 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (October 2008) |
Spacewarp is line of build-it-yourself toy rolling ball "roller coasters" first made in the 1980's. Users cut lengths of track to the correct size from a single roll of thick plastic tubing, forming curves and loops held in place by plastic track rail holders which attach to metal rods held vertical in a black plastic base. Steel balls roll around the track and on to a battery-powered elevator that takes them to the top to start all over again.
Contents |
Availability
Bandai stopped making Spacewarp around 1988, but continued to sell replacement parts until supplies were exhausted in 1995.
After being out of production for ~18 years, Bandai revived Spacewarp in 2005 and redesigned it for the Japanese market. Though many features were identical in the new sets, key parts such as the plastic rail holders were redesigned for greater resistance to breakage[1].
The post-2005 sets are marketed and sold for Japan. Many of these are available on various web stores and auction sites that sell directly from Japan. As of late 2008, ThinkGeek was marketing the 5000 set as an import[2].
Sets
1985-1995:
- 10
- 15 (17,000mm rail, 8 base plates)
- 20
- 30
- 40
- I (11,000mm rail, 6 base plates, toothed lift)
- II (12 base plates)
- L (6 base plates, electric lights)
- Action 1 (windmill)
- Action 2
- Blue Wings (28,000mm rail, 11 base plates)
- Space Tree
- W (8 base plates)
- Black Wolf (20,000mm rail, 8 base plates)
2005-present:
Sets are assigned a complexity level of 1 to 5.
- Desktop (preformed plastic tracks instead of plastic tubing for rails)
- 1000
- 3500 (9,000mm rail, 2 base plates, Level 2)
- 5000 (16,000mm rail, 6 base plates, Level 3)
- 7500
- 10000 (32,000mm rail, Level 5)
Accessories
Additional accessories include lighting kits, a staircase, bell ringer, escalator and more.
Knock-Offs
As with many popular toys, nearly-identical counterfeit editions have emerged under the Chinese "Spacerail" brand[3].
References
- ^ "spilth.org » Bandai Spacewarp 5000". http://www.spilth.org/?p=1092. Retrieved on 2008-12-13.
- ^ "ThinkGeek :: Spacewarp 5000". http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/japanfan/a4b4. Retrieved on 2008-12-13.
- ^ "spilth.org » Bandai Spacewarp 5000". http://blog.spilth.org/2005/07/11/bandai-spacewarp-5000/. Retrieved on 2008-12-13.
See also
External links
 |
This toys-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
