Hi Woodsy
I saw your great Chieftain toy tank from Arto. Very nice.
I do not know if you have noticed, but the box top for this Hong Kong toy is almost identical to a Nichimo kit of the Chieftain. Nichimo being a Japanese company.
According to the Scalemates site, this was the original box design, and dates back to 1967. The kit was to 1/35th scale, and was available with Remote Control.
Compare the photos side by side, and they look the same except that the Saracen wheeled Armoured Personnel Carriers and helicopters have been eliminated from the background. The second Chieftain remains.
The tank commander has also been given a helmet rather than a beret, and the vehicle markings deleted. What do you think ?
One photograph from Worthpoint, and one copied from Moonbase !
Paul Adams from New Zealand
Well spotted, Paul! The date of the Nichimo kit gives a clue on the approximate year of issue of the T Chieftain Tank too.
ReplyDeleteAmazing research! I guess "borrowing" artwork was a common practice in the toy and hobby biz? SFZ
ReplyDeleteThank you. I have certainly come across several examples of artwork being borrowed in this way. I very much doubt anyone had permission.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant Paul. We used to have a lot of stuff about recycled box art on MC. It's great to see something on it again. Fab find and deffo nicked off Nichimo!
ReplyDeleteLovely artwork.
ReplyDeleteMy immediate thought was Shigeru Komatsuzaki, but a closer look said maybe Yoshiyuki Takani. A cursory Google search hasn't turned up a hit, but there were a number of top notch Japanese illustrators doing kit box art.
Just seeing Takani's art first thing in the morning does my heart good!
No one else is so masterful at rendering realistic Anime robots, that look like they are slogging through the Russian front!