The Merchandise GuideCommlocks and Stun Guns
Compiled by Martin Willey
The Merchandise Guide
US 1976. Style number 1325. $18.88
LJN was a New York, USA based toy company founded in 1970. It concentrated on licensed merchandising and the "Mister Action" action figure range, until the mid-1980s when it turned to Nintendo video games. In 1976 they also produced small die cast models under their "Roadstars" brand: Moonbuggy, Zantor's ship and "Hawk Transporter", and a box with all 3 vehicles.
According to Broadcasting Magazine they spent $400,000 on TV advertising for these walk-talkies in 1976.
Transistorized comlock communicator walkie talkies
. Exact replicas of the comlock communicators used in the TV series Space: 1999
Two commlocks in the pack. Certainly not "exact replicas", they at least vaguely resemble the real props, with a large round speaker in the top front face, and logo in the bottom front face. Each uses a 9 volt battery for the walkie-talkie radio. When buttons 7, 8 and 9 are pressed various electronic sounds are made. The packaging is a beige box with window showing one commlock. The instruction sheet includes Morse code. There are also two small photos on cardboard of Koenig (from Last Sunset) and Helena (holding up a slide): these could be slotted into top to simulate the video screen.
The toy is titled "comlock"- the series spelled the name both "commlock" and "comlock". Images thanks to Gordon Moriguchi.
Page from an LJN commercial catalog. The box is an early design (a different Eagle over the logo, a picture of Barry Morse, the Barbara Bain picture the right way round). Inside the box, both comlocks are visible, with a non-logo label for "Space: 1999" and white (not black and red) buttons.
Various 1:1 replicas were made by so called "garage" kit manufacturers, usually based on the blueprints in the Technical Notebook (note that the studio props varied in dimensions). Many of these are probably unlicensed.
| Manufacturer | Year | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown | 1982 | £25 in UK |
| GBH | 1992 | Resin. £33 in UK. Sold by Comet Miniatures. |
| Warp | 1992 | Resin. £33 in UK. Sold by Comet Miniatures. |
| Reshape | 1999 | Resin. £35 in UK. Sold by Comet Miniatures. |
| Mark Shaw | 1996+ | Fully constructed prop, available privately. Pictures |
| Clint Young (CY Productions) | 1999 | US $139.95 Fully constructed prop, solid Urethane with metal parts, cast of Mark Shaw commlock. Pictures |
| Wilco! | 2001 | US $35 Resin model kit. |
| Sidkit | 2006 | US $79 Resin model kit with metal and plastic pieces, and stickers. |
| Michele Possanza | 2009 | Italy by auction (around GB£270 - 300) Fully constructed prop with working colour LCD screen and functional buttons. Pictures |
| "Propmaker" (Roland Cormier, based in Canada) | August 2009 | Sold on ebay and privately (around US $200-$350) Fully constructed prop made of cast resin with metal components. Very well made and very accurate. Pictures |
| Century Castings (Alex Jackson, UK) | 2015+ | Commlock (£20), commlock holder (desk stand, £32) and set of both kits (£50). 
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Various 1:1 replicas were made by so called "garage" kit manufacturers, usually based on the blueprints in the Technical Notebook (note that the studio props varied in dimensions). Many of these are probably unlicensed.
|
 Reshape stun gun  Wilco! |
US, UK 1975
12 x 11 x 2.5 cm very accurate toy. Lights flash when top button pressed (uses 2 pen light batteries). Dimensions and detailing are correct, although the side "buttons" are not painted. There is no series logo, or manufacturer, only a small "Made in Hong Kong" on the handle.
There are two variations: a grey stun gun or a white one.
Box 12.5 x 9.5 x 3 cm, art of Koenig (yellow uniform) firing gun, Alpha beyond. Both sides of the box have the same art. The only instructions are on the box "The black button and silver button operate the lights".
Pictures thanks to Donald Suttie.
Comparison with the Technical Notebook (1977). Overall dimensions are very good. Note that the front part and lights along the front are more accurate than the Technical Notebook drawing. The black handle shape is too square, the black hook on the front part is too angled, and the side buttons too square.
Other pictures:
UK US, 1976.
Made in Hong Kong. No 6371
Water pistol, relatively accurate, with logo on side intersecting a circle. A rare red-coloured version was also available. Sold in bubble pack, the 18 x 23cm card displaying logo (top left), photos of Koenig & Bergman (top right), and boldly coloured artwork of an Eagle, the Kaldorian ship and a Breakaway waste cap on the lunar surface.
See other Azrak-Hamway (ahi) toys.
Canadian version, with the subtitle "Fusil a eau".
Packaged Stun Water Gun with Ahi Arms Master, the re-branded version.
Trade catalogue photo, with the Eagle water gun. Note the different (pre-production) art, with a smaller crude Eagle.
UK & Europe 1981
12 x 11 x 2.5 cm very accurate replica, with "Arm's Master" (sic) on side. It's a water pistol, a re-branded version of the Ahi Official Sun Water Gun. In France it was released as a give-away with the weekly boys comic Pif Super Gadget (which gave away toys with each issue). It was also available separately. Ahi also re-branded their Eagle water gun as the Arm's Master Water Gun, with the same packaging.
A reissue, in a simple plastic bag with stapled card top. Thanks to Gordon.
A German (and/or Austrian) reissue, with the title "Weltraum Pistole" (Space Pistol). Thanks to Gordon.
Comparison with the Technical Notebook (1977). Dimensions and details are pretty accurate, apart from the water gun trigger. The small nozzles on the front are all the same size, which is wrong; the Blue & Red Box Official Stun Gun gets this right.
UK/ US 1976
Made in Hong Kong.
Another version of the stun gun, relatively accurate and very similar to the Ahi water gun, with logo on side intersecting a circle, but much smaller. There were two slightly different backing cards (one had a laser beam drawn as if shooting from the gun, the other without).
See other Azrak-Hamway (ahi) toys.
First issue packaging |
 Second issue packaging |
 Canadian version of second issue with EN/FR text ("Fusil a rayon") |
Size comparison with the Ahi Stun Water Gun
Comparison with the Technical Notebook (1977). Small, but the details are pretty accurate.
Trade catalogue photo. Note the different (pre-production) art, with a smaller crude Eagle.
UK/ US 1977
Made in Hong Kong.
Disc shooting stun gun, similar to the others (see above). Blister pack. Only known from the Ahi catalogue, although the Jet Discs (see below) were definitely issued. A disc-firing stun gun was part of Remco's Space Belt / Utility Belt.
See other Azrak-Hamway (ahi) toys.
US 1976
Made in Hong Kong.
"Saucers soar high in the air!"
Comes with 3 spinning rings. Blister pack.
See other Azrak-Hamway (ahi) toys.
Image thanks to Gordon Moriguchi
Azrak Hamway catalogue
US 1976. Made in Hong Kong.
This appears in the 1976 catalogue (as item number 6424), but no examples are known.
Fires rubber darts at a bullseye target. Box pack.
See other Azrak-Hamway (ahi) toys.
UK £1.50, later £4.18; US $6.77 1976
Remco had been acquired by Azrak-Hamway (ahi) toys in 1974. The brand was retained for better quality toys than those with the Ahi brand. They made a Star Trek phaser gun with similar features to this stun gun. Remco also produced the Space Belt / Utility Belt.
Not licensed by ITC (although it boldly states "Patents Pending"). The box artwork, showing three heroes attacked by a furry monster, includes a couple of spaceships that look like Hawks.
"Space Belt": UK £3.45 1976
"Utility Belt": USA 1976
"Utility Belt/Ceinture d'accessoires": Canada 1976
1977?
Blister pack of spare discs for the stun gun (from the Remco Utility Belt?) and Star Trek phaser. The card has art of a phaser (left) and stun gun (right, with series logo on the side) on a bluish background.
See other Azrak-Hamway (ahi) toys.
UK 20 December 2007; £150. Limited edition of 1000.
UK July 2021; £150.
An update of the Iconic comlock and stun gun set from 2007, now with electronic sounds. The commlock screen shows "Red Alert" and the Alpha card, and plays sound samples from the series. The stun gun flashes lights with the appropriate sounds. The recommended price is the same as the non-electronic original from 13 years before.
USA July 2021; MPC941/12 $41.99.
A plastic model kit of the two props, by Round 2 under their MPC brand. Co-incidentally released at the same time as the (delayed) Sixteen 12 electronic set.
Not a licensed product, and the white plastic toy doesn't resemble anything from the series. It does exploit Space: 1999's popularity by having an Eagle on the box cover.
4 functions - laser death ray - machine gun - 4 different sounds with sonic light
Copyright Martin Willey
