c.1955 Irco, Guided Missile Launcher in Original Box
Absolutely awesome tin litho battery operated "Remote Control Guided Missile Launcher" by Irco (Japan). Complete, original, and all working! Plus it comes with original box. Fantastic toy features a single three dimensional soldier seated behind the cross-hair target of a U.S. Army M-53 Guided Missie Launcher. The colors are amazing with the main parts of the machine olive green, gray operations platform, and deadly looking yellow and blue missile housings. Each housing has a single red fin at the end. Two groups of three red wooden missiles each with black rubber warheads lie on each side of the operator. A red or green light behind each group of three flashes as the rockets are launched. The entire top section of the launcher can be rotated right or left 360º. It produces a grinding sounds as it turns. The rockets and light bulbs are original to the toy. The launcher is operated using a 21" long tethered remote controller. It's a complex unit with separate buttons for right and left rotation, and two globe tipped levers to launch the missiles. It requires 2, D-cell batteries. Once cocked, pulling back on one of these levers causes the corresponding (right or left) light to flash and simultaneously launch the group of three missiles. In fact, rotation, flashing, and launching can all be performed at the same time! I tested everything and it works great. You just have to make sure that the missile is properly locked down before it'll fire. All this requires is a little twist once the missile is inserted into the housing. The original box has a great color illustration of the toy showing it firing 3 rockets simultaneously. "Safe-harmless" is printed in small text, but I wouldn't want to be standing in front of it when it goes off. Size: 8" x 5" x 6". Missiles 3¼" long. Sold: Dec. 2011
Price Sold: $ 305
