Jump to content

Attacking Martian 'on Off' Switch Embossing


MetalRobotHead

Recommended Posts

Just a quick question, I have only seen the embossed 'ON OFF' switch marking twice, any ideas how long Horikawa produced them with marking?

post-214-1276284949.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That's wild !!!

I have over 50 battery operated Horikawa robots and have

hundreds of pictures in my files and I have never seen this... :huh:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

HUH! Interesting post. I had to go to my cabinets and check all my Horikawas and I only found one - a brown attacking martian with red fly eyes and red door gels (one of my favorites) that I bought off Gernot @ BSV who found it in Japan.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's another, I see both have the plastic battery compartments which make them later issues, but still with the green point switch. Strange Horikawa would go the bother and expense of tooling up for embossing when it would normally be the other way round to reduce costs of manufacture.

Just noticed, the body area around the switch is deeper to allow enough space for the embossing. :unsure:

post-214-1276330667.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

First time I saw that too MRH :huh:

Just noticed, the body area around the switch is deeper to allow enough space for the embossing. :unsure:

...and your conclusions? First they made the robots with the ON-OFF emboss, than without it?

They emboss ON-OFF at AMs which do have a plastic battery box.

But later AMs without the emboss in the deeper body area do have tin lithoed battery boxes!

It means first they produced AMs with plastic box, later ones with tin lithoed boxes.

A good old english tradition is to wager something. So I make a bet and say the robots with the embossing do have broad hands. Right?

Another point: The Attacking Martians with the broad hands are competely different from the ones with the small hands.

I mean that all tin parts of the robot are different. I think both appearances of AM were made by two different producers!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Klaus -

A good old english tradition is to wager something. So I make a bet and say the robots with the embossing do have broad hands. Right?

That is correct, and that makes them the earlier type, I always thought the tin lithoed battery boxes cames first, tin first then plastic the normal way toys progressed (or regressed) but as you say two different producers. It would be interesting to have the embossed and non embossed AM next to each other to compare any other differences. :rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I bought my light up eyes brown version at Woolworth's in 1965 - the first year I saw it and I believe the first year they appeared. It's got the tin battery box and no on and off. I wonder what genius came up with that mechanism with the doors flying open and the guns popping out. It has to be one of the cleverest and longest lived toy contraptions ever. I'll bet the same fellow figured out the rotating torso.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I bought my light up eyes brown version at Woolworth's in 1965...

David, two questions. Does your AM have the broad hands?

Also does he have the same feet like in the picture below with the two round cuttings in the edge of the black foot base?

post-544-1276451339.jpg

Feel the same like you about the construction of the swingin´ doors and the rotating mechanic.

Btw by your 1965 date I noticed Horikawa made one new robot each year in the 60s.

1963 Machine Robot

1964 Engine Robot

1965 Attacking Martian

1966 Fighting Martian/Robot

1967 Swivel-O-Matic

1968 Rotate-O-Matic

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, mine does have those cuts in the base of the feet. It has broad hands, as in the same ones that my smoking spaceman and my machine robot have. My engine robot's are narrower at the front - tapered from the arm. Is that what you mean? I've had those three since they were new and your dating seems correct to me. I definitely got the Machine robot in 1963 (basement of Moorehouse Fasion in downtown Columbus). It was the only robot I could find that Christmas, though I'd bought Chief Smokey a few months earlier at a little variety store. The Attacking robot I bought myself in 1965. I have my original engine robot (Is that the one with the little machine gun that goes back and forth in the chest?) and I believe 1964 is correct but I don't actually remember buying it. Maybe it wasn't so memorable because it was so similar to the machine robot. Also, I was only nine so I don't remember absolutely everything! The other thing is it's not in the picture of my 1966 collection. Maybe he was put away or there wasn't room on the steps or maybe I got him later that year. As far as those later rotating ones I only got the guy who spun around in 67 or 68. Mine had the ugly astronaut and I never loved him. The Horikowa variations were coming out so fast at that point I stopped paying a lot of attention. He's either in a box in the attic or I traded him for something long ago.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

David, first let me say your memories are priceless!

...It has broad hands, as in the same ones that my smoking spaceman and my machine robot have. My engine robot's are narrower at the front - tapered from the arm. Is that what you mean?

Oh yes, exactly. Now we can say that the first version has the tin battery box and later versions the ON-OFF embossing with plastic battery box.

It could be possible, that there is an intermediate form like tinbox with embossing or plastic box without the embossing.

The robot with the one machine gun is called Fighting Robot ( some boxes say Fighting Martian) not Engine Robot. The Engine Robot is the silver one with the two speed walk.

That declares why this robot is not on your 1966 picture. You got him later that year or in 1967 like I got mine Fighting Robot.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Here's one that you have likely never seen...

My Fighting Robot is the missing link. It has two different arms !

I bought this one years ago MIB from an estate sale. It was over

a year before I noticed the arms. When I discovered this, I carefully

examined it, with magnification, and could find no sign that it was

ever tampered with... :huh:

post-6-1276560783.jpg

post-6-1276560790.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There was a 60's movie that showed a boy playing with an Engine Robot. I saw the film when it came out and I remember being upset that I didn't have that robot and couldn't find it. I'm pretty sure it was The Nanny with Betty Davis. I just looked it up and it came out 1965, so 1964 would make perfect sense. I keep finding out there were great robots out that year that I got no robots for Christmas. Damn.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hi interesting thread..none of my collection have the on off embossing..though the silver attacking martian (metal battery compartment)..has the broader area below switch where it could have been applied..also has the broader hands and cutaways on feet...Some of the other am"s only have the cutaways at the back of the foot and some..none at all...cheers hj.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Brian.. changed the title to Attacking Martian 'on Off' Switch Embossing

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This site uses cookies to improve your visit. If you're happy with this, please continue.