Saturday, June 29, 2024

Rarities - Italian Jet Man (Slipstream) Bootleg

The Italian Jet Man figure was one of those things that was long rumoured, but never really confirmed for a long time.  In the past decade or so, though, the figure has finally come out of hiding with loose and boxed versions actually being available.  As to how or why an Italian toy company got to release a red version of Slipstream, though,  remains an absolute mystery.  But, this figure exists and is one of those bizarre oddities that dot the periphery of the collecting landscape.

To me, this figure very much looks like the body of a A-Wing fighter pilot from the Star Wars line.  The colors really show how close the pilot mold is to that of the original Star Wars designs.  Were this guy in orange, he's be a dead ringer for X-Wing pilots, too.  So, I guess the coloring of the original Slipstream is a testament to how overt copyright infringement can be avoided.

There are other European bootlegs that are based on Slipstream.  So, I don't know if this company got access to the Hasbro mold for Slipstream.  Or, if they just copied it.  You can see a cheapness to the figure's face.  But, that may just be the paint masks that were used.

The figure includes a red rifle that originated in one of the Joe knock lines of the mid 1980's.  I think it was Galoob who first produced it.  But, I may be mistaken on that.  Regardless, as a kid, I didn't much care for this rifle at all.  For some reason, it just looked cheap and I always associated it with lazy rip offs of official G.I. Joe weapons.

Jet Man is one of those weird items whose existence is baffling.  How did such an obscure company get ahold of such an obscure mold to use for a toy?  And, if they made their own mold, why did they choose Slipstream?  The upside is that this is an incredibly oddball release for collectors to track down.


Italian Jet Man, Slipstream, Bootleg

Italian Jet Man, Slipstream, Bootleg

Italian Jet Man, Slipstream, Bootleg

Italian Jet Man, Slipstream, Bootleg

4 comments:

  1. Never heard of this,
    Not Slipstream's arms or legs, whose are they? I used to be better at that sort of thing.
    That gun goes back to at least Gen. Patch, though it might be a pseudo-knockoff of a Mattel Heroes in Action weapon. It's actually based on an M60.

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  2. The arms look like Airtight's, while the legs are a definite mystery--in fact, the thighs and ankles look like they come from two different figures.

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    1. Agreed. The uppers are plain on both sides . Only one I can think without something on either side is snow serpent. Everybody else had straps, pouches, gun, or knife. I guess it could be the two uppers from two different figures. The arms are definitely airtight. The lower legs look like cobra officer

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  3. Slipstream got Rednoked? I kinda dig it.

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