Anyone know these ...things (a.k.a. the "Weedwacker CAS")?

[Dizzyfugu]

I am calling for global intelligence help - through a fellow modeler on FlickR I have been asked about two US VTOL (sort-of) rocket launcher designs under the handle "Weedwacker CAS"; does anybody know something about these (sorry, I cannot link those pics pirectly here, but you find the original request there, too):

https://www.flickr.com/photos/69562082@N02/28655775241/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/69562082@N02/28732952645/in/photostream/

Thanks a lot on advance

[Captain Canada]

Don`t know anything about them. Love the first shot tho ! Be fun to build one, in about 2 seconds lol

[Joseph C. Brown]

I am the person who made the request - any identification help is greatly appreciated!  The image with the mushroom cloud rising off in the distance is from the vintage series of How And Why Wonderbooks, specifically #5005, Rockets And Missiles.  Almost all of these books were illustrated with drawings, not pictures; there was usually nice color cover art. 

In any event, I enjoy building non-standard models and since the art in these books was often copied from magazines ads and PR releases of the time before being traced and re-arranged into the books, I was hoping for helpful input from fellow enthusiasts.  Was it perhaps from a Convair / BaE / Nord / Dornier paper-project proposal?  Or was the artist making it up?

There was also an advert from a Japanese toy/model publication from the same 1960's period featuring an underside view of a very similar VTOL.  Alas, I cannot read Japanese, but here is a link to the other Flickr page with it:   https://flic.kr/p/KM2TMg

(And that title of "Weedwacker" is sadly my creation.  Rotary string trimmers for lawns and landscaping are often called weedwackers here in the States.)

[Joe C-P]

As soon as radiation lifts...


That design is impossibly cool! Or cooly impossible!

[KiwiZac]

I'm LOLing at work right now, that thing is brilliant! I hope someone can find more info and images, and build it! Looks like a Gerry Anderson design.