Pilot Mach GoGoGo (Speed Racer) pocket pens

[PithyProlix]

Mach GoGoGo - called Speed Racer in the US - was 1960s anime. It, along with Ultraman, was my favorite Saturday morning TV fare when I was very young. Pilot made a series of "Short" pens with the number of the main character's racing car, called the Mach 5, and a chequered flag on their caps. 

 

Does anyone know of any colors besides these? I haven't seen green or purple elsewhere.

 

 

These had a 'dart' shaped nib, like many other Pilot Shorts, as well as some full-length Pilot models, of the time. Richard Binder claims they have a 14k gold nib - they are not labelled as such and I haven't disassembled to verify but they certainly look gold.

 

For anyone interested in minutiae about the ones in my collection:

• Pink, green, teal, light blue, and black seem to be identical, save the colors, of course. (Most of the gold paint has worn off the "P" logo on the black one's clip.) The sticker that goes with these is pictured on top. (The stickers have fallen off all those pens, likely due to Thailand's humidity.) All these have champagne-colored anodized caps. Note the "PILOT" logo on their caps. 
• The red one has a silver-colored anodized cap and no "PILOT" logo. The clip attaches higher on the cap than the others. There is a sticker on the back on the cap indicating 1000 JPY.
• The purple one has a longer barrel than the others. Also note the "PILOT" logo. Its cap is champagne-color anodized. The clip attaches higher on the cap than the others, except for the red pen: the clip is slightly lower than the one on the red pen. The middle line of the sticker is hard to read in the photo - it is "YS50".
• I also have the shelf display box. It goes with the shorter, champagne cap pens. It has generic Pilot graphics- nothing Mach GoGoGo, unfortunately. It's a bit messed up but I can include photos if you are interested.

[inkstainedruth]

I remember the show but only that I watched it, not any of the storylines.

Of course, now -- after seeing your photo -- I WANT one! 

And of course just checked eBay and found nothing....  What are the nibs on these?

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[Penguincollector]

  This is such a cute series of pocket pens! They look like fun. Can we see a nib? I remember the theme song more than anything, but I did watch Speed Racer, Voltron, and Robotech as a kid. 

[PJS_prog]

Speed Racer, Ultraman, and Johnny Sokko were Can't-Miss-TV when I was a kid in the '70s.

[inkstainedruth]

I wasn't allowed to watch a lot of TV as a kid -- especially anime, because my mother claimed that one of them -- Astroboy -- gave my brother nightmares (although, in retrospect, apparently the title character got his powers from smoking cigarettes! -- so that might have been the REAL reason).  And when I was a little older, we were watching some other one where there was a scene where some evil Punch and Judy puppet was directing others to commit crimes and my mom walked in and completely freaked and made us turn it off IMMEDIATELY.  I don't even remember what the show was (it might have been 8th Man, but IMDB only lists one episode of that) and of course was never allowed to watch it again -- SIMPLY because it was "Japanese animation".... 

Ruth Morrisson aka inkstainedruth

[PithyProlix]

10 hours ago, inkstainedruth said:

What are the nibs on these?

 

Peyton Street Pens has some good photos of one they sold: https://www.peytonstreetpens.com/pilot-5-pocket-fountain-pen-1970s-pink-pearl-gp-fine-nib-excellent-works-well.html

[PithyProlix]

8 hours ago, PJS_prog said:

Speed Racer, Ultraman, and Johnny Sokko were Can't-Miss-TV when I was a kid in the '70s.

 

We didn't have Johnny Sokko in Atlanta! Actually, this is the first time I've even heard of it ...

[mke]

7 hours ago, PithyProlix said:

 

Peyton Street Pens has some good photos of one they sold: https://www.peytonstreetpens.com/pilot-5-pocket-fountain-pen-1970s-pink-pearl-gp-fine-nib-excellent-works-well.html

on that page it says: FINE gold plated nib - but it really looks like gold

 

Ask Jerry Yu, he might have seen some.

[PithyProlix]

1 hour ago, mke said:

on that page it says: FINE gold plated nib - but it really looks like gold

 

Ask Jerry Yu, he might have seen some.

 

Jerry has a few of these. What are you suggesting he be asked?

[Number99]

58 minutes ago, PithyProlix said:

 

Jerry has a few of these. What are you suggesting he be asked?

Sent PM with link to private pen disassembly image with exposed nibs. (I can't put the link here due to copyright issues.)

For reference, the first broadcast on TV was in 1967- 1968, and it is highly likely that the pen was also released during the broadcast period. This is the same year that the Pilot Elite Short went on sale.

 

Edited December 28, 2024 by Number99

[PithyProlix]

16 hours ago, Number99 said:

Sent PM with link to private pen disassembly image with exposed nibs. (I can't put the link here due to copyright issues.)

For reference, the first broadcast on TV was in 1968, and it is highly likely that the pen was also released during the broadcast period. This is the same year that the Pilot Elite Short went on sale.

 

Thanks @Number99.

 

EDIT: At this link is a photo of the nib and feed from a dissembled section. It's a teal version that seems to match my red pen. 

https://jp.mercari.com/item/m40995628060

[Number99]

53 minutes ago, PithyProlix said:

I don't understand Mercari's copyright policy so I will play dumb and hotlink the image here. It's from this listing: https://jp.mercari.com/item/m40995628060

 

 

 I forgot to look at the nib date codes. Apparently they may have become popular from reruns of the anime.

 

Detailed description of this anime in Japan.

Wikipedia Japanese version.

https://ja.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/マッハGoGoGo

 

P.S.

The Bank of Japan kept gold in stable circulation at the official price until the liberalization of gold imports in 1973, and estimates that the price of 550 JPY is also a benefit of the low official price.

 

Edited December 28, 2024 by Number99

[mke]

9 hours ago, PithyProlix said:

What are you suggesting he be asked?

Your question if there are other colors. But as you seem to be in contact with him, I guess you asked already.

[PithyProlix]

3 hours ago, mke said:

Your question if there are other colors. But as you seem to be in contact with him, I guess you asked already.

 

He has no other colors. Neither did Richard Binder when I asked a few months ago. 

[PithyProlix]

11 hours ago, Number99 said:

I forgot to look at the nib date codes. Apparently they may have become popular from reruns of the anime.

 

Can you make out the 2nd to last digit? To me, it mostly looks like a "6" - 1969 is the year following the end of the original broadcast period - I would guess that it was still very popular in Japan. To me, the other possibility is an "8" but I would be very surprised if Pilot was making a Short in 1989. 

 

Given the lack of the "PILOT" logo on the cap and the high clip attachment point, this pen on Mercari seems to match my red pen, which has a 1000 JPY price tag. My others are not marked with a price but the model number - YS50 - indicates a 500 JPY price. I think this Mercari pen & my red pen are a later version. 

 

By the way, I started watching it in the US, overdubbed in English and named "Speed Racer", circa 1970-1971 (yeah, I am a bit old...). I don't know when it started showing in the US or if I was watching reruns when I first started watching it.

[PithyProlix]

Another thing:

 

Both this Mercari pen and my red pen lack converters. My red pen appears to be mint, unused. All my others have converters and, except for one of those, they appeared to be mint, unused, when I purchased them.

 

Note that it is generally unusual to find vintage Pilot Shorts - or any other Japanese pocket pens - with converters. In my experience, the one exception are a series of colorful Sailors with steel nibs. Can it be inferred that school pens in Japan at the time were more likely to come with converters? 

[Number99]

4 hours ago, PithyProlix said:

Can it be inferred that school pens in Japan at the time were more likely to come with converters? 

If there is no Japanese yen price tag sticker, I assume that the lot is an export lot to a region where cartridge ink is difficult to obtain. I know this is a leap of faith, but I suspect that the reason the entire box was left behind was a mismatch between the product and the price tag sticker...

If it was a mistake that occurred at the wholesaler's warehouse and not at the pilot's warehouse, it would explain the variation in the product.

 

On 12/27/2024 at 9:36 PM, PithyProlix said:

I also have the shelf display box. It goes with the shorter, champagne cap pens. It has generic Pilot graphics- nothing Mach GoGoGo, unfortunately. It's a bit messed up but I can include photos if you are interested.

Does the display box have Japanese text?

 

Edited December 29, 2024 by Number99
Correction of mistranslation.

[PithyProlix]

5 hours ago, Number99 said:

Does the display box have Japanese text?

 

Just on labels that are used to seal the box.

 

 

 

 

Is "DOZ" (meaning dozen) used in Japan?

 

BTW, here's the inside of the box - as you can see the paper for the slots is messed up.

 

 

 

[PithyProlix]

22 hours ago, Number99 said:

For reference, the first broadcast on TV was in 1967- 1968, and it is highly likely that the pen was also released during the broadcast period. This is the same year that the Pilot Elite Short went on sale.

 

BTW, I believe the first Elite Short - the "Elite S" - was in 1964.

 

Also BTW, Richard Binder shows Mach GoGoGo pens that lack the "PILOT" logo on the cap and claims they were made in 1970.

http://www.richardspens.com/ref/profiles/pocket_pens.htm#:~:text=GoGoGo (That URL should scroll to where the Mach GoGoGo pens are.)

[Number99]

This is a coincidental duplication, but first I must say. I would like to extend my deepest condolences to the people of Korea and Thailand who lost their lives in the plane crash at Muan Airport this morning, and to their families.

 

4 hours ago, PithyProlix said:

 

Is "DOZ" (meaning dozen) used in Japan?

Printed on the box seal is Hangeul.

I believe Thailand was a market sharing region for Korea Pilot.

I cannot suggest disassembling the pen now. Are there any "Made in Japan" markings on the pen?

 

P.S.

It is possible that the modern seller may have appropriated a combination of a Japanese pen from an antique store and a box from a Korea Pilot.

 

4 hours ago, PithyProlix said:

BTW, I believe the first Elite Short - the "Elite S" - was in 1964.

Sites for reference. (Japanese language.)

https://www.pilot.co.jp/100th/story/elite.html

 

 

 

Edited December 29, 2024 by Number99