Joe K. Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 MetalRobotHead has posted some very detailed and informative photos and text regarding his repair of Mr. Mercury on the Tips & Tricks page.I know these "other" ALPHADROME topic pages don't get the same "traffic" that the Robot Talk page does, so I thought I'd mention it here.See:http://danefield.com/alpha/forums/index.ph...t=ST&f=8&t=1499Well done, MRH! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetalRobotHead Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 Hi Joe, thanks for the mention. Hopefully the photos and text will come in useful one day, perhaps you can help while we are on the subject of Mr.Mercury. I hope one day to have all three versions of him. The gold version I have seems fairly common and often makes an appearance on ebay, but the other two i.e. 1st plastic paddle arm and 2nd. blue metal arm & body seem rarer and more difficult to find.On a scale of 1 (common) to 10 (no chance) how rare would you rate each version, it might give me some idea of my prospects of finding one.I live in the UK where even the gold version are like hens teeth ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe K. Posted August 16, 2004 Author Share Posted August 16, 2004 The gold color Mr. Mercury appeared in both the 1963 and 1964 Sears catalogs which accounts for their increased availability. This would, in my opinion, make it a "1" on your "rarity" rating scale.The plastic paddle-arm version has, so far, only been sighted in the 1961 Sears catalog (and David Kirk's childhood photo). It initially carried only the Yonezawa trademark. I'd give this a "5".When Marx decided to add their name (and distribution talents) to the toy in 1962, the arms were changed to metal and the head light was eliminated. I am still searching for a catalog confirmation of this 1962 date. Make this version a "7", in my humble opinion. It was probably available for only one year. When Marx realized the popularity of the toy, it was modified slightly to make it "NEW" for '63/'64.I'm always intrigued by such lineage.Here's a recent TIMELINE entry for Mr. M.:http://danefield.com/alpha/forums/index.ph...t=ST&f=4&t=1311 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetalRobotHead Posted August 17, 2004 Share Posted August 17, 2004 Thanks for the rarity grading, both the rarer ones have recently been sold on ebay and I was outbid on both, looks like I will have to be patient. At the moment as you might have guessed Mr.Mercury is my favourite robot. I am fascinated by its complexity and quality of construction for what is a only a toy.I agree it does seem strange that the plastic arm one came first, but the historical evidence is clear to see.I will keep looking. Regards, MRH. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonny Young Posted August 21, 2004 Share Posted August 21, 2004 Great pictures Robothead, but I'm not clear on how you fixed the bending cam. What is a "side cutter" and how did you use it here? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetalRobotHead Posted August 21, 2004 Share Posted August 21, 2004 Hi Sonny Young. Posted another photo of the bending cam and the work. Regarding the 'side cutter', they are like a pair of pliers but with two sharpened edges for cutting through electrical wires and that sort of thing, just about the right size for getting onto the bending cam without having to strip Mr.Mercury down.I can't take credit for this idea, came from fellow Alphadromer when I asked for advice how to fix the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MetalRobotHead Posted August 21, 2004 Share Posted August 21, 2004 Whoops forgot the photo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonny Young Posted August 23, 2004 Share Posted August 23, 2004 Thanks MetalRobotHead, very helpful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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