dratomic Posted March 27, 2003 Share Posted March 27, 2003 I just picked up a later version of the Planet Robot, the one with plastic head and hands. It looks great, and the wind-up motor works well; it moves forward with authority (if an eight-inch high tin toy can do anything with authority). However, it doesn't spark.I'm wondering if it's worth trying to repair. I read the entry on the Planet robot in the Robot section of this site and I know the basic fix involved.Has anyone opened up this robot to rotate the wheel/change the flint? As far as I can tell, there are only four tabs holding the body together, and none of them look rusty or weak, so I'm pretty sure I can carefully open them without any problems. But is it really worth it? Keep in mind, I'm pretty handy, but I'm not nearly as experienced with this stuff as someone like John Rigg. (if I do attempt the fix, I'll practice opening the tabs on some cheaper modern robots, first...) Any thoughts or suggestions? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dratomic Posted March 28, 2003 Author Share Posted March 28, 2003 On second thought, screw it. I'm returning the toy to the seller. There are two suspicious silver marks on the two bumps that house the antennas on the side of the robot's head. They almost look like small metal... caps? I don't know. Something. Sadly, I don't have a digital camera so I can't scan a picture in. But this, combined with its lack of spark, makes me feel like the robot isn't worth the money after all. Especially since they turn up on ebay all the time.Still... Has anyone ever heard of a later generation planet robot with these markings? They're small, about a millimeter or two, and are on the front of the little head bumps. If this is some particularly valuable variation on the toy, please let me know now before I send it back and make a grave mistake. ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SH MIKE Posted March 28, 2003 Share Posted March 28, 2003 It has been rumored that these Robots are still in production. Not just a Warehouse find like everyone else says. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dratomic Posted March 28, 2003 Author Share Posted March 28, 2003 Now, it's rumors like that one that crash markets... :) Is there even any way to figure this out? All the ones I've seen LOOK pretty old... just something about the way the plastic heads age and stuff. Regardless, I still think mine is messed up (those odd silver markings...). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robert Posted March 28, 2003 Share Posted March 28, 2003 I am looking at my planet robot, the one with plastic head and red plastic hands and there are no silver or metallic markings around the ears, other than the metal loop antennae themselves. Are these just painted marks or actual metal, like screws or rivets? Interesting... I bought my planet robot off of a guy here in kansas city and he had about ten of them, all mint. (Does this support the recently manufactured in disguise theory??) If you like I can check with him and see if he has any left! They were going for $225 last year. Still waiting for that Alps Television Robot Warehouse find and that Mr. Atomic Warehouse find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dratomic Posted March 28, 2003 Author Share Posted March 28, 2003 I'd appreciate that, Robert. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robothut Posted March 28, 2003 Share Posted March 28, 2003 Get some one to take a picture of it and post here so we can all see, if it is a new or old variation then there are many of us that need to know about it. You must know some one with a digital camera or a scaner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dratomic Posted March 28, 2003 Author Share Posted March 28, 2003 Right. Good thing I work at a magazine... Here are some photos. I don't have the manual for the camera, so these aren't perfect. I'll try to take some super zoom pics as soon as I figure out how to make them come out right. But these should get you started. Here's the first. Note the small silver circles on the side of the head. They're slightly raised, but no more so than if they were painted on. They appear to be made of metal, though it seems to be a softer metal. There's a slightly raised portion in the center that's painted black. They almost appear to be "eyes." I can't tell if they're attached to the outside of the plastic, or if they go through the plastic (like pins). They're both identical to each other, as far as I can tell. There are, for now, two more pics coming after this one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dratomic Posted March 28, 2003 Author Share Posted March 28, 2003 next pic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dratomic Posted March 28, 2003 Author Share Posted March 28, 2003 I'm an idiot. I just realized these weren't zooming in like they were supposed to. I HATE iPhoto (I don't have photoshop on this machine). Sorry for the redundant posts. I'll see what I can do about getting some better shots later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dratomic Posted March 28, 2003 Author Share Posted March 28, 2003 One last thing that might help some people figure out what's going on with this toy -- after looking at the box again, I'm realizing that the silver marks on the robot match similar marks on the robot in the box art. (Though, nothing ELSE between the toy and the box match.)I wonder if someone was attempting to make the two match. Or, alternately, was this some limited version of the toy that matches the art in this one odd way. Both options seem a little dubious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe K. Posted March 29, 2003 Share Posted March 29, 2003 I never saw this "variation" before. They look like aluminum rivet heads to me. Are they only on the front side, dratomic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alain Posted March 29, 2003 Share Posted March 29, 2003 I have two of these so called latter productions. What SH Mike said coincides very strongly with what I think, that they are not as old as most of us think.Dratomic, could you check these 2 things out, what is the boxart like? Does it have a latter production "Safety Toy" or "ST" mark printed on the lower right? And check the bottom of the feet, are they painted red? Or are they "chromed" metal?Anyway, those funny ears I have never seen before... are they just cosmetic, or do they actually hold something together? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dratomic Posted March 29, 2003 Author Share Posted March 29, 2003 Box art does indeed say safety toy. The feet are red with a bottom plate that's silver (or unpainted, rather). It looks just like every other one that's up on ebay right now, except for those ear things...The ear things are only on the front and don't go through the bumps on the side of the head, so I have no reason to believe they're rivets -- they don't seem to interfere with the rotating hoops, either. I really believe they're purely cosmetic, and I suspect that some previous owner took it upon himself to mark the toy up for some unknown reason. Perhaps it was being pushed as a "variation" in an effort to raise it's value. Who knows. Unless someone wants to take a chance that it's a heretofore unknown version worth hundreds of dollars and wants to buy it off me, I'm going to return it on monday or tuesday. So speak up now if you're interested in gambling. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Volker Posted March 29, 2003 Share Posted March 29, 2003 Hi ,this version is New for me too.is the Head in one unit and the antenne-ring is a Part?Or is the Antenne and the Rivets one Part .... can you turn the antenne?And no problems with the piccs- we saw what you mean. :rolleyes: volker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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