A comment by reader Todd yesterday sent me off looking deeper at Tomland monsters.
This lead me to a Tomland figure line called Star Command or Starroids by Caprice/ Calfax.
This is one of the hardest toy lines I've had the pleasure of researching but I was so chuffed to find that there's a Thunderbirds connection!
Check out the 1979 backing card of Calfax's Star Command Interplanetary Starroid figure called BICO [ Morlock as was]. Yes, Thunderbird 3 and 4!
The uber-cool Plaidstallions noticed this connection as well in their Star Raiders section, but further mention of the significance of the Thunderbirds craft wasn't made.
Well, buried deep in my memory I recalled a Thunderbird 4 kit I couldn't quite place. Scouring my archive, success! Eh voila! The Star Command Galaxy Airsub aka Thunderbird 4, the very same featured on Bico's backing card!
Galaxy Airsub
So is there a Star Command Thunderbird 3 kit as well? A Galaxy Rocket maybe? If there is I certainly can't find one online.
The other Star Command toys, which are all radios, from 1977, are well documented online and often appear on auction sites as this sample shows:
Star Explorer
1-M-1 Starroid Robot
Aqua Star Air-Sub
There are many more Star Command radios and figures, even a toothbrush, and you can check out some Calfax ads at Golobthehumanoid and here are Calfax's various trademarks.
Oddly there is no mention of the Thunderbird 4 kit or the possible existence of a Thunderbird 3 in this line.
Has anyone got the Star Command Thunderbirds kit/ kits?
Well that was a learning curve Woodsy! Thanks for great research, as always
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure Arto! I wonder if a Calfax TB3 exists?
ReplyDeleteThe only place I saw these reissues of the Lincoln kits was at a now-defunct drug store chain called Revco (bought out by CVS in the '90s). Thunderbirds 1-4 were all released, but no others, to my knowledge. I also have a wind-up robot and a carded generic spaceship in "Star Command" packaging that aren't represented in those catalog pages, and I've seen a carded sparking ray gun as well.
ReplyDeleteYour carded Star Command toys sound fascinating Devlin. Any chance of a piccy for the blog? Just email it to me. Contact details at the bottom of the page. Cheers. Woodsy
DeleteHi, o went picking this last Sunday and I found a Star Command Galaxy Jet Space Interceptor with gravitated friction motor. I can't find one like it online.
ReplyDeleteSounds really fascinating Fredy! I am planning an update on Star Command so would you be willing to email me a picture for the blog? Naturally it would be credited to you. Thanks! My email is at the bottom of this page. if you have problems just message me again here. Woodsy
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