About Me

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No Fixed Abode, Home Counties, United Kingdom
I’m a 60-year-old Aspergic gardening CAD-Monkey. Sardonic, cynical and with the political leanings of a social reformer, I’m also a toy and model figure collector, particularly interested in the history of plastics and plastic toys. Other interests are history, current affairs, modern art, and architecture, gardening and natural history. I love plain chocolate, fireworks and trees, but I don’t hug them, I do hug kittens. I hate ignorance, when it can be avoided, so I hate the 'educational' establishment and pity the millions they’ve failed with teaching-to-test and rote 'learning' and I hate the short-sighted stupidity of the entire ruling/industrial elite, with their planet destroying fascism and added “buy-one-get-one-free”. Likewise, I also have no time for fools and little time for the false crap we're all supposed to pretend we haven't noticed, or the games we're supposed to play. I will 'bite the hand that feeds', to remind it why it feeds.

Sunday, March 15, 2009

U is for Unknown Space

Well, we're back up to 'U' so I get to ask for help!! All these have a space theme but remain unidentified vis-a-vis origin, whether manufacturer or importer/distributor.

This first photograph shows - clockwise from top left - Three hard plastic astronauts [Now known - MB (Milton Bradley) Star Bird], which annoyingly, I have seen somewhere, in the last few years, but instead of jotting down the details, thought I could rely on a mental note, needless to say; I totally forgot what they came with!! The red guy is very similar to some Italy-produced children dressed as Cowboys & Indians I have, but he is bigger then the two spacemen in the bottom row? [Ervino Cus confirms Italy and a thread on Danefield/Alphadrome suggests permiums?]

The three silver spacefarers are in soft polythene and have the look of a Hong Kong product, but no HK marking? [Left and Right are from the Thunderbirds International Rescue board game and should have blue helmets, they were also sold in tray-sets and by Linde as coffee] The guy in the middle remains 'unknown' and from a different series/set Thanks to Ervino, he is identified as Italian maker Dolcificio Lombardo and sold in the USA by Astral Bubblegum, sometimes passed-off as Texas (another Italian maker) in the UK, he should be plugged into a star/shield base a' la Timpo] While we tried the Bike-gang member on the readers of One Inch Warrior the other year with no result. I'm sure it's from a board game, it's hard styrene, but too small for Games Workshop?

The guy in the corner is soft vinyl, and probably modern? Then the two previously mentioned, approximately 1:72 spacemen similar to but not CO-MA [Thanks to Ervino again for confirming they are Coma/Co.Ma./Co-Ma!] and their green, sub-scale saucer, which I know are Italian but any idea on a company name?

Finally a nice group of Galoob type figures in 20mm, again soft'ish vinyl, but no makers mark, just number codes prefixed with an A or a B? 2015 - There's a chap on Benno's Forum also keen to ID these, and while they are listed in the smallscale doorstep by Vic Rudic (pp 811), he's just taken them from here without credit! Indeed, he's taken all the pictures in this thread, cropped-out all the smaller ones (and the larger silver ones?) and passed them off as his work!- 2017 - Tombola Chocolate egg prizes!

Again clockwise from upper left, a 50mm vinyl robot with the look of a Japanese cartoon about him? [JCC in comments identifies him as a Bandai 'Power Rangers' figure] In the centre are two harder Nylon-like polyethylene robots from 'Lucky Bags' with a distinctly European look to them? The brown one is clearly based on Batman! Then two lick and stick robots in rubber, which - to be honest - are probably HK Cracker-toys or party favours and unlikely to be linked with a maker!

A nice articulated robot is next, similar to some Kinder production but too small, he is equally too big for the Galoob/Matchbox type 'Action Fleet' and similar animated figures. The three painted robots could be Galoob or similar?

Finally; two silver robot/android types with the influence of Fritz Lang's Metropolis oozing from them? Both in a stiff but soft plastic. [Yes; the bigger one - the male? - has had his head chewed! [Possibly Bandai/Popy from Japan - see comments]

These three were also tried on the 1IW readership with no luck, but the play-set wasn't included on that occasion, it's in the style of Mighty Max or Polly Pocket (both previously by Blue Bird Toys here in the UK, now and worldwide; Mattel), but in this case no markings of any kind?

The two little rock carvings are the same ones carved out of the South American deserts, that Eric vonimadickhead Daniken used to 'prove' his case in those risible books (Chariots of the Gods...et.al.) he made a small fortune with in the 1970's. The black thing is a micro-scale lander/atmosphere craft. And should be accompanied by a green speeder I have somewhere and a forth figure I haven't! 

22nd Nov. 2015 - Now identified as Uni-King with catalogue page here

27th Nov 2015 - Ervino Cus' input, much appreciated. More on some of these: here now

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

the smaller silver astronaut is a male. He is Captain Future from one of the Popy/Bandai toys of the early 80's.

the painted figures appear to be Pokemons or similar.

The top silver Japanese-looking character is Bandai from one of the instalments of Power Rangers.

JCC