My Robots Have Made Me Famous!

[Hymie]

Not really, but i think my experience this week will be of interest to at least some of you. Let me begin by saying that I'm painfully aware that my robot collection is actually pretty small and underwhelming -- certainly not very impressive by Alphadrome standards. But I do have some nicely-preserved examples of some desirable (if not particularly rare) robots and astronauts, and it occurred to me a few weeks back that I might be able to interest the local newspaper in doing a feature on them, never really expecting them to follow up. Well, they called my bluff, and this past Monday a reporter dropped by for an interview and photo shoot. The online version of the story was published today (link below).

 

My purpose in posting this is not to dazzle you with my aforementioned "journeyman" (at best) collection, but to encourage some of you to perhaps send a query to your own hometown rag to see if you too can spread the joy of robot collecting via the "fourth estate." The reporter was absolutely smitten with my robots, and she really took the time to put together what I think is a nice little feature. I was amazed at how many pictures they published -- especially behind the extended photo/video link. I will tell you at the outset that a few details are a little askew. For example, she was very interested in whether there had been a Gort model marketed after TDTESS came out (1951?). I told her I was not aware of any Gort toy robot from the early fifties, but that I knew some had at least come out in later years. She then apparently did some research of her own on Gort (I didn't provide the 2008 date). So if you're a Gort man, and the story has all that wrong, please know that I was just talking through my space helmet. She also said that all my robots date from between 1948 and 1969. I actually just told her that that range was more or less the Golden Age of Japanese tin toy robots (you'll probably recognize one or two in the photos from the seventies -- just didn't want you to think I'm totally clueless). There are also a couple of other minor errors, but she actually did much better than I thought she would be able to manage with my disjointed, scattershot responses to her questions.

 

Anyway, I thought you might find the feature interesting, especially since it's written by a person coming to robot collecting cold and having to make sense of our little subculture from a very small sampling of examples (owned and interpreted by a relatively inexperienced collector).

 

https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/entertainment_life/kevin-hardy-of-louisiana-collects-antique-tin-toy-robots/article_ffac64e6-0107-11ef-8525-ab5fc538ee12.html

[David Kirk]

Nice article. Your collection is not underwhelming in the least. Excellent toys.

 

[Andyman]

Nicely done, Kevin!

[Lunik]

Great article and amazing photos. A joy to read. Thank you.

Success continuing your colourful selective collecting.

[RoboCopy]

Congratulations. A very nice display and a great article. 

[Hymie]

Much appreciated, gentlemen! The print version came out this morning, and other than a full body shot of my Nomura Mechanized (of course), the only other robot picture they ran was of my beat-up little Atomic Robot Man. I guess they ran the two they vaguely recognized from popular culture. Oh well...

 

In my dreams, now, the reporter will start forwarding contact information for people wanting to sell me their dad's old Radicon (in the original box) or Robby Studebaker for $100!

[robothut]

Very nice write up and great pictures of the collection. Now get ready for more reporters to come a knocking at your door. After you have done a dozen or more and found out that most come with a prewritten angle you might get burned out. So, for now enjoy the feeling of sharing your passion with others. Thank you for sharing your experience with us all.

[tinluver2]

Beautiful examples of everything shown. Wonderful clean display

[David Kirk]

I hope people offer you their robots. When I was seven I was on a local TV hobby show with my robot collection. I hoped at the time people might bring me their old robots, but it never happened. That was early 1963, so you'd think somebody would have had some laying around!

[zebedee]

Really nice collection and displayed very well indeed, I don't have any rare or anything like you have, I just went crazy when I started collecting robots and bought everything I could but always what I like, and David maybe your TV appearance started people collecting after seeing your bots.

[Hymie]

Hah! Actually what I've probably done is inflate robot prices by 25% in this region. I'll probably be contacted by people wanting to sell me Atomic Robot Man Christmas ornaments made in 2010 for $500! It would be nice if the story at least connected me with another collector or two somewhere around here. Not aware of any at this point.

[zebedee]

Hey hymie, I live in a small village in Devon in the UK and when I was out walking the dog I got chatting to a friend who lives two doors from me only to find out that he has a couple of bots and is into old sci fi films and radio shows, so it just goes to show you just can never tell, oh and by the way I have a schyling arm Christmas decoration you can have for £200 

[6Stelab9]

A pretty small and underwhelming collection? I wish I have the same quality level toys. It's a  great coherent collection.

[Hymie]

Thanks. Zeb...Hope springs eternal! And thanks for the ornament offer, but I already have three or four of those ornaments. Every time someone I know finds one at a garage sale (that's "jumble sale" to you), they buy it for me!

[Hymie]

4 minutes ago, 6Stelab9 said:

A pretty small and underwhelming collection? I wish I have the same quality level toys. It's a  great coherent collection.

Thanks for the compliment. Yes, it's not a bad assemblage. It's just that when I consider the size and variety of the collections of many of our fellows here on Alphadrome, I get seriously humbled. But even getting humbled here is a blast!