, not just Alphadrome members, but even so you are an Alphadrome member. We'd love to see you there - particularly us raygun guys. For those of you who do not recognize the name, Leslie Singer is the author of the very first collectors reference work on toy rayguns - "ZAP!" Here is a link to the Botstock thread that is pinned to the top of the main forum menu page, it's full of info on this years Botsock. I sure hope you can make it!http://danefield.com/alpha/forums/Bot-Stock-t6890.htmlKarl - Thanks for doing a poster this year - as you know I'm a big fan of your work, I thought "Destination Chicago" was outstanding. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Singer Telepathic Posted February 12, 2008 Share Posted February 12, 2008 Leslie - Botstock is in fact open to any collector, not just Alphadrome members, but even so you are an Alphadrome member. We'd love to see you there - particularly us raygun guys. For those of you who do not recognize the name, Leslie Singer is the author of the very first collectors reference work on toy rayguns - "ZAP!" Here is a link to the Botstock thread that is pinned to the top of the main forum menu page, it's full of info on this years Botsock. I sure hope you can make it!http://danefield.com/alpha/forums/Bot-Stock-t6890.htmlKarl - Thanks for doing a poster this year - as you know I'm a big fan of your work, I thought "Destination Chicago" was outstanding. Darn it! I would absolutely LOVE to be there but I'll have just be returning from overseas visiting my son who is studying and bike racing there. Maybe next year. It sounds like a great time for space toy and robot geeks like me. Thanks, Leslie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dratomic Posted February 12, 2008 Author Share Posted February 12, 2008 Definitely a Kellogg's premium, definitely a smoke gun. Beyond that... Your guess is as good as mine. Actually, probably better! :)Sorry to hear you can't make Botstock, Leslie. If your plans change or shift, by all means let us know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Electric Robot and Son Posted February 14, 2008 Share Posted February 14, 2008 Hey Doc,I am glad you got these guns. I was going to bid but lost track of the time. I did pick up the higher fin one (mercury plastics) about a month ago. I think these are really cool. For anyone who has one of these missing the saucer I did find a 70's HK space gun that looks different but has similar shaped saucers that are just a little bit smaller than the sky gun. These may be more available.......Sorry I haven't been posting much lately but I have been painting the house. How was your vacation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kilroy Posted February 28, 2008 Share Posted February 28, 2008 I have been looking at these myself but maybe someone could clarify:The XZ-31 has the separate chrome sight that looks like it could be removed and the XZ-35 has the solid sight?did either of these come with the holster or only the XZ-38? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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