But I digress. The recent frenzy for Japanese diecast toys has led a certain type of collector off in search of greener pastures. The prices of well-known stuff has gone through the roof, so those with a taste for adventure have begun to head out to the boonies of collectorville. Eschewing a high-priced meal of Popy, they stop for a moment to lap at the bountiful --and often cheaper-- pool of obscurity that contains such unloved stock as Ark, Takemi, or Sakura. And when the going gets rough, these pioneers often feast upon the untamed barbarian wilds of "non-character diecast" -- that is, diecast toys that were original, in-house creations and not based on licensing. Nakajima's UFO and Shinsei's UFO Commander 7 are such delicacies. Join me for a taste, won't you?

"UFO Commander 7" is the name of an all-but-unknown toy line made by an all-but-unknown toy company called Shinsei. Even in the wake of the Japanese die-cast feeding frenzy of the late '90s, Shinsei remains obscure -- unknown and unloved even by die-hard collectors. Shinsei first made a name for themselves in the mid-Seventies, producing a series of highly detailed toys of real-life construction equipment and other heavy vehicles. Packaged "Grip" style (a clear plastic box atop a cardboard base), Shinsei's diecast "Mini Power" series of cars and trucks are similar to contemporary Dinky and Corgi toys. With this kind of background in manufacturing quality diecast pieces, it was only natural that Shinsei decided to try and divert a bit of the cash flowing into the pockets of character-toy makers.

For whatever reason (and probably because they lacked the resources to compete head-to-head for top licenses), Shinsei decided to step out on that delightful path-less-traveled: making their own toys that SEEMED character-themed, but were actually totally original. And just as with Nakajima's famed "Astro-Mu" experiments of the mid-seventies, throwing off the chains of designing around a set character resulted in some truly charming toys. The original series of UFO Commander 7 toys includes:

• Jeek Tunnelin: a tank-like vehicle with a nasty toothed cylinder on the front
• Brain III: a comical robot capable of transforming into an egg-shaped ball
• Vulcan I" a very Popy-esque five inch high robot
• Blue Silver: a cool missile-firing UFO
• Shovel-Ripper: a missile-launcher-festooned steam shovel
• Dozer-Bucketer: yet another spacy piece of construction equipment.

What's even better for collectors, however, is the fact that these six pieces were also released in the United States -- although they're hardly remembered by anyone.

In the early '80s, a company called Empire Toys began methodically releasing all of Shinsei's UFO Commander series under a new name: "Star Mites." Empire not only released the original six UFO pieces but apparently managed to get the rights to Yonezawa's Astekaizer series as well -- and mixed and matched parts from both series to create a set of bizarre mutations as well.

Over the course of the past year, Nakajima has risen to become the darling stepchild of Popy in many a desperate collector's eye. That's why it was such a shock to run across Nakajima's UFO series: not only was it YET ANOTHER all-original Nakajima creation (what IS it with these guys, anyway?), but it was even SOLD DIRECTLY IN THE USA back in the 'Eighties.

Yep, the ubiquitous Marukai Trading Company, which usually restricted itself to simple importation and distribution, actually repackaged an sold a run of these diecasts in English packaging. They even included a helpfully untranslated little Nakajima catalog in the boxes as well.

The line was small (only four pieces), and the names were simple:

• UFO No. 1
• UFO No. 2
• UFO No. 3
• UFO Secret Base

The Japanese versions of the toys are identical to the American releases. The main difference is the Japanese packaging came with little pamphlets filled with a dialog between two "UFO maniac" kids describing, in obsessive and disturbing detail, the completely made-up science behind the UFOs, their mission, and flight patterns. The names of the pieces in Japan are expanded as well:

• UFO 1 Cigar-Type Carrier
• UFO 2 Dome-Type Patrol Craft
• UFO 3 Adamski-Type Attack Craft.

Flying saucers are so simple, so universally groovy, that it's no surprise that other companies got in on the act. It might take an entire engineering department to crank out a quality robot toy, but any schmoe with a pulse and a protractor could design a near-featureless metal disk.

The prolific nature of Japanese toy manufacturers in the 70's and 80's virtually guarantees that other vintage flying-saucer diecast pieces still await discovery. Where are Scully and Mulder when you need them? Just keep your eyes peeled and repeat to yourself: "the toys are out there." Happy hunting!

-- M.A.