I always have a look at the odd NOVOLINEA Carretas set on Ebay. I assume this is a re-mould of Comansi figures, hence Novolinea, New Line? As for this box I thought it was just a nice half-kilo of cowboys and indians. But then I saw the side of the box and wow! spacemen!
But not just any spacemen, THUNDERBIRDS! What a great surprise beneath this box! But what are they doing those Tracy boys? And why cowboys and indians? Is this a temporal rip in the fabric of the Universe? Or just a mix up? Anyone collect Novolinea and Comansi?
PS. I love how these sets are measured in half kilos! Can I have half a kilo of cowboys please! Reminds me of a pint of prawns!
UPDATE: As the blog is a few years old now I forget what's been covered. Here's an earlier entry about Comansi/ Novolinea Thunderbirds showing the Thunderbirds half-kilo box with the right figures! [shown below] [does the title mean a half-kilo of space?]
and the rear of these boxes depicting Thunderbird 3 appears to be a detail of a bigger picture on a Comansi set called El Alunizaje shown below [picture: todocollecion auction site].
I am familiar with these Thunderbirds figures being referred to as Guardianes Del Espacio [Guardians of Space] but El Alunizaje means 'moon landing'. So Thunderbirds landed on the moon! Even stranger is a line on the box side, Guardianes En La Luna or Guardianes on the Moon. Sounds like UFO! Fab!
Try French or Spanish FeeBay; they are on there all the time...there seems to have been an over-production of them...there was a chap selling bags of them at Sandown Park for years...if you want I'll look out for a set for you. I think the Belgian dealer had a load at PW last year, do you want me to get you a set in May if I can?
ReplyDeleteThey are in a very soft silicon or PVC rubberised material, usually in awful colours although sometimes you get some of them in a dark blue and they brake down into two sets f about six or eight poses of one colour each.
They may be on my blog? If not I'll try to look them out next time I'm down at the storage unit and send you a piccy!
Hugh
I collect Comansi, and I do beleive that the company is still producing / selling sets. Here in Portugal there is a store called Centrojogo where they have the fort and the cowboy figurines - new toy - but old molds. (no astronauts on the boxes though...)
ReplyDeleteGeoffrey - http://geoffstoys.blogspot.pt/
Geoffrey - The current incarnation was covered here;
Deletehttp://toysfromthepast.blogspot.co.uk/search/label/Comansi-Yolanda
the other day following a debate here;
http://minifigures.blogspot.co.uk/2012/03/yolanda-toxic-crusaders.html
...if that's any help?
Hugh
Very interesting Hugh and Geoffrey. Having read all the stuff on those links Hugh I feel I understand the whole Comansi/Yolanda/Novolinea relationship a bit more. Thanks for the heads up. It would appear that Comansi's signature toys are the Cowboys, Indians and Fort. My own interest to be honest is, as always, the Thunderbirds stuff particularly the box art. Thanks for the offer of a set Hugh. I'm brassic at the mo after buying a few bits and bobs so I'll have to pass but thanks anyway. And are old UK lucky bags really legendary?
ReplyDeleteDear Hugh, yes - you are right ! Very interesting indeed ! I did not know the "Yolanda/Novolinea" relation. I posted some pictures of "loose" figurines on my blog - see http://geoffstoys.blogspot.pt/2012/04/comansi-spacemen-futurism-made-in-spain.html
ReplyDeleteThere is another reference (appart from Thunderbirds and UFO) for which they made astronauts : Batalla das Planetas (Gatchaman aka Battle of the Planets). They used the same (painted) figurines of the UFO set ("OVNI" markings) and sold them in baggies with the heroes of the TV cartoon.In the beginning I thought they were Jecsan (Jecsan had the BOTP license at the time for Spain, and produced crude action figurines) - but these are definitely Comansi.
Please check here for the COMANSI webpage : http://www.comansi.com/
DeleteAnd their latest catalogue: http://www.comansi.com/sites/default/themes/comansi/catalogo_figuritas_2010/index.html
I have for sold cartoon box complet of -EL ALUNIZAJE-of Comansi,figures,etc,space toys
ReplyDeletecastrotoys@gmail.com