The kiss...

Galaxy Express 999, Neo Super Figure
Revolution, Medicos, China, 2005

"the kiss" between Maetel and Tetsuro
(sepia version)

Maetel (normal color vers.)

Claire and 999 driver (normal color ver.)

Claire and 999 driver (sepia color ver.)

Tetsuro

Count Mecha

This is for me the best set ever made of Gashapons (= small Japanese "prize" figurines) for the Galaxy 999 series. Each figurine came out in 2 different colour styles : normal and sepia. Detail is top notch.

Reg. color

Reg. color

Detail

Girlie Bot

Hao Taitei Ryu Knight DX Ryu Knight Magidorar

I have a powerball !

Bandai, Japan, 1994

Here is another robot in the series of the "Mad Hatters" - All pink and ready to read you your future in the cristal (... nope, blue plastic translucid plastic, really) ball.

Spiders in the attic ? - ask Corgi for help !

Toymakers were very eager to cash in on any profitable license... this is true today like it was true in the past. British toy-company CORGI made a number of Spidey toys that never appeared in the comics of in the cartoons. 

Spidercopter, Corgi Juniors, England, 1970's

Why would Peter Parker need a helicopter, or worse, a bike, ifhe can jump from one tower to the other with his web ?

Spiderbike, Corgi Juniors, England, 1970's

The design is nice though - the big helicopter is a mixture of scorpion with arachnid. Talking about 2 bad bugs for the price of one !

Spidercopter, Corgi, England, 1979

Flying carrier

Because landing in the air can be much more fun than landing at sea. At least, this is what the Angels told me. Do you know them all ? Rhapsody, Melody and Harmony, Symphony and Destiny Angel...

Spectrum logo on front

3 tiny Angel Jets ready to take off...

... and a control room high above the landing deck

In the Captain Scarlet series, this "flying fortress" was called Cloudbase. This is to my knowledge the only toy that was made of it when the show aired originally (except for some IMAI model kits). Later on toycompany Vivid Imagination got a go at it...

Cloudbase, Bandai, Japan, 1960's

Takkong

Takkong (from Utlraman), Popy, Japan,
2003 reissue

Cool header card !

Pure vinyl bliss !

Ultraman was not a show that aired on French TV, so I have to admit it is not one of the things I grew up with as a child. But if there is one hero that is more popular in Japan than in the rest of the world, this is it !

Some collectors are only specialized in him - and have thousands of pieces in their collection. The number of monsters Ultraman had to fight is staggering - and this is one of them.

Special effects meant lots of explosions (T-Birds style) and a man in a rubber suit (Godzilla style).

"Le" Stormtrooper

Talking about bottom line job position... You get blasted, attacked by Wookies, slaughtered by Jedi's... and your boss ? Huh, he just happens to be a Sith Grand Lord or something like that... If you go on strike he strangles you... If you unionize he strangles you... ohhh - and if he has a bad day, well... same same.

12" Stormtrooper, General Mills, Hong
Kong, 1978

Evil twin brother of ... see left

Big Ears...

Robot, ?

Some Shogun Warriors have horns... this one has, hmmmm. "angel ears" ? Weird little figurine found in Lisbon's Feira da Ladra.

Mean green rescue machine...

Popy - box

Grip - box

Thunderbird 2, Popy, Japan, 1970's

Thunderbird 2, Grip, Japan, 1970's
(with tiny TB4)

Before weight watchers (left)...  after (right)

From all the Thunderbirds spacecraft, this is without any doubt the most recognizable. It taught kids that you could put a 20' container in a spaceship and call it a "pod" - and that the whole thing floated when dropped in water. In all my experience in international trade - a container will absolutely sink if it falls of a vessel ! (unless it is filled with styrofoam :). The detail on these small ships are amazing - and the legs (which don't have any opening mechanism like the Dinky toys) are very fragile.

Difference between TB4 from Popy
and Dinky? Popy has sloped cockpit. 

WIth their British Dinky cousin...

Before remote control...

... they had wires ! And clunky battery boxes with steering wheels ! Great to pilot a ship, but be sure you can run as fast as it goes !

Spaceship (Mighty Jack Mighiy), Bandai, Japan, 1970's

Illegal Aliens from Mexico...

These were sold as being Mexican copies of MARX  Tom Corbet Spacemen... They sure are pretty unique with their big size (about 11cm each) - their intricate helmets and detail on the spacesuits ? My favorite ? The Alien and the spaceman with the beard... he looks like Axell Borg from the LEFRANC cartoon !

Real fast...

Bluebird MK II, Johillco, England, 1931

In 1931, driving to 245 miles an hour (394 km/hr.) was no small feast. Speed legend Malcolm Campbell did it with this car, the Bluebird with a supercharged 26.9 lt., 1450 Bhp Napier Lion engine on Daytona Beach. He was knighted on his return to Britain because of this record.

The tires have suffered... so did the originals !

Even the underside of the toy shows the record !

Original postcard - pure speed

This was not the first Bluebird and the car continued its evolution... More powerfull / more streamlined...
Pretty soon the Napier engine was gone and replaced by a Powerfull Rolls Royce powerplant.

2 Bluebirds, behind the MK II from 1931 and up
front the redesigned version of 1935 (the real one had twin back wheels...)
(A.R. toys, France)

Please see more about the record on the following site: http://www.sirmalcolmcampbell.com/sir31.html

Thunderbird 3 - Japanese style.

Thunderbird 3, Bandai, Japan, 1960's

Thunderbirds are go ! In Japanese something like Hashin Thunderbirds ! Bandai made all the T-bird vehicles in friction drive. Nice to note on the packaging is the green TB 2 with clear pod- one toy I am still hunting after.

Going skiing boss ?

Boss robot. Bandai HG collection, China,
2010's

Go Nagai needed his comic. And this is it. He shared Mazinger's prime time on tv's all over the world.

Goofy friends...

Robocon Gashapons (3), Bandai, China, 1998

Sometimes it is nice to have someone, For a robot like Robocon, it is even nicer to have 5 pals.
Goofy, yes. Funny, even more...

Picasso ! Where are you ?

Do they have art in the future? Yes, but it's been automated... This little color robot gets his name of a great Dutch master - Rembrandt. No oil paintings for this one, no sir! Put the 4 pens in the base and batteries and magic! Just like a spirograph, geometrical figures will appear on the sheet of paper you put underneath, or on the kitchen table if you did forget the paper...

Mr. Rembrandt, Ideal,
USA, 1970

Don't forget the felt
markers !

This face, is this bot
shouting ?

Moonrocket on wheels

Don't have a clue who, where or when it was made...

Ach ! Plastic and space travel - the perfect combination ! The design is somewhat Russian, but you can relate the feet of the rocket to the Tintin one... strange little toy.