The Weapon Shop: Vintage Space Toys, Ray Guns, Robots and MoreThe Weapon Shop: Vintage Space Toys, Ray Guns, Robots and More
Special Note: As an alumnus of Virginia Tech I shared the grief and horror which the entire civilized world experienced as a result of the recent tragedy which occurred there. My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims of this atrocity as well as to their family and friends. To the many who lost loved ones, I offer these thoughts of condolence: I cannot pretend to know the depth of your sorrow, but I want you to know that I share your pain and I wish you healing. For those of you who would like to help the survivors in some way, here is a link that will provide the means for you to do so. God bless you all.
I began work on this site in early spring 2000 and have kept it going for two main reasons: folks seem to like it, and it keeps me in contact with interesting people whom I might not otherwise ever meet. My primary goal has been to create a site where kids in their 30's and 40's (or older!) would have access to decent photos of toys that they might have had once and later lost, or never had and always wanted. It was never intended to be a storefront or a forum for esoteric discussion of rare specimens, as I am neither a high-rolling collector nor an authority on toys. Collecting is a hobby of mine, not something which defines or rules me. Unfortunately, with the birth of my daughter in 2002, I do not have as much time - or money - to devote to it as I once had. So if you have something you want to sell me, I probably will have to pass on it for the time being. I do welcome questions and comments (especially positive ones!) and I try to be helpful when I can. But mostly I enjoy sharing a little bit of my childhood with other people like myself.
A little information about the content of this site...Although it presents toys from the 1930's through the present, this site focuses primarily on toys from the era of my childhood, i.e., the sixties and seventies. Most of the toys pictured here actually belonged to me when I was a child (a few belonged to my sister, to whom I am grateful for entrusting me with her childhood treasures), and if any appear well played-with, that's because they were. "Neat Stuff" is my space toy section. It features robots, ray guns, space ships, Colorforms Outer Space Men, Major Matt Mason, Billy Blastoff, Kozmic Kiddles, Golden Astronaut and a potpourri of odds and ends with a science fiction theme. "More Neat Stuff" is a catch-all with sections devoted to vehicles (Matchbox, Hot Wheels, Corgi Juniors, Aviva, Sizzlers, etc.), vintage tin wind-ups and friction toys, and 12 inch G.I. Joe as well as a few surprises. Recently I added avi movies of some of the battery ops and wind-ups, and hidden throughout the site are a few pictures of me as a child with some of the very toys pictured here (see if you can find them!) As with any other genre of collectible, I acknowledge (and am grateful!) that there are more detailed sites devoted to many of these toys; however, I think my site has a few things to offer that some others might not. Take a few minutes (or hours, if you like) and see for yourself.
My acoustic music page hasn't gone away (sorry, folks)!
Tune in here for a sampling of live and studio recordings which I made between 1996 and 2005:
My Outer Limits site is now located here!
