The Pyromatic Rocket Ship at Honest Al's Used Rockets & RV's, Ganymede Station

 

Pyro Plastics "Pyromatic Rocket Ship"

Saturdays are for what I call Culture of Collecting posts about my interest in vintage space toys in addition to cutting lawns here at Camp Nyland. And much of today was spent avoiding doing the latter while ogling a long-wanted item of 1950s plastic space bling - The "Pyromatic Rocket Ship" space car manufactured by Pyro Plastics in the USA starting in 1952 (?). I'd had a similar rig but this baby is logo marked, beautifully intact and the lawn will be there tomorrow no matter how much rain falls on it. Having priorities in order is a vital step to success.

Some video on the specimen and other items of interest. Runs four minutes  ... Not sure what was up with my voice that day, sounds like someone who pahked theyh cahh in Bahhstan Yaad. 

Click here to open video in a new window for fullscreen playback option.

The Culture of Collecting (thinking seminar titles here) refers to how I felt an obligation to be conversant on the toy forms used in creating my artworks. Especially the vintage 50s and 60s stuff that others collect very passionately. Pyro Plastics has its own following separate from the space toy era as fabricators of model kits and scale replica vehicles, each of which has their own culture of collectors. You have to learn your onions and figure out the neighborhood, though my fascination is squarely with their space toy creations.

Octopus Hunt, 2019, 11x8 inches, pastel and acrylics on laser print of digital photo. Toy forms by MPC, Britain's Ltd. and Dollar Tree. Terrain and backdrop acrylic paintings on wood.

A lot of research went into learning vintage toy lingo and being able to accurately describe each piece that would figure into my art schemes. Their pedigree and history are part of the formula. I get more inspiration from vintage forms than contemporary, my geek button being switched on by Cold War era design sensibilities, functionality, and the right shapes. We're going to have fun utilizing this beauty as a photo subject for flatworks, printed or traced as above.

No Vintage Space Toys Are Harmed In The Creation Of My Artwork

At Honest Al's Used Rockets and RVs near Ganymede Station, right up off the expressway by the Aerodrome. New models every Saturday! Full blog post with detailed pix here: spacetrucks.blogspot.com/2023/05/pyro-plastics-pyromatic-rocket-ship.html

Now for that lawn.

UPDATE: Nope, started raining just as this was published. And that's showbiz.