THUNDERBIRD 5: RADIO CONTROLLED AND READY TO ROLL

Knockoff Thunderbird 5's are always interesting and have appeared here many times.

Here's another one I saw on Ebay, this time radio controlled.

EA is a brand I've seen before but can't think of the name. You?

Anyone got one of these or any TB5's?

SOMA STAR RIDER SET

We've come across toy outfit SOMA before. They released a white copy of the JR21 Thunderbird 5.

Seen on an online auction, here's there more recent Star Rider set with vehicles and mini-figures. There seems to be a bit of every influence in here!

Do you like it readers?

SOMA 12x12 CLIMBER

 

This Soma vehicle looks ace and really recalls the design of the Explorer 12 fleet we have covered many times.

Did you have anything like this?

SOMA IS HERE

Soma have featured on Moonbase many times, usually as a result of my fascination with their white Thunderbird 5 knockoff of the JR21 toy.

They liked a good knockoff at Soma.

Bit Soma did other space stuff too - like the Star Rider range. There are a lot of different Star Riders; figures, vehicles books and toys. Here's just two from the mid-1990's.

First up is the 8 PC Star Rider Play Figures, which seem to come housed in a rather neat see-through plastic display. I assume PC means PVC. Some of the rifled figures have a sort of GUTS look too them.

Anyone got any?

Second is Soma's Wrist Star Rider, a name which reminds of Wrist Racers. This looks like a sort of light-up sound-effect plastic spaceship worn on the wrist. The ship's design features in some of Soma's other spaceship sets. I quite like the card art on this blister pack.

Do you like these Soma sets? For more just google Soma Star Rider.

PS. The word Soma rang a bell generally and I knew I'd heard it before. I read about it in the Seventies when I read Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Its the mood-altering substance the rich consume. Have you read it?

NEW TO THE BLOG: SONIC CONTROLLED THUNDERBIRD 5

Saw this on Vectis' old auctions and realised that the top right box is new to the blog.

Its the one named Sonic Controlled Space Ship, which to us is Thunderbird 5. Its a knockoff like the well-known white one underneath by Soma.

The listing described it as white as well and I'm wondering if its by Soma too. I like the photo box I must say. Do you?

Has anyone got this Sonic controlled Thunderbird 5?

SOMA SPACE SHIP: WHO IS THE PILOT?

I've often discussed the SOMA Thunderbird 5 knockoff Space Ship.

Like the variation post I did in 2017.

http://projectswordtoys.blogspot.com/2017/06/some-more-soma-x711-thunderbird-5-hing.html

Today I thought I'd revisit it to look at something else.

The figure inside.

Its an odd figure like a racing car driver called Stig!

He appears to have a black visor, black gloves and boots and a black decal on its chest.

I've seen similar figures. I assume he's meant to be an astronaut but he has a distinct racing driver look.

I'm leaning towards a mixture of the two and that leads me to thinking SOMA made a knockoff of those guys driving Dinky Lunar Roving Vehicles and their ilk.

What do you think readers?

[pics: Ebay]

some more soma: the X711 thunderbird 5: a hing cheong variation

Knockoffs are a favourite of mine and especially Gerry Anderson ones.

The SOMA Thunderbird 5 is just such a knockoff, which I've blogged about many times including its turn as an ice-crusher.

You know the SOMA TB5: white-coloured plastic and known as the Space Ship X-711.

Its often cited as a knockoff of the JR21 TB5, which I've also discussed before in this origin post.

To remind you here it is courtesy of You Tube Japan.

and again here displaying its amazing non-fall action on a table almost looking like a a living thing! [courtesy of You Tube once more]

Here's the SOMA X711 toy on top

and on the bottom showing the non-fall unit and the long thin battery compartment

and on the battery unit lid is the maker's mark,

a HC inside a circular cog, the number 959 and Made in Hong Kong

The oracle that is Alphadrome has long made it clear that he HC stands for HING CHEONG. 

Here's the SOMA HING CHEONG space ship advertised in the Aldens Christmas Catalogue 1978 courtesy of Alphadrome.

So you can imagine how surprised I was to see this on Ebay, an apparently different version of the SOMA spaceship listed by seller Vongold.

It has the same white astronaut in the blister cockpit [just who is he?] but now with the addition of an internal radar or  pedestalled screen.

More tellingly the colour has darkened to a sort of dull gold and the livery around the mid point has changed.

Most exciting of all is the change to the maker's mark and the underside generally. Gone are the long thin battery cover and non-fall unit having been replaced by a much wider battery cover and standard tyres.

The maker's mark has E S added to the number 959. 

I have no idea what E S might signify, have you?

I am excited though as this does appear to be a SOMA variation and perhas even a stepping stone towards that mystery toy which JR21 are often cited as having recycling to make their own Thunderbird 5.

Why do I think this?

Well, the gold colour of this SOMA toy is more akin to the actual JR21 release than the white SOMA.

JR21 issued a deep gold-brown incarnation of the toy as their Thunderbird 5.

Its interesting to look again at the JR21 TB5 logo itself:

A capital H with a globe, the left half of which appears to be a capital C. 

Below this is the number 507. 

Compare this to the circular logo of the SOMA variant  [and all SOMA X711's]: the HC inside the circular cog.

Could the CH seen on the JR21 be the HC seen on the SOMA, which we know stand for Hing Cheong?

What do you think readers?

FOUR SAUCERS

Top: T in a Circle/ Tai Hing Moon Prospector - Stafano Valsecchi, 
Second Down: Chibi/ Bichi Explorador Planetario Moon Prospector - karafankunte, 
Third Down: Soma Space Ship X711 [Thunderbird 5 knockoff] - bbrsales
bottom: Yoshiya Sky Patrol Flying Saucer - choose4us

Start them all of together!
Courtesy of You Tube

A SAUCER FULL OF SECRETS: SOMA, THUNDERBIRD 5 AND CRUSHED ICE

Many Century 21 toy collectors believe that the JR21 Thunderbird 5 toy, pictured here, was based on an earlier or existing flying saucer or UFO type toy.

The base of the toy adds to the mystery showing an unusual logo, a H inside a globe and a model number, 507, unlike other JR21 Thunderbirds toys.

Armed with this information I have searched for the flying saucer many times. The SWORD Moon Prospector, below, always comes to mind but the lights aren't similar really

More convincing is the T in a Circle UFO, seen below, which has a similar shape, dome and edge. The lights could be altered for the JR21 toy I suppose.

What is far clearer though is that a company called SOMA copied JR21 when they created their Space Ship X711, pictured here left.

SOMA's saucer is the same but white and I think I have found the same saucer being used in another guise, the TIGER Ice Crusher from Japan no less! Difficult to date but the SOMA and TIGER items could be contemporaries, maybe the 1970's or 80's. See what you think from the following comparisons and make your own mind up!