Robert The Robot Record Box

[Tinman]

Years ago I purchased a Robert the Robot in need of love and when I opened him up, found his record box was all but shattered. Today I found one on eBay and jumped at the chance to replace the part without having to purchase a whole robot. The player is supposed to work (as well as they do) but I noticed the handle on the crank was black; memory told me they were red. I did an image search and found the below pic showing a black handle. My Robert is a second generation robot, having the clear plastic eyes and antenna but no compartment for tools; what is the correct handle color for this version or were they released in both colors? I also remember the handles being made of wood when this one appears to be plastic; the pic I found seems to show a black plastic handle. Heck, are the record boxes even interchangable between Robert versions; is there a chance this box won't fit?

[Tinman]

Here is a pic of the record box I purchased, I tried to modify my original post after shrinking the pic but the upload continued to fail.

[Joe K.]

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The first version (1954) Robert came with a red, wooden crank knob. Versions two and three had black plastic.

Also, if my memory serves me correctly, the first version had the record box held in place with three tiny screws. The fourth mounting position was always left empty. The later Roberts had their boxes screwed AND glued in place.

Good luck with the repair. Let us know how it turns out.

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[Tinman]

Thanks Joe, looks like I found the correct box. I remember when I purchased the robot, it too only had three screws so I assumed one was lost; I wonder why only three were used? This box comes with the three screws and the above pic only shows three being used.