Japan Super Fantastic Model 2

Toad got me wondering about that strange SPV-Tank hybrid in my Big in Japan post. A bit of searching on the our friend's brilliant japansuperfantasticmodel site came up with the above, the Tiger Captain by Aoshima. Besides the cool box art check out close-ups of the biult-ups and at least two radio-controlled versions on the aforementioned japan model site. Here's another SPV lookalike, Bandai's Robo Danguard Ace.

Browsing the site a little more I usually come across something I haven't seen before and here's a good example from this lunchtime, this great Midori SF catalogue front cover from 1970. It features our friend the LUNA Transporter a la SpaceX. You can see the back cover on the japansuperfantasticmodel site. Browse the whole endeavor yourself and see what you can find!

By The Fires of a Jovian Storm

Unbeknown to Commander Wotan, SWORD's breakaway SPACEX unit had sent their own Shuttle-Surveyor mission to salvage their Nuclear Freighter. Worth millions of Creds, it was imperative the craft be brought back by thier Commander, Soph Toad. The crew were most likely flotsam anyway! The SpaceX Surveyor crawled over the likely wreck zone like a bottom feeder.

With both the Task Force 1 and Surveyor equipped with advanced DNA tracking tech, the two missions arrived at the sunken Freighter NF2 simultaneously. Commanders Wotan and Toad eyed each other up before the inevitable showdown of Project SWORD and the SpaceX rogue. 

At that moment there was a huge explosion. The storms of Jupiter erupted and a gigantic flare plumed out over Io like a blow torch stripping it of its surface water. The seas evaporated into space as a blue spray eventually turning to nothing.

Everything and anything floating in the Ionian sea was flung into space. The NF2 vanished. Task Force 1 was spinning out of control. Wotan slammed the eject button and was thrown into the flaming air. Only the SpaceX Surveyor, with it's anti-gravity wheels, held fast. Commander Toad saw Wotan on the red-hot ground, helpless and reeling in agony. She acted. Within minutes she was lifting the stricken SWORD Commander as the once beautiful Moon of Io continued to burn.

Atomic Powered Mercury

Puuikibeach's Supply Force Mercury shot got my own creative juices flowing. I've taken the liberty of adding our little friend to this classic 1964 Hawk re-issue of the 1959 original BETA-1 Atomic Powered Bomber XAB-1 on which it's most likely based [P. Vreede 2009]. I can't quite read the box artist's name but I think it says John Roberts? [apologies to the artist for altering his wonderful box art!] The small jets at the rear are described as Parasites, one of which our little SpaceX friend has now become! The Hawk kits are seriously expensive and you can make your eyes water window shopping at Old Model Kits to name but one stockist. There's more source material on the interesting but seemingly dormant Model Archives site [partly in French]. Has anyone got one of these kits?

Supply Force Spotted

This beautiful SpaceX Supply Force Mercury was photographed by puuikibeach on Flickr. It appears here with his kind permission. It forms part of a very attractive album of toys he's put together. There's also some truly wonderful shots of Sharks. Puuikibeach also has a project to take a location photo every day this year. Yesterday he was in Hawaii! I'm so jealous!

LIFE FORCE

LIFE Magazine January 6th 1958

Sock Chop

This one's for the great Shari-Lewis and her unforgettable sock sheep Lambchop.

I was mesmerised.

Through the Red Mists of Space

Commander Bill Wotan, ace pilot of Task Force 1, continued his vigilant search of Io's ocean floor in search of the lost Nuclear Freighter and it's stricken crew headed by his friend Captain Woods. As he DNA scanned the benthic sludge his mind wandered back to the SWORD committee meeting just two months before. The suits wanted to cut corners and send an unmanned and far inferior Spacex Surveyor to conduct the search for the Freighter. With no sea-flight capability it would have taken weeks to cover the sea bed and the Freighter crew would be dead for sure.

He had lost his cool and demanded SWORD Task Force 1 for the mission! He had slammed his fist down on the table! Suits, more used to pushing damn pencils and counting Spacex beans than getting their hands dirty through hard work!

He clutched the Iono-drive of his beloved Task Force 1 and breathed a huge sigh of relief as the memory of his fury dissipated through the moon's dead water.

 *Picture courtesy of Showcase comics

Japanese Ferry

I do love this little Nuke Ferry cab on this Japanese spinning top. Made in Japan by SKK - Sinsei Kiki Kogyo - I got mine from Joe, the friendly owner of Main Street Toys. You can get one on Ebay or from his online store.