MIGHTY ROBOT aka ATHLETE ROBOT - YONEZAWA - JAPAN

Tin and plastic wind up. Circa 1965. Advances with walking motion as he flexes his arms. The nickname 'Athlete Robot' is used to distinguish it from other Mighty Robots and its a very apt choice considering its action. This is one of the larger wind up robots, with a big, strong motor to drive it. Its principal feature is the movement of the arms: they rise and flex in a typical bodybuilder manner. Other robot have arms which lie at right angles to the body (Yonezawa Space Explorer, Alps TV Spaceman) but none have this articulated forearm. Yonezawa Item No 811.

The substantial tin body has considerable litho dial detailing. There is a very large grey plastic head with clear red plastic eyes, nose and mouth.

The box art is a plain picture of the toy on an equally plain two-tone background. There is a rarer box variation. (Image?)

There are two distinct versions of the Mighty Robot. One has a key on the back and the other has the key mounted on the side. The possible reason for the change was that the key at the back was inclined to pierce the box bottom. A box carrying the number 4044 has robot with a key on the back, and a box with 5055 has a robot with a key on the side. Boxes and robot easily get swapped so this is not a firmly establihed rule. There are many exceptions.

This robot appeared in the Yonezawa catalog for 1967.