Found these two NOS on E-bay. Could not resist for my 11 y/o. They will go with his police duty hat, boots and toy handcuffs. Had to find the ones with the code key to drive his mom nuts. New Duracell 9 volts brought them to life.
I remember the old “Lunch Box” Motorola’s. Those were popular on the surplus market around the late 60’s. A few hams I knew back then used them to connect to our local 2 meter repeater. I wanted one too, but as usual I was a day late and a dollar short....View attachment 38937 View attachment 38938
1967 & 1969. Had the former, not the latter.
“Cool” was the Mattel M16 Marauder.
All other toy guns instantly obsolete.
Slow, but looks good, was the Schwinn Apple Crate.
Sorta like a noisy and limited muscle car. The Big Iron was the
Dodge Polara Police Pursuit. A ten speed Schwinn was really the thing.
I guess those Space Patrol talkies came later than this.
Here’s what we used in a pair to coordinate the invasion of neighboring streets during the Tet New Year (baby boom peak years: no lack of troops).
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No, I’m not kidding.
Sliding on wood-shingle roofs with one of those was perilous. You made an uphill run for the brick chimney on a big suburban ranch-style after gaining access via wooden fence. Shoulder-strap tight with a front carry.
Dad ended that technological advantage kinda quick-like.
Marauders vs. Rat Patrol was back to bikes or Keds.
Being ten wasn’t at all a bad thing some days.
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Crazy to think that as kids we all had toy guns and cap guns that looked ultra realistic. I had a full size revolver cap gun (hand made in taly) that looked like the real thing and was made of metal and my friend and I would run around the neighborhood playing with our toy guns and the neighbors would just wave and smile. Kids now would get shot or arrested if they had realistic guns like that.
I also had the channel 14 walkie - it was so much fun and I could talk to a couple of base stations nearby. My parents didn't know I could also hear all the local young adults late at night on it so I learned some interesting phrases very young
Walkie-Talkies are a blast as a kid.
Almost as “innocent” a gift as a drum set to a seven-year old.
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