Electronic Space Gun (Remco / 1953 / U.S. / 6 x 9 inches)

I'm always thrilled when a toy ray gun comes in a display box; the clever packaging provides a perfect way of showing off the toy. And few toys looked as good in their boxes as the Electronic Space Gun. There's just something about a wild-eyed space-kid firing colorful beams of death that really captures the mid-century spirit of intergalactic adventure.

Remco made some excellent space toys, including a number of space phones, an amazing B9 Robot from the TV series Lost In Space, and, of course, ray guns. The company was good at providing bells and whistles -- and lights and buzzers and whatever other battery-operated doo-dads you could imagine. In this case, the Electronic Space Gun fired a beam of light while a buzzer sounded. The red dial on the side, up near the barrel, turned a color wheel which could shift the light from white to red to green to blue. A compass towards the rear of the gun helped keep Junior Spacemen from getting lost (as long as they were on Earth, that is). 

I'll admit, it took a while for me to appreciate this gun. It's angular shape looked just a bit too functional; I kind of felt like it was lacking in fantasy. But over time, I began looking at it like a prop from a space movie or something. The factors that turned me off became more appealing. Eventually, I was scouring eBay for a nice, boxed example.

Remco made a number of different variations of the Electronic Space Gun. All used the same body, but the company sometimes replaced the compass in the back with a small, spiral color wheel. The toy was released in a variety of colors, including black, red, yellow, and blue. There are also at least three boxes; this is the most elaborate. One version is also known as the Jupiter Gun, though aside from the awesome name, there doesn't seem to be much difference. 

Raydionic Resonator Beam Space Gun (Multum / 1950s / U.K. / 5 x 9 inches)

Here's another great ray gun from across the pond: The Raydionic Resonator. Say it with me: "Ray-Dee-Onik Rez-Oh-Nator." Kinda rolls off the tongue, right?

This spiffy little toy has a flashlight that changes colors via a small switch on top of the lens assembly. Flipping the switch to one side or the other moves either a green or red gel in front of the bulb. Simple and elegant, it's a system that -- with minor tweaks here and there -- pops up in many different ray guns. The Raydionic also makes a clicking noise when you pull the trigger.

This is definitely a rare toy, though another British company called Pifco will appropriate the body design a few years later for use in its Zeta Ray line of guns. More on those when I get around to them. For now, rejoice in the fact that I don't actually have much more to say about the Raydionic, and instead will leave you to admire the pictures.