KEV'S IMAI SHADO 3

Just made the Dinky toy sized kit of the Shado Mobile from Imai. It's not a bad little model.

Sighting confirmed,

Kevin

UK

Rob's 1968 Imai Thunderbird 1

I Was going through some old print photographs, and found an actual snapshot of my IMAI Thunderbird 1 model taken in 1968!

Unpainted, in all its original out-of-box glory!

I had forgotten that in addition to the big wheels on the bottom (the side away from the camera), there were spring-loaded swing wings, and the red nosecone also launched with spring action! 

Second photo is of the AHM/IMAI box top, which I managed to save all these years.

Rob C

CT

USA

Kevin's Imai Cloudbase: The Sky's the Limit!

Hi,

Picked up a cheap Imai Cloudbase kit. It was missing the bridge so I scratchbuilt one. It isn't a terrible kit.

SIG,

Kevin

IMAI'S STINGRAY UNDERSEA MODULE KIT

 Like Lewis I've got lost in Skullbrain.

One of Moog's amazing Japanese entries is this superb plastic model of a Stingray and a Terrorfish, as well as various other craft.

I adore the bright colours and the modular pods on stilts are fantastic.

Do you like it?

Anyone got it?

Here's The Moog's catalogue page for all the Imai stacks like the Stingray one. What a great idea and the final shot in the bottom right corner is staggering. Like an underwater city!

All new to me! I've no idea what theyr'e actually called. You?

JAPANESE ZERO-X: MESMERISING MAKER

I could watch - or listen to - this Japanese chap all day. Not to mention, he has a fine Zero-X Imai model to unbox and fit together! What a Christmas morning that would be!

Anyone ever get one of these models?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-BxPq3r1P0

THUNDERBIRDS MODELS BY IMAI OF JAPAN: THUNDERBARO ADS

 These old 60's Japanese adverts are so cool. How I wish I would have got some of those Imai Thunderbirds models as a kid at Christmas. Still, I've never been very good at modelling so I suppose my JR21 toys were OK too!

Did you get any Bandai Thunderbirds models as a kid?

Got any since?

Thunderbird 7: The Blog Effect?

Bill talks about the blog effect now and then so when I saw this I wondered if this would be a case in point as the effect usually involves misquoting MC content.

Thunderbirds Wiki have a description of a Fantasy Thunderbird 7 at the bottom of their their JR21 toys section https://thunderbirds.fandom.com/wiki/JR_21_Toys_(J.Rosenthal)

The idea of a fantasy Thunderbird 7 is OK as it stands, as one was released as a model kit. But it was released by Imai and not JR21. The photograph shown is a one-off custom created by erstwhile blog contributor Ferryman for his own entertainment, which we featured here in 2009!

https://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2009/06/jr21-thunderbird-7-toy-and-custom-box.html

JR21 themselves never released a Thunderbird 7.

So is Thunderbirds Wiki's gaff the blog effect?

The Imai Thunderbird 7 is actually the Project SWORD Beetle, which I described many times on MC including here in 2014 https://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2014/04/new-origins-of-project-sword-toys.html

KEVIN'S IMAI MACS CAR

Hi,

Recently obtained this old Imai kit of Mac's car from Joe 90.

Must fly,

Kevin

THE IMAI ZERO-X MARS EXPLORER

Take a look at this Japanese fan's unboxing of the awesome Imai Zero-X Mars Explorer.

Do you have one of these beauties?

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-BxPq3r1P0

IMAI SPECTRUM COPTER

Imai made some magnificent model toy kits in their time and this Spectrum Helicopter is no exception! Here's some footage of it working in its Japanese home.

 Have you anything like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t6US7sOT5aY

A HAPPY NEW YEAR WITH SOME VINTAGE IMAI TV ADS FROM JAPAN!

Check these out and drool into your new year noodles!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Prqt9M2GCek&t=36s

Happy New Year Readers! 

Its 2022! 

Sounds very futuristic doesn't it!

All the very best to you and yours.

Woodsy

The Imai Kit Company

Hi 

                From maxsmodels here is a history of the Japanese kit company Imai. They made James Bond, Thunderbirds, and other Gerry Anderson kits, and various Japanese movie monsters in addition to the more usual subjects. As always, Max does a great job, with lots of really nice vintage box tops.

Imai models: a brief overview - YouTube

Paul Adams from New Zealand

Imai Captain Scarlet Figure Kits

Hi

Have you got any of these? 

From You Tube is another video, showing the Imai Captain Scarlet Figure Series. A range of very simple kits, with a figure from the Captain Scarlet series, and a small vehicle. Each kit is moulded in the main uniform colour, a second colour (usually white, unless the uniform is white), and a rather yellowish 'flesh' for the head and hands, except in the case of the Angel.

1 Captain Scarlet with Spectrum Patrol Car

2 Colonel White with Cloudbase

3 Captain Blue with Passenger Jet

4 Captain Magenta with Maximum Security Vehicle

5 Captain Ochre with Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle

6 Angel with Angel Interceptor

At the end is a look at the built-up models. Very simple and toy-like, but they look like fun. According to the Scalemates site, the kits were originally released in 1968, but these models look to be later issues.

Imai Models Captain Scarlet Figure Kits Review - YouTube

Paul Adams from New Zealand

IMAI CRASH TENDER

 Based on Frank Bellamy's fab Thunderbirds F1 and F2 tenders the fabled and as yet unseen Spacex II Crash Tender, bottom left, is justifiably a blog legend.

All we have is this illustration of the toy.

So when I saw this little Aoshima/ Imai Thunderbirds 2 Container 4 fire tender on Britmodeller I thought, Wow! That's about as close as we're going to get to the Crash Tender until the real toy turns up.

What do you think? Similar? Not?

Do you own this little tender?

Here it is with its wheels next to some other pod pals.

MINIATURE THUNDERBIRDS ON BRITMODELLER

These miniatures are fabulous little models. What do you think readers?

https://www.britmodeller.com/forums/index.php?/topic/235028485-thunderbirds-are-go-tb1-tb2-tb4-and-launchcontainer-bays/page/3/

Zero X - Zero Points

Way back before the internet made everything accessible and I was restricted to model shops and the excruciating process of snail-mail order, I picked up the little Imai Zero X kit. The dynamic box art looked great and having seen the toys and other Imai models, I was quite excited to finally get my paws on a long awaited OX. 

What a disappointment. I should have known reality couldn't possibly meet my expectations, but even so I was seriously underwhelmed. The box art suggests the kit is a full formed Zero X, with MEV and correct proportions etc - at least thats what the picture suggests. As I can't read Kanji, it could be saying "ha ha gaijin, this is what we expect you will think you're getting - but no way!"

So what I got, was a flimsy, deformed excuse for a kit, which doesn't really even make a good toy. Which, with its massive wheels and rubbish firing missile, it is probably closer to.

So, I lashed it together and then shoved it back in its box and buried it in disgust under my growing pile of Macross kits. Recently, having acquired a couple of other far superior models, I felt a bit bad and unearthed it, just to check how naff it really was.

From an authenticity standpoint, its naff. It's deformed and the heatshield is completely the wrong shape and there are no decals. From a production standpoint, its naff. The plastic is thin and the moulding is weak, with lots of flashing to trim and ill fitting parts. From a playability standpoint, its naff. Although it has a big box on the rear axle, there's no motor and just free rolling wheels. The Lifting Bodies do detach, but leave huge gaps in the fuselage and launching the heat shield doesn't reveal a nice MEV cabin, but an open space with the spring mechanism poking out. So Zero points all round.

So I was just as unimpressed as ever. Even so, I had a bit of blue automotive paint left, so I gave it a bit of a spray and dusted off the shield in silver, with red accents on the nacelles. The huge motor unit had to go too, even though it leaves a large open box on the base.

Its still a bit naff, even with a lick of paint, even the tiny 2" Morinaga version is more technically accurate, but it has grown on me slightly. Its basically the same size as the Bandai toy version and the Shinsha Fondly Remembered Collection model shown below.

Both of these versions are not technically accurate, but do have a specific style and charm and for all its failings, the Imai version does fit in with them quite well. So maybe, after all my gripes it could be Zero X 1..

A Brush with Power

The 1980's saw the start of the japanese robot invasion, spearheaded by Transformers and their clones and a massive influx of mecha kits. Chief amongst them, was Imai with a vast range of Macross kits and later, other similar anime inspired models. I would eagerly buy each new release as they came out and later on, after the market became saturated, they appeared in discount stores for a couple of pounds and I bought even more!

Aside from the drastically different designs and weird new japanese aesthetic, the thing which really drew me in was the box art. Bold, exciting art like a robotic version of the early Airfix paintings showed the mecha in realistic poses and scenes.  I would strive to copy the paint schemes and weathering patterns on the boxes, as all the models looked like they had been built to fight a war and had seen the rigours of battle.

I've still got all the boxes and most of the models and it is great to look over them from time to time, admiring the artwork. It was however, only recently that I discovered who the artist who breathed such life into these paintings was;  Yoshiuki Takani. Takani is a sensei of the brush and has produced hundreds of paintings for models of all types, including mecha, military, anime and even book covers.

The beauty of Takani's work is that it is not just realistic, but it is dynamic and vibrant - swords vibrate with the force of the blow, tank treads clank and grind with the weight of armour and seas pound and wash the bows of ships in his work. Nothing is pristine, everything leaps off the canvas in gritty, exacting detail, with every tarnished rivet visible.

He is extremely sought after by kit makers to illustrate their packaging and his ultra-realistic work graces many shelves in Japan and the west. His style is a distinctive blend of bold colour, pin sharp detail and an almost calligraphic wash of tone.

His work can be found on so many different lines, such as these amazing military scenes, the large scale Seaview model, the Zoids Zevle box art and in this cool War of the Worlds inspired novel.

The combination of the real with the fantastic really brings the subject to life and with a lot of his paintings, is not just restricted to the subject model, there is always something going on in the background of a scene, as well as with the main focus.