ATOMIC ROBOT MAN - CK? - JAPAN

Occupied Japan, though the box does not carry the wording. Tin wind up robot with pin feet. The first post-war robot. Two versions exist: a tin arm version (1) and one with cast metal arms (2). There are color variations (3) but these may reflect the vagaries of tinplate lithography rather than intentional releases. The brown color can vary between a rich nut brown and the more familiar grey-brown. Fading of the paint can also lead to supposed variations, often with a greenish hue.

The first sighting is the Miles Kimball catalog for 1949. The tin arm version is pictured in the 1949 catalog. A cast arm version was available at the New York Science Fiction Conference in 1950. (4) It was stamped on the back with details of the conference.

One version of the box carries the 1949 date (5). The maker has not been established yet though the CK company is a strong contender. This robot bears a stylistic similarity to the pre-war Lilliput robot. The lozenge shoes, the pin feet and the lithographic detailing have prompted speculation about the connection between them.