Little plastic Bioman robot...

Bio-Robo, Bioman, ?, China, 2000's

Seems he had a swim in hot lava !

BB-8

BB-8 windup with sound effects, Disney Store, China, 2016

This little guy may not have the fame of the R2 unit (yet) - but it sure hold its part in the first Disney Star Wars movie... I'm sure we'll see more of him next December...

Spectrum Patrol Car / SPC - Japanese blown plastic version...

Rato Roru / Patororu nº 110 / SPC, Takara Gangu, Japan, 1967

Header card art (front)

Header card art (back)

There is maybe one country where the Supermarionation craze went even more bezerk than in the U.K., and that is Japan. They loved Gerry Anderson's puppet shows, So much so that lots of toys were produced there. And this time not intended for export - but really for their internal market (maybe because they just could not compete with the Dinky Toys' line of diecast vehicles ?)

With Dinky counterpart for size

Was there ever a fin at th back ? 

This is how it was sold...

Superman needs a spaceship to fly now? Old age, right?

Supermobile(s) (large and small), Corgi toys, U.K., 1979-1982

Read more about it here.

Captain Harlock helmet

Captain Harlock Helmet, Takatoku toys, Japan, 1977-1978

This is an item that has been on my wanted list for quite some time, and it finally arrived in Lisbon... Original toy from Japan - this helmet has a visor that can be pulled up or down and a leather strap so you won't loose it when you ride your bike ! Foam inserts - plastic.

Magic potion ? anyone ?

Asterix and obelix, PEZ, Austria, 1997

Rubber Suits of Monster's legend...

Microman Godzilla / First Monochrome version, Takara, Japan, 2006

Japan always had a thing with their monsters... Radioactive mutations were a popular subject after the horrors of the second WW and what better subject to make low-cost movies that would thrill young and old movie-goers...

But far from the special effects of Ray Harryhausen stop-motion, Japan went the other way around and used real actors in latex suits... A process George Lucas would use some years later for lots of the monsters of the first Star Wars trilogy, before CGI kicked in and filming was made more like computer programming than acting...

Please read more about it here.

Haruo Nakajima, the real actor that did Godzilla "suit" acting

The small Jumbo Great Mazinger

Shrunking heads ? nope... just Jumbo's today ! Take a Great Mazinger from Mattel, give it the treatment, and voilà ! Lots of Grendizer elements to be found also... can you spot them ?

Great Mazinga, made by Fabianplastica for Mattel, Italy, 1978