Friday, May 31, 2013

Go "Coloured" Nagai

Mazinger
Great Mazinger
Grandizer
 
They are all 3 contemporary chinese, super fragile cheap toys... but hey, they have the merit to go for the best of the best in the Shogun Warrior World ! LED light belly button.

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Zap once more !

Green raygun, ? (castle), Hong Kong, 1970's
Another one for the armory... olive green... made for the martian market ? Oh, I bet they are green with envy...

Monday, May 27, 2013

Before the Batpod...


Batcopter, Corgi Toys, England, 1970's

Wait a minute, if you take away the wings and spray it another color you have the chopper of Magnum PI. Is there a connection ?


Sunday, May 26, 2013

I thought they smelled bad on the outside !

Tauntaun and Rebel soldier, Kenner,
Hong Kong,, 1979

Resultado de imagem para tauntaun special effects
Special effects model

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Tic tac watch your back...

Harlock alarm clock, Bayard, France, 1979
Animated watches and clocks were really fashionable back in the seventies. Mickey Mouse had a bunch of them (I think Ingersoll started making them in the 30ies) and French clock-maker Bayard took the idea over to make some really cool alarm clocks of their own. From Candy-Candy to Goldorak, there was not one hero that did not get the treatment...

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Going boxing ?

Robocon Piggy Bank, ?, China, 2000's
Cannot get tired of my love robot... This one is ready to give some huggin' to Rocky Balboa...

Sunday, May 19, 2013

The classic Mechanized Robot

If there is one robot that could represent the "Golden Age" of space toys, that would be it. So famous he even appears on covers of books and magazines related to the hobby (see bibliography on the right).




Mechanized Robot, Osaka (copy of Nomura toy),
Japan,  2001 (1957) 

Again, big copy of the famous Robby Robot from the 1956 movie "Forbidden Planet". Since toymakers could care less about paying royalties at that time, ....they just copied it and gave it another name...

Voilá...

The  poster of the movie !

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Where is your Rolex, Captain ?

Captain Future watch, Industria Argentina
("El Reloj del Capitan Futuro"), ?

Sometimes it is not really easy to put a date on a toy. This watch came from Argentina and has the Captain Future logotype. It seems too new to be vintage from the 80ies though...Since no watch was made in Europe (or I think even in Japan) it is quite an interesting toy since Captain Future had indeed a watch that could hypnotize his enemies...

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Doctor Jones, I presume ?

Indy? That's the name of the dog ! Papercraft....

One of my son's favorite heroes... So here he is for all, whip and fedora included!



Sunday, May 12, 2013

The Adams

Black and White - extra scarry !



Adams Family (candy containers), HBPC, China, 1993

Saturday, May 11, 2013

Finally together !

Astronauts, Raja, Portugal, 1950's
Sometimes it takes time to find your match. My "comandante" Peck found his flying partner (Miss Margot - great name for miss astronaut) at the latest toyfair here in Lisbon. These two figurines were RAJA (icecream) giveaways and made especifically for the Portuguese market.

Raja logotype on back

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

I'm bad, I'm bad !

The name says it all... Anakin AKA... Hasbro, China, 2005

Monday, May 6, 2013

fulgure-aux-poings !

Goldorak, Magnéto, Germany, 1978
Small figurine, but quite powerfull magnets on its fists ! The box guarantees the "magnetic power action" for at least 50 years. Another 15 to go before I can prove they were right !

Friday, May 3, 2013

Robby ?

Rubber robot, Galoob, China, 1990's
When you're out of imagination as a toy designer, just go back to your classics for inspiration !


Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Robo 8 chan

Another kiss-me-I'm-cute robot - Robochan had a big number "8" on its chest, a number considered "lucky" in Asian cultures... Popy made a diecast version (see Tv Toy Advertising - section on the right) of this toys as well as a full-plastic version (seen here).


Robo 8 chan with policeman, Popy, Japan, 1980's