"Get everyone outta here!"
To coincide with Wotan's visit to Moonbase Central last weekend I had bookmarked a couple of You Tube movies for our viewing pleasure. Owing to time constraints, we didn't get to see them so here's the first one, The Green Slime. The Green Slime was made by Teoi Studios of Japan in 1968 at the height of the space craze. Made into both Japanese and US versions, this is the longer version aimed at US audiences, which includes a 'love triangle'. The 'Green Slime' monsters were actually rubber suits worn by children!
The basic plot is as follows. Spacemen set out to stop an asteroid on a collision course with Earth. They plant explosive charges on it and destroy it. Afterwards they return to Gamma 3 in orbit around the Earth. Unfortunately a green substance returned with them which mutate into one-eyed monsters discharging lethal bolts of electricity. The crew fend off the aliens with lasers, only to discover the creatures feed off them which, in turn, allows them to multiply, sprouting the new creatures from their blood. The crew continue to fight back against overwhelming odds......[summary of Wiki]. Like a crazy Hammer cross between Thunderbirds and Star Trek, I call it Project SpaceX .v. The Rubber Squids !
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The Green Slime is of interest to space toy nuts like us because of the models used in the film. The initial space rocket looks like the white rocket found in LP and Imperial Apollo Moon Exploring toy sets and appears after a couple of minutes. Their is also a large ring space station, Gama 3, in the vein of 2001: A Space Odyssey.
But the main event is the transporter, which takes the crew to the asteroid. It's the LT-10 Luna Transporter from the Tri-ang SpaceX range, which appeared a couple of years later as part of the SpaceX II series and is pictured below with the green tip. Midori of Japan also released it in kit form - box shown below - and and both the toy and kit have featured on the blog many times as it really is a beautiful space vehicle design. In the film it appears around 12.28 minutes and is launched into space around 15.48 minutes.
The space rifles are also very cool and I wonder of they were produced as toys as well? Anyway, enjoy! And remember, you have been slimed!
4 comments:
Interesting to see Richard Jaeckel in this. Also Lucianna Paluzzi of James Bond 'Thunderball' fame. I hadn't seen this film before and it was neat to see '60s era model work in something other than Star Trek
The poster is very er 'entertaining'. ;D What is the monster doing with that tentacle?!!! Nothing like the movie of course, unfortunately.
Thanks Woodsy, that's my evening's entertainment arranged!
Wow, how did the Marx Toy Company miss this opportunity ? How many kids would have loved a playset with 54mm sized green slime creatures and the brave astronauts who were defending Gamma One ?
Toss in a few of those snazzy electric 'jeeps' as seen on the station and the asteroid, a huge reversible playmat depicting Gamma One and said threatening space object and call it a done deal !
Any takers ?
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