Armatron by Tandy/Tomy - Sam's Toybox

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The Armatron robot arm is one of the coolest toys every made. Put out by Radio Shack the robot is operated via a couple of levers on the base. Came with all kinds of accessories to pick up and move around. The toy was made by Tomy and later versions showed this name on the box. Here is an original Armatron, a Mobile Armatron, and a knock-off (which I think is better) by Spectravideo.

I scanned the Armatron instruction manual in case anyone wants to read it. Note that a Robotic Trainer Arm and Smithsonian toy's new Bio Arm (an excellent clone) are available through Amazon.com. Other robots in my collection: Big Max by Remco, Thing Ding by Schaper, and of course the B9 Robot I'm attempting to build.

Armatron Box

Catalog number 60-2364. There is no date on the box or instructions but I believe the Armatron was originally produced in the late 1970s.

Catalog number 60-2396, here is the Mobile Armatron by Radio Shack. Forward and backward motion, left and right turns in either high or low speed, as well as robot arm movements are accomplished using the wired remote. Late 1970s is my guess on the vintage.

Not an Armatron but a Robot Arm from Spectravideo, item number SVI-2000a, dated 1985. This is a bigger and more powerful robot that takes four D batteries (compared to two for the Armatron). I like it better because the controls are on joysticks that can be a number of feet away from the robot itself. Also comes with outrigger legs with suction cups on the bottom, as well as both a bucket and magnetic gripper that can be used in place of the standard jaws.

Name:	Armatron
Manufacturer:	Radio Shack
Vintage:	Late 1970s (guess)
Obtained:	Armatrons from eBay, SVI from flea market.
Other Links:	Buy a Robotic Trainer Arm Kit - how cool is that!! Robosapien and other robot toys are available on Amazon.com. Steam Powered Armatron - how cool is that! Arm Your Atari article - interfacing an Armatron to a computer Armatron instruction manual
Look for it:	Search eBay Auctions - Current Search eBay Auctions - Completed

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Contact me: Sam Cancilla, sam@samstoybox.com.

Last Modified: September 21, 2007