30's and 40's
As far as I know, there are no other websites dedicated solely to toy space guns. However there are a number of sites which offer information that might interest space gun enthusiasts or where space guns can be viewed and purchased. Please let me know about sites which should be included here. The following are some of my favorites:
Space Gun Related Groups and Characters
Atom X13's Space Opera
Recounts the history and significance of "Space Opera" and focuses on the show Captain Video. Tells of the development of the show as it changed over time, and of the actors and writers. Presents many wonderful images from the show.
Dan Dare
Focuses on Dan Dare, the star of the 1950s boys' magazine, Eagle, published in the U.K. Also tells of his creator, Frank Hampton. A number of space toys and space guns made in the U.K. bear Dan Dare's name.
Grand Central Rocket
A nostalgic site dedicated to the technology of old space movies and television shows. Presents scenes from many old films including: Captain Video, Flash Gordon, Rocky Jones, and Tom Corbett. Has a great links page. This site also includes the Unofficial Forbidden Planet Home Page which presents, among many other things, some terrific pictures of the space weapons used in this film.
Roaring Rockets
Dedicated to the many wonderful TV space shows of the "Space Hero Era" in the early 1950s, this site focuses especially on Captain Video, Tom Corbett, and Space Patrol. In addition to pages on these topics, there are also pages devoted to other early TV shows like Rocky Jones and Rob Brown, and to the cultural and social influences on early space shows. Of special interest is a page on toys and premiums related to early TV space shows.
Solar Guard
It's hard to say enough good things about this website. Dedicated to presenting information about early television space shows like Space Patrol, Rocky Jones and Captain Video, Cadet Ed Pippin has put together one of most authoritative and fun sites I have visited. At this point, the site focuses on Tom Corbett. The site includes a Tom Corbett home page, a wonderful annotated bibliography of articles about Space Opera in magazines and books, a page dedicated to recent news about Tom Corbett, and just about the best sci-fi and science links page you will ever find.
Space Patrol
Recounts the history of this popular television show which inspired the production of a number of toy spaceguns. Tells of its cast, writers and technical credits.
Tom Corbett Photo Album
Connected to Ed Pippin's Solar Guard website, this page, maintained by Chuck Lassen, presents a number of wonderful photographs of Tom Corbett and his crew from the television show. Also has a second page of photos. Great old photos!
Toy and Fantasy Armaments
Backyard Ballistics
A site "dedicated to the development of home-brew devices for propelling weird objects through the air." Details a variety of such gun-like devices including: the tennis ball gun and the pumpkin chunkin pumpkin shooting gun.
Clayton Bailey
The website of sculptor Clayton Bailey. Presents Bailey's work which includes fantastic psuedo-scientific devices like the "claytonium ray-o-scope," a group of life-size metal robot sculptures made of found objects, and numerous ray guns described as "life size working prototypes from alien worlds." Bailey also makes and sells a whole line of spacey looking "pop guns" which shoot corks and spud shooting "potato guns." Even without the wonderful ray gun art this site would be a "must visit," but for ray gun enthusiasts it is essential!
Digital Waterguns
A fascinating and beautiful website dedicated to toy waterguns. Presents selections from a huge collection of over 800 waterguns from all over the world. The guns are presented in sections which include: Soakers, Figural Waterguns, Handguns, and Spaceguns. Hundreds of waterguns are pictured. Wonderful toy gun images against striking black backgrounds. A real feast for the eyes!
Ian Kill's Homepage
Showcases Kill's collections of toys (robots, rockets, rayguns) and guitars. Presents a section on space guns which includes pictures of over 30 guns, including a number of English versions. Links to other sites.
Mark Nagata's Web Site
The website of illustrator Mark Nagata. Has some very interesting examples of his art as well as pictures of his collections. Among other things, Mark collects toy ray guns, and the pictures of his collection will knock your socks off. He says it took him three years to find these guns. I wonder how he found them so quickly! (Also take a look at Mark's Ultraman collection. Wow!)
The Rubber Bandit
A site selling "the ultimate" rubber band guns! Offers an entire arsenal including a Deringer, Magnum 12, Uzzi, Carbine, and others. You can even purchase special rubber bands. Wow! If only I had some of these back in Miss Rothman's fifth grade homeroom!
Sci Fi Hollywood
An enormous private collection of sci-fi props from many movies and TV shows. Includes props of spaceships, costumes, and weapons. The weapon section, which is the largest, has space guns from virtually every major television and film sci-fi movie made. Also features a section of props for sale including many prop space guns.
Toy Guns
Focuses on toy western cowboy guns. Includes pictures of many popular toy guns as well as information on reference works, major toy dealers who specialize in toy guns, and how to get toy guns repaired. A great introduction to the collecting of Western toy guns!
Sites Where Ray Guns Can Be Bought and Sold
Alphaville Collectible Toys
A New York City store that specializes in vintage toys and movie posters. Has a section on space toys for sale that sometimes offers space guns.
Auction Web Classifieds (eBay)
An enormous auction site on the web where toy space guns are often up for auction. Go to the search function at eBay and search for "ray gun," "space gun," "Buck Rogers," "Flash Gordon," or other appropriate term.
Big Red Toy Box
A wide ranging and very informative site dedicated to presenting and sharing information about toy collecting, especially action figures. Has a large classified section and auction page. Space guns sometimes appear in the classifieds and at auction.
Collectible Toys
A great internet toy store which offers old tin toys, action figures, and robots & space toys. The space toy page often has interesting ray guns. This site is maintained by Alessandro from Rome, Italy, and is a good place to find European ray guns.
Cybertoyz
A great site for tin wind-up and battery-op toys. The section on space toys is fantastic. I know of few sites on the web where you will see so many great robots and related toys for sale. Toy ray guns are sometimes to be found in the space toy section.
Gasoline Alley
An extensive website showcasing the wares of a store in Seattle. Many, many, many items, including a large selection of space toys. There are often a LOT of toy ray rayguns for sale here. When you get to the site, take a look in the space toy section.
Internet Toy Resources
A link to the toy usenet newsgroups. These newsgroups provide a place where toy collectors can discuss, advertise, and buy toys. Ray guns sometimes turn up in the postings for the vintage toy newsgroup. This particular link is provided by the Raving Toy Maniac website, one of the most compreshensive and useful toy sites on the web.
Mark Bergin Toys
The website of well known toy dealer Mark Bergin. Bergin specializes in robots, space toys and tin toys, and he generally has a number of space guns for sale. Check in the "Space Gun" section as well as in "Miscellaneous."
New England Auction Gallery
A well known auction house that has auctions of a wide variety of old toys three to four times a year. Auctions often include toy ray guns. Visit their website to see catalogues of old auctions and to subscribe to their catalogues. The toys are always in great shape (more often than not, in their original boxes) and the owners, Debby and Marty, are great people to talk to and do business with.
Ozzies Robots, Toys and Collectibles
A large online store featuring robots, space toys, battery toys, collectibles and antiques. The robot and space toy section is very impressive and sometimes has toy ray guns.
RNA Collectables
An internet store specializing in art deco, toys, games, old radios, gum ball machines, and 50s memorabilia. The toy section occasionally has ray guns for sale.
Robots and Space Toys
A catalogue of vintage and reproduction toys for sale. Often has ray guns in the section devoted to space toys.
General Science Fiction
Dreams of Space
A presentation and study of childrens' books, written largely between the early 1950s to the mid 1960s, which present space themes. Wonderful graphics. Tells of the artists and illustrators, the authors and editors, and presents a history of space art. May take a while to download but worth the wait.
Gallery of Monster Toys
What is this site doing here? Well, although not focused on science fiction materials, the "Gallery" presents the best information about monster toys available anywhere, and it shows a number of important, and hard to find, space toys like the Colorforms Outer Space Men and the Star Raiders by Tomlin.
Musuem of Lost in Space Collectibles
A great Lost In Space site. Presents an incredible amount of information associated with the show and pictures a number of toys, including many ray guns.
Mad Martian Museum of Modern Madness
A wonderful, zany, and often downright weird site that everyone should visit if only to look at its fantastic graphics. Showcases a number of "exhibitions," including the "Plastic Eyeball Exhibit," the "Interactive Toilet of Terror," the "Australian Stick Bug Exhibit," and "Fun Food." I'm not sure what all this has to do with toy ray guns, but if you are nutty enough to collect childrens' firearms, you will probably love this website.
Science Fiction Weekly
Probably the best science fiction source on the web (or perhaps anywhere). This magazine has it all. Reviews of sci-fi books and websites, articles about sci-fi films, information about everything and anything related to science fiction. And the Toy Raygun Website was their featured Sci-Fi Website of the Week! Take a look!
Tin Robots and Space Toys
One of my favorite robot sites. In addition to an enormous amount of information about robots, also presents selected space toys. Has a for-sale and wanted page that occasionally turns up ray guns.
Toy Robot Gallery
Another great robot site. Very imaginative and original with great graphics. Has an "exhibit room" which presents a regular "robot of the month" feature as well as neat illustrations of box art.
