mike van Posted June 1, 2004 Share Posted June 1, 2004 This guy wasn't too bad off when I got him, a few parts missing. Thanks go out to Larry Seven for the battery box top, without it he just wasn't going to go. The spring antenna on his head is a 40 cent hardware store one that I bent to shape. One tread had a tear half through, I had bandsaw tire cement so I used that, a small line right in the break seems to be holding. The treads were cleaned up with Armor All, the rest with car wax. He looks pretty slick tearing around on the floor, there is an eccentric cam on the motor plate, when he hits something & turns, his arms & legs move. The actions of these toys and the mechanisms that ran them are so simple, yet were so effective for making great toys - I didn't have one of these growing up, even though it was obviously named after me! ------Mike Van Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe K. Posted June 2, 2004 Share Posted June 2, 2004 What more can I say.It looks Marvelous, Mike!Simply marvelous!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry seven Posted June 2, 2004 Share Posted June 2, 2004 :) Mike, he looks great! I love the treads, mine doesn't have any, although I've read the past suggestions on Alphadrome about getting treads. Good fix on the head spring, I hadn't thought of that way to replace the part, but it's perfect! Glad I could help with the battery box lid, -Larry 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swissplanet Posted June 2, 2004 Share Posted June 2, 2004 Hi Mike, nice work , it looks beautiful!Well, here's your next project... :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike van Posted June 2, 2004 Author Share Posted June 2, 2004 Richard, I think your guy is beyond my skill level - Maybe a candidate for "extreme makeover" He's not one of those artificially aged REPOP's is he? :o Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJN Posted June 2, 2004 Share Posted June 2, 2004 I don't think he's a REPOP, no nicotine to preserve the finish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robot Fool Posted June 2, 2004 Share Posted June 2, 2004 Reminiscent of "Farm Aid"Larry Seven comes to Mike Van's needs.Very nice working example of Marvelous MikeAnd a better example of an unselfish act ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike van Posted June 2, 2004 Author Share Posted June 2, 2004 Robot Fool, great pic., and great testimonial to Larry Seven - :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robot Fool Posted June 2, 2004 Share Posted June 2, 2004 It's a friend who watches your back.But to watch your robots back...is not a common occurrenceWhat a refreshing change from the ebay scams and greed that feed on our hobby and the fine people in it.Thanks for your story Mike Van. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dratomic Posted June 2, 2004 Share Posted June 2, 2004 Mike -- great piece (and Larry, excellent battery cover). Nice team work, gentlemen.This was actually the first vintage toy I bought (right before I picked up my Atomic Robot Man). Mine's missing the treads, the wire on the top of the head, and has all sorts of rusted connections -- I didn't know what I was doing when I bought it and consequently paid the price for my lack of toy knowledge. I proudly display it, however. It looks nice, with a clean paint job and all the decals. More importantly, the toy serves as a reminder: Don't jump on something just because you're desperate. Everything comes around again (well, almost everything) and patience is rewarded. Above all else, EDUCATE yourself. The smart collector is the successful collector (whether in terms of good deals or merely getting complete, working toys). Alphadrome, books, conversations with fellow hobbyists -- the more you know, the better off you'll be. I do remember when I mentioned to Keith that I was thinking of getting one of these (without showing him pics -- whoops!). His comment: "Good luck! I hope you have a lot of shelf space..." He wasn't kidding -- Marvelous Mike is giant. Not just long, but bulky. Heavy. The type of toy that, were it not 50+ years old, you could knock around without fear of it breaking. Heck, if you weren't worried about the finish, you could knock it around even today. Definitely cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJN Posted June 2, 2004 Share Posted June 2, 2004 Mine is missing the battery door, treads, wheels, seat, body..... well, it's missing everything except the robot.Been hoping for years to find a decent tractor for him, but they are either trashed or mucho dinero. There is a parts stash of Marvelous Mike tractor stuff on E-bay right now, but not enough to build the whole enchilada. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry seven Posted June 2, 2004 Share Posted June 2, 2004 :) I've got your back, soldier! Hey Mike, does your toy only work when you put him down onto the surface? Mine can be switched on in my hand, but the motor only runs when I place him down onto the floor! When I lift him up, it stops. If this was engineered to work this way, I like that. If not, mine works flawlessly just as I described, and I'm not going to try to 'fix' this peculiarity. Yeah, dratomic, like you, I also gave big money (thirty to forty dollars) for the first rusty Marvelous Mike that I saw. Then, I picked up a few for parts, and before you know it, I had $50. or $60. in them, and still had to paint them. Not to mention buying a decal set. Then, to add to my disgust, I picked up a perfect tractor only missing his robot and treads for about $5. So I just switched a robot (my only robot, they seem to be missing on many 'played-with' examples) to the nice 'dozer and left the others in a pile in the corner. No treads yet, not too high on my list of priorities, because of the cost. I love this toy, a significant addition to robot history in that it is early ,and also I think that it is the first of many robot-on-a-machine toys(tractors, bulldozers, bikes, trikes, rockets, saucers, boats, cars, etc.), not counting, of course, the Buddy L Robotruck in Joe's museum. Please correct me if I'm wrong, maybe the plastic Robert The Robot on a 'dozer was earlier. -Larry 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mike van Posted June 2, 2004 Author Share Posted June 2, 2004 Larry, this is a good one - Mine only ran when I held it upside down! Here's the fix - The on - off lever is attached to a shaft running down through to the motor, sliding the switch makes the connection on the top of the post - upside down, I was connected, rightside up, too much play - The switch lever is bendable, yours is probably too loose also. The deck comes right off with the 6 cap screws - B) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry seven Posted June 2, 2004 Share Posted June 2, 2004 :) Thanks, Mike. Wow, I may fix him now, contrary to what I just now said about not fixing him! -Larry 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe K. Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 Please correct me if I'm wrong, maybe the plastic Robert The Robot on a 'dozer was earlier.Using Alphadrome's TIMELINE for reference, Marvelous Mike (Electromatic Tractor #1000) is dated to 1955. Besides showing up in the Zweck & Wollenburg Catalog that year, I have also come across it in a Sears Catalog and FAO Schwarz Christmas Catalog from 1955.A wind-up version of the Robert The Robot Bulldozer was sighted in a Milway of Milwaukee Wholesale Catalog dated 1956. There is also the other version that uses the crank/trigger control unit. This version has not been documented in any catalog so far. I tend to think, however, that this c/t control version came before the wind-up version.I would say that Marvelous Mike and Robert Bulldozer were probably released at the same time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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