Dan Dare Atomic-Jet Gun (D.C.M.T. / 1950s / U.K. / 4 x 6.5 inches)

Americans had been enjoying the exploits of Buck Rogers for more than 20 years when Frank Hampson created Colonel Dan Dare for for a comic strip in Britain's Eagle Magazine in 1950. Despite the late start, the U.K.'s toy market was quickly flooded with dozens of amazing toys and tie-ins, from space ships to pop-up books to walkie talkies to ray guns. Yes, ray guns. Sweet, sweet ray guns. And one of the best of the lot is the Atomic-Jet Gun.

The Atomic-Jet has a lot of stylistic zing, making it a popular ray gun today. But it's definitely one of the less common Dan Dare toys, probably due in part to the delicate plastic construction. A little rough play and Britain's space cadets would be left with inoperable firearms. Not a good position to be in when the Mekon's hoards attack. (The Mekon, for the uninitiated, was Dan Dare's fiercest enemy.)

That is one thin freakin' ray gun!

As far as I know, the Dan Dare Atomic-Jet has no variations. But then again, I'm constantly being surprised by this hobby, so who can say? Rare in any condition, when it does pop up it often has some cracks, or a broken trigger, or a missing plastic tip. It's almost always missing the black plastic cap on the back of the water tank. In fact, mine is a reproduction that I made out of Super Sculpey. Not half-bad, if I do say so myself! (I did find a company online that makes small, plastic caps that look like they might be a closer match to the original piece. I've ordered a few different sizes, if they work out well I'll update this post.)

Now, while the toy might not have variations, it does have some relatives. The gun is clearly based on an American toy from the 1940's: Hiller's aluminum Atom Ray water pistol.

via toyraygun.com

It's also related to an earlier British gun, also called the Atomic-Jet, which was made out of metal by a company called Crescent (and which was itself based on the Hiller).

via toyraygun.com

All three toys share the same handle, large water tank, and general shape. However, the Crescent version of the Atomic-Jet is a bit more elegant, with a barrel that's been moved up so that it can extend directly from the tank. In one final bit of weirdness, the box for the Dan Dare Atomic-Jet Gun depicts the titular hero holding the Crescent Atomic-Jet Gun. Like I said, weird.

While many collectors favor the original Hiller version of the gun -- and hey, what's not to love? -- the Dan Dare Atomic-Jet is probably the rarest of the three. It just wasn't as durable as the other two toys, whose metal construction helped them survive many an imaginary battle. Personally, I can't say which I like the best. The two metal guns have greater design cohesion, but there's just something compelling about the brightly colored plastic. To me, it screams "mid-century."

Heck, I'll gladly take all three!

This is a gun I've wanted for a loooong time -- it was really a thrill when I finally snagged it. So c'mon, Mekon -- I double Dan Dare you to make your move!

Dan Dare Space Pistol (Lone Star / 1950s / U.K. / 5.5 x 7.5 inches)

One of the most interesting looking guns to come out of the 1950s was the Dan Dare Space Pistol, which was a tie-in with the United Kingdom's leading science fiction hero.

The ray gun's design was, at the time, wholly original; its angular fins and concentric circles made it look almost like a space ship. It was one of the larger space guns, and its die-cast construction lent it a nice heft. I can only imagine how fun it must have been to play with it as a kid. (Though I can say with authority that playing with it as an adult is a helluva lot of fun.)

I've always liked this toy's paint scheme. The whole thing is done in red, and then silver is applied by an air brush to highlight the gun's contours. It's a nice effect, and one I've never seen on any other toy from that period. (It was also released in blue with silver accents.)

The Space Pistol fired rolls of paper caps, which were loaded underneath the top sight. Smoke exited the front of the barrel.

Lone Star would go on to reuse the gun's design a couple different times, and there's at least one plastic version that came out of Hong Kong in the late Sixties. 

Dan Dare Cosmic Ray Gun (Palitoy / 1954 / U.K. / 5 x 6 inches)

When Dan Dare arrived in the pages of Eagle magazine in 1950, children in the U.K. finally had their own Buck Rogers. And with him came a level of merchandizing that'd do ol' Buck proud! Rockets, costumes, plastic figures, space phones, pop-up books, and, of course, an armory's worth of ray guns. While all these guns were spectacular, it's safe to say that the Cosmic Ray Gun with Tri-Color Beam was light years ahead of the pack.

The toy's designers managed to cram an enormous amount of play value into this ornate, but small package. Pulling the trigger provides the ubiquitous clicking noise while at the same time firing a (flashlight) beam of light. Turning one of two knobs located just above the reflector flips either a red or yellowish-green gel in front of the light bulb, changing the beam's color. The gun also has not one but two compartments for secret messages, one located under a yellow cap in the back, and one in a hidden panel in the butt of the gun's handle. 

The red gel in the retracted position. Note the flashlight bulb on the right.

The red gel covering the flashlight bulb. The retracted green gel can be seen over along the right edge.

The green gel flipped down to cover the flashlight bulb.

The cap removed from the back of the gun. 

This is one of my favorite space guns, and I'd been searching for it ever since I first saw a picture in the book Ray Gun, by Eugene Metcalf. So much detail went into the toy's design -- the futuristic rings and swoops, the giant reflecting lens, the wire-frame handle. But this is a rare space gun, and wanting one doesn't equal getting one. Especially if you're like me, and really wanted the fantastic display box. 

I love how the designers took the time to consider what each part of the gun would actually do were the weapon real. It's complete gibberish, of course, but how great are labels like "Atomic Charging Port" and "Static Condenser"? It's just a brilliant way to show off the toy. 

The gun's fairly rare, but it does come up from time to time. Sadly, I never had the money, and I had to let two or three of them slip past me. Finally, though, not too long ago, this one appeared on eBay with a surprisingly low starting bid. I figured it would increase by another 50 percent by auction's end. Still, I placed a bid, not really expecting to win. So imagine my surprise when the auction ended and no one else bid? Not only did I score a dream toy, but I managed to save a bundle on it. 

A nice example of how patience -- whether voluntary or enforced by the gods of eBay and collecting -- can pay off nicely.