In the initiating, allow me to thank of us who possess nominated me for “most idea-provoking blog” over at The Anime Blog Awards, which is never any longer a thing, it sounds as if. No, I didn’t know there were awards for anime blogs. Curiously there are, or were.
For the previous forty-unique years, the unstoppable juggernaut of Jap cool spirited movie merchandise has impacted every nook of the globe. This vivid route of destruction has left many an inexplicable share of merchandise bobbing in its wake. Which brings us to at the brand new time’s topic of dialogue – cramped toy gliders.
This brightly-colored styrofoam glider develop into chanced on in a dollar store somewhere, and straight caught the witness of any anime fan in the vicinity. Obviously here’s a flying model of the Unique God Phoenix from Gatchaman II, which is the 1978 sequel to the neatly-liked 1972 Tatsunoko anime series The Daring Frog. No, wait, I point out Gatchaman.
Anyway, these exiguous cramped stunt glider toys are merely one instance of the crazy world of unlicensed toys in step with Jap anime that seeped during the semi-permeable membrane of the Pacific and chanced on their formulation to toy stores, flea markets, dollar stores, hobby outlets, and souvenir stands all over The United States. In future Let’s Anime posts we will be taking a view in any admire forms of identical items, however appropriate now or now not it’s all referring to the gliders.
As we are going to gaze from the at hand e book on the back of the equipment, this series of gliders wasn’t runt to Gatchaman sequels, no sir. #1 is now not sensible to reveal our Phoenix. #2, alternatively, is from a really diverse video show from a really diverse studio – or now not it’s the Comet, from the 1978 Toei series Captain Future , in step with the 40’s pulp hero created by Edmond Hamilton. #3 is now not sensible to reveal the Cosmos Queen, the big starship from Leiji Matsumoto’s matriarchi-riffic retelling of the Monkey King fable, 1978’s Starzinger. This develop into proven in the US, retitled “Spaceketeers” as share of Jim Terry’s “Power Five” equipment and methods the sole location suit designed with a miniskirt. Thanks Leiji.
#4 and #5 are reimaginations of the Cosmo Zero and the Cosmo Falcon, both from Web page Battleship Yamato. Did they ever manufacture an legit model equipment of the Cosmo Falcon? This low-cost unlicensed glider toy may per chance well well also very successfully be your only likelihood to retain one for your hand! #6 is the G-4 from, all over again, Gatchaman II, piloted by Jinpei the Swallow.
Nonetheless low-cost Taiwanese knockoffs need to now not the sole flying anime-themed objects hurtling briefly through our skies! Examine out this prototype unmanned aerial automobile:
Apologies for the unfortunate image. It be a photocopy from a net page of the fresh print model Let’s Anime #3, which in flip develop into a photocopy of a photocopy from a image that seemed in an aviation hobbyist magazine of unknown provenance. Anyway, or now not it’s a model airplane model of Nausicaa’s “mehve” or “mowe” or however or now not it’s spelled, her powered glider/airplane thing as considered in the movie Nausicaa Of The Valley Of Wind.
Who made it and why is any person’s guess. Right here is a closeup of Nausicaa and her cramped pet fox-squirrel Teto, it sounds as if painted on plywood.
Who is aware of what quasi-ravishing anime merchandise is hurtling during the heavens above? Preserve watching the skies, junior birdmen!
-Dave Merrill
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