Ideal's Kent and his Cosmic Cruiser from 1978

Happy New Year!

I am still obsessed with random 70's toys and for the 1st article of the year
I bring you Kent in all his glory.

I was lucky enough to stumble across this fine example of late 70's Star Wars knockoff mania.

His name is Kent and he is from the short lived 1977 -1978 line by the Ideal toy company called "STAR TEAM". These were a mixture of rehashed versions of their 60's line Zeroids and trying to make quick buck off of Star Wars hysteria.

The line consisted of 4 figures and a recycled Zeroid space ship called "Star Hawk." The 1st 3 figures Zem 21 (C3p0), Knight of Darkness (Darth Vader), and Blue Zeroid (R2D2) are fairly common on the after market today. The Star Hawk shows up a bit less frequently.

The last piece released in a desperate attempt to squeeze a few more dollars from George Lucas' pocket was KENT AND HIS COSMIC CRUISER. This piece seems to have been released in very limited quantities and is almost wholly forgotten in the collector market today.

He is therefore very difficult to find in any condition.

I was lucky to get Kent mint in his original baggie with original instructions and sticker sheet.

So...being the crazy fool I am...I stuck those stickers on the Cruiser as fast as
I could peel them off the 34 year old sheet that has yellowed with age.

Kent's Cruiser is just a retooled Evel Knievel Sky Cycle, but maybe Kent has magic powers to breathe in outer space with no covering on his cockpit.

For more info on Kent and his friends, please check out plaidstallions.com and toysyouhad.com. They each have a nice spread on this ridiculous bunch of toys.