P is for Plamodel?

No 'y'. With this SF-Series set of six vintage gashapon, we seem to have a maker/branding, and while there are some similarities, especially with the box-reverse artwork/instruction graphics, enough for me to retro-add Plamodel to the previous post, now you've seen this one, there are also differences, and it may be only a matching of the vending-machine's standard format/parameters, or Japanese toy-trends of the day, rather than any closer connection?

 

Of the six we have another two giant, transformer type robots or 'mecha' battle-suits, and only one 'Space Tank', along with two starfighters and a larger spaceship, all to a box-scale, rather than a constant scale.

 

Space Tank!

 

Giant Robot!

 

Another Giant Robot!

 

'Bronco'

 

'F15/16 Angel Interceptor'

 

'The Hooded Swan'

 

Those last three are my titles, based on their vague resemblance to other properties, and all other comments on the origins of the sculpts/designs are the same as for the previous post's. The artwork makes them look familiar, but Japanese kit-art of the 1960/70's was sublime, even supreme, and has a tendency to do that with anything! Especially when you consider that both the Anime and Manga of the period, also followed quite tightly stylised formats.

 

The main difference with the previously seen quartet, is that these are fuller models, building into more substantial and realistic playthings, also, they are all manufactured of polystyrene 'kit plastic', and can be glued easily to make more permanent display models or toys.

 

The four runner/four colour trope is the same, except for the spaceship and 'Tank', which both have only three, and while the red-blue-black-yellow theme is also generally the same, there are an obviously-turquoise and silver runner exceptions.

 

The 'Space Tank', visually, a sort of Cullin hedgerow-cutter on the Cristie suspension of a Tetrarch light/airborne tank's tracks! Those tracks scream Gerry Anderson, not without reason, they were used extensively by the Anderson's Supermarionation studios, on various models, although taken from models of post-war Vickers Vigor bulldozers, the Tetrarch's running gear was a thinner, lighter affair altogether! 

 

When WWII becomes sci-fi vintage future-past - Vickers Vigor bulldozer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gP6y-cDAxRY

S is for Super Robo!

We looked at contemporary gashapon, with an overview, a while ago, today we're looking at a more vintage, fun, sci-fi line, which I picked-up at Sandown Park the other day . . . yeah, I was being lazy, and didn't get round to posting a reminder; soz!

 

Super Robo in English, is the only clue attached to these, which are from the middle period of gashapon, after the adoption of American style gum-ball machines, and before the modern large-capsule dispensers, there was a period when banks of these machines were found out on the pavement/curbside, dispensing toys in little boxes, like cigarette vending machines, or the old chocolate dispensers from Cadbury, I remember from my childhood - which survived on the underground until the 1980's, but which had been at main-line rail stations too.

 

'Space Tank' bulldozer/helicopter!

 

Matt Mason'esque 'walker'.

 

Giant Robot.

(Only one with green runner) 

 

Hint at interactivity through a 'zip wire' on the box reverse.

 

Another big-boy!

 

I don't know if these are referencing one specific cultural licence/element, or are just generics, based upon the many tropes found in Manga comics, of which there have been tens of thousands issued from childish infant works, through to hard pornographic 'adult' works, or Anime movies/TV serials, of which there exist hundreds?

 

They all have a familiarity, but without a knowledge of Japanese, can't be pined-down, by me, as either 'made-up' or existing property's, or a mix of the two? The first vehicle above is very Gerry Anderson-like, for instance, like a Thunderbird 2 pod-vehicle?

 

While this (the only one with a figure, approximately 20mm), obviously has the lines of Matt Mason's strange sucker-walker, but with the practical addition of paired wheels to allow for movement over gullies, low cliffs, or wadis! The nose-cone and tail-fin being in the small bubble-wrap parcel seen above.

 

All are quite crude, in the style of cereal premiums from the likes of R&L or CGGC, and while three of them are in a sort of dense polyethylene, or polypropylene, one (the flying, tracked, bulldozer'copter), has been manufactured in polystyrene 'kit' plastic.

 

Beyond the obvious 'ST' mark (known to most for years, explained in all the books, and on my abbreviation pages for the longest time!), there is no clue as to a maker. However, I've added Plamodel, see newer/next-day post.

G is for Gashapon - Bandai Namco - Onepi No Mi

Here, we're looking at a Bandai set known as the 'Fifteenth Naval Battle' of the Onepi No Mi series, and you probably have to be a pretty dedicated follower, or Japanese, to understand that, but it's the one set you're most likely to encounter going forwards, in Western 'head' shops (which, these days, seem to be very expensive gift shops with no smoking or drugs paraphernalia at all!), or mixed lots/rummage trays at shows, as it has been prolific since it's teased-launch in 2021, this set being issued in January 2024, shortly before Adrian was popping them out of the bottom of . . .

 

. . . this machine!
 

Created by Bandai specifically for the Gashapon machines, and based on a Manga series, just called One Piece (following the adventures of Monkey D. Luffy and his crew, the Straw Hat Pirates, as they seek the legendary One Piece treasure), from 1997, the capsule toy title, like 'Gashapon' itself, is hard to directly translate, as it's part title, part verbal pun, and all pictogram in the original, but sort of breaks down as One Piece [of my Devil]-Fruit!

 

Which isn't enough is it, but Google Translate can't, Google AI is struggling as much as me, and the websites assume prior depth-of-knowledge. And it's in part due to the design of the capsules, which we'll get on to in a minute! 

 

Through the 40-plus issues (around four a year, plus specials - 200+ items, and still counting) a set of typical Japanese 'popular-culture' themes show themselves, being, part Steampunk, part pirate, part recent/current popular culture and part pre-pubescent schoolgirl fetishism, which touches most of the standard Manga/Anime bases, just missing giant robots and fast motorcycles!

 

The capsules look like any others on first sight, but the Japanese are the masters of exquisite design, folding furniture, sliding doors, miniaturisation and such like, and their skills have resulted in capsules which can be assembled to resemble a fruit (the devil fruit), or can be stacked as an ever-growing display case, or - it looks like - used as Christmas tree-baubles!

 

Which is how the Gashapon series ends up being called Onepi No Mi, "Onepi" for 'One Piece', "No"  is a possessive - 'Akuma' or 'Gomu Gomu no mi', the Devil's Fruit, or Fruit of the Devil (the capsule design), and is further tied-in to a battle-cry in the Manga strips!

 

Here, you work it out if you need to! It's killing my brain-cells, trying to get my head round it! I think maybe if you say it quickly; "Onepinomi", it makes sense, if you speak Japanese!?

 

I've ended-up with a definite pirate type, and an electric bagpipe player (?), who in the first instance I think is called Shiryu (and an enemy of the Monkey D.?), while the other should be Helmeppo, who I see being played by one of the less salubrious personae of Bill Nighy!

 

It's all very . . . Japanese! 

G is for Gashapon - Introduction

Well, these have been in the queue for nearly two years! A mate, Adrian, was doing the Cherry Blossom trail in Japan, with his wife, and I said to him "Oh, you'll be able to fill your boots with Gashapon!", which required a quick explanation of the particularly Japanese take on capsule-toys, as they evolved from Western gum-ball machines, themselves evolved from earlier, Victorian postcard dispensers, a mutual friend - Gareth - backed up my enthusiasm, and Adrian was clearly intrigued enough to look them up while he was out there.

 

What I didn't know was that when he came back, he would present me with results of his research as a fiftieth birthday present! So we're looking at them over the next few days, purely as a brief overview, their full story is far greater and there are catalogue-type books on the subject available in Japanese, rather like the O-Ei-A books on the similar, but tending to more juvenile, Kinder Toys.

 

So, Gashapon, from Gasha (the cranking of a 'one-armed-bandit' handle) and Pon, the actual capsule; Japanese capsule toys; not the occasional tray of chocolate eggs, or the odd machine outside a convenience store, but rather a semi-industrialised craze, primarily 're-invented' by Bandai in the 1970's, with Tomy ('Gacha') and Kaiyodo also heavily involved now. There have, since the late 1990-early 2000's, been whole stores dedicated to banks of the machines, which we are looking at here, all shot by Adrian.

 

Clockwise from the top left we have, 'luck dip' mystery prizes, highly detailed miniature firearms, specifically semi-automatic military rifles, I guess pistols or machine-guns will be separate issues/series? Some kind of miniature viewers (?), construction-brick bunk-beds, cat's arse rings (who knew there was even a market for them!) and Tama and Friends keyrings - more Hello Kitty knock-off?

 

Squishies, manga deforms, some kind of pump-dispenser keyrings (?), Halloween wallets, more cutesy keyrings and miniature lunch-bags - it's quite an eclectic collection of subjects, and materials, especially when compared with Kinder*, but that - in part - is explained by the larger capsules, and the fact that adult collectors don't hide under Edwardian leftover shame as we do, in the West; the Japanese 'grown-ups' happily, openly collecting them, as an expression of Shōwa nostalgia.

 

*Kinder do seem to be moving (at a glacial speed) in a similar direction, with more keyrings, phone-hangers and luggage tag type prizes, appearing these days. 

 

A canyon of gift-dispencers!

 

Choices, choices!

 

Advertising display cabinet, I believe all the larger Gashapon stores have something like this, with a selection of current or recent offerings, to kick-start the consumer urge, among the undecided!

 

Platform shoes and fishing lures! And the lures, conveniently telling us - in English - that they are the 5th wave, I think? And - even more weirdly - without actually knowing much about it, I suspect, you could remove them from the keyrings, tie them into your tackle line, and use them to fish?!

 

Miniaturised, or doll's house scaled, tea-ceremony furniture, and necklaces of . . . Japanese mythological themes?

 

Miniaturised foods or foodstuffs seem common themes, both modern and nostalgic, and the display of cartoon, Manga or Anime figural models, above the machines, might be some of the staff's own duplicates? Or maybe leftover/end-of-line stuff, or damaged capsule contents . . . something like that?

 

Likewise, here, where more necklaces and keyrings feature in the machines themselves, including miniature beach sets, blood bags (?!!) and two different 'Juggler' related things, which I can only guess - badly - at!

 

Watch-battery illuminated, stand-ups of Harry Potter characters.

 

Sci-fi feature quite heavily, along with historical's, and here we see stuff related to The Rocketeer, Batman, Star Wars and The Avengers

 

More Anime/Manga stuff, either side of miniaturised Pioneer Hi-Fi decks!

 

An amazing maze!

 

A mystery to finish, not speaking Japanese, I can only guess these are Alice's Adventures in Wonderland coasters? Featuring Sir John Tenniel (the first commercial illustrator to be knighted)'s original artwork? Which would require the largest size of capsule? There are different sizes and designs of Capsule, as we'll see working through them, while a few sets seem to be cheaper or more expensive than the 'standard' Gashapon.

 

Many thanks to Adrian for all these images, which give us a good flavour of the subject, and for the toys which we will be looking at over the next few posts.

 

These two consumer sheet/covering leaflets came-in with some mixed paperwork, and sadly i don't have the figures to show, but it gives an idea of the type of stuff you get in a capsule, along with the toy, novelty or model, very similar to the sheets you get in Kinder or other chocolate eggs.

P is for Peter's Plunder - Highlights 1

As I mentioned the other day, I don't tend to post-credit when geldt has crossed palms, but first, I know who gave me the contents of the bag, and second, I know they were cheapies, so we'll look at the highlights!

 

A couple of robo-dino-bots, similar to the pair of gift shop dragons carried by several branding's a few years (couple of decades?) ago, but still around, with the same black undercoat, heavy silver over-brushing and red eyes!

There's a post on these coming soon'ish I think, touristy horses, I spent years waiting for riders to appear, but it seems there weren't any, despite the Western/American saddlery?

 

Three American natives from Jean, the prone one is one of the slightly harder to find poses, but they are as common as Airfix readymades, on the continent, so it's all a bit relative!

 

Very strange manga/anime things with slightly animalistic faces, pre-pubescent teen bodies, angels wings, and a look of mischief about them! Possibly Wild Vibes Zombaes Forever dolls (some Netflix thing), but not the 8cm articulated action figures Google reveals, rather 54/60mm PVC solids - an earlier/capsule-toy line?

 

A bit infant'y, and probably going-on to charity, but they are fun if you like all this 'deforms' stuff, and marked-up to K&M/Wild Republic, so - box ticked! And the horses are less cartoony and could prove useful for spare mounts?

 

Kinder's Disney Fairies, I tried to get them to perform for the camera, but the petals kept falling out, or the fairies fell over, so, well, you get the idea, a similar set of 'Flower Fairies' has been issued recently as well!
 

Space! The lenticular goldfish-bowl-face is a new [to the collection] colour, the orange guy is Safari, I think the green one might be Ben Ten (and was another one who didn't want to stand up!), while the silver guy is an MPC copy, and the other two are mini-action figures from Hasbro, one a Star Wars 'Clone War' figure, the other possibly a GI Joe or something?

 

Loving the quirkiness of these, semi-flat, polyethylene, 'monochromatic' dinosaurs, what's not to like? The bases have channels in them which suggest they may attach to something else, but similar channels have been seen in other figures over the years (game playing pieces, IHC firefighters), so there may be a technical reason behind it.

 

More Kinder, and another fail to get a better display shot, but they are from several Barbie series I think, and as spares/to-be-sorted are a useful addition to my smaller sample. Oddly, several of them have pink knickers! But it's probably not that odd to a child and I'm just channelling the inherited residues of Edwardian uptightedness in the matter?

 

More Kinder (or Phidal in the case of the little blonde) capsule-type stuff.

More space! Seven of the LB (for Lik Be, of course!) astronauts, in their soft polyethylene iteration, probably the best surviving of the small scale versions, and posed with the Combex pencil sharpener. I've since learned there is a carpet-wheel version of the novelty, marked only 'B - 5 2 0'.