ROTO-ROBOT FIRST VERSION - HORIKAWA - JAPAN

The Roto-Robot is one of Horikawa new range of smaller robots incorporating plastic components. This is a nine inch battery operated tinplate and plastic robot. The dark grey robot has a lithographed tin chest panel holding two orange plastic guns. It has a domed, rather featureless face. The arms and legs are plastic. Uniquely the head and body top hinge to allow access to the battery compartment. The robot advances with shooting guns and flashing lights while the whole upper body rotates through 360 degrees. Horikawa later released this as the Golden Roto-Robot.

There are some variations of this robot:

1 Grey and black shaded bowtie. The box depicts this version.

2 Red bowtie with ROTO ROBOT wording. This version has been seen in a 1968 Italian toy catalog.

3 Versions with and without the red dashes around the guns. One of these versions is a different build.

The robot appears in the 1968 Horikawa catalog making it one of the first to employ this new plastic-tin combination seen in the new Mr Zerox, Engine Robot etc