Imai MoonBase Vehicles

It's been a while since we've seen Imai's gorgeous miniature vehicles from their MoonBase sets but here are a few snaps from an old buyee listing sent in by long-time reader Terry.

The line-up of four are three UFO craft and the Project SWORD Moon Crawler.

Have you anything like this?

JAPANESE MINIATURE SPACE TOYS

 Googling for Japanese miniatures like chocolate premiums is always fun ....

昭和レトロ ナガサキヤ？宇宙船 SFメカ 飛行機おもちゃ当時物2b

especially when you see an old friend like this blue miniature project SWORD Scout 1!

SCOUT MEETING

 Doing a Japanese GLIGO online search it was great to meet up with a miniature Scout 2 again, here in green.

Scout 2 is one of the three scout ships from the Century 21 Toys Project SWORD toy range, which I adored as a kid.

Being ,asters of reduction, the Japanese have miniaturised many of the SWORD toys and issued them as small gifts in candy.

I used to collect these but buying from outside Japan has become difficult.

Have you anything like this?

STOPPIN BY ON NOPPIN

 After a long pause I've been browsing Noppin again, the Japanese marketplace.

I used to buy loads of small Project SWORD miniatures from Noppin years ago but I'm unsure if Westerners can buy anymore. Certainly Yahoo Japan stopped trading with many countries.

Anyway, I've saved some snaps from my latest gander of mostly Glico vehicles and rockets, Glico being a candy company, the premiums from which are massively collected in Japan so there are thousands of them on Noppin. Searching can be difficult so I use terms like Glico Showa, Glico Universe, Glico toy, Glico Thunderbirds and so on. Have a go!

Speaking of which, here's Glico's Thunderbirds Radar Car, which I first saw in 1996 in Dennis Nicholson's majestic Andersonalia Book.

and the UFO SHADO2

I wondered if this might be a UFO car too?

I liked this one as well.

We've seen this before being mislabelled as UFO elsewhere online but its still nice.

Wombat'ish?

and occasionally other stuff pops up in a Glico bundle ... can you see a radar?

Here it is. SpaceX Mobile HQ?

The following ships are all a mystery to me, part of the vast Japanese universe of Manga and Anime I imagine.

Any ideas readers?

JAPANESE SCOUTS

 A couple of miniature Project SWORD toy Scouts I recently spotted on Yahoo Japan.

Blue Scout 1

Silver Scout 2 - bottom left, three along.

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/

LOTS OF TINY MINIATURES

For years I've been collecting miniature Japanese collectables called Omake.

These capsule toys were issued by sweet companies like Glico, Lotte and Morinaga.

Tracking down the exact toys you want is a time-consuming business and I have to be honest and admit I haven't found any more Project SWORD miniatures for at least 2 years, despite knowing there are more out there [I lost some Noppin auctions].

Anyways here are a few pictures of lots I saw this year which caught my eye.

This lot has a tiny LP-style raygun toting blue astronaut. There's also a small silver jetplane, which reminds me of the silver missile jets in the JR21 Submarine Aircraft Carrier [see labels at bottom]. There's also a pinky silver jetplane, which recalls a Mighty Jack rocketship [see labels].

What do you think?

Here's a lot containing a neat UFO. It looks like the central red ball spins. Overall it recalls the T in a Circle UFO toy as well [see labels].

Last is this lot. The blue capsule is pretty neat and it looks like there's a tiny astronaut in there too. the small yellow spinner next to it is cool too. It may be a spinner as well.

Do you like these Japanese miniatures? Are they like any miniatures you have in your country?

AN ENCAPSULATING MYSTERY

I found this in my photo archive from years ago.

Its very interesting ... at least for me!

I have been collecting mini plastic Project SWORD vehicles for years and always wondered what packaging they came in.

Well it just maybe have been right under my nose all along.

Yes, these little plastic capsules!

It seems likely that the Japanese Yahoo seller photographed the little toys and the capsules because they are related.

Is it an assumption too far to think that the toys came out of the capsules?

But, some of the toys look too big!

What do you think?

Doubts aside, what are these capsules?

What are those little papers inside? They look like stamps!

What is this brand of capsule and toy? Anyone know?

miniature red space glider candy toy and friends

I won this lot last month.

Its a bundle of old small candy toys from Japan which they generally call Showa Omake.

The lot includes more small hard plastic Project SWORD toys.

It adds a wholly new vehicle to my current fleet, the red Space Glider!

The other SWORD vehicles pictured are a grey Scout 3, a red Scout 1 and a yellow Probe Force 2, all in colours new to my collection.

I just wonder what other SWORD vehicles there are left in this line.

one that got away

Like Ebay bidding on Yahoo Japan is tricky and more often than not I don't win!

Here's one that got away this summer. For some reason Yahoo Japan didn't recognise my bid when I thought it had!

The lot was a nice bundle of Glico style miniatures including some hard plastic Project SWORD, which I collect.

There's a red Scout 2 top right, a yellow Probe Force 3 bottom left, a black Scout 1 and a red Space Glider bottom centre. It was the red Glider that I was really after as I don't have one.

have you got any small toys like these readers?

japanese takeuchi ufo rubbers dated as 1970

懐かしの 昭和レトロ★1970年代★近未来　宇宙船　消しゴム 　当時物

This listing heading in Japanese for UFO rubbers is unusual as I've never seen a date for them until now. This says 1970.

The rubbers were released in header carded bags by Takeuchi in Japan.

Its an old auction picture of loose UFO Project SWORD rubbers but here it is:

Have you got any Japanese UFO rubbers readers?

nova again

Anyone looking for a relatively cheap and slightly unusual addition to their SpaceX toys collection might want to consider a cereal model premium from Mexico.

I understand that these are based on the R&L Kellogg space model style although I have never seen any old adverts for them or seen them available outside of Mexico so they may have been produced solely for that market. They include the Nova Rocket as appears in the SpaceX and Golden Astronaut ranges of toys.

Currently I can see individual 2 Novas on auction:

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=nova+rocket&_osacat=220&_from=R40&_trksid=p2045573.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xnova+rocket+cereal.TRS0&_nkw=nova+rocket+cereal&_sacat=220

and one as part of much more expensive mixture:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Cereal-Premium-R-L-Space-Age-LOT-x-13-made-in-Mexico-RARE-/112546956073?hash=item1a34524329:g:j7QAAOSwGJlZMEL

Other models, like the Nova, are based on Ed Valigursky's space paintings from the Man and Space book of the 1960's.

I've blogged about these before here: 'Cex Mex and Mexican Valigursky, which even include the building modules for the moon [pair, bottom left] and the Booster Rocket [top right second down]

If you have any maybe built up and painted we'd love to see them! Email address at the bottom of the page!

Tomy time: new Japanese Apollo Saturn sightings

Its always fun spotting Japanese style Apollo Saturns in new places.

Here's two I clocked this summer.

To the far right you 'll see our friend the Ranger 7 by Tomy.

That's its red and white parachute too.

This, the forerunner of Project SWORD's own rocket, is the one coloured red, white and blue.

This image is from a Japanese book called Nostalgic Tin Toys by Toyoji Takayama. There are three volumes and I think this is volume 3: Trains, Ships, Airplanes published in 1991 pictured below:

And just when I thought it was safe to go back in the water up pop's this little Japanese Glico-style Apollo Saturn lookalike.

Have you any Apollo rocket toys?

There'll be even more exciting Japanese Apollo activity during our birthday week from the 15th September.

sword-y-kins: my miniature home-made project sword and spacex toys

Here's my SWORD-Y-KINS fleet that I made in 2009.

Basically miniature Project SWORD and SpaceX toys, I made them by painting and customising Kinder egg toys, Space Voyagers toys, Micro Machines and a professionally made resin model Salvage Craft. The Blackbird is a toy and as it was, unaltered.

They are :

left to right: top: Space glider, green Lunar Climber, Dyna Soar. Bottom: red Scout 3, Photonic Space Station, yellow Salvage Craft. Front: Reconnaissance 3

I made a backing card for a the fleet too using existing illustrations.

They look quite good on the card.

Especially with a blister pack on top!

I also knocked up some mini boxes for them as well, which was fun to do.

What do you think?

Have you made any miniature toys?

masterful miniature board games and vintage toy boxes from sweden

I have always loved small things.

Over the last 9 years I've had a go a miniaturising a few toys and we've even offered some as exclusives on the blog.

So I was awestruck when I saw an Etsy seller's miniaturised toys and games boxes. They are on a whole different level of accuracy and brilliance.

LCminiatures from Sweden appear to be masters of the art and I can now see what really can be done.

Here's one example, some miniature Aurora monster boxes [thimble for scale]:

I have only seen LCminiatures work online but you can judge for yourself. There are hundreds to choose from. Just check out the board games!

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LCminiatures/items?search_query=aurora

Let me know what you think readers. Have you miniaturised anything?

japanese blog about ufo project sword rubbers

This a typically eclectic Japanese toy blog that I adore.

http://blog.livedoor.jp/divajoanne/tag/%E9%A7%84%E7%8E%A9%E5%85%B7

Within it is the first article I've found in Japanese about the Japanese UFO Project SWORD rubbers that I collect. At some point I will try to get it translated.

Interestingly some of the rubbers are of the less common transparent type.

http://blog.livedoor.jp/divajoanne/archives/1062313850.html

The Japanese blogger has also blogged about rubber hands.

http://blog.livedoor.jp/divajoanne/archives/1062387128.html

This may or may not shed light on the mysterious hand model number system found on the undercarriages of the UFO Project SWORD rubbers, which I vlogged about some time ago on You Tube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG0YD9_bsPg

imai miniature project sword models

Beautiful Japanese miniatures including three Project SWORD vehicles.

Courtesy of Japanese blogger Godzitoraman.

http://blog.livedoor.jp/godzitoraman/archives/cat_31750.html

miniature project sword and spacex models

Mini Project SWORD and SpaceX models and toys 

in the Moonbase Hangar.

Have you any mini space toys?

MYSTERY PROJECT SWORD RUBBER: YOUR HELP NEEDED!

Can anyone help sharpen the quality of this image I've found on an ended online auction? This is the actual image size.

I am particularly interested in this item ringed in white? Its a UFO Project SWORD rubber shape I just can't identify as it is.

Any graphical help would be great.

*

POSTSCRIPT

Readers Paul V and Andy B have both kindly sent me suggestions for this mystery rubber shape.

Andy's suggested this image of the LP Explorer car as a possible 'shape' fit.

This is really interesting as it confirms what I was thinking as well, that there is a domed cockpit at the front of the blue rubber craft.

Paul's image below was very helpful too as it traces the outline. 

Paul also suggested that it may be a crawler without the dozer blade. This also concurs with what I've been thinking myself, that it is the Project SWORD Moon Ranger without the front shovel.

This also fits with what Andy suggests, as the Ranger does have a front domed cockpit like the LP Explorer Car.

The Project SWORD Moon Ranger looks like this from above at a similar angle to the blue rubber.

What do you think readers? A fit?