The Merchandise Guide
Commlocks and Stun Guns
Compiled by Martin Willey

STUN GUN (Remco- Burbank Toys)

1976 UK £1.50, later £4.18; US $6.77 1976

Remco was an American toy company founded in the 1940s (early toys were walkie-talkies, and the name was an abbreviation of "Remote Control"). In the 1960s Remco acquired various television licenses, including Lost In Space and Star Trek (their yellow bug-eyed "Astro Helmet" is a well-known example of a toy with no connection to the television series). The company went bankrupt in 1971, but in 1974 it was acquired by Azrak-Hamway International (AHI), which used the brand for more expensive toys. Ahi had a wide range of Space: 1999 toys including several stun guns. Remco's stun gun is similar to their Star Trek phaser, also a torch with cut-out projector shapes. Remco also produced the Space: 1999 Utility Belt (Space Belt).

17 x 14 x 3.5 cm large but light weight silver toy, with logo in black on left side. Uses 2 HP11 batteries.

Features:

• "Lazer beam" (2.4 volt light bulb)
• "project a light target" (three 3.5 cm diameter caps with crude cut out shapes of Eagle, buggy & astronaut, which fit over light)
• "sequential colour lights" (3 small bulbs below light which blink)
• "realistic space sound" (ugly noise)
• "3 function actuator" (!?!)

Box (UK and US editions) 28 x 20 x 7 cm. Toy mounted inside on card braces. 19.5 x 35.5 cm instruction sheet for fitting batteries.

UK (Remco- Burbank Toys) UK box art used a painting of the gun, with a small Eagle beyond.
USA (Remco) US box art used a photo of the gun, in an almost identical pose to the UK art. The box toy is white, but all versions of the stun gun were silver/chrome.

UK Box

Instructions

There is an small clear plastic tube included in the box which can be used to fix the light bulb sockets.

Flashlight caps

Stun gun

The left side of the gun has the series logo and side "buttons"; the right side is more minimally decorated, with the copyright notices

© 1976 ATV Licensing Ltd - All rights reserved
© 1976 Remco Toys, Inc, New York
Made in Hong Kong No. 609

Comparison with the Technical Notebook (1977). Apart from the large size and the distorted proportions of the top part, the detail is not bad, and the handle shape is good.

Store or trade show display

This is a cardboard display for the Remco Stun Gun. It is unclear how the cone should be used. It looks like it should be mounted high or hung from the ceiling, perhaps over stacked boxes or an unboxed gun. The small card and chain were separate but seem to be part of the same display.