MORE IMAI OX TALES

Scoop's covered these beauties already last week but they're so special it's worth me having a look too.

Imai OX's are the bizz and these two glorious examples are on loan at Moonbase. They are two versions of the same model, the Thunderbird MARS EXPLOROR OX by Imai. The original was licensed by Century 21.

The top one is an original kit from the Sixties and the lower one is a modern re-issue [the outer photo box has been removed from the re-issue].

I first saw these kits in 1995 inside Dennis Nicholson's comprehensive book, Gerry Anderson Memorabilia Guide. I never actually thought I would get to handle them both 21 years later!

The original box at the top includes a gold Century 21 decal lower right below TB2. The later re-issue has no such decal bit it does say ITC just below the same position. There is also a line of Japanese script along the lower right edge on the re-issue.

The original model at the top is model number 737, Space Science Series No.19 and was released November 1967 making it a contemporary of the Century 21 Toys remote-controlled Zero-X toy from the Project SWORD range and just 11 months after it appeared in the 1966 movie Thunderbirds Are Go.

The "Captain Scarlet" re-issue [the 4th] at the bottom, was released by Beat and dates from July 2007. It came in a outer photo box - entitled Solar System Exploration Spaceship Zero-X - with the facsimile of the original box and contents inside that [outer box not shown - see Scoop's earlier post]

The boxes are otherwise identical including the sides.

The contents look the same too including the central card strap spanning the inner box. Both have a long narrow box as well containing various small parts like the motor and the silver nose-cone.

The box art on both is by the great Japanese Showa Master Shigeru Komatzusaki.

The vehicle was designed by British designer-extraordinaire Derek Meddings and is perhaps his number one masterpiece, do you agree?

[on loan from swordgrasshopper]