View unanswered posts | View active topics It is currently Tue Dec 03, 2024 6:13 pm



Reply to topic  [ 2 posts ] 
Belletts in Ultra Seven Episode 28 
Author Message

Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2008 10:05 am
Posts: 543
Location: 12,450 miles away from the Big Warehouse in Melbourne
Reply with quote
The forum topic divisions are not working well with the way my mind works, so I end up apologizing for misplacing a new thread. I am going on the idea that this is part of the historical popular culture in Japanese television, which relates it to brochures and magazine articles. If I am guessing wrong, sumimasen deshita.

It has always been a mystery to me that many of the Isuzu car club car shows have an honored guest, a Batman looking car from the Ultraman television show. I may have finally figured out this relationship in the course of researching the Isuzu Sports Car Club.

Strangely enough, searching for "Isuzu Sports Car Club" brings up a lot of pages about the Ultraman television show. We only got one of the many series of this show translated into English and on the US broadcast. The best I understand is the Earth Defense Force, wearing bright orange uniforms and white open face helmets with big clear visors, encounters alien invaders, and one of the team members turns into a 40 foot tall silver man who makes and L shape with his hands and shoots rays to kill the huge monsters he is fighting.

The ISCC link to Ultraman goes specifically to the Ultra Seven series, Episode 28, entitled "Drive Swiftly Along 700 Kilometers". This is dated 1967-1968. It seems the Earth Defense Force members are under cover as part of the Isuzu Sports Car Club, and are entered in an African Rally Race across the Sahara Desert. Something about investigating a shipment of weapons.

Image
The aliens seem to be using some kind of dinosaur tank, it's a lizard on top with tracks instead of legs, you can't make stuff like this up.

Image
It looks like there are two Belletts, a Sedan, car number 3 with four headlight grille.

Image
And a GT, car number 7, with two headlight grille.

Image
The GT seems to be the "hero car" equipped with a levitation or flight device (not really a balloon, just looks like a small balloon) and lasers.

Image
Someone tracked down the locations, this one outside a museum.

Image
Car 3 outside the same museum.

Image
Looking like race car drivers at the track.

Image
Race footage.

This might also explain why Tomica makes a "Isuzu Sports Car Club Truck" that looks like a little delivery truck...

If nothing else, this ranks as one of the most ingenious product placement advertisements ever, to get Isuzu cars into what would become an insanely cult classic television show. So much so that the references to the television show dwarfs the references to the actual ISCC racing history, even forty years later.


Tue Aug 11, 2009 1:46 am
Profile
User avatar

Joined: Thu Sep 11, 2008 9:15 am
Posts: 1991
Car(s): 1965 Wasp, 1966 Bellett, 1967 Bellett, 1969 Florian, 1973 Bellett GTR, 1976 Buick Opel by Isuzu, 1978 Gemini van
Reply with quote
That is just amazing.

That special-effect with the balloon is pretty good; I mean, it's impossible to tell it's a model! These guys must have been consulting the BBC book of special effects!

Good work!

_________________
My latest automotive articles and original content shared here:

https://www.facebook.com/garageofawesome

Street Machine! Unique Cars! Awesome!


Tue Aug 11, 2009 6:22 am
Profile WWW
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Reply to topic   [ 2 posts ] 

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 1 guest


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Search for:
Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group
Designed by ST Software for PTF.