SH MIKE Posted October 19, 2004 Share Posted October 19, 2004 I now know of 3 Mr. Atom's that have flat eyes instead of the vacuform ones.At first, I had thought that someone put clear plastic inside the head to fill the hollowspace up. Now that I have seen 2 with flat eyes and have heard from one other person who has one with flat eyes, does anyone know if this is original?Anyone else seen flat eyes instead of Vacuform ones?Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Jan Posted October 19, 2004 Share Posted October 19, 2004 SH Mike: Mine came with flat eyes and I also thought that they were replacements as the one on the robothut video page seems to have the round convex eyes and most of the boxed that I have seen on e-bay have these same eyes (vacuformed).I would also like to know if they came with two different configurations Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dirk Posted October 19, 2004 Share Posted October 19, 2004 Sorry - SH Mike,only vacuforms on mine... ( ... seems that this big "dustbot" needs a little clean up tomorrow) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robotnut Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 I've seen both types several times and they bothlook legit. Here are a couple of close ups...On the topic of robot eyes, how about Idea's Robert.Most of us would agree that the clear domed plasticeyes came before the simple cut out eyes. I wasrecently watching the Ideal promotional film fromthe 50's that shows Robert's creation. In this video,Robert has the simple cut out eyes ! This begs thequestion, which came first. Robert with the cleardomed eyes or the promotional video. If the cleardomed eyes came first, why did they make the promofilm two or three years after Roberts release. I guessIdeal could have used the cut out eyes on their prototypes,added the domed eyes for sale and then went back tothe cut out eyes to save a few cents later...I really have to get something else to think about. :blink:P.S. Notice the two different head dome heights on these Mr. Atoms... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SH MIKE Posted October 20, 2004 Author Share Posted October 20, 2004 Thanks Robotnut.Both your domes look funny. The one on the left looks too big and the oneon the right looks too small, new, (and too blue).The Robot on the left looks sad, I guess he wanted round eyes.As for the Robert movie, I think they made it after the final version was out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plasticaugie Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 The more I look at this robot the more I think that it was made both ways. I am however starting to lose any desire for this robot however by staring at Robotnuts picture of the different dome heights. It looks like his brain bubble is about to pop. Very disturbing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larry seven Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 :) Plasticaugie, I am on the opposite side of the fence with you on this robot. I want one and the more I see them, the more I want one! It is so big and goofy, I love it. Thanks, SH Mike for bringing the eye variations to our attention. I will want to look for one with the vacuform eyes myself, or a cheap enough flat eyes, so that I can afford to buy replacement vacuformed eyes for it. -L7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fineas J. Whoopie Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 While we're on the subject of Mr. Atom, how easy is he to open up and work on? Is he held together with screws or glued? I've always dug this guy and was tempted to bid on the broken one that was just on ebay, but not knowing if I could easily repair him or not kept me from doing so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SH MIKE Posted October 20, 2004 Author Share Posted October 20, 2004 It comes apart easily enough. There is a screw in the front and back of the main body.The ears are held together by black rubberbands or (O rings NEW?).The first one I ever bought had a big gear inside that was cracked in half.none of the teeth had a problem. It walks very rickity,The legs are just loose on the feet and can break off the leg supports if they become Jammed.There is a spring on a metal gear shaft that pulls the shaft and holds it in place. Over time, that shaft wears a hole that is out of round and changes the teeth position. I was able to repair one by adding a thin piece of metal over the frame and drilling a new hole. It will take another 50 years for it to wear out again. I am always surprised to see this Robot in good condition. The plastic is very fragile and the Battery Cover is the first thing to break off (along with those leg supports).Most have a missing dome and no battery cover.I doubt they lasted past New Years a half a century ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fineas J. Whoopie Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 Good stuff to know. Thanks Mike. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocket Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 SH MIKE- I've had 4 Mr. Atom robots... all were mint in box, and all had domed eyes. I'm convinced the flat eyes are replaced. The eyes were easily pushed out, or broken, and often people would rather have flat eyes than no eyes, so they put flat plastic instead. It doesn't make sense that the maker would put a dome on top, then break with the design theme and put flat eyes. If you look at the back of the eyes through the dome with a flashlight, or take his head apart, I'll bet you'll see they are replaced. Look for hand cut edges, or amateur glue jobs.As previously mentioned, he is an easy robot to work on! His head is heald together with rubber "o" rings, and his body with screws. Great action on this toy, and he's huge and goofy, as previously noted. He also makes a great robot noise as I remember. Rocket -[o_o]- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Radar Posted October 20, 2004 Share Posted October 20, 2004 I have a mint in box mr. Atom with ....................................... flat eyes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robothut Posted October 21, 2004 Share Posted October 21, 2004 My mint in box Mr. Atom has the domed eyes, the box drawings show domed eyes as well, so I would think that the flat eyes might be repairs but you never know. Looking inside the head threw the clear dome top is a good idea to see if the clear eye parts look to be DIY.Does the box art work on RADAR's mint in box Mr. Atom with flat eyes show domed eyes on the box? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SH MIKE Posted October 22, 2004 Author Share Posted October 22, 2004 There are just too many out there with the same Flat Eyes. I looked inside mine and seethat it looks like one piece of plastic like a Microscope Slide going over both eyes and cut like a rectangle. I think it is a factory job. Maybe this was the RARE first version ? ? ?It could have been made later since the domed eyes tend to fall off.There is more glue surface on the flat version. Also, it is thicker than the domed eyes and less fragile. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SH MIKE Posted October 22, 2004 Author Share Posted October 22, 2004 I'm beginning to think that Mr. Atom may even be the first Toy Robot with Ratchet Wheels?Are there any wheels with ratchets in them before 1956? There were Pin Walkers, "Mud Flaps", Pizza Cutters. But were there Wheels that locked in reverse before Mr. Atom? Another First? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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