Selections From the Alt Vault
Stardate: December 2008. Somewhere in the suburbs of Washington DC. Pawing through the detritus of a childhood gloriously misspent poring over the catalogs of import toy stores, I stumble across buried treasure in my parents' basement: "Battcom" toys! I'd completely forgotten about the existence of these things, let alone the fact that I owned them. The discovery stirs hazy recollections of my pals and I ordering them from the late, lamented "Pony Toy Go-Round" back in junior high.
Released by Tomy in 1985, these two-inch high plastic figures hurl serrated discs at tiny buildings that are rigged to "explode" on contact. (Above, a groovy photo from a vintage advertisement.) The spring mechanisms are primed for satisfyingly eye-damaging velocities, and the discs are the perfect size to choke on. Battcom isn't just a child safety hazard. It's pure, unadulterated Japanese toy genius.
Packaged both in playsets and individually on blister cards, these little babies were marketed as a "battle diorama game" that was undoubtedly just the thing for blowing off some steam after a hard day at cram school. I found my old Ultraman, Godzilla, and Baltan Seijin. But as far as I've been able to determine, Tomy also released an Ultraman Taro, King Ghidora, Rodan, Gamera, and who knows what else. The little voices in my toy closet are telling me that if I don't find all of them by the end of the year, 2009 will be an utter failure. Time to hit Nakano Broadway.
That's awesome! It's like my old favorite childhood game "Crossbows and Catapults" but with Japanese characters.
Posted by: NekroDave | January 04, 2009 at 11:15 AM
I remember those in one of Pony's catalogs! (Especially that great color one they put out. I think I still have that one...)
Lately I've been inspired to hit YahooJP and see if I can pick up all the silly little things I saw in catalogs back then but couldn't get. At least, the ones that aren't insanely valuable now...
Posted by: AcroRay | January 04, 2009 at 12:52 PM
Having thrown out mine ages and ages ago, I would be eternally in your debt if you could scan a few pages from that catalog!
Posted by: Matt Alt | January 04, 2009 at 02:00 PM
Good grief man what other kinds of goodies are hidden away in your house?
I'll have to go up there and check! :-)
Posted by: ChrisM | January 05, 2009 at 01:39 AM
Ohh man, Pony Toy-go-round! I bought my first six or so SD Gundams from there! I remember one issue had some sort of Ultraseven helmet that I was always curious about. Nice selection and decent prices overall.
If only they were around when The Internet was invented, they might still be here now. Who can say?
Posted by: Davecat | January 05, 2009 at 02:57 AM
Matt - I'll check and see if I still have that particular Pony catalog. (A know I removed the color Zoids pages and passed them on to another collector a few years ago.) If I do, I'll scan 'em for you!
- AcroRay
Posted by: AcroRay | January 06, 2009 at 02:45 AM
You have no idea the amount of crap that lurks in our parents' basement. And in our childhood rooms, for that matter.
Posted by: Matt's Sister | January 08, 2009 at 06:23 AM