Jump to content

Mr Atomic, Ship of Theseus


plasticaugie

Recommended Posts

Earlier this year I bought a MTH Mr Atomic that had been used for parts. I made a claw, acquired new ears and repaired it to working condition and it made a great runner. SH Mike alerted me that miano toys had an original Mr Atomic body for sale which I bought asap. It arrived very quickly and as much as I like the MTH robot, this body looked like it needed to live again. So I quickly went to work.

I have always looked at the OTTI, MTH and original robots for differences in the litho for ID purposes. The easiest way to tell on the silver robots is the red trim around the feet. The original had a wider red strip at the top, the MTH is much more narrow and the OTTI runs thick to thin.

I found the ears on a current Metalhouse robot. I compared them to the MTH and they are much nicer in everyway.

The original body was missing the belt buckle, the MTH fit but was crooked, an easy fix. The dome that came with the parts MTH robot had a small crack and some scuffs, maybe it was original? When it mated up with the original body the fit is perfect so I think that someone swapped it out for the new MTH dome. The internal light plate is different from the MTH. I have pictured it below. The tin on the 1962 body is much thicker than MTH and the body halves do not join naturally so I can say MTH is not a perfect copy here, some of the slots do not line up and some tin was snipped.

The question I have been thinking about is how much more would have to be replaced for this to be considered a 1962 toy? 51% original parts or a much higher percentage?

 

!.thumb.jpg.ef3fb02dd4b519261c477e0db7a5!!.thumb.jpg.4364dd1c482b178ee75a8f25875!!!.thumb.jpg.ae0a18c0db7ba45464460ce909!!!!!.thumb.jpg.5918d7f3d5a468cb893c16ff

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks great!!! To answer your question a lot more than 51%. The question is who much reproduction would a new buyer accept?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Look at it this way plasticaugie.

If you had a original toy and it had just 1 repro part it would not be an original toy any more, it would be a  original toy with a repro part. So you will not turn a repro robot in to a original robot no matter how many parts are original until you reach 100 % it will be a repro with original parts or a original with repro parts.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Robothut is without a doubt correct, if you ever sold it you would have to disclose that it had repo parts, as for me personally it's just a very nice upgrade.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Of course it would have to be disclosed that it had repro parts but once you get over 50% it would an original with repro parts. This robot is on a journey, I intend to keep him and keep finding original parts so someday he will be 100% original parts or, the repro parts in the future become completely indistinguishable from original.

"The ship wherein Theseus and the youth of Athens returned from Crete had thirty oars, and was preserved by the Athenians down even to the time of Demetrius Phalereus, for they took away the old planks as they decayed, putting in new and stronger timber in their places, in so much that this ship became a standing example among the philosophers, for the logical question of things that grow; one side holding that the ship remained the same, and the other contending that it was not the same."

—Plutarch, Theseus

 

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I missed your original point, please excuse my oversight. In reference to the ship or anything from the past or antiquity that is rebuilt, the more important issue is to show those items as they were and someday if your robot survives into the far future that will be the more important issue.

Best of luck

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

This site uses cookies to improve your visit. If you're happy with this, please continue.