Just when I thought it was safe to go back in the water, up pops another new totally exciting discovery! Whilst browsing through a book sat in the garden before a torrential rain shower sent me packing I noticed something remarkable. The book is the excellent FUTURE TOYS by Antoni Emchowitz and Paul Nunneley. On page 75, plate 107 is a picture of the 1960's Brazilian ESTRELLA ROBOCOM, a plastic TV robot with a box and illuminated screen. Not having my camera handy, I found similar pictures online as you can see below. What's remarkable are the images on the box and, particularly, on the TV screen! On the marvellous ALPHADROME Robot Database, ROBOCOM is clearly pictured (below) along with the flattened TV screen roll at the bottom (The top one is from the similar ALPS Television Spaceman). On the left hand corner of the box is quite clearly a SWORD BOOSTER ROCKET!
But the real gems are on screen, both on the box and the real thing. You may just be able to make out on the box's tv a MEV Spacex style! I have zoomed in the two pictures down. This is a sort of 'screengrab' of what's actually on the TV screen proper as seen below. And what a feast it is! I have circled the SPACEX and SWORD elements I can see below as well: MEV, LESA (Moon Base), BOOSTER ROCKET and McCall's Astronaut.
Here are a few more online images of the robot showing various, albeit blurred, images of the TV screen. I would LOVE to see the ESTRELLA TV screen actually lit-up and moving but alas, there's nothing on YouTube. Can anyone help?
As mentioned earlier the Estrella Robocom was undoubtedly inspired by the Japanese TELEVISION SPACEMAN by ALPs as seen above. Far more famous than the Estrella there's lots of online info and footage of the ALPS original on YouTube. You can see the flattened screen roll above. The elements seem more Von Braunesque and I'm sure there's a DUX ASTROMAN thrown in there for good measure. It would be great to see the TV screen film clearly as well. Anyone?
An epilogue to this ESTRELLA piece is the mystery jet on the bottom right of the box of the related Estrella ROBO MOVIDA A PILHAS below (ALPHADROME ROBOT DATABASE). It would be too much to ask for a SWORD PROBE FORCE 1 surely! just can't find a bigger image. Help!
Picture credits: Ebay, Alphadrome, ToyTent
OMG, Woodsy!
ReplyDeleteI know, I know! It's great eh!
ReplyDeleteSome of the picture links don't work for some reason, which I'll sort out asap.
Sadly, I don't have the Estella Robot (either of them). They're rare toys -- a pair of 'em popped up at both the Smith House and Morphy Auctions a couple months ago, but I haven't seen any others for sale in a while.
ReplyDeleteI do have the Alps Television Spaceman, though I can't seem to find any batteries to power it up right now. Perhaps later...
I doubt any robot collectors have caught the details in the space scenes that you've caught. Thanks for the info!
I HAVE ONE.
ReplyDeleteBUT CRASHED.
Hi Anonymous, sounds interesting. Great that you have one. What do you mean by 'crashed'? Broken?
ReplyDelete