Space Invader Star Gun thumbnail 1
Not currently on display at the V&A

Space Invader Star Gun

Toy Gun
1978-1982 (manufactured)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

Toy gun and original packaging. The grip and rear part of the gun are made in two pieces from transparent purple plastic. Inside can be seen the workings, all made from bright, colourful plastic. A geared mechanism inside the gun causes it to emit a clicking sound when the orange trigger is pulled. On the proper left side within a roundel is the moulded detail of a songbird in flight. The barrel of the gun is a slightly tapering cylinder made from red plastic.

The gun fits neatly into a card insert which has been cut to the gun's exact shape. The insert fits inside the five-sided card box, which is shaped to the gun's proportions. The lid of the box has a cellophane window of the outline of the gun. The rest of the lid is colour-printed in deep blue, red, yellow and white, showing images of space and spacecraft.


Object details

Categories
Object type
Parts
This object consists of 4 parts.

  • Pistol
  • Box
  • Box
  • Packaging
TitleSpace Invader Star Gun (manufacturer's title)
Materials and techniques
Plastic; steel; printed card
Brief description
Toy gun, 'Space Invader Star Gun'; Plastic, Korean, 1978-1982
Physical description
Toy gun and original packaging. The grip and rear part of the gun are made in two pieces from transparent purple plastic. Inside can be seen the workings, all made from bright, colourful plastic. A geared mechanism inside the gun causes it to emit a clicking sound when the orange trigger is pulled. On the proper left side within a roundel is the moulded detail of a songbird in flight. The barrel of the gun is a slightly tapering cylinder made from red plastic.

The gun fits neatly into a card insert which has been cut to the gun's exact shape. The insert fits inside the five-sided card box, which is shaped to the gun's proportions. The lid of the box has a cellophane window of the outline of the gun. The rest of the lid is colour-printed in deep blue, red, yellow and white, showing images of space and spacecraft.
Dimensions
  • Gun length: 22cm
Production typeMass produced
Marks and inscriptions
  • 'LASER SOUND' (Printed on front of box lid)
  • 'ASTEROID ACTION MECHANISM' (Printed on front of box.)
  • 'A FIM Product / Item No. KBS 87 / Made in Korea' (Printed on narrowest end of box.)
  • 'MADE IN KOREA' (Moulded on PL side of gun.)
Object history
Part of the Edward Castle collection.
Production
This toy is a copy of an earlier space gun produced by Japanese manufacturer Yoshiya. It seems to have been produced under the name Space Invader to capitalise on the popular arcade video game of the same name, released in 1978.
Subjects depicted
Collection
Accession number
B.253:1 to 4-2016

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Record createdNovember 8, 2016
Record URL
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