Chris Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 After the thunder robot affair.. why should I buy a ttt radar robot when someone else could sell it for 30$ later on? (e.g. JT toys) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 why should I buy a ttt radar robot when someone else could sell it for 30$ later on? (e.g. JT toys)It's a question of quality, Chris. I have both the TTT Thunder and the JT Thunder and there is a marked difference in the quality of construction, quality of materials, attention to both detail and faithfullness to the original Thunder. The JT Thunder is a massed-produced throwaway. The TTT is a limited addition work of art. Yea, you will probably be able to buy those $30 dollar Radar Robots and it may even work when you get it (for a while) if your lucky, but you'll regret not owning the TTT version, cause once they sell out, like the Thunder, their value goes way up. No one wants to part with them and they are impossible to find. But ultimately it's your choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zesko Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 a marked difference in the quality of construction, quality of materials, attention to both detail and faithfullness to the original Thunder. Except that the TinTomToys Thunder is not an exact repro... In a big way... It's a good robot, but not the exact repro that they still claim it is, and I wish Tom would fess up to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sonny Young Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 Are the TTT Thunders really that hard to find now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 If you are talking about the Arm Action Zesko, I am aware that the sleeve retraction during firing is lacking. Was there something else? Regardless it is still, by far, heads above the Joy Toy version. Yes Sonny, it's tough to find TTT Thunders now. The Silver version is almost impossible to find and even those few browns available are selling in the $400+ range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Kirk Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 I've got it on good authority from two experts that they've never seen a Thunder with retracting arms. I know John Rigg has one, but John, is that an original action, or did you improve it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zesko Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 If you are talking about the Arm Action Zesko, I am aware that the sleeve retraction during firing is lacking. Was there something else? Was there something else...?? The arm action is about 1/5 of its total actions! I'm still rather disturbed that Tom hasn't addressed this major omission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zesko Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 I've got it on good authority from two experts that they've never seen a Thunder with retracting arms. I know John Rigg has one, but John, is that an original action, or did you improve it? Holy cats! I don't think John would MANUFACTURE a rumor... And when it comes to experts, I'd trust John first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alain Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 I have seen an original up close and in action, and that particular one did not have retracting arms. David could be right, and so could John.Conjecture, Asakusa in the 60's could have started the first few with retracting arms and gave it up down the line to minimize costs. Just because it says so on the box doesn't mean it really has the function. So TTT could still rightly state that theirs is a perfect copy of the original.Can anyone prove that each and every original Thunder has those retracting arms? So far, only John has that singular one. Anyone else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zesko Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 I have seen an original up close and in action, and that particular one did not have retracting arms.Has it occurred to the doubting Thomases that the original Thunders they have seen are malfunctioning? The more likely scenario is that John's is a fully functional Thunder.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
roboz Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 The JT Thunder is a massed-produced throwaway. The TTT is a limited addition work of art Actually one of the things that made the Original Japanese toys so endearing & rare is their mass market throwaway origins. Repro's no matter how good will never really appreciate. If anything they ultimately decline. These are not childrens toys that in 20 years kids will be scouring for. All you have to do is witness the Osaka Repros & even the MTH Robby Sleds which all seem to have declined after peaking several years ago. If anything the sled is the anomaly of the bunch & the rest are a distant second. It's like comparing a new corvette to a say vintage 1967 Original 427 convertible. Or a dodge Viper to an original A/C cobra..Etc... The true collectibles are the items that you never suspect will become collectible & truly become scarce & cultral Icons...Say Like B. Lessers Original Pop art.....Original Coin Op Fortune Tellers....the Original Swatch watches..the first Mickey D's Toys...& I bet down the road all those Original throwaway computers & Early video game consoles.... IMHO.... Having said that they (repro's) are still nice items on the shelf & after all that's what I suppose matters Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robothut Posted March 13, 2003 Share Posted March 13, 2003 I never screw with of modify my rare origional robots, I save that business for the cheep repro's and totaly trashed "parts bots" origonals. The way to tell if a Origonal thunder has the arm retracting mechanics is not to operate it "turn it ON" as part of the mechanics may not be working right. With the robot turned OFF lift one of the arms by hand, if the hand and bellows retract automaticly on both sides then the mechanics are in there. I know of an other thunder in a privet collection that also has this fuction.Anybody else tired of thunder crap? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted March 14, 2003 Share Posted March 14, 2003 Actually one of the things that made the Original Japanese toys so endearing & rare is their mass market throwaway origins. Repro's no matter how good will never really appreciate. If anything they ultimately decline.I disagree Roboz, First of all, these early toys were not massed- produced in the same way that we do today, there was a lot of hands-on involvement by skilled craftsmen in all facets of costruction. Not like today's toys, factory stamped and untouched by human hands.Repros like TTT follow that same tradition and that is what gives THEM that same appeal as an original, at least for me. And it takes a JT Thunder, I guess, to really bring that point home. They are not that well made. They ARE massed produced, throwaway toys in the worst tradition. Thrown out at high prices to make a quick buck, then quickly reduced in price when the word spreads that they are crap. While I admire the marketing strategy, it does not make for a memorable or desirable collectable down the road. I think that the quality reproductions will increase in value and maintain their value in years to come. They will never achieve the value of the originals, and they will suffer fluctuations in value, just as the originals do. They mirror the popularity of the originals. But nonetheless, they are quality pieces and may be the only thing still on the market 40 years from now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith Palmer Posted March 14, 2003 Share Posted March 14, 2003 john, agreed and i don't know what is more recycled, the repro toys or the repro talk. but you know just as i say that i have to admit i only two days ago finally got hooked up on a ttt thunder. darn thing is hard to argue with. but wow, i am real hungry for some fresh news of vintage discoveries or variations or something... maybe some new angle on the orange "R" robot or just something? anyone? anyone? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe K. Posted March 14, 2003 Share Posted March 14, 2003 Keith - How about an ad for, possibly, the first robot toy: a 1935 Robot Questioner. See the Timeline entry under "Buck Rogers Rocket Police Patrol".Does that robot look an awful lot like Lilliput, to you?Does anyone have this piece in their collection? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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