Space-Phones (Selcol, 1950s)

A ray gun's all well and good... until you're out of ammo and need to call for back up. That's when a good set of space-phones can save the day!

This British set was made by Selcol and uses the then-cutting-edge "can-and-string" toy technology to create a communicator perfectly suited for conversations between galaxies. If, of course, those two galaxies are approximately three feet away.

The toys do go a bit beyond the typical space walkie talkies of the day by including a little whistle above the communication grill. It's a nice little touch that adds some play value.

I love the box art, which, despite limiting itself to only three colors, delivers a lot of bang. Keen eyed observers will notice that it pulls heavily from the artwork of Britain's greatest space hero, Dan Dare. In fact, for all intents and purposes, that is Colonel Dare on the flip-up display. He's only missing those weird, kinked eye brows -- probably so Eagle Publishing wouldn't sue Selcol out of existence.

While this isn't the rarest set of walkie talkies, it's definitely not common either. I spent a while looking for a pair in nice condition, with a clean box and both easily broken antennas in place. The hunt was worth it, though -- it's a great toy!