Mentioning the Johnny 7 earlier today reminded me how I used to enjoy buying and selling them .... or at least trying to.
My first adult reunion with the One Man Army was finding a single loose butt at a car boot sale in the early 90's. I may have sold this on as I found it.
I think my next Johnny was a mint boxed one just for me in the early '00's. It cost an arm and a leg and I pay Bill to guard my other toys in the loft with it!
This purchase whetted my appetite to buy in an incomplete One Man Army to finish off and sell on in 2007.
After much searching for and buying spare parts it looked like this in the end.
The Topper box I got was pretty shot but there wasn't anything I could do about that.
It had several pesky holes and tears.
Finding the plastic grenade was harder than a thought it would be and this damaged example was the best I could do at the time.
I had to source a replacement shaft for this shell as well. It ended up being a repro.
At least the red missile was good.
and the other green missile.
Alas, I had to buy in replacement and repro plastic bullets.
The toy machine gun lever was fine though.
as were the other mechanics at the back end.
But by far the hardest and most expensive spare part was the toy pistol.
Eventually I found this decent example and in it went!
I can't recall if these were reproduction leaflets. I think I may have had them photocopied from my originals at a copy shop.
And that was that. Job done. One complete Johnny Seven give or take a few repro parts, which I described thoroughly to the eventual happy buyer.
It must have been worthwhile because I bought this trainwreck in next!
I think this Johnny got the better of me and it was sold as is some time after!
Have you rebuilt a Johnny Seven? Did you have one as a kid? Do you have one now?
Remember, no one man is an army!
The Johnny Seven OMA is a true iconic toy of its time... alas, my absent minded mum and dad failed to provide one for their little lad. Yes, I grew up without one! I did have a couple of brief encounters as a kid though. I remember in infants School, a red headed lad called Nigel saddled up and brought in his Johnny Seven in to show it off to other kids on his birthday. It was the first time I'd seen one and was blown away. But Big Red's instant popularity was short lived as his plastic platform of death and destruction was consequently confiscated until the end of the day. My second encounter was a few years later. I was playing in a popular plot of overgrown waste land behind our house, when I found one which appeared to be discarded or lost. I couldn't believe my luck... guess it was the kids equivalent of a substantial lottery win. Me and my mate hastily took my arms-dump find home to the security of the back garden. No sooner had I started gunning down imaginary enemies with my WMD than the door bell rang. It was the visiting nephew of the neighbours... calling to reclaim the Johnny Seven which he'd hidden earlier in the day. He'd heard the gun fireand explosions in the garden and I was rumbled... game over! I was gutted! I did eventually track a down battle ravaged example as an adult. Great to see the OMA here in this brilliantly illustrated piece, Woodsy... huh, even if it has brought back some very tragic memories :D
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked the post Tone. And such vivid stories you've told there! What are the chances of finding an abandoned Johnny on wasteland and the owner actually being the nephew pf the neighbours! What was he thinking dumping it? Maybe he was Special Ops and needed stashes in different places! He'd probably hid a load of sweets in a tree somewhere as well for sustenance! So how battle damaged is your adult Seven?
DeleteYep, I couldn't believe it belonged to the neighbours nephew either, Woodsy, ha ha. I'm afraid I handed in my adult OMA during an eBay arms amnesty a few years ago. However, I still pack a bit of firepower around the house in the form of the odd vintage Luger cap gun and one or two friction ray guns... just in case the need ever arises to fend off something nasty from a 1950s B-movie... hey, you can never be to careful :D
ReplyDeleteIf it wasn't for our vigilance Tone civil society would be overrun with tentacled krakens and tribbles!
DeleteYes indeed, Woodsy... we're all that stands between the Earth and Ed Wood... watching the skies... always watching the skies :D
ReplyDeletePer ardua ad Johnny.
Deletejust got my johnny seven gun after waiting 50 years .did not get one as child looking to get some kind of information as to best place in uk to get it serviced and made look like new .looking to keep this gun forever.
ReplyDeleteBig Congrats on getting your Johnny 7! Its a thing of beauty for baby boomers like us! Not sure about where best to get it serviced. There are videos on You Tube on how to clean vintage plastic. Maybe they might give you some idea.
ReplyDeleteI hope this thread is still alive. I am nostalgic for this toy as my mother and father bought me one in 1966. I found one that requires some TLC and parts. I see that you mentioned reproduction parts. I am looking to source the bullets, tank buster grenade, rocket grenade and the rocket launched grenade. Can you help? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteHi John. Sorry for the delay. I don't restore J7's anymore but when I did I sourced some repro parts at the time. The bullets certainly. Maybe the grenades are repro'd nowadays too. I remember checking Ebay constantly for years before I found a replacement pistol. Good luck with your One Man Army restoration. Here's some Topper repros at Red Venom Repros https://www.redvenomrepros.com/renwal-richman-s-tonka-topper
DeleteMy Daughter bought me one a couple of months ago, it is missing the grenade and the other rocket bits, it had no handgun but I managed to get one on Ebay, she is going to bring it to me on her next visit (130 miles) but covid-19 put a delay on that, I have 3D printed a new grenade but I am waiting to measure the gun so as to get the rocket launch catch/shaft diameter and depth so I can complete the gun, the bullets are easy to knock up on a 3D printer. STAY SAFE
DeleteI would interested in any 3D Print files someone can share to replicate the bullets, grenade, tank buster and bunker buster. Thanks.
DeleteNice to hear from you Unknown and John. Glad to hear Johnny Seven is alive and kicking and your'e fans. I haven't any access to 3D printing or plans. Have you seen the repro parts this guy offers? https://www.redvenomrepros.com/renwal-richman-s-tonka-topper Hope you get your J7's completed and play ready.
Deletewhen I get the main body and bullets my Daughter has I can measure up and reproduce on my printer, I shall provide STL files for those with 3d printers, may take a while, watch this space
DeleteVery kind.
DeleteThat is very nice. Thanks for the link. https://www.redvenomrepros.com/renwal-richman-s-tonka-topper
DeleteSTL file for bullets is now on THINGIVERSE for all those with 3D printers,
ReplyDeletethe RED missile will be on there soon with new shaft.
I will keep you updated
You are my new hero. I have been trying in vain to find the Missile, Bullets, Grenade and Bunker Buster. Thanks to you, I am two steps (Missile & Bullets) closer to completing my Johnny Seven OMA project. Thank you for your generosity.
DeleteBunker Buster and Grenade coming VERY SOON, thingiverse is a bit hit and miss when I try to upload files, Bunker Buster is ready to send but thingiverse is having issues with the files, it took a while for my other bits to be accepted, shame I can't just add STL files here, there must be a way.
Deletecant find these on thingiverse
Deletedid you search JOHNNY SEVEN on thingiverse?
DeleteRED missile plus shaft now on thingiverse.com just search johnny seven
ReplyDeleteAwesome. Thank you for sharing the files mate.
Deleteall other addons coming VERY SOON
DeleteOne of the GREEN missiles is now on THINGIVERSE.COM don' know if this is the BUNKER BUSTER one or not, there is another green missile out there that doesn't show up in many pictures, will get on the case and design it. Grenade should be on thingiverse within days, happy printing
ReplyDeleteGrenade should now be on THINGIVERSE if they update their site properly
ReplyDeleteHave ever seen a grown man get giddy? 😉
ReplyDeletePleased to hear it, any problems let me know, I am almost 66 so will be getting my pension in 2 months, I always wanted this toy but my parents could not afford it, my Daughter bought this one for me recently which was in a very sad state, all it had as ammunition was 4 bullets, also the grenade launcher was broken and had come seperated from the gun so a complete strip and rebuild was needed, enjoyed every minute.
DeleteWhy not download GOOGLE SKETCHUP FREE and see how easily you can start designing your own bits, quite easy to pick up and use.
ENJOY
I am printing the bullets now, but noticed several errors in the grenade file. Especially around the portion where it sits in the rail. I tried fixing in in Mesh Mixer with no luck. I am new to messing around with the models. I did merge the rods together to create a single piece for the resin printing crew. Thanks again for your work on this. Now that I have everything I need, I will be stripping down the rifle and restoring it after I finish my Blade Runner pistol project.
Deletethe grenade was always a pain but repetier host gave me a good gcode and printed perfectly, also printed on a Flashforge Adventurer 3 using Flashprint, I have a few printers, greedy I know, a ROBO3D which I heavily modified, 2XFlashforge Adventurer 3's and a home built printer based on an ANET A8 but capable of printing 620mm long, comes in handy sometimes.
DeleteMy folks purchased this for me a couple of years after it was released. I have no idea how they could have afforded it back then, but it if one of my fondest memories of Christmas 1966.
ReplyDeleteYES £12 was a lot of money back then, still got it?
DeleteI do not have my original, but I stumbled across a partial one in a second-hand store for a fair price.
DeleteSecond GREEN MISSILE is now on THINGIVERSE, this is NOT a replica, just a basic representation of the original, time to get that SUPERGLUE or UHU out again.
ReplyDeleteHave FUN with these files
I just printed off the bullets and they fit like a glove. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteENJOY
DeleteI saw an add on EBAY recently asking £99 for a set of 12 bullets !!!!!!!
DeleteThat is pure robbery.
Deletethese johnny seven files are great so glad someone has taken the time to help others keep these iconic toys going.
ReplyDeleteso am now asking if anyone has files for the machine gun pullback and the grenade launch button :-) .
?
DeleteSadky. No
DeleteHi
Deletedo you mean the black plastic piece that fits on the metal stub for the machine gun sound.
I could reproduce it and supply a 3D printer file (STL) if needed
yes that is the bit would be a very happy bunny if you could do that
Deletemany many thanks and if you have anyway of doing the grenade launch button :-)
has anyone scanned the box or knows who supplies them
ReplyDeleteSorry. I do not. Someone must be reproducing them as I have seen Youtube unboxing videos with mint boxes. I doubt they are the real deal, but they looked nice.
Deletethanks john, will have to keep an eye out as you say someone must be doing them. meanwhile i will try and print the bullets and grenade. and hopefully someone will be able to get the dimensions for the grenade button and the tommy gun pull back. 50years is a long time to wait. with luck i will be able to wrap it up next christmas and treat it like a time machine.
ReplyDeletenow back to painting the dalek :-)
Hi
ReplyDeletedo you mean the black plastic piece that fits on the metal stub for the machine gun sound.
I could reproduce it and supply a 3D printer file (STL) if needed
as for the grenade launch button are you just missing the middle button or the surround also?
ReplyDeletehi paul
Deletethanks for asking :-)
i am missing just the middle the central push bit.
DeleteMachine gun reset handle is now on THINGIVERSE, search ‘johnny seven’
Machine gun reset handle is now on THINGIVERSE, search ‘johnny seven’
ReplyDeleteas for the grenade button does the grenade launch if you push something in the hole, if so I can recreate the knob/ button.
ReplyDeletehi paul
ReplyDeletebig thanks for your help will get that printed out :-)
as for the button yes it would do exactly that hole measured at 13.8mm dia but not sure how long or how it attaches to the firing mech
Grenade launch button bits are now on thingiverse, just search Johnny Seven.
DeleteThese are the bits I had to print out to repair my unit, you may not need all 3.
Have FUN
many many thanks paul i now have all the bits (i hope) just time to strip it down and rebuild :-)
ReplyDelete