Geoff's Superheroes, Space and other incredible Toys: Capitaine Flam

Showing posts with label Capitaine Flam. Show all posts

Thursday, November 28, 2024

Oh no you didn't !

Capitan Futuro, Mattel, 1980, Italy

This is the pinacle of cost-cutting design in the story of Italian toy-making. You take the surplus of previous diecast success (Goldrake), change head and torso, keep the rest, restyle, repaint and voilà...

I agree that Popy's figurine had it all wrong due to the lack of details and wrong colours, but this is on another level. Mary Shelley beware ! You have some serious competition !

Tuesday, July 16, 2024

The Fariboles Captain Flam statue

Capitaine Flam 1/6th scale,
Fariboles Productions, France, 2024

I think it will be very, very difficult to outdo this one... see more about it here.

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

Captain's friends

Mala, HLA Pro, China, 2023

Grag, HLA Pro, China, 2023

French box-art

Thursday, November 2, 2023

... or Captain Future

Capitaine Flam, HL PRO, China,
2023

Finally a (big) toy with the correct colours

... and the famous "F" belt !

Capitaine Flam / Captain Future was yet another one of these cartoons that made a generation stay in front of their TV day after day. Especially since a whole story spread over 4 episodes each - which gives a choice of character development that other series did not have.

Detail of his atomic watch

See more about the pulp hero by Sci-Fi writer Edmond Hamilton and the anime here.

Alter Ego ? Curtis Newton

Cool box !

Tuesday, May 26, 2020

Paper planes ? Nope - styrofoam spaceships !

Colors are hard to print on styrene !

This is a strange Comet...only 1 wing!

Outer Space Gliders, Taiwan, 1980's

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Don't know what to play during Corona ?

Capitaine Flam game, MB, Ireland, 1980

There are cards and spinners...

Thursday, April 25, 2019

The new Metaltech Cosmoliner

Cosmoliner (Comet) Metaltech 11, HLJ Pro, China, 2018

Well ! It took about 40 years to have a truecolour replica of Captain Future's main ship, the Cosmoliner (Comet or Cyberlabe in French) - but finally it is here ! And it has shooting missiles also in the wings ! Sweet !

With Popy counterpart...

They are about the same in length !

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

Capitaine Flam / Captain Future dimestore bootleg ?

Not a lot to say here, except that Picasso had his "période bleue" and our Captain has his "période rouge"... Looks like he stepped in molten lava... They just took the mold of the Popy toy, guns, watch and all and... voilà...

Captain Future, ? (bootleg), TAIWAN, ?

Saturday, November 4, 2017

And another holy grail ! The Ceji Capitaine Flam !

Capitaine Flam (Captain Future), CEJI Arbois, Hong Kong

There have been 2 Mego sized dolls made of Captain Future in the 80ies when the cartoon came out. The boxed Italian Mattel version (see here) and the carded French CEJI version.

The CEJI version was based on the same body used for Go Nagai's "Actarus / Duke Fleed / Daisuke Umon" and "Alcor / Kabuto Kōji" dolls, which were quite a sales success during the "Goldorak" years in France. The "Capitaine Flam" doll, unfortunately, was not as widely distributed or produced as the Goldorak dolls, which makes it quite hard to find.

Detail (face and torso)... you still could see the old logo of
TF1 on the card...

Furthermore, the main issue with these dolls (both the Goldorak ones and this Capitaine Flam) was the quality of the plastic/rubber used for the joints and the hands, which crumbled in fine dust. This means that it is next to impossible to find one today that has not had to be restored at some point (like this one). For you out there that have one in pieces, I recommend the book "La Clinique du Pr. Kelp Tome 1" (see bibliography - ISBN 2-35250-007-9 - pg. 22-29) where they explain how to make new joints and new molds for the hands.

The torso, belt and
guns are quite realistic !

If you compare this image to the toy, the colors have been well
respected ! Much more so than the Mattel version.

Saturday, January 28, 2017

Capitaine Flam - Future or Futuro ?

Capitaine Flam mask, César, France, 1980's

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Save the universe - eat potato chips / crisps

Before the European Community went bezerk regarding toys in food packages, it was common to have a little surprise in potato chips packs. The Italians, well, they went premium with this figurine of Capitan Futuro. Assemble limbs to body and voilá... ready to play.

Capitan Futuro, Sorpresina Patatine PAI, Italy, 1980's

The nice thing is they respected the correct colors of the figurine (sorry Popy !) and the figurine has a lot of detailing for something that was given for free.

Thursday, May 16, 2013

Where is your Rolex, Captain ?

Captain Future watch, Industria Argentina
("El Reloj del Capitan Futuro"), ?

Sometimes it is not really easy to put a date on a toy. This watch came from Argentina and has the Captain Future logotype. It seems too new to be vintage from the 80ies though...Since no watch was made in Europe (or I think even in Japan) it is quite an interesting toy since Captain Future had indeed a watch that could hypnotize his enemies...

Monday, March 18, 2013

Flexy Capitan Futuro

Rubberface is quite close to the cartoon...

Capitaine Flam lalalá.... Or Captain Future/Capitan Futuro for all the rest of you... Even though Ceppi Rati made all the flexies for other figurines in Italy, Mattel got the rights on the serie so our Captain came out with Mattel packaging, quite similar to the other (Big Jim and Diecast) designs...

I have 2 hairdryers on my belt !

Capitan Futuro, Mattel, 1980, Italy