Spacewarp (toy)
Spacewarp is line of build-it-yourself toy rolling ball "roller coasters" first made in the 1980s by Bandai.[1] 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 Screw conveyor that takes them to the top to start all over again.
Production of Spacewarp toys ended around 1988. Replacement parts were sold until 1995.[1]
A redesigned Spacewarp toy was re-introduced to the Japanese market in 2005 by Tanomi. [2] Improvements included redesigned parts which were less prone to breakage.[1]
Sets
1985-1990s North American Imports:
| Set | Description | Rail (mm) | Base Plates | Special Feature(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Beginning Coaster | 14,000 | 3 | Pre-formed plastic u-turns |
| 20 | Intermediate Coaster | 22,000 | 11 | |
| 30 | Advanced Coaster | |||
| 40 | Expert Coaster | 43,000 | 20 | |
| Black Wolf | 20,000 | 8 | staircase, chimes, black plastic tubing |
1985-1995 Japanese Market:
| Set | Description | Rail (mm) | Base Plates | Special Feature(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | ||||
| 15 | 17,000 | 8 | ||
| 20 | ||||
| 30 | ||||
| 40 | 43,000 | 20 | ||
| I | 11,000 | 6 | Toothed lift | |
| II | 22,000 | 12 | ||
| L | 6 | Electric lights | ||
| Action 1 | Windmill | |||
| Action 2 | ||||
| Blue Wings | 28,000 | 11 | ||
| Space Tree | ||||
| W | 8 |
2005–present:
Sets are assigned a complexity level of 1 to 9.
| Set | Description | Rail (mm) | Base Plates | Complexity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desktop | preformed plastic tracks instead of plastic tubing for rails | ||||
| 231-1 | Start | 5,000 | 3 | 1 | |
| 213-2 | 3500 | 9,000 | 2 | 2 | |
| 231-3 | 5000 | 16,000 | 6 | 3 | |
| 231-4 | 26,000 | 9 | 4 | ||
| 231-5 | 10000 | 32,000 | 12 | 5 | |
| 231-6 | 60,000 | 6 | 6 | ||
| 231-7 | 40,000 | 12 | 7 | ||
| 231-8 | 40,000 | 12 | 8 | ||
| 231-9 | 68,000 | 13 | 9 |
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]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 Spacewarp Toys
- ↑ Bandai SpaceWarp Rereleased in Japan
- ↑ "spilth.org » Bandai Spacewarp 5000". Archived from the original on October 7, 2011. Retrieved 2008-12-13.
External links
- Spacewarp Mission to Mars huge spacewarp project with special effects and homemade parts (Dutch)
- Photo comic review of the Spacewarp
- Scott Dee's SpaceWarp Page
- Flickr: Bandai Spacewarp
- 3D printable Spacewarp compatible parts.