Captain Harlock toy page

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(la page officieuse des jouets sur Albator)

Welcome !

For all of you down there on planet earth, here is a list of toys made from

Leiji Matsumoto's epic space pirate !

This list is certainly not complete, and collecting Harlock toys has been a quest I have followed for years. For every Harlock item I could find for my collection, at least 500 Darth Vader items showed up ! Talking about guys with capes !

I am building my collection on an European basis, so most of the toys you will see are French or Italian versions. I don't know if the Japanese versions are different, but I certainly would love to have more information (and pictures) on the subject. I am also looking for new additions to my collection (and my web page), so if you have nice stuff you would like to sell or exchange for non-harlock toys, consider giving me a try ! (mailto:geoffreypeeters@hotmail.com)

Like always, click on the thumbnail to get the bigger one ...

This is the original, the one and only you should try to find ! It is also one of the worst toys I have ever had in my collection. It falls into pieces as soon as you even dare to breath on it ! Because of that problem, a lot of these dolls don't have their original bodies (Action Joe - Ceji toys Hong Kong) anymore, they are rebuild on Action Man (GI Joe) plastic muscle. Beware when you buy one ! Otherwise, for a vintage toy, it is a beauty !

	Here another view. I really think the Medicom is nice (in background), but it is not the same thing !
	NEW ! Here is the Medicom version out of the box. Metal weapons and head sculpture are particulary well made - and the body does not fall appart when you play with it (by the way, the body used by Medicom has more points of articulation than any other doll I have owned - it is great if you want to give the captain some poses for dioramas or pictures !)

Another "Holy Grail", this is a 16 inch version made in Italy by a company named Fabianplastica. It has a foam body, celluloid head and real hair. I'll have to find a Barbie hairbrush to get this guy's scalp where it belongs (on the front of his face !)

See what I mean ? This is what happens when Harlock wants to sing with The Cure !

Also from Italy, this is the Atlantic version of the good-ones. A box with a bunch of grey (or brown ; I know at least two versions exist) little plastic men you had to paint all by yourself. This box came also packaged in a bigger gift box with the Illuminas (Sylvidres) set. It looks like a moon base with craters and two buildings connected by a plastic transparent tube. Very weird !

Here you have the bad-ones, all in their green plastic bodies ! These are really great reproductions ! One of my friends (eh oui Laurent Engelen !) painted one for me in the real colors and the effect was stunning. There is a third box containing parts to build a plastic Arcadia. I am still looking for it, and it is supposed to be one of the tough ones to find, even in Italy. (by the way, if you have two... !)

Yes, this is the remo... Sorry ! Sonic controlled Arcadia. Great toy, drives like a buldozer and shoots discs to whoever is in the neighbourhood. Cats and dogs beware ! Mine came in the Ceji - Joustra box, but the toy itself is Japanese (the instructions and decals are French - Albator).

This is the Japanese box for the same toy

And the Japanese decall sheet and accessories !

Another Joustra toy, this is the Aviscoupe Pneumatique. The air in the central tower of the ship is used to shoot missiles and the small rocket ship. Much safer than any spring-system, the missiles do not go very far, believe me !

Another picture of these beautifull ships, with their boxes.

Did you know that the original 12 inch Harlock even had a wardrobe ? This is it. If I continue, I'll be hooked to Barbies pretty soon ! Notice that the gun in the holster (the Cosmodragoon) is the same one that came with the original figurine. Note that the box does not refer to Albator at all. A good way to avoid paying royalties to the author ? You bet !

Italy again, but these dudes were sold all over Europe ! I know three to exist, and here they are, with an original box at the right. If you find a Harlock, always check to see if he has his long gun on him (that piece is easy to loose)

Get on time to school with Harlock ! This is a good way not to oversleep ! The clock is a basic wind-up thing, but the funny part is that Harlock's head moves left to right with the seconds. Manufacturer is the French clock company Bayard. (they made similar clocks for Grandizer - Goldorak and Ulysses 31)

This is a small diecast version of the Aviscoupe in a French Ceji box. Parts have magnetic attachments. The toy itself reads TAKARA, Japan.You'll see next to it a rubber Harlock figurine. It has A2 markings (A2 is the TV broadcaster that showed the series in France, back in 1979) A 12 inch version of that rubber toy also exists.

	Here is the spec-sheet for the Takara magnetic Arcadia. It comes with a magetic "tank" that could be attached at the underside of the ship.
	NEW ! This is one of the nicest Harlock toys around - The Takatoku "lighted" Arcadia. It has it all, moveable red transparent guns, retractable landing gear, back hatch, ...
	NEW ! And in all its splendor - it even has a moonbase... But it does not stop here ! When you put the Arcadia on this thing - and two little AA bateries in the base - the ship's nose and cannons light up like Rudolf the Reindeer... Beautifull !!! An absolute must have for the Japanese diecast collector. It iis a good example of what companies like Takara and Takatoku were able to produce at the time...

Here some moderrn stuff. The doll at the left is the Medicom one, the ship at the right is the large repro kit of the Arcadia as seen in the "Arcadia of my youth" anime. The press-book of that same movie is in front of both toys.

No, this is NOT the resin kit. Well, it is, but factory hand-painted and with a limited edition of 100 pieces for the French market. It has a bronze plaque with Albator written on it and a number (from 1 to 100). I heard a similar figurine will be released on the American market as well, but with Harlock markings.

If you are not impressed with the charm of the toys, this is what you should get ! I don't know of any better looking figurine.

Hey, you, yes you ! Wanna fight ?

Takara again, these were the smallest available versions of Harlock's ships. Originally sold in boxes (Japan-Italy) and blisters (France), the Arcadia was pretty fun to play with because it had two removable tops (a normal, yellow turret and some kind of silver spaceship). The Aviscoupe, in the background, had removable guns.

Italian box of the small Arcadia toy by Takara - here you can see the decall sheet

This is the ad for the new figurines of Harlock - Queen Esmeraldas serie, based on a new anime by Matsumoto. The toys are made in China BUT REALLY LOOK GREAT ! It is nice to have a figurine of Harlock that is dressed in something different, and Esmeralda looks superb. Also, it is the only set I know of that has the Toshiro figurine included. Company is JESNET (Japan Entertainment Software Sales Network). A limited figurine of Esmeralda will come out from the same manufacturer with a black costume instead of her purple one, and a video tape of the new serie.

Also a new toy, these two Arcadia's were prizes at the UFO catcher, a Japanese coin machine that grabs prizes for kids. A funny thing : they float on water ! (just like real pirate ships, but then, what is the point of designing a space vessel ??????)

	Here you have the new resin versions of the Cosmodragoon, which will come out soon in two different versions (one Harlock and one Galaxy Express) sculpted by Tanaka.
	NEW ! HeY, do you like stuffed toys ? What about these ? They don't only look cute - but they are very cool too ! Banpresto made these in the early 90's. The original set had 8 pieces.
	NEW ! Here is the rest of the bunch - with the locomotive. There was also a passenger car in the set (not pictured, but hey, if you have one extra !). All of these have strings for Christmas-tree duty.
	NEW ! Did you know there were actualy ACTION FIGURINES of Harlock ? No ? Me neither, 'till I saw these on the internet. This is Harlock himself. These are really splendid, with realistic weapons, belts and real fabric clothing. I missed this one, but the picture is still here for keeps.
	NEW ! Here is Nausicaa (Sorry, don't know her name in Japanese or English !) Once again - beautifull toy with rooted hair and the only version I know of her, except for the rubber ones- that is. Note Matsumoto's signature on the card - isn't this cool ? What I really like is the fact that you can take the bubble away - play with the toy, and put her back in - as the bubble covers the whole card and can be slided away from it. Why are Star Wars cards not made like this ?
	NEW ! This is Harlock's robot - if anyone has a name to put on him - give me a call ! You didn't see him much in the serie, though. He was not at all present in the Albator 84 serie - but you could see him a couple of times in the blue Arcadia, when Harlock was fighting the Sylvidres. He quite looks the same as the robot from Starblazers - so beware and get the correct one !
	NEW ! This toy is quite obscure - it is a "Floating" magnetic figurine. The plastic figurine is the same as the ones you can find in the Takara "launcher" boxes (Ceji got these out under their brand name) but I have no idea if these were sold "as is" or if they were part of a playset. Anybody there knowing something more about it ? and Yes... there is a magnet in the base and an oposite magnet in the transporter... any more questions how this thing works ?
	NEW ! This is a smaller, rubber figurine on card. These were made presumably in Italy. I found following ones : Harlock, Ramis (the Vallente boy), reine Sylvidra (Illuminadas), Docteur Zero (the doctor) and Nausicaa (see above). It has the A2 logo, refering to the channel that first aired the episodes in France.
	NEW ! Another nice toy from the Italian boot - a flying Harlock. Could it be that such a nice figurine got stuck in a tree in your neighborhood for the last 25 years ? You better go out and check immediately !

That's it for now, but I'll work on this page as my collection evolves. By the way, these toys ARE NOT for sale (some of them are not even mine !), but just out there on the web for your personal information.