Thunderbird 1 Lives!

Heyas Woodsy, 

We all know of Japan's love for Thundbirds. We've seen tributes, reuse of the models in other shows. The latter is what kindled a start of an idea.

In October of 1972, Warrior of Love Rainbow Man debuted on Japanese TV. It ran until September 1973, giving us 52 episodes about Yamato Takeshi who was a former college wrestling champ with the "Jiyotoko" College Wrestling Club. He also fought in underground fight clubs under the name of "Shitamachi No Kuro Hyo" (The Black Panther of the Underground". More info than you probably would ever want can be found at 

https://web.archive.org/web/20050428064032/http://www.japanhero.com/profiles/rainbowman.htm

Of course any superhero show has to have bad guys for the hero to triumph over. The ones in Rainbow Man are the Die Die Gang. Besides using elite mercenaries, cyborgs, wizards and supernatural monsters, they used "jet fighters". Their planes are actually models of TB=1 with some pieces left off and other pieces put on, giving it a different scale which helped disguise the source. 

There are lots of good angles of them in this clip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kby4i2lEpi8

Cheers!

Lance

USA

HOT DATES

 

As part of this year's spontaneous and ongoing theme of Hot Wheels collecting,  spurred on by the plentiful availability of loose Hot Wheels at car boot sales and carded cars in shops, here are three more I found this Sunday:

From left to right: Cat-a-Pult, Red Baron and Super Cannon 705th.

In a bid to pick only old models at boot sales I always try to seek out just those loose cars with the dull older metal bases.

I also check for years and go for older years embossed on the bases.

However, what you see on the bases are not necessarily the year of the toy's release. They are usually the copyright dates shown. Many models have been re-released many times in different packs and sets.

There are loads of great Hot Wheels online checklists for beginners like me, so I checked all three of the cars I found.

My Cat-a-Pult has a1998 copyright on its base but its actually from the Heat Fleet 5-Pack version from 2003.

On first impressions the Red Baron was my most exciting find, being a redline classic. Mine wasn't a redline and was branded 'Hot Wheels Vintage' and clearly a re-issue once I got it home. Despite being dated 1968 on its base my version was actually released in the Disney Pixar Toy Story Track Set Version from 2009!

My "HW 705th" camouflage version is actually from 2007, although the car is dated 1982 copyright on the base. 

Have you any ambiguous dates on your Hot Wheels?

THE FANTOM 4

 

I saw this on Vectis and thought, hmmm, that's a new one on me.

The Fantom 4 Hover Craft. Its a strange looking toy and appears to be a flying saucer sat inside a launch bay. There's a hint of Major Matt Mason livery about it.

Does anyone know any more about the Fantom 4?

A POCKETFUL OF POSIES

 

A Thunderbird By Any Other Name...

Woodsy,

While I was browsing eBay recently, I ran across these two rare 1960s SF kits by Aoshima Bunka Kyozaisha, which I think you will find intriguing. They are both called "Thunderbird 1," but of course have nothing to do with the famous TV series. 

Both box arts show the same vehicle, in different color schemes and from different angles, but its just a sports car with missiles and fins. Also please note the misspelling of Thunderrbird (sic) on the red vehicle. Another weird sorta Supermarionation spin-off, eh? Even better, this kit was issued in the U.S. by good old Paramount Hobbies, as  "Tiger Jet," probably to avoid confusion/copyright infringement.

Rob C

CT USA

What are you doing at the moment?

I'm watching the news and listing on Ebay.

What are you up to readers?

Tokyo Ghosts

Hi Woodsy

Here are some more shots of my Hot Wheels Tokyo 2020 models. What we might call the Ghost Olympics. Like those for 1916, 1940, and 1944, Games which did not take place as planned. I have found five models, out of ten, so far.

The third model in the series is Fast Felion, copyright date 2008. Green, with green stripes, and green tinted windows. Printing in white and gold. Gold wheels. Athletics. This is the only model I have on both long and short cards so far.

Fourth model is Mountain Mauler, date on the base 2013. Green and yellow-green, with a black interior. Green stripes, white printing. Gold wheels. Sport Climbing.

Yours Sincerely,

Paul Adams
New Zealand

MONSTER BASE GETS READY FOR HALLOWEEN!

Hi Woodsy

Im beginning to roll out the Halloween decorations, making all of October a spooky good time!

Im afraid Halloween will be a more introspective event this year, with health concerns making socializing difficult if not impossible.

As much as I like to share with others, I will not let Halloween pass by without enjoying in some way or another.

A night of scary movies, perhaps some home baked cookies, and maybe a nip of hard cider will probably be the order of the day. In the meantime, I'm working on a new project that I'm sure you'll like. 

Stay tuned for more shudders and screams from Monster Base!- 

BrianF 

NJ USA

What will you do this Halloween readers?