dratomic Posted April 24, 2003 Share Posted April 24, 2003 I'd be interested in a repro Jupiter... very cool. Don't know how much I'd be able to spend - I'd have to see how I was doing when it came out. But I suppose I could start saving now... :) Anyway, it's nice to see another person enter the repro market - these things come few and far between!But I wonder (this is just me thinking out loud...) - Given that there's some merit to making a repro as accurate as possible, and given that no one in their right mind would crack open a 20K+ robot... might it not make sense to forgo the reproduction altogether and instead invest the money in making a brand new robot? Something beyond the simple bump-n-go skirt bot, that is.I realize that a repro has an inherent marketing angle - "Now you too can own a robot that would otherwise cost you your kid's college education!" - as well as instant recognition. But a lot of people are hungering for something new. And imagine the wish-list of features you could cram into it, not to mention the aesthetic possibilities. There could be a real strong market...Like I said, I'm just thinking out loud. I admire your efforts to bring these vintage toys to the masses. Hopefully, one way or the other, it'll work out. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robothunter Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 I also have to agree with Ozzie that I there a few people in the world I would allow to crack open a $20k robot to duplicate the inner workings. Besides, if we want reproduction so we can actually play with them, why not have them work better & last longer? Mechanized Robot is a perfect example of this. The original rubber band mechanism sucks. The new Osaka version always works. And I've given John Rigg robots that he was able to prefectly duplicate without having to take apart. You could make a resin casting that would serve to then make the mother molds. So you don't really have to totally break-down a minty robot to make a repro. Don't do it Ozzie!! Let poor Mr. Jupiter live!! What's he ever done to you!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robot polishing his rocket Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 hi rh,hate to say this, but the osaka repro "Mechanized Robots " do NOT all work at all...there are only some colour variants that still walk!my black bot walks ok, and so does my red one ...BUT the rest of the colours DON'T :(and i'm not alone here, many robot nuts i know also share this problem.BUT having said that, i wholeheartedly agree that dismantling a $20k robot just to study the inner workings would be an absolute sacrilege...you'd have to be bloody crazy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swissplanet Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 "I admire your efforts to bring these vintage toys to the masses."Is that really so or is it only a way to make money?"I have never and will never pay more for a new toywith a SPECIAL or NO color. It's the old story of the Emperor'sNew Clothes, let's pay more for a toy with no paint at all.I can see a serious collector wanting every variation of an old rare toy, but these are just repros. "said Darryl weeks ago...And a repro is a new toy and not a vintage toy...Each time that I show my robots to a friend I'm proud to tell him how old they are, but the repros that I bought stay there, they look good, they work, but... they haven't a soul...If you have a mega collection like Mr.Rigg, and for fun you buy that repros, I can understand, but I can't understand why did you buy 4 new smoking robots and 2 new thunders, if you can have for the same money an old smoking robot...I can't imagine a Picasso Collector showing a real Picasso and a poster... :huh: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robot polishing his rocket Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 hi sp,"I can't imagine a Picasso Collector showing a real Picasso and a poster".what a superb analogy...christ! am i going to remember that one!WONDERFUL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dratomic Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 I'll grant you that it's nice to have the original version of something - that's why I don't buy repro lobby cards or second editions of vintage books. I won't deny it.However, I don't know if your analogy really stands up. Picasso was a master painter... obviously, a poster can't compete. But I'm not sure that the original toy makers were "masters" of anything (except design, and the repros, by definition, keep the original design). It's not like there was ONE MAN hammering out these original toys by hand with a hammer and an artist's touch. The robots were stamped by machines. The same process used to create the original toy is used today, with the same materials. Remember, Picasso painted ONE of each painting. These toys were MASS PRODUCED. Old or new, that doesn't change. (Yes yes, given my other collections, I'm being hypocritical - but it's really based on economics. Vintage paperbacks are only $20, not $20K.)Of course old toys have a special appeal - I'd rather have an original, if I can. And it's why I like my vintage Atomic Robot Man WAY more than my repro. However, the old ones were also new once, long long ago. And they were just as cool then as they are now. Age isn't the only thing that makes these toys fun...Anyway, no one FORCES anyone to buy repros. If you only want to collect the original vintage toys, more power to you. I WISH I could do that. But for the rest of us, repros are a great option. It's up to the collector - there aren't any rules, we're free to collect whatever appeals to us. It's supposed to be fun, remember? :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swissplanet Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 Sorry Jose,I didn't want to hurt you...Why didn't you tell me that you have such a poster? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swissplanet Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 "If you only want to collect the original vintage toys, more power to you. I WISH I could do that. But for the rest of us, repros are a great option."Brian, you said "I wish I could do that", and that's what I don't understand, with five to ten repros you have the money to buy an original, than the question is quantity oder quality?I don't belong to high bidders, I must wait a long time to buy a robot, I have a wife, two daughters and a dog, and my hobby its at the end of the home chain...I like repros, but I think it's better wait 3 or 4 month to bid in something that I can be proud of it... :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr. x Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 i have to agree with the planet man. looking back, i think TTT started his business with the idea of making some money, but also doing something he really loved. making toys it is a full time job for tom. not just forty hours a week either, it is 24-7. i am not sure i would want to invest 50 grand from my comfy armchair with people i don't know, in a country full of people like linda. boot licker. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dratomic Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 No worries... You didn't hurt me. It takes more than one flawed analogy to bring me down! :) It's not quantity over quality - it's HAVE or HAVE NOT. Let's look at the math: I only have one Smoking Spaceman repro - $125; one Thunder repro - $200; one Space Trooper repro - $39; and, soon, one Radar repro - $145. Total: $509. Heck, I couldn't afford even ONE of the originals for $509. Remember, we're talking about repros of toys worth THOUSANDS of dollars, not hundreds. So if it comes down to NEVER having a Thunder, a Space Trooper, a Radar and a Smoking Spaceman, or having a repro version of each, I choose the repros. They're still cool toys in and of themselves. And I do save up for the less expensive vintage pieces - I've been lucky to pick up four of them so far. But some toys are just out of my league no matter how long I save - $20K is $20K, you know?Hey, I think we're on the same wavelength - when we can afford the vintage toys, we buy them. But until then, I'll take what I can get. *grin* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 I've been following these posts for a few days and thought it was time to put my 2 cents in. Personally, I don't see why we have to draw a line in the sand over this. Heck, we can collect both, can't we? Some people prefer to save up and buy an original robot every few months and those of us on smaller budgets may buy 1 or 2 high dollar repros over that same time frame rather than saving up 6-7 months to afford an original. Me, I like buying more than 2-3 robots a year, so I get the less expensive repros. For one thing, with the repros you get a nice box and a toy that looks good (because its new) AND works! ( not saying there aren't exceptions to this rule).Of course I own some vintage stuff, and I paid top dollar for them also, but every vintage robot I own has some kind of problem with it, something broken or worn or rusted. I only have one mint condition original w/box, the Planet Robot and I am now being told that it may not be so old, might be a repro. I can't afford to buy mint-to-good condition vintage tin w/boxes, it's way out of my league, so unless I want my robot collection to consist solely of broken, worn, rusted out inert pieces of tin, the only way I will ever see and hold a mint condition, working, non-rusty Radar Robot, or Thunder Robot complete with box is with a repro.So it's not just Quantity over Quality, as Swiss put it. Consider it more like Working-Class Quality that allows Quantity! :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
funkrobotik Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 Thats a point Robert. Has anyone had any more news about the glut of Planet Robots that are around all in near mint condition. Whilst on the subject, has anyone got a good Blue Planet to sell me ??? :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve Posted April 25, 2003 Share Posted April 25, 2003 Funkrobotik-I'm on my way out and might not be back at the computer until Sunday-email me a small message(whishis@aol.com). I'll send pics of a nice-blue planet robot I'm thinking about selling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fineas J. Whoopie Posted April 26, 2003 Share Posted April 26, 2003 O.K. I have to chime in on this subject. I own both original and repro robots. I am not here to say repro's are "the way to go" or " a waste of time". But what I see as the difference between them is the originals provide a direct link to the coolest period ever for toys. The originals were THERE! Who's story do you want to hear, a private just out of boot camp, or someone who stormed the beach at Normandy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff W Posted April 26, 2003 Share Posted April 26, 2003 I am all in favor of reproducing other space toys. Robots are great but I am intreged by other space toys. Especially the WACO refueling station and the moon traveling vehicle driven by a spaceman towing a TV camera. I would pay a lot for these. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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