Cornucopia of Rare and Wonderful Tetsujin 28 Toys!

Starting price: About $40,000

I recently had a chance to check out an amazing selection of vintage Tetsujin 28 toys. Tetsujin 28 is one of Japan's most famous characters. He was introduced in manga form in 1956 by Mitsuteru Yokoyama.

I believe these toys were made in Japan in the 1950s-1960s.

Among them are a smorgasbord of rare and amazing tin toys, including fantastic remote controlled figures. In the age of drones and Go Pro, we take toys like that for granted, but 50 years ago, remote controlled toys were a technological wonder!

 Lots more wondrous images after the jump.

Huge Assortment of Japanese Tin Toys

I spotted this massive assortment of tin toys in Tokyo. They're modern versions by companies like Billiken. Here's a video, followed by some still photos.

1950s-1960s Sci-Fi Tin Toys from Japan

As I've probably written before, I love old Japanese tin toys, especially the sci-fi and space-themed toys from the 50s-60s. You've got cool robots, vehicles, astronauts, and other wild creations dreamed up by some guys who must have had awesome jobs. Anyway, here are some shots of old tin toys I spotted recently.

 More after the jump:

Japanese Tin Toy Racing Cars and T-Rex Skull

Video I shot today in Tokyo.

Amazing vintage tin toy motorcycles

Nakano Mandarake has an incredible selection of vintage tin toy motorcycles for sale. They're all laid out in the first floor Mandarake in Broadway, right next to the mall entrance. It's not really a shop - more like a wall with a register set up next to it. But what a wall it is! The display rotates frequently, so I can imagine this one will be down shortly. I'm glad I was able to spot this museum quality selection while it was up.

 More pics after the jump:

KK Vintage: Space-themed tin toys

Tin toys are an important part of Japan's toy making legacy. I'll be the first to admit I'm not an expert in the area, but I sometimes see them on my wanderings, and they always catch my attention, especially the space-themed ones. I love the way they capture the boxy look of 50s-60s sci-fi films and TV shows. Plus you've got classic play features like toys that walk, sparkling jets and guns, and even some remote controlled figures.

 

There are some common themes across many of these figures, like clear domes. It's a feature which wound its way for decades through sci fi, live action, and indie toys.

 

More than a few of today's indie sofubi makers have been heavily influenced by Takara's Henshin Cyborg and Microman lines from the 1970s. And if you go back a step further, you can trace several direct lines from those toys to earlier tin toys.

Here's a look at a selection of space-themed tin toys from a shop in Tokyo. I'll just let the pics speak for themselves:

 More after the jump: