This is a strange one.
I saw these listed online as Trigan Empire Walkie Talkies.
They were manufactured by Otto Simon of the Netherlands, a company which is still trading. The box has a bar code.
The listing includes this Don Lawrence comic art as evidence that the box art is from the Trigan Empire.
Now I know precious little about the Trigan Empire but the walkie talkie box art doesn't seem related to it to me, although I could be way off the mark.
What do you think readers? Anyone speak Trigan?
Well, the box art doesn't feature anything from the Trigan Empire strip that I can see; it's just generic sf/fantasy. Also, if these walkie-talkies were sold as a tie-in to Trigan Empire, I would have thought that the name might be mentioned prominently on the box! A quick Google search comes up with a couple of sets for sale on auction sites - all listed as Trigun Empire.
ReplyDeleteIf it was me thinking of buying them, given the apparant lack of any reference to the Trigun Empire on the packaging, I'd want to see some actual hard evidence that these were actually being made a a Trigun Empire tie-in.
As the manufacturer is still in existense, you could email them?
Hi Red. Yep, there are a couple of these sets around. One set sold as Trigan Walkie Talkies in March https://auction.catawiki.com/kavels/17263211-trigan-empire-walkie-talkies-don-lawrence so the Trigan connection seems persistent.
DeleteI think someones lookec at the and thought "that looks a bit Don Lawrence" - The spaceship is lifted off the cover of Chris Foss art book, 21st Century Foss, which depicts his art for the Nostromo precursor, the Leviathan.Id say theres absolutely no direct connection with the strip. Im not all that familar with it, so id ask if the badge which features distinctly is recognisably Trigan/Lawrence.
ReplyDeleteChris Foss eh Bill. Fascinating. You mean this https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51jSBIUQNvL._SX368_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
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ReplyDeleteThat box art is definitely not by Don Lawrence, nor are the styles of clothes worn by the characters on the box even remotely related to the strip. Either the seller is chancing his arm, or (if Red_C above didn't type 'Trigun' by mistake) there's something else (TV Show, comic strip, etc.) by the name of The Trigun Empire and the seller mis-typed it as 'Trigan'. (I hope that makes sense.)
ReplyDeleteThanks Kid. That sounds definitive. The Trigan link seems to have stuck to this set judging by the few I've seen online. Googling 'Trigun' I found an anime from the late 90's so it looks like its Trigan that's alluded to. I reckon its the sellers making this link and not the company that made the walkie talkies as there's nothing on the box to say they are.
DeleteCan't see any link. The Trigan Empire series was (I believe) reprinted in the Netherlands.
ReplyDeleteThe Dutch connection is interesting Andy as the walkie talkies are Dutch too.
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