Multi-purpose rifle with unexplained TV21-sounding name

Some of the toys that didn’t make it onto our Christmas Day stockings were ruled out (by parents, naturally) on the basis that, like designer sunglasses, their excessive cost always seemed inversely proportional to their possible uses. Of course, a toy would always score highly on both a parent’s and a kid’s appreciation index if it was adaptable enough to be played with in different ways and in different circumstances¹.

In the case of Johnny Seven and the many lower budget copies that followed in its wake, it was simply the fact that it had enough adjustable component parts that kept us interested. Much desired in the late Sixties and early Seventies, this multi-part-assembly rifle-cum-rocket-launcher wasn’t exactly armed forces-issue accurate but, by ignoring the realities of ballistic hardware, the Seven could pack in more widgets, attachments and add-ons than your average Dyson, thus making it equally serviceable in a variety of imaginary conflict scenarios (hence the “Seven”) and ensuring its lasting popularity².

The fact that it could actually fire real (plastic) rounds of bullets didn’t hurt much either (unless you were on the receiving end of a particularly close-range shot). Even unloaded, its pull-back ratchet trigger could simulate the dakka-dakka-dakka sound of a rapid-fire tommy gun with pleasing simplicity. For lying-belly-down-in-the-long-grass fans there was one of those bipods to rest the barrel on, plus it also came with a big enough assortment of cartridges and magazines to turn even John Rambo polysyllabic with jealousy³.

In short, a must have. In the ever-escalating arms race of playing fields and army games, bringing out the Johnny Seven had the hostile impact of an ICBM; talk about shock and awe!