2012: HAPPY YEAR OF THE WATER DRAGON! "Manda vs. Atragon" by Shigeru Komatsuzaki

Original Watercolor by the legendary Shigeru Komatsuzaki.

Classic Movie Art: BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE Columbia Pictures Insert Poster, 1960

アメリカ版『宇宙大戦争』のインサートポスター!


Artist, Unknown. 14" X 36". ©1959 Columbia Pictures Industries, Ltd.

THE ATRAGON STRIKES AGAIN! Aoshima's Diecast GFW Goten-go!!

新世紀合金 轟天号 ゴジラファイナルウォーズ版!


Retailers order form for the new GODZILLA FINAL WARS version.

Last October, Aoshima, under its "Miracle House" division, issued an amazing diecast replica of the Goten-go from Toho's ATRAGON (1963). As part of the "Shin Seiki Gokin" (or "New Century Alloy") line, this nearly 14" monster is not only predominantly diecast, unlike the line's previously issued Maser Cannons from THE WAR OF THE GARGANTUAS (1966), but it also boasts some of the same special features seen in the original film.

For starters, all of the bow and aft stabilizers, as well as the conning tower, retract into the hull of the ship, by spring-loaded manual operation, and button release. You can simulate the airborne juggernaut streaking through the sky to challenge the Mu Empire, or drilling through the very earth itself to reach the very heart of the enemy's power center. No other version of the Atragon released commercially boasts these features.

But, here comes the pièce de résistance, powered by three AAA batteries, the iconic bow drill actually operates, in both forward and reverse — and the battering ram at the tip also undulates. But, wait! There's more... The aft engine nozzles as well as the bottom lifting jets glow, very brightly, via LED bulbs. "Blinding" might be a better word. This amazing toy for big boys also comes in two editions, "Normal" and "Weathered" (which is a limited edition) — the former comes with one Mu Power Console and two Goten Task Force Soldiers in full gear.

Without question, Aoshima's achievement is, the greatest mass-market product based on this famous movie warship ever issued — hands down. Of course, that's my opinion, and I absolutely love the almighty Atragon (known in Japan as the "Goten-go") and the original Honda-Tsuburaya film. So, I was hoping that Aoshima would come up with another great "Toho Mecha" as a follow-up... I'm still undecided on what to make of this follow-up, hitting Japanese hobby shop shelves next month:

Is this déjà vu? No, it's the Goten-go from the opening scenes of GODZILLA FINAL WARS (2004). While they may look identically, superficially, to the non-fan, the revamped Goten-go features sharper, sweepback stabilizers, and a redesigned conning tower and deck guns. These are more blocky than the smoother, rounder tower and guns of Shigeru Komatsuzaki's original design — and I don't really care for this modern reworking.

As for the diecast itself, it has the same special features as the 1963 version issued by Aoshima last year, because it's virtually the same toy. The only differences are the aforementioned stabilizers, conning tower and guns. Everything else is the same, exact product. Now, if you're a completist (I gave that delusion up a long time ago), you're going to want to grab one of these puppies when it's released in September. As for me, it should come as no surprise that I will remain extremely content with the 1963 version.

And, contrary to that last statement, I will continue to look forward to newer. bigger and better versions of the original Atragon/Goten-go that will be released in the future. In the meantime, I still have that 32" vinyl kit from Paradise to build...

Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!


Aoshima's original 1963 diecast ATRAGON is the one to get!

• Aoshima's official Shin Seiki Gokin Toho Mecha webpage.
• CollectionDX's review of Aoshima's original Atragon with video.

宇宙大戦争 BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE (1959)

Tsuburaya prepares to shoot the Earth Forces' sortie to the Moon.

BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE
Uchu Daisenso (Toho, 1959), 90 minutes
Director ISHIRO HONDA • Director of Visual Effects EIJI TSUBURAYA

BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE opens with a shot of an evocative orbital space station, a title card pronouncing the year as "1965" — an odd date in retrospect, since we know that these advances did not come to pass (the first Moon landing still over a decade away). "Why 1965," one might ask? This is because the film is a loose sequel to THE MYSTERIANS (1957), and within that context, it makes perfect sense — the nations of the world dropped their petty hostilities to unite against a common foe, and were ultimately able to narrowly repel the invaders. In the eight years between the settings of THE MYSTERIANS and BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE, Mankind has absorbed the alien technology, and have advanced in science by leaps and bounds — and are just reaching out into space with these technological advancements.

Another confusing element for some viewers was that while a number of the characters from THE MYSTERIANS are carried over to this spectacle (both based on short stories by former test pilot-turned-science fiction writer, Jojiro Okami), the roles were cast with different actors (the original actors were unavailable when the production went into full swing). Most notably, Takashi Shimura (Kanbei in SEVEN SAMURAI) was replaced by Koreya Senda (GATE OF HELL) to essay "Dr. Adachi"; while the stunning Kyoko Anzai (TOKYO HOLIDAY) replaced Yumi Shirakawa (EARLY AUTUMN) as "Etsuko Shiraishi." BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE also features one of the largest non-Japanese supporting casts in a genre film, with Leonard Stanford (THEY WERE EXPENDABLE) stepping in for George Furness as "Dr. Richardson," while Harold Conway (TORA! TORA! TORA!) returned as "Dr. Immelman."

Even though the film lacks the presence of the great Takashi Shimura, it gained an intense performance from Yoshio Tsuchiya, who played "Rikichi" in SEVEN SAMURAI (1954), as the alien-enslaved "Yuichi Iwamura." Tsuchiya (b.1927) excelled in complex or tortured characters, and because of his acting prowess, was hand-picked for Kurosawa's ensemble of actors. Tsuchiya jumped at the chance to play the masked leader of the Mysterians, rather than play one of the human characters, despite the studio’s wishes, and continued to play roles as monsters or madmen in THE HUMAN VAPOR (1960), MATANGO (1963), MONSTER ZERO (1965) and DESTROY ALL MONSTERS (1968). Leading man, Ryo Ikebe (b. 1918), played "Ichiro Katsumiya," a top-billed leading man and renown actor who appeared in such films as Kaneto Shindo's PALE FLOWER (1964), and was still playing leading men well into his 40s. He also appeared in the science fiction films GORATH (1963) and THE WAR IN SPACE (1977).

Artist Shigeru Komatsuzaki (1915-2001), who conceived the iconic '50s spacecraft designs, also provided similar chores on THE MYSTERIANS, which refined by Art Director Akira Watanabe and his staff. Komatsuzaki would later go on to create one of the most memorable icons of science fiction cinema for ATRAGON (1963). BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE is one of the most action-oriented and miniature-filled of Toho's early special effects productions, trumping the vast majority of space pictures of the time, and Eiji Tsuburaya outdid himself in regards to the sheer number of effects scenes, especially during the final battle above the Earth — which floored audiences in 1959 — and can only be fully appreciated on the Big Screen, the way these films were meant to be seen.


Executive Producer TOMOYUKI TANAKA Original Story JOJIRO OKAMI Screenplay SHINICHI SEKIZAWA Production Design TERUAKI ABE Cinematography HAJIME KOIZUMI Film Editor KAZUJI TAIRA Music AKIRA IFUKUBE Sound Effects ICHIRO MINAWA Special Effects Production Design AKIRA WATANABE and SHIGERU KOMATSUZAKI Visual Effects Photography SADAMASA ARIKAWA Optical Photography HIDESABURO ARAKI

Starring RYO IKEBE (Major Ichiro Katsumiya) KYOKO ANZAI (Etsuko Shiraishi) KOREYA SENDA (Dr. Adachi) LEONARD STANFORD (Dr. Roger Richardson) HAROLD CONWAY (Dr. Immelman) YOSHIO TSUCHIYA (Yuichi Iwamura) HISAYA ITO (Kogure) NADAO KIRINO (Okada) ELSIE RITCHER (Sylvia) GEORGE WYMAN (Dr. Ahmed) ED KEANE (US General) and MINORU TAKADA (Defense Commander)

BATTLE IN OUTER SPACE plays with MOTHRA (1961) at Landmark's Clay Theater in San Francisco on March 20th as part of "Monsters of Mass Destruction: A Tribute to Eiji Tsuburaya" at 5:30 & 9:30 PM