The rubberband version |
1965 was the year I got my rubberband-powered STINGRAY by LONESTAR. There was also a clockwork version which looked pretty much the same (see below), but it was the cheaper version I had. Cheaper, but no less fun at the nearby pond just along the road from where I lived at the time. And there was also the kitchen sink or the bath for Stingray to continue its undersea explorations when I couldn't be bothered going out or the weather was against me.
I acquired a replacement for this toy a number of years back and have it proudly on display. VIVID IMAGINATIONS produced their own, far more detailed version of this craft sometime back in the '90s, but there's something about the '60s original which is hard to beat. The above two pictures are from the Internet - the one below is of my own toy. For this 'update' I've also included a few of the Vivid Imaginations version from the '90s.
My very own toy - the camera flash has lightened the colours |
The VI version works on the same principle as the LS one, though is a little more sophisticated. The rubberband on the '60s toy is wound by rotating the propeller, whereas the '90s toy has a 'dial' on the bottom which you rotate clockwise. Interestingly, some of the blue areas now appear green, so I assumed the colours had faded over time (it hangs on my wall), but when I checked my unopened spare which has been wrapped in a bag and kept in a cupboard for decades, it was the exact same. I, however, am pretty sure the green was blue when I first bought them (from Woolworths), so not quite sure what happened there.
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