Toy space vehicle, astronaut and packaging, plastic with cardboard, manufactured by Rovex Tri-ang Ltd., a subsidiary of Lines Bros. Ltd., Hong Kong, ca. 1969.

Plastic vehicle and astronaut in cellophane bubble pack with cardboard backing. The vehicle has a green chasis with a purple articulated mechanical arm and aerial, with a transparent plastic dome on top. It has four yellow plastic spoked wheels attached to thin metal wire axles. There is a sticker with black text reading 'MEV-2' on each side. The astronaut is gold in colour, dressed in a space suit, standing on a base with one arm raised waving a flag. 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.

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.

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.

Rovex Tri-ang Ltd. were a subsidiary company of Lines Bros. Ltd.

This space toy, representing a lunar buggy 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.

B.631-2010