X-27 EXPLORER - YONEZAWA - JAPAN

Tin friction astronaut. Crank operated robot advances with walking motion and plinking sound. It is a natural partner of the Yonezawa Astro Scout. The legs and feet are the same as on the Robby-Roby-Conehead group. A firm date has not yet been established but the suit design suggests early 1960s.

This inflated-looking astronaut may look odd but it is based on a 1962 Grumman design for a real space suit. The Space General design for extended lunar surface operations allowed the astronaut to withdraw his arms from the flexible manipulators and work within the pressurized 'cabin' of the can enclosing his upper torso and head.