C is for Colorforms, Not!

Or; C is for Correcting Myths! A lot has been written about these around the Web over the last few years, and a fair bit of what has been written has given a certain type of evilBayer the idea that these are worth, three, five, ten-times what these recent, probably still current somewhere, 99p rummage-tray figures are actually worth!

Generic Space Attack set of all twelve, date unknown, but these have been around for a while, you get six spacemen/aliens/robot types and six space vessels, which happen to be six Colorforms knock-off's, and Thunderbird 1-5 clones with a space shuttle, it's the Colorforms connection which leads to the exciting pricing, but they are probably, actually knock-off's of the 1980's play-set knock-off's from Toyco's set, Alien Attack, where they were polyethylene mouldings, approximately 60mm against these 54mm PVC wobblers.

 

Brian Heiler's Video on the Canadian set

We then find them in the Archie McFee (Accoutrements) catalogue, circa 1996, I think, and they may have had a fancy box, or been sent-out in a plain carton or header-carded bag? Now called Alien & Spaceship Invasion, you are still getting all twelve, despite the caveats in the description, I suspect you got one of each moulding.

 

But in 1998, the five spaceships are issued in a boardgame, sans figures, Aristoplay's futuristic Mars 2020 (how far away 2020 must have seemed to them in 1998!) which must - if it was a single tool - have left a lot of extra figures kicking around in some Chinese warehouse, looking for a buyer . . . 

 

 

. . . which was found, with Ruestes in Argentina,  and their Star Attack line, which consisted of lager boxed sets, which had the figures and a larger toy, not the spaceships, although the spaceships were included in smaller sets and carded blisters, some with other toys, some with a five 'Colorforms'/'Thunderbirds' assortment.

 

Spanish language video of the Ruestes sets

So, we've been attacked, invaded and explored by Aliens, Stars, Space, Spaceships and Mars, and I suspect, somewhere, in some wholesaler's or toy-chain's territory we are still being attacked by these cheapo' knock-off's, I know there's a French seller, who seems to be selling a lot of them, lose, which he appears to have got as a job-lot and broken-down . . . cake decorations? Bazaar figures? Wait 'till you see them cheap in a 99p rummage-tray, is my advice!