The Future - the way it used to look...

1. Flying Saucer by Paul Lindberg - 1952.
This is the first flying saucer plastic model kit ever made.
When Ed Wood was making his infamous movie, "Plan 9 From Outer Space",
he sent his assistants out to stores around Los Angeles to buy dozens of these kits.
He had them painted silver and hung on strings and filmed to appear as though they were attacking the city.
The beautifully detailed box art by Ray Gaedke is what catches my eye!
2. Tom Corbett Space Cadet lunchbox decal - 1952.
The first of the officially-licensed space-themed lunchboxes!
3. Tom Corbett: A Trip To The Moon - Wonder Books 1953
Delightful art by Frank Vaughn.
4. Tom Corbett TV guide cover for the week of February 22, 1952.
Mystery solved!
I finally found a photo that clearly shows what all those gadgets on Tom Corbett's space helmet really are!
There's 2 sections of vacuum cleaner hose, a device for getting the silk off of an ear of corn shoved into a flexible kitchen faucet adaptor and a couple of run-of-the-mill binder clips to hold the 2 big clear plastic salad bowls together.
Well, they WERE on a tight budget.