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Spacex Interspace Miniatures Mobile H.Q.

Space Toy
ca. 1969 (manufactured)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This space toy, representing a mobile headquarters and made of plastic, was manufactured by Rovex Triang Ltd., a subsidiary of Lines Bros. Ltd., in Hong Kong in the late 1960s. It is one of a series of 'interspace miniatures' produced by Lines. It reflects the fascination, in the 1960s, with space travel, and many aspects of the Spacex range of vehicles reflect real-world design solutions proposed to face the challenges of space travel.

Object details

Categories
Object type
TitleSpacex Interspace Miniatures Mobile H.Q. (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Plastic, injection moulded and slotted together and mounted onto printed carboard
Brief description
Toy space station, astronaut and packaging, plastic with cardboard, manufactured by Rovex Tri-ang Ltd., a subsidiary of Lines Bros. Ltd., Hong Kong, ca. 1969.
Physical description
Plastic vehicle and astronaut in cellophane bubble pack with cardboard backing. The vehicle is cylindrical in shape with orange plastic lower half and nose and white plastic top. It has four white plastic wheels on each side with moveable black rubber caterpillar tracks, jet nozzles at the rear, a satellite dish on the nose and round, rotating radar scanner on top, all in silver plastic. Also on top is a transparent blue plastic light and sticker with black text reading 'MOBILE HQ'. The astronaut is gold in colour, dressed in a space suit without a helmet, and is standing on a base with both arms raised carrying a gun in his right hand and cup-shaped object in his left. The cardboard backing is printed in a design showing the cratered surface of a moon in light blues, pinks and greens in the bottom-right corner, stars down the right side and text on the left side. The reverse of the backing lists the different models available in the series, gives information about the series in six different languages and has four colour photographs of different products in the series.
Dimensions
  • Maximum length: 15cm
  • Maximum width: 10cm
  • Vehicle length: 10cm
  • Vehicle height: 4.5cm
  • Astronaut height: 2.7cm
Production typeMass produced
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'A / Tri-ang / PRODUCT' (In black and red text within a yellow oval in bottom-left corner of front of backing)
  • 'MADE IN HONG KONG FOR Tri-ang' (In black and red text across bottom of reverse of backing)
Object history
This toy was manufactured by Rovex Tri-ang Ltd., a subsidiary of Lines Bros. Ltd. It was amongst the first products to be manufactured by Lines Bros. in Hong Kong. It is one of a series of 'interspace miniatures' space toys produced by Lines Bros. in the late 1960s. The series was sold in a number of different markets around the world, including North America, where the range was released as Golden Astronaut toys.
Historical context
This is just one example of the large range of toys and games that were produced from the 1950s onwards in response to the development of and interest in space exploration. Many of the design elements in the Spacex range reflect actual design solutions being proposed for the challenges of space travel.
Production
Rovex Tri-ang Ltd. were a subsidiary company of Lines Bros. Ltd.
Subjects depicted
Summary
This space toy, representing a mobile headquarters and made of plastic, was manufactured by Rovex Triang Ltd., a subsidiary of Lines Bros. Ltd., in Hong Kong in the late 1960s. It is one of a series of 'interspace miniatures' produced by Lines. It reflects the fascination, in the 1960s, with space travel, and many aspects of the Spacex range of vehicles reflect real-world design solutions proposed to face the challenges of space travel.
Collection
Accession number
B.630-2010

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Record createdMarch 2, 2011
Record URL
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