Ed has kindly sent me some shots of his almost complete Hamilton Invaders toys. These are some of my most favourite space toys from the sixties, which were never fully released in the UK. Remco ran the line from 1964 to 1965 and besides these toys, also produced a helmet and pistol set, so kids could really get down to alien blasting action. In 1964 REMCO introduced its "Hamilton's Invaders Horrible Hamilton" line of toys. The toys capitalized on the bug craze in sci-fi and horror flicks from that era as well as collectors' cards included in packs of bubble gum, such as The Black Scorpion, THEM!, Tarantula and The Deadly Mantis.
All the toys shots below are from Ed's personal collection. take it away Ed!
REMCO made numerous sets which contained a mix of bugs and Defenders. While the sets were very imaginative and should have caught the attention of boys, for some reason the line was a poor seller. It could be that, while the look of the toys was terrific, the inner pull-string spring mechanisms were cheaply made and prone to breakage. As well, the bugs couldn't withstand the rough play that boys are accustomed to and horns, antennas, and pinchers (or pincers or mandibles - whatever) broke off easily. The line was produced into 1965 then was discontinued.%201%20sm.jpg)
The cardboard cave was only included in the large, boxed sets - those in plain carboard boxes with bold black lettering - of which there were several. The cave resembles a volcano and folds flat for easy inclusion into the packaging. It measures: 13" x 14"D at the bottom x 12"H. It's big enough to fit Horrible Hamilton (the big bug) inside and a couple of the other bugs but you'd be hard-pressed to fit the full complement of bugs.
Horrible Hamilton. This sample has a broken tail piece - it should be longer than what's shown in the photo
There were two medium sized bugs: Remco referred to this as 'The Beetle'. My sample is intact
This is 'The Spider'. My sample is missing the antenna and the pinchers - a common occurrence among these toys
There were three small bugs referred to as 'Grotesque's'. There are wheels underneath allowing them to roll along the floor. My samples are all intact
The opposing forces were called 'The Defenders'. This is the Torpedo Tank and is the largest vehicle in the series. It's also the only one which is battery operated, all the others having pull—string spring mechanisms. This tank would have shot a small diameter 'satellite' as its torpedo, but is missing from my sample
The 'Dwarf Tank. When I hear that term I think of the Japanese Chi-Ha tank from WWII or the tiny Renault and it's a pretty good comparison. These shot little projectiles which are most often lot. My sample has one remaining of the four originally provided.
The now iconic 'Mosquito Jeep'. The inspiration for a long line of copycat toy designs. These shot the same little projectiles as the tank. My sample has one remaining of the four originally provided.
The Hornet Helicopter. An unusual design in that it has no tail boom or rotor. This too had projectiles, but they didn't fire. To release them you tilted the helicopter backwards allowing them to fall out!
The Defending soldiers (six in blue and a white driver). At 70mm, these were quite large for 'Army Man' figures
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I've never heard of these.
ReplyDeleteThe whole set, monsters, cave, vehicles and soldiers, looks great, but I'm bound to ask " Why Hamilton ?!" What's that got to do with anything ?
Maybe that's why they were poor sellers, the terrible name.
i asked the same question and Ed seems to think it might be an in joke on the Remco production team - possibly a supervisor or boss wasn't well liked! Bill
DeleteI once read that that was what happened. Hamilton was the name of a coworker the designer didn't like.
DeleteIt has been said that the toys didn't sell because mothers found the bugs revolting.
Mish, I couldn't agree with you more. The 'Horrible Hamilton' moniker was indeed HORRIBLE and, along with the other issues the set had, probably didn't help sales any.
Delete...and yet, here we are 60 years later paying premium prices for a series of toys everyone seems to remember either because we had them, knew someone who did, or always wanted them! Go figure!
DeleteFantastic article... fantastic pics... fantastic collection.
ReplyDeleteThanx Tony!
DeleteLovely set! Somehow, the 60's vibe running through these designs has never been equalled!
ReplyDeleteThanx Lewis! Other monsters in toyland have come and gone but these have resonated through time!
DeleteA great collection, the aliens (and their cave) are really colourful.
ReplyDeleteRegarding the line not being fully released in Britain. Well, every single one of the films mentioned at the beginning of the article - Tarantula, Them, The Deadly Mantis, The Black Scorpion, and The Return of the Fly, were all X Certificiate movies in Britain in the 1950s, so no one under 16 could legally see them. Most are now down to a PG rating, although The Return of the Fly has only been reduced to a 12 (no one under 12 allowed to see it). As far as I can tell, The Black Scorpion still has its original X Certificate. In the 1950s and 1960s rampaging monsters were not considered kids stuff (except on Doctor Who), so a toy line like that might not have fared too well.
That's interesting! All of these films would have been standard Saturday afternoon matinee fare in the States. 'THEM" was my favorite and I remember seeing it on TV as part of the Saturday/Sunday monster movie line-up.
DeleteYes, this was a high concept toy range at its peak - an absolute legend! Beautiful collection! SFZ
ReplyDeleteThanx Zigg! As a toy collector, it has been high on my bucket list for years and I feel grateful for finally getting these. I'm not too interested in the child sized 'bug' helmet or gun, but maybe some day I'll break down and get those as well.
DeleteCurious about the name of “Hamilton Invaders “? Me too.
ReplyDeleteMy Dad was an independent sales representative that carried the Remco line, along with Mattel and others.
He worked out of the Bendix Building in downtown LA on Maple Street.
From 1929 to 1960 it was home to Bendix Aviation Corporation, established by its namesake, Vincent Bendix. The vacant space was occupied by the toy industry. In the 60’s the reps maintained showrooms and storage of samples.
Bendix Building In 1963 I got to downtown the get a Bendix box and worked the rep floor
At the time Edmond Hamilton was living Lancaster south of Los Angeles.
Edmond Moore Hamilton (October 21, 1904 – February 1, 1977)was an American writer of science fiction during the mid-twentieth century.
He was one of the prime movers in the development of US science fiction sharing with those writers in the creation and popularization of classic Space Opera as it first appeared in Pulp magazines from about 1928.
In 1946 he married Leigh Brackett, who was a author and screenwriter. She wrote a screenplay “Hamilton Invaders” with Edmond in 1960. They were open to a movie or TV series.
Remco wanted to own the toy rights. The owners of Remco, Heller and Robbins also understood the value in obtaining licensing rights. Remco owned the rights to toys based on the Beatles, the Munsters, Batman and Star Trek. Believe it or not, in 1964, the Remco catalog of toys included Lyndon Johnson and Barry Goldwater dolls. But, remote control toys were always a major part of the product line; radio-controlled and motorized toys continued to be developed through the 1960s.
The rights were granted in 1961 but the TV series never happened. BTW Leigh’s last film work, a draft scenario for Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980), for which she posthumously received a 1981 a Hugo.
Remco stopped production in 1964 (only one year) when owner passed on the film or television, which was Paramount. So Paramount negotiated with Remco (to recoup investment in molds, artwork, etc) with a new TV series. Star Trek was introduced in 1966. Remco “recycled” the Hamilton Invaders collection for Star Trek.
Remco built a lasting legacy in the toy industry through its innovative use of recovered electrical parts, television advertising, and established pop-culture properties