Storage: Running Vintage Robots

[mighty 8]

Hello, I have a question regarding vintage Robots. I was wondering if running your vintage Robots (notice I did not say play with) occasionaly would lower the value of the Robot? For instance, every month you run the Robot a little. I am new to collecting vintage Robots and would be interested to know what other collectors do. I would imagine most collectors run them sometime as that would be part of the enjoyment. I look forward to hearing some replies.

Happy Holidays to All,

Richard

[Robotnut]

This topic was discussed in depth a while back, maybe someone

could find the thread. The reality is, ALL battery operated toys

will eventually stop working, no matter how well they are cared

for. Personally, when I receive a vintage toys and it has never been

opened before, I'll usually repair it. If it stops working in the future,

I won't repair it again, unless I am selling it. Luckily, most battery op

toys can be restarted without opening them up. By using long metal

probes, you can quite often poke at the gears to restart them. Unless

you want to demonstrate or sell a vintage battery op robot, there really

is no reason to have it working. Running the toy a lot will grind the gears,

wear the motor brushes and possibly burn out the lights. Taking a toy

appart will always cause some damage, even if not noticable. We all

hope that these toys will be around for a long time. If every future

owner takes the toy apart to get it working, in a few generations,

the remaining toy will be in much worst condition than if it was left alone

and not working. I've also noticed that If I find a toy that doesn't work

and if I try it 6 months or a year later, it does. The other issue is, if you

have hundreds or thousands of toys in your collection, what do you do them... :huh:

www.robotnut.com

[Joe K.]

Welcome to Alphadrome, mighty 8.

We've discussed this topic before, but I couldn't find those past threads (guess I wasn't using the "right" search words).

Generally speaking, running a vintage robot/space toy (whose drive train consists of all brass/metal gears) once or twice a year is probably a good idea. It keeps things from getting "gummed-up". I'd recommend holding the toy up off the ground when you first start it up. This will take any undo stress off of the gears.

With newer toys (with plastic/nylon gears), you run the risk of having those gears split and then a repair job is most often required.

[robert]

Hi Richard,

Congratulations on your Mighty 8 robot, it's one of my favorites. I collect both robots and space toys. I really don't run them all on any kind of regular basis because I have quite a few, but I do run them all at some point. I enjoy playing with them and showing them off to visitors and friends (whether they want to see them or not, LOL)

As far as affecting value, I think it's beneficial to run them at least a few times a year. This helps to keep the motors lubricated and prevents jamming. If you display your robots, it's also a good idea to reposition the rubber wheels at least once a month so that they don't develope flat spots on the wheels, especially in warm climates. The drawback to running them once a month is that these toys are OLD, and sometimes things break or stop working. Gears wear, wires break, rubber bands break, etc, and you could end up with a non working toy that requires repair. Many of us do our own repairs and enjoy the challenge of keeping them working and running. But having a robot with broken or weak tabs from being opened too much will definately affect the value, so be careful if you attemp it yourself.

Personally, I don't collect for resale value. The robot market prices has dropped considerably in the past decade. I think if you rely on your collection to fund you child's college or finance your retirement at some point in the future you may be sorely disappointed on the return of your investment. Stick to mutual funds. Not to say that there aren't those rare robots out there that both hold and increase in value, but their rarity makes them difficult and expensive to come by.

I think the best reason to be in this hobby is to enjoy the toys from our past. It brings out the kid in me. It's both nostalgia for the toys of my youth, and the asthetic enjoyment of design and function that these toys embody. I am constantly amazed at the ingenuity and economy of design that these once inexpensive toys represent. I am always amazed when I get one of these 40 - 50 year old toys in mint condition because they were meant to be played with and thrown away. They were never designed to last. They were made out of the cheapest materials available at the time. But that era of innocence that they represent, that time when we thought robots would drive tractors and cars, rather than BE a tractor or car is one of the things that make them so damned appealing to me.

Be careful, if you continue to buy these toys you will get hooked! You will find yourself spending your children's collecge fund, rather than saving for it! :D

[larry seven]

:) Once or twice a year, and it is fun to run them for a moment or two and then dust off and polish them. A soft cloth or t-shirt with carnuba car polish is great. The windup robots with spark you may not want to have walk around and spark too much, because it will eventually wear out the flint, but you can hold them in your hand laying back and the flint won't hit that way. As was stated above, don't get too mad if one time the battery operated robots don't run, they may the next time! -L7