Spectrum is Back!

Hello Moonbasers, I'm back in Australia and putting my shattered life back together!

I've begun carefully sorting the lovely items I managed to find and am becoming ever more amazed I was able to pick them up at all!

Japan is known for always going for the latest, so anything vintage

(in Moonbase Central's interest range)

is pretty difficult to find. As I know from personal experience, if you see something you like

( say some Konami Anderson vehicles) and don't buy it at that instant, it may not be there for a second look!

Taking a closer look at my carded Hot Wheels SPV, I was surprised to see it's dated 2001, so it's already almost 25 years old!

Researching the page at

https://hotwheels.fandom.com/wiki/Charawheels

I discovered a lot of products I'd never known before.

There were a number of Anderson related vehicles, released in a joint Mattel/Bandai project, over just two years.

I'll let the HW website categorise them, but the first year saw a number of individual vehicles and the second year, three amazing boxed sets of multiple TB2 Pod vehicles.

Just look at these photos! All new to me and copied from the HW website.

See anything that tickles your fancy here?

Cheers, 

Looey

Back in Oz Base

Looey's Last Postcard from Japan

"Are you still here?"

After my last post, I thought I'd exhausted all my Moonbase worthy experiences. But with two last days in Tokyo, I was proved wrong.

I met up with an American friend who works in the Japanese film industry. He took me to the the Hotel Gracery, atop the Toho Cinema complex in Shinjuku.

You can understand why it's informally called The Godzilla Hotel!

Up close, the life size head is pretty impressive.

And in the foyer is an actual filming suit on display with a puppet Mothra!

The my friend took me on a train trip to see Toho Studios. Still standing in a leafy suburb bisected by the Senkawa River, which is filled with grey carp where Akira Kurosawa used to fish.

The studio has been modernised but it still pays tribute to the heritage of it's two most famous productions.

Another train ride brought us to a leafy suburb with a delightfully overgrown group of small business buildings.

The small understated sign reveals the identity of this most famous of all Japanese animation studios.

Having worked here, my friend knew some of it's secrets. Nearby was an even more understated private studio, with glass windows facing the street where we might just see "Japan's Disney" still at work...

We strolled down the leafy suburban street, as inconspicuous as a pair of towering Gaijin could be. Outside, an aged gentleman wearing a flat blue bucket hat, was just stepping off the porch. Our eyes briefly locked, but we continued walking past, feigning nonchalance.

I know what you're saying Moonbasers, "Pictures, or it didn't happen"

- but to have whipped out my camera and fired off a pic straight in his face, would have been the height of disrespect...

This is a trip I will never forget!

Looey

*

And ....

A Tale of Two Mandarakes Part 2

Hello Moonbasers,

 I'm not sure if this exactly fits the MC mission statement, but it sure is purty to look at!

Manderake is a Fan Goods shop with an extensive range of vintage toys, manga, mooks (magazine/books) DVDS and other popular culture ephemera.

I found another of my Holy Grails there, a DVD of the original Toho movie, Gorath with the giant walrus scene intact!

Manderake Coo Coo is a different kettle of fish entirely. Although the layout is similar, the stock is almost exclusively soft vinyl (or Sofubi) figures for the serious collector. Some are genuine vintage pieces at extraordinary prices, but most are modern designs, again at top Yen!

The original pieces have a vibrant charm all of their own.

A nifty 1960s dinosaur at £100!

My first ever Japanese Robot, which my Dad bought for me as a souvenir from Japantown in San Francisco in 1976! I bet he didn't pay 50 quid for it!

Either an original 60's clothed Astroboy, or more likely a later reissue.

A Popy Godzilla, like my wife's Shogun Warriors version.

Modern X-ray Astros.

...and does anyone remember "Raidy and the Jipps"? One of the cheapest, nastiest knock off toys from the 80's? Now you can own one all over again for just £175!

" Tell 'em they're dreaming!"

So, as I board my personally reserved seat on the "Bullet Train Explosion" it's time to bid you farewell and, in the words of Woody Allen's Jimmy Bond, " Sayonara, suckers!"

Looey

Japan

A Tale of Two Mandarakes Part 1

One of my favourite stores that I have returned to each time I'm in Japan, is Manderake.

The store in Shibuya has remained unchanged over the years, apart from the stock!

Tobor the 8 Man, was a bit before my time, but I love this soft vinyl forced perspective figure with a Zero type Shinkansen!

Lots of 70's/ 80's period toys!

Some charming tin vehicles...

A large Astroboy hanging store display.

A 90's reissue of Tracy Island, £31 can you believe it?

Original Aurora POTA Cornelius £20!

A 1990's GI Joe for £7.50 and a 1/6 scale Dirty Harry for £35.

Joe is coming home with me as a background extra in my puppet film!

Next up is Manderake Coo Coo, the Collector's soft vinyl figure store in Akihabra! ........

Looey

Japan

Nostalgia in Japan!

Hello Moonbasers!

One of the things I was looking for on my trip to Japan was "dead stock" or discontinued toys.

The only places you will reliably find stuff like this is at Collector shops, so be prepared to pay the Premium. Which is not to say bargains can't be found...

One of my delights was finding a Collector shop called Toys Golden Age which specialises in 60's 70's and 80's Japanese toys -my favourite!

Vintage Gerry Anderson kits from reasonable to unreasonable.

A very 60's styled Jumbo sized robot, for a cool £500! Hmmm, I think not!

Some vac-form robot masks (which seem to be a thing of the past, now) for a reasonable £7.50 -I may go back for them at trip's end!

And one of my trip's Holy Grails, a Hot Wheels SPV! I found two, one MIB and one loose at reasonable prices!

...and the Holy Grails keep coming! 

Stay Tuned!

Happy Looey

Japan

Star Wars World at Shibuyu

While I watch my shirts go round and round at the local Laundromat, I'll sort some holiday snaps for you Moonbasers!

Star Wars World in Shibuya is basically an exhibition on the Ground floor of one of the big Department stores.

The full size costumes were very popular and in the Basement, was the pop-up Merchandise store!

Sadly most of the slick goods were as astronomical as their inspiration! The groovy T shirt was about £25 and the small backpacks £135!

But i did get some SW themed mini Japanese lanterns for prezzies!

May the Forsu be with you! 

 Looey

Japan

Looey at Shizuoka Show

Well Moonbasers, for the donation of a semi-professional looking business card, ... a few days ago ... I got into this annual Trade Show for free!

Shizuoka is home not only to Tamiya models, but a host of other famous big name brands. It really is Plastic City and the civic signage often has a Sprue/Runner theme to it!

Thunderbirds is still big after all these years and all the 80's Giant Robot shows are making a comeback too!

A Battleship Yamato at a huge 1/144 scale and a re-entry glider for all you Moonbasers!

That is also an example of THE FUTURE OF MODELLING which was very evident at the show. 3D resin printing is starting to eclipse injection moulded styrene for detail and complexity.

I saw one piece Destroyer funnels, with all of the pipework and anti bomb cages as a single piece moulding!

Check out that 1/32 scale jet cockpit detail!

Pre coloured models are also taking a big step forward, as this bike kit shows. Multi-coloured castings, platings and what I assume is Tampo paint detailing.

There was a booth with live 3D scanning. The resulting photorealistic figures are being 3D printed in full colour at any size from 1/12 down to 1/150 scale with no loss of detail!

...and Scalectrix put in a good show with BTTF DeLoreans for Parts 2 & 3 and The Batman Batmobile. No prototypes of the upcoming Captain Scarlet range, though.

All up, an amazing day out. Already crammed into my skull, alongside my memories of Wonderfest 95!

...and now to calm down!

Looey

Japan