Keshi Style "Alien Robot Superhero" Hard Plastic Unknowns

[space.trucks]

Still no clue what these are  -- Please sing out if you recognize any of the characters! Only clue is that the figures came in a massive estate "Lot" which had 1960 Marx Cape Canaveral vehicles, Operation Moonbase Vehicles, Marx/MPC space figures galore, and HG Toys Buck Rogers figures from 1979.

 

 

 

That drill arm reminds me of a diecast Shogun Warrior I had. The rest not as much. Just remember it had a drill for an arm.

 

 

 

 

A favorite. I love his color and how worn he is.

 

First one I've seen a mark on.

 

"ANTI" or "ANTE" ??

 

 

 

Edgar Winter like.

 

 

 

 

There's a few of this robot form though all either posed differently or cast in a different color/substance.

 

Resin mix?

 

 

 

 

 

Another favorite. The bundle had a 2nd in a tan pose which I stupidly offed.  Looks like an early Shogun Warrior design.

 

 

 

 

That looks like a mark -- Kanji type character mb?

[Andyman]

That's a wild assortment.

[Tinplate6]

I see a lot of Ultraman creatures in that bunch.

[space.trucks]

Here's another batch and I made sure to include some of the more outlandish examples. There's many many more.

 

 

???

 

 

 

Mom named this one Junior Birdman.

 

 

Another favorite.

 

Scorpion likely the same mark on the back of the green dude above.

 

 

 

Bunnyman = Creepy

 

 

An instant favorite. Love how he could stand to lose 20lbs.

 

 

Middle guy looks like the Great Cornholio and may be my favorite of them all.

 

 

Love Quetzalcoatl Guy

 

 

"SENIOR BEAVIS! GET BACK IN YOUR CLASSROOM NOW."

 

"Hehehehe ... Lake Titicaca ...."

[space.trucks]

Females. There's only six, so ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

???

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Andyman]

Women? Could be lovers of donuts.

[space.trucks]

6 hours ago, Andyman said:

Women? Could be lovers of donuts.

Nah man things are looking up around the Space Garage. That's what we call Rackage or Jugg Department. The tan gal is downright stacked. 

[ANZinSpace]

When I saw these I thought they might be vintage M.U.S.C.L.E men figures. Like those in these pictures. They were made by Mattel.

[space.trucks]

1 hour ago, ANZinSpace said:

When I saw these I thought they might be vintage M.U.S.C.L.E men figures. Like those in these pictures. They were made by Mattel.

Dude! Totally, yes those are like a more polished & mature softer friendlier version of the unknowns. Like maybe their owner took a job at Mattel and re-worked or updated the basic concepts? The collector I'd scored the set from (post estate) had LOTS of really good stuff from everywhere. Would not surprise me if he'd traded privately and had access that went beyond standard retail channels including obtaining "student work" or indie made toy pieces. I would be surprised to learn that they aren't related to what I have. The colors of the set on the bottom have the same kind of varied off-hues, and some of the more fantasy like poses have very similar details, the dude with the wings stands out especially as a re-working of them. The one with the six arms as well. I will look into this for sure -- Many thanks!!! 

[Andyman]

I really dig those goofy looking M.U.S.C.L.E. guys. May have to look into getting some of those sometime.

[ANZinSpace]

On 11/21/2019 at 4:13 PM, space.trucks said:

Dude! Totally, yes those are like a more polished & mature softer friendlier version of the unknowns. Like maybe their owner took a job at Mattel and re-worked or updated the basic concepts? The collector I'd scored the set from (post estate) had LOTS of really good stuff from everywhere. Would not surprise me if he'd traded privately and had access that went beyond standard retail channels including obtaining "student work" or indie made toy pieces. I would be surprised to learn that they aren't related to what I have. The colors of the set on the bottom have the same kind of varied off-hues, and some of the more fantasy like poses have very similar details, the dude with the wings stands out especially as a re-working of them. The one with the six arms as well. I will look into this for sure -- Many thanks!!! 

Actually the figures you've shown maybe be bootlegs of the original Kinkeshi figures which the Mattel figures were based on.

 

This site - https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/31625/brief-history-muscle-figures - has the following information -

 

For one, M.U.S.C.L.E. figures are made from very solid plastic. The Kinkeshi, as well as most bootlegs, use a rubbery plastic that gives them a bit more malleability. Genuine M.U.S.C.L.E.s also have a stamp on their backs: Y/S*N*T. This mark is actually a copyright code for Kinnikuman that breaks down like this:

Y = Yudetamago, the manga team behind Kinnikuman
S = Shueisha, the manga publishing company
N = NTV, the network that broadcast the anime series
T = Toei, the animation company behind the anime

 

So I could imagine that another company replaced YSNT with ANT and added the ant logo later when they made the copies or possibly reused the original molds.

[space.trucks]

12 hours ago, ANZinSpace said:

Actually the figures you've shown maybe be bootlegs of the original Kinkeshi figures which the Mattel figures were based on. 

 

This site - https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/31625/brief-history-muscle-figures - has the following information -

Exxxcellent (/Mr. Burns voice plugin). Bootlegs 'd be even better. A vast underground conspiracy to cheat Mattel out of earnings. I will enjoy digesting the information; I love having the toys but learning about them is even better. Here's more evidence. Was sitting with mom watching "American Pickers" hoping they found some previously undescribed Archer spacemen. It was just old cars though so, some pix aren't that sharp.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One of my favorites. Will mb effort a better pix.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Scorpion symbol again.

 

 

 

 

Mom's favorite  ;]

 

 

One of my favorite five or ten of them all. Pure "get this guy on medication pronto" insanity.

 

 

[space.trucks]

On 11/21/2019 at 1:31 AM, ANZinSpace said:

When I saw these I thought they might be vintage M.U.S.C.L.E men figures. Like those in these pictures. They were made by Mattel.

BINGO! Give that man a cigar, many many thanks for the lead. Finally had some time to run this suggestion past Google for an evening and got somewhere. If my understanding is correct the figures I am showing are likely not related to M.U.S.C.L.E. directly, but part of the larger universe of Kinkeshi or more specifically Keshi figures and perhaps an early hard plastic example of the form pre-dating M.U.S.C.L.E. (and a realm which I am completely unfamiliar with beyond Deiner erasers). They may also be really crude "bootleg" cottage craft examples made with whatever materials those who produced them used, possibly even made in Japan as the Keshi fad was sinking in & people couldn't get enough of them. The search led me to some active blogs on Keshi and M.U.S.C.L.E. which had examples more in step with the figures shown here, will run this thread by them and report back with whatever can be learned. BTW apologies if posting any which had already been shown, so many appear similar that it's proving difficult to keep track of em all.

 

A favorite of them all. Space Frog from the Moon Pool.

 

My favorite of the robot figures.

 

Pretty cool however you slice it. I like all the simian looking apeman figures.

 

A favorite, love the blend of plastic and the helmet almost identical to some of the M.U.S.C.L.E. type designs.

 

That signature again.

 

[space.trucks]

I think I scored me a M.U.S.C.L.E. figure? turned up in a Lot acquisition. The other two definitely not but I like the more plain one in tan looking all glum. Black gargoyle type is stiff plastic, the other two flexible.

 

 

 

I like the helmet & fur boots. Soft flexible material.