Spacewarp is a line of build-it-yourself, marble-run toy "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.[2]
A redesigned Spacewarp toy was re-introduced to the Japanese market in 2005 by Tanomi.[3] Improvements included redesigned parts which were less prone to breakage.[4]
The first Spacewarp sets became available in Japan in 1983 and were sold by Bandai. That year, filmmakers were working on a movie called The Family Game which features a plot line about a boy who is fascinated with roller coasters.[5] The filmmakers noticed the Spacewarp toy and decided to incorporate it into the movie in a few scenes.[6] The movie The Family Game was released in Japan in November, 1983 to favorable reviews. Due to the popularity of the movie, Spacewarp sales increased so much that between 1983 and 1984, approximately one million sets were sold.[7]
Due to the product's popularity, Spacewarp applied for and received the Spacewarp trademark in the United States of America in 1986, and started selling a subset of its marble roller coasters there.
1986-1990s North American Imports:
| Set | Description | Rail (mm) | Base Plates | Special Feature(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Beginning Coaster | 14,000 | 3 | Elevator, switch unit, curve units | |
| 20 | Intermediate Coaster | 22,000 | 11 | Elevator, switch unit | |
| 30 | Advanced Coaster | 40,000 | 13 | Elevator, switch unit | |
| 40 | Expert Coaster | 43,000 | 20 | Elevator | |
| Black Wolf | Ages 8 and up | 20,000 | 8 | Elevator, switch unit, staircase, chimes, black plastic tubing |
1983-1995 Japanese Market:
| Set | Release Year | Rail (mm) | Base Plates | Special Feature(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 9 | Elevator | |||
| 15 | 17,000 | 8 | Elevator, switch unit | ||
| 20 | 10? | Elevator, switch unit | |||
| 30 | 20? | Elevator, switch unit | |||
| 40 | 43,000 | 20 | |||
| Set I[8] | 1983 | 11,000 | 6 | Toothed lift | |
| Set II | 22,000 | 12 | Elevator | ||
| Set L[9] | 7 | Elevator, switch unit, electric lights | |||
| Action 1[10] | 1984 | 6 | Elevator, switch unit, windmill, see saw, escalator, pendulum, mystery box, bell set | ||
| Action 2[11] | 1984 | 8 | Elevator, switch unit, windmill, see saw, escalator, pendulum, mystery box, bell set (x2), staircase | ||
| Blue Wings[12] | 1985 | 28,000 | 11 | Elevator, switch unit, blue plastic tubing | |
| Space Tree | 3 | Elevator, electric lights, blue supports | |||
| Set W[13] | 19,260+spare | 13 | Elevator, switch unit | ||
| Black Wolf[14] | 1985 | 8 | Elevator, switch unit, staircase, curve units, chimes, escalator |
2004–2008 Japanese Market:
| Set | Release Year | Rail (mm) | Base Plates | Complexity | Accessories | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3500 | 2004 | 9,000 | 2 | 2 out of 5 | Elevator, see saw drop | |
| 5000 | 2004 | 16,000 | 6 | 3 out of 5 | Elevator, rail splitter. Special edition available with black plastic tubing.[15] | |
| 10000 | 2005 | 32,000 | 12 | 5 out of 5 | Elevator, rail splitter, see saw drop, pendulum with marble trap | |
| Start | 2006[16] | 5,000 | 3 | 1 out of 5 | Elevator, rail splitter, prefab loop, prefab corners | |
| Desktop | 2007 | N/A | N/A | N/A | Preformed plastic tracks instead of plastic tubing for rails | |
| Spacewarp X: The Family Game[17] | 2008 | 6 | N/A | Elevator. Limited, numbered edition available. |
Additional accessories include lighting kits, a staircase, bell ringer, escalator and more.
As with many popular toys, nearly identical counterfeit editions have emerged under the Chinese "Spacerail" brand.[18] However, Spacerail acquired the Spacewarp trademark, and is continuing their tradition of running marble roller coasters.[19]
Spacerail sets:
| Set Number | Set Name | Base Plates | Complexity | Notes | Accessories | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 231-1[20] | SpaceRail 5,000mm Rail Level 1.1 | 3 | 1 of 9 | Equivalent to "Spacewarp Start" | Elevator, rail splitter, prefab loop, prefab corners | |
| 231-2[21] | SpaceRail 10,000mm Rail Level 2.1 | 2 | 2 of 9 | Equivalent to "Spacewarp 3500" | Elevator, see saw drop | |
| 231-3[22] | SpaceRail 16,000mm Rail Level 3.1 | 6 | 3 of 9 | Equivalent to "Spacewarp 5000" | Elevator, rail splitter | |
| 231-4[23] | SpaceRail 26,000mm Rail Level 4.1 | 9 | 4 of 9 | Elevator, rail splitter, see saw drop, marble trap | ||
| 231-5[24] | SpaceRail 32,000mm Rail Level 5.1 | 12 | 5 of 9 | Equivalent to "Spacewarp 10000" | Elevator, rail splitter, see saw drop, pendulum with marble trap | |
| 231-6[25] | SpaceRail 60,000mm Rail Level 6.1 | 16 | 6 of 9 | Elevator, rail splitter (x2), see saw drop | ||
| 231-7[26] | SpaceRail 32,000mm Rail Level 7.1 | 15 (2 lifted) | 7 of 9 | Elevators (x3), lifted base plates (x2) | ||
| 231-8[27] | SpaceRail 40,000mm Rail Level 8.1 | 12 | 8 of 9 | Triple-height elevator, rail splitter (x2) | ||
| 231-9[28] | SpaceRail 70,000mm Rail Level 9.1 | 14 (1 lifted) | 9 of 9 | Elevators (x3, one "descent"), rail splitters (x3), pendulum, lifted base plate | ||
| 232-1[29] | SpaceRail 8,600mm Rail | 7 | N/A | "Research and Development" series | Windmill lift, staircase lift, rail splitter | |
| 232-2[30] | SpaceRail 5,600mm Rail | 6 | N/A | "Research and Development" series | Double-windmill lift, rail splitter, see saw drop | |
| 232-3[31] | SpaceRail 8,100mm Rail | 6 | N/A | "Research and Development" series | "Crane-style" elevator, rail splitter | |
| 233-1[32] | SpaceRail Glow in the Dark 6,500mm Rail Level 1.2 | 2 | N/A | A version with white rails exists. It is possible that this is an update to 231-1 without the special preformed pieces[33] | Elevator | |
| 233-2[34] | SpaceRail Glow in the Dark 5,500mm Rail Level 2.2 | 2 | N/A | Elevator, see saw drop | ||
| 233-3[35] | SpaceRail Glow in the Dark 13,500mm Rail Level 3.2 | 3 | N/A | Elevator, see saw drop | ||
| 233-4[36] | SpaceRail Glow in the Dark 22,000mm Rail Level 4.2 | 6 | N/A | Elevator, rail splitter | ||
| 233-5[37] | SpaceRail Glow in the Dark 30,000mm Rail Level 5.2 | 10 | N/A | Elevator, rail splitter, see saw drop, marble trap |
