TEXAS TOY MAN

Mighty Mike Battery Operated Robot-1984

 

 

 

 

 

From the early days of Buck Rogers and his space adventures, robots have been a favorite toy. The earliest robots were made of tin with later models being constructed of plastic and combinations of metal and plastic. The vintage robot pictures here – Mighty Mike – was manufactured in 1984 by a Japanese firm. Like most robots, he performs actions. Some of the older robots were powered by a wind-up mechanism; however, this more modern robot is battery-operated. He even ‘talks’. When the yellow button on top of his head is pressed he says, “I am the atomic powered robot. Please give my best wishes to everyone.”

 

In addition to talking, this 11 inch Mighty Mike has:

 

1. Flashing red eyes
2. Gripping hands
3. Mystery bump-and-go action

 

There are hundreds of robots that have been manufactured over the years – here in the states and around the world – as such they make a fun, challenging collectible…especially if you can find one in working order or with the original box.

 

 

 

 

 

Matchbox Yesteryear # 1909 Thomas Flyabout-1956

The Lesney Matchbox ‘Models of Yesteryear’ Series was started in 1956.  These cars were produced as copies of vintage and antique cars.  They were built just slightly larger than Matchbox’s regular 1-75 series which were produced starting 1953…the regular series continues in production to today.

 

Although the Yesteryear cars were supposedly discontinued after a 36 year production run (1992), this was ‘not true’ totally since Matchbox continued to produce the Yesteryear cars but packaging them in other Matchbox assortments.  Therefore, in spite of the announcement of the discontinuance of Yesteryears, we still find Yesteryears appearing in different series introduced to the market by Matchbox today.

The posted picture of the Matchbox Thomas Flyabout ‘Models of Yesteryear’ Series produced in 1967 has the following features:

Bright blue in color

Tan colored plastic roof “smooth surface”

Gold colored spoke wheels

Dark red plastic seats

Dark red grill

Black plastic steering wheel

‘Made in England by Lesney’ embossed on chassis

‘1909 Thomas Flyabout’ embossed on chassis

‘By courtesy of Harrah Collection Reno, USA’ embossed on chassis

‘Matchbox No.Y12’ embossed on chassis

‘Models of Yesteryear’ embossed on chassis

Black rubber wheels

If you are looking to start a Matchbox collection of Yesteryears, the pricing should always include the car and its original box -  and both should be in perfect shape if you are looking to have your collection for investment purposes, not just for fun.

The Classic ’57 T-Bird RedLine

 

 

The 1957 T-Bird convertible with redlines tires (pictured) was produced in 14 various colors. And, not only did this car come in a variety of exterior colors but also the plastic interiors came in a variety of colors. If you’re specifically collecting ’57 T-Birds, this means there are a lot of combinations out there to be found. Also, interestingly, all of these cars were made in the USA – in 1969.

 

The T-Bird pictured above has the following features:

Metal chassis

Aqua in color

Red line tires (RSW)

Clear plastic windshield

Dark Gray interiors

Lift up hood

Metal engine

Plastic ’57 Bird ™ embossed on the bottom

1968 Mattel Inc., USA embossed on the bottom

US & Foreign Pat. Pend embossed

Hot Wheels embossed on the bottom

 

Another interesting note when collecting this car, while you’ll find it referred to as ‘T-Bird’ in most reference and price guide books, the bottom of the car doesn’t have the embossed T, but rather just ‘Bird’.

If you find collecting T-Birds designed by Hot Wheels interesting, just collecting the colors of the ’57 Bird would be a major challenge – not to mention a special prize if you were able to find all fourteen (14) colors.

Happy hunting!