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VertiBird
by Mattel
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Read memories from others. |
This memory was added on: December 18,2005
This was, by a wide margin, my favorite toy growing up. I still remember which shelf it sat on in the toy store where we'd buy them (plural...my brother and I had a number of them over the years growing up). We had a "big room" which served as our play room, and it had deep gold shag carpet. I remember flying the vertibird (we called it whirlybird) too low and the legs would get caught in a thread or the propeller would go face down...that shag carpet was as dangerous as flying over the open seas. I also remember getting the bird flying in a straight circle FAST...around and around. I think some of my better driving skills today are attributed to the eye hand coordination that wonderful toy called for!
DP
1965
podeschi@hotmail.com
This memory was added on: December 14,2005
I had both the original vertibird, and the air police version. I remember christmas morning test flying it a little too close too my dad who was napping on the carpet, and whacking him in his bare feet with the rotor blade. I can still feel the sting of the rotor blade to this day when it would nip me. My cousin and I would get brave and take turns landing it on each others nose! Most fun toy I ever had!
Mike T.
1965
mrt0065@hotmail.com
This memory was added on: December 13,2005
I too had this same toy. Only it wasn't a toy back then. It was a serious work horse that had way more tasks to do than there was daylight to do them. I didn't play with this bird, I worked with it.
A few years back I was walking through Target and they had one similar (no boat). I bought it for my only nephew. I wish that toy didn't live so far away!!!
Mikey
1965
Mike.Reed@zipmail.com
This memory was added on: December 13,2005
I received a Space 1999 Vertibird for Christmas one year when I was about 10 or 11 years old. I can remember playing with this for hours on the living room floor. You would pick up this bulbus looking space ship that was in one of the episodes of the show. There were a couple of other items too, but I don't remember what they were. The ship was an Eagle transport and it was white with a black rotor. This toy was awesome. I wish I could find one now. I had seem one on ebay years ago and the high bid was $600, which did not even meet the reserve price. I don't really remember what happened to this toy, but I suppose it may heve been thrown out when I had moved. oh well.
kolchak
1966
noname@noname.com
This memory was added on: December 11,2005
This was absolutely the coolest toy that I had as a child. I remember playing with it for hours at a time. I had the original, then a couple of my friends received newer versions. One had the Coast Guard ship (way cool). And the other the Fire rescue version. We figured out a way to play with all three of them together with their flight paths slightly overlapping and had many hours of great fun. Sometimes I think the biggest problem with the toys of today is that they just don't challenge the imagination.
MRN
1963
This memory was added on: December 9,2005
The VertBird was not only my favorite toy growing up it was also my dogs favorite toy. Shadow was a doberman and she would wait by the closet door for me to get the VertiBird out so she could chase it. No matter how many times she was hit by it she just wanted to catch it even more. If it crashed or the prop flew off she would just sit and wait with anticipation for it to fly again. When she was old, grey, and moving slowly, I would get the helicopter out and she was young again leaping across the VertiBird's path trying to catch that copter.
1965
This memory was added on: December 8,2005
The best Toy ever...I would build a fort with Lincoln logs and fly around.....VertiBird, Lincoln Logs and Match Box cars never got any better then that.
JDF
1962
Johndfink@msn.com
This memory was added on: November 28,2005
They had it on display in our local toyshop, back in 1971, making me spend some of my time there instead of coming home directly from school. A friend of mine got it for birthday, and my heartfelt envy, too. But i was allowed to share the fun and play with it. Thirty years later, an ingenious guy created a marvellous 3D simulation of our then favourite toy. So go for the nextbest thing to a VertiBird: http://www.peterhirschberg.com/vertisim/ I can't stop playing it... This one's a freeware stunner of highest caliber! Thanx, Peter!
Michael
1959
DaeSuOh@web.de
This memory was added on: November 28,2005
I had the boat and the flashlight style hand held. The prop really hurt when it hit you
Tim Brown
1964
indytimb@yahoo.com
This memory was added on: November 23,2005
Where can I buy one ?
scott
1964
scottnottoli@aol.com
This memory was added on: November 17,2005
You can still get them. They are under the name "chopper command" or "chopper patrol"
Nathan
1964
This memory was added on: November 4,2005
Well I'll be damn! I had one of these when I was just a young one back in the day (1970s) and now today (November 2005) I am counting these last days to retirement from......you guessed it, the U.S. Coast Guard! This was probably the best toy I ever had. It allowed me to imagine....
Darius
1961
dagr3atone@hotmail.com
This memory was added on: November 3,2005
I've always remember this amazing toy! My older brother got it for christmas a long time ago. He got really mad everytime we (my younger bro and I) use to slam into the side of the ship. I wish Mattel would build these things again!!
Todd M Luther
1965
TMLUTHER@COX.NET
This memory was added on: November 1,2005
I had the Enterprise, and the Colonial Viper.
I seem to recall one of the Eagles from Space: 1999 as well, but I may be sketchy on that.
Keith J. Farmer
1973
kfarmer@thuban.org
This memory was added on: November 1,2005
Oh yeah, the VertiBird! That was a cool toy for its time. It was pure mechanical genius to my young mind.........hey wait, it STILL amazes me. Hmmmmm.......
Mike
1966
This memory was added on: October 30,2005
still got mine and my 4 year old is currently playing with it
Doug
1968
This memory was added on: October 16,2005
pure fun ,it brings back memories and tears. all i remember was landing the copter on the boat, an having a steady hand. i miss being a kid
jb adams
1964
jba1911@aol.com
This memory was added on: October 8,2005
I got one of these for christmas one year, and a year or two later, my brother got the rescue ship. I played with mine until the cable broke. This was one of the best toys I got for christmas. I am on the lookout for one when I go to garage sales or antique stores. It would make a good collectible.
Cary Welch
May 8, 1962
ckwelch@fidnet.com
This memory was added on: August 17,2005
Like all the rest, this toy kicked ass. I think mine was 77 or 78 and was a 2nd generation police rescue version, but was still great to use on xmas morning. Not too long after, I took it apart to see how it worked and never got it back together right. Didnt care till now, and I am willing to buy a newer version to amaze my wife with the concept...Hope to find it still amazing...
This memory was added on: August 16,2005
I was fortunate to pick one of these birds up while doin the garage sale thing w\ my grandmother. I am sure that the helicopter body was diecast metal, and I certainly remember getting a lil too close and seeing stars from the painful incident! The one I had didn't have a boat with it, but I do recall it having lil objects you had to carefully hover down and collect. I also remember trashing it that day when I was confused and continued to power the blades while crashed on the carpet! It never worked again!! This toy did keep me occupuied for many, many hours prior to that sad day!
TMT
1976
superhottshott@hotmail.com
This memory was added on: August 9,2005
Like many of the other writers, I remember this toy very clearly. I had the rescue ship. Very cool. I played many long hours and went through alot of batteries. I was 11 yrs old. My bedroom had blue/green shag carpet, which I pretended was ocean, so if I flew too close and got tangled, that meant I'd hit a wave and crashed. The styro foam boat broke, but it worked without it. I still have the vertibird and it works. 2 or 3 years ago, Target sold this toy under their house label and i bought it for my son. Still just as cool. The blade had a protector ring. The blade became lost so I'm on the lookout for a replacement.
Buck
1962
etwilley@maine.rr.com
This memory was added on: August 4,2005
These things are impossible to get on ebay these days. Want a quick fix?
http://www.peterhirschberg.com/vertisim/
Peter Hirschberg wrote an awesome simulator. Try it - he's a true believer!
dino
1970
tsabetta@insight.rr.com
This memory was added on: July 7,2005
My brother got this toy for his birthday in '71. I was put in charge of putting it together (I was nine at the time). One of the crucial directions was out of order and I broke the toy. The local store was completely out of it and we were unable to replace it. I have always been a thorough direction reader since that day!
Anon
1962
anon@anon.com
This memory was added on: June 18,2005
CHRISTMAS 74 OR 75. FAVORITE GIFT THAT YEAR. PLAYED IT FOREVER. YES IT WOULD DEFINITELY GET CAUGHT IN THE SHAG CARPET TOO ! LOL THIS SITE HAS PUT SMILE AFTER SMILE ON MY FACE AND EVEN AN OCCASIONAL BURST OF LAUGHTER AFTER SEEING ALL THESE TRINKETS OF MY CHILDHOOD!
TRAV
1966
This memory was added on: May 31,2005
I remember getting the rescue ship for Xmas '74. My brother & I used to play for hours with it. You had to be careful landing on that shag carpeting back then! One day, my mother cleaned our bedroom and put the whole thing in the box, which ruined it never to fly again. What a cool toy! What a cool site!
art N.
1962
arthurgeza@aol.com
This memory was added on: May 4,2005
Everyone I knew suddenly had a Verti Bird in their house around Christmas of 1974 or 1975. This toy was a major fad for kids my age, and if you didn't have one you wanted one. It even appealed to adults the same way my RockEM SockEM robots did. I would spend hours with the Verti Bird and every time I played with it, my finger would inevitably get a PAINFUL whack from the rotor blade- never enough to draw blood, but bad enough to remember how much it hurt 30 years later! It seems that this toy didn't last very long due to a design flaw in the cable that went from the motor to the helicopter. The slightest kink or bend would result in loss of flight and the thing was ruined. I remember my friends and I trying to fix our Verti Birds by trying to bend the cable back into place, which only made the problem worse. A few months of playing with the Verti Bird = a lifetime of memories; what a great bargain the Verti Bird was!
Rob Davis
1968
robs69chevelle@hotmail.com
This memory was added on: April 26,2005
my brother got the vertibird for christmas and I got the starship enterprise one also.I hated mine .I hated that big stupid bulky weight on mine it was slow and not manuverable..The veri bird was one of the coolest toys ever tho I ended up cuting the cable and rod and trying to lenghten it . And using the fan /motor for other projects.
brainiac
1966
heyray0@aol.com
This memory was added on: April 24,2005
I eventually joined the Coast Guard because of this toy. The idea of rescuing someone from a stormy sea with a helicopter flown off a ship was just so AWSOME to my 8-year-old imagination!
The real thing is pretty darn cool too!
Why-oh-WHY did I not keep this toy?!?!
Steve
1965
This memory was added on: March 23,2005
My brother and I were both lucky enough to get vertibirds for xmas one year. He got the actual Vertibird, and I got one that was shaped like the Starship Enterprise. Anyone else see this one. It had a propeller in the saucer section, and a hook on the bottom you could pick up "space stuff" with is all I remember. I do remember I liked my brother's better because it looked more authentic, but I still played with mine alot.
Rob
1968
rob_wirtz@yahoo.com
This memory was added on: March 22,2005
VERTIBIRD - NOW THERES A TOY I ALWAYS WANTED , BUT NEVER GOT. IN 1973 , I HAD A FRIEND UP THE STREET WHO HAD ONE , THIS ONE WASNT ON A BOAT [ LIKE THE ONE PICTURED ] , BUT HAD A CENTRAL ROTATING BASE . IT WAS GREAT FUN TRYING TO PICK UP THINGS WITH IT. HIS SET HAS A SILVER MAN , HOLDING A LARGE HALF RING .[ I THINK HE WAS A FORMER RRUMBLER RIDER . ] . YOU KNOW , I STILL WANT ONE OF THESE- WITH OR WITHOUT THE BOAT. + AND , IM 45 YEARS OLD NOW - THAT SAYS A LOT ABOUT THIS GREAT TOY. P.S. DO YOU THINK MATTEL WILL EVER RE-PRODUCE THIS TOY ? - IF SO I WOULD BY ONE IN A NEY YORK MINUTE.
JOHN L. ZVERLOFF Sr.
1960
fatdaddyz@ sbcglobal .net
This memory was added on: February 4,2005
Jeez! Now this is all I need...a perfect site with perfect memories of perfect toys...oh no. I found this link while perusing the net with regards to the Sizzlers/HotWheels Hotline train sets. The Vertibird was truly one of the greatest. As children, my older brother and I were allowed one "cool" toy each per Christmas as our family was not well moneyed. I don't know what it was about my father, but he could always tell what we really wanted without us dropping "Ralphies" (Red Ryder...you know). The old man hit it out of the park when he layed this one under the tree. Like so many of the posted threads, we (the neighborhood kids) did the same things...combining American- and Lego-bricks (from Bobby across the street), HO scale trains (from Jimmy down the street), Hotline trains (from Ted around the corner) and Sizzlers (from Jeff next door) and we would create entire cities with the VB perched majestically in the center. The hub of activity and the most viscerally fought over of all working mechanisms was you guessed it--the 'Bird! We would spend DAYS and DAYS and DAYS playing with the VB....."Can Jeff spend the night?" "Go ask Jeff's mother."........ I don't even think that we ate.
A couple of years later, Pops sprung the Rescue Ship on me and I was a gonner. I remember that Christmas morning vividly. Clear, blue skies, dry, crisp brown grass and 40-mph gusts from an icy cold norther blowing through south Texas. Who gave a *!@% ?! I was outside in minutes, steaming my rescue ship out of port and underway across the winterized, dry-pecan-leaf-laiden saint augustine seas...through hurricane gale forced winds...for there was an astronaut in dire circumstance....just barely clinging on to life...
No telling how many times that poor astronaut was saved and, at times killed by drops or rough landings.
Dang....what a toy!
Dave
62
adavidg2003@yahoo.com
This memory was added on: January 13,2005
One of my absolute favorite toys, especially since my dad worked for Sikorsky Aircraft and I was wild about helicopters. (He would bring me into the plant some weekends to climb on some of the ships.) Played with my VertiBird for hours and eventually wired up a train transformer to replace the four D batteries, which allowed it to be overpowered!
I had the original version which only had a three hole adjustment at the end of the shaft, and I could never get my helicopter quite level. My friend got the improved version with the adjustment like shown in the picture on this site. (The controls were smoother, too.) This flew much better and I was jealous.
As I remember, the "astronaut" was really a motorcycle rider figure from another toy - his hands were actually positioned for the handlebars. That's why he had such a small helmet. Anyone remember the other toy? I knew it once.
Rob
1962
smithrw@prodigy.net
This memory was added on: December 29,2004
Loved this toy. I had the Coast Guard boat. Eventually ended up taking it apart from the boat. Used the Vertibird with electric trains, Hot Wheels and blocks. Made landing pads and such. Lots of fun! Was excited to see a new version in Kaybee toys. I have all girls though, not interested in boy toys.
paul
1966
This memory was added on: December 29,2004
This was the greatest!
Andy
1967
Andy@Trilling.com
This memory was added on: December 12,2004
Oh now this was a toy to own as i recall. My family could not afford a Vertibird originally so we did not get one for Christmas the year it came out. However, a few friends of ours did, and we played with it as much as they would let us. Then something magical happened... a neighbor of ours who worked at a department store was given permission to bring home a whole slew of toys that were deemed "damaged" or "incomplete", and one of those toys was a complete VERTIBIRD set! Apparently the set was missing stickers or some such thing, but that didn't stop us from playing with it endlessly. The only design flaw i saw in it was the "overflying" issue where if you flew it too "high" the chopper would tilt, the prop would smack the drive shaft and cause it to crash to the ground violently. I do not remember what ever happened to our Vertibird, ut i do remember the fun i had playing with it.
Fredd Gorham
1965
fuad1138@gmail.com
This memory was added on: December 8,2004
Vertibird's controller was a bit weakly constructed, as I found out the day I stepped on it. Unable to model-plane glue it back together, it was fixed by jamming a fudge bar stick in the right spot. Liftoff! "Verty" was surprisingly easy on battery drain, but became unable to complete rescues as it endured long flights. The hook feature was a brilliant design move; you could incorporate other small toys.
St. Al
23 Feb 1963
alan_reed_digital@hotmail.com
This memory was added on: November 26,2004
One of the all time greats! As soon as my 2 brothers and I saw this on tv, we knew what we had to do. Still have this baby, and she still flies as sweet as an angel. Long ago lost the little astronaut and his capsule and dingy; they were lost in purge while I was out of the country.....oh the humanity.....
jr
01/12/'63
jrfunkenstein@yahoo.com
This memory was added on: November 17,2004
I remember not being able to get this thing in the air...always went too high and the blade would hit the attachement rod and it would fall down.....buzzzzzzzzzzz- snapppppp
alex
1969
This memory was added on: November 11,2004
In 1975 I ran through a plate glass door and ended up in the hospital for several weeks followed by months of recovery. This toy quite possibly saved my sanity as well as feeding my imagination for hours on end. I would very much like to own another one. I haven't thought about that time in years. Now I know why these toys can bring so much on Ebay.
C. Dunne
1966
cdunne01@hotmail.com
This memory was added on: October 12,2004
I had two older brothers, so my uncle would always send us a group gift for Christmas...and it was always the best. One year, it was VertiBird. I remember spending hours laying on the orange (!) carpet, fighting for a turn at the controls. I also remember the spring popping off, causing the helicopter to flip upside down and "fwop-fwop-fwop" into the carpet.
to this day, I still try to emulate my uncle by taking the extra time and money to buy my 9(!) nieces and nephews the coolest things for Christmas.
Jim
1963
jimbog1963@adelphia.net
This memory was added on: August 5,2004
I had the Coast Guard Rescue Ship version of the VertiBird and had a blast with it. The ship was white styrofoam, to which you added colored stickers. Mine had red rubber tips on the chopper blades for safety (I presume). I found a way to get the mechanism out of the styrofoam without damaging it unduly, so I could use it as a land- or sea-based helicopter. Hours of fun...
J.Coons
1959
This memory was added on: July 12,2004
I remember staring at this toy for hours on Christmas day.Yeah, it had my name on the box, but i could only watch as my Dad, brothers, and in-laws played with it until the batteries died. I believe I had to wait till the next day when the stores were open to have my turn. I loved it.
chris
1961
cmcla8
This memory was added on: March 8,2004
The VertiBird was probably the most beloved and used toy that I ever owned. Over the years, I probably had my dad replace at least two drive shafts broken during crashes into the carpet and I think that I recall replacing one all by myself later. This toy was incredible at perfecting eye-hand coordination and opening up many lessons in physics and aeronautical engineering. I can remember hovering my VertiBird in front of the TV and watching the rotor blades appear as if they were barely moving due to the interaction of the strobe effect of the TV refresh rate and the rate of rotation of the rotor blades. I asked my dad about this and he explained it to me. To this day, when I see similar effects of propellers and rotating objects on film, I recall my early days with the VertiBird. The inclusion of a capsule and astronaut rescue capability just made it all the more fascinating since I was a young boy growing up in the midst of the Apollo moon landings. What a toy and what a time to grow up!
Boyd 1963 Rigel1824@aol.com
Boyd
Rigel1824
This memory was added on: March 8,2004
The VertiBird was probably the most beloved and used toy that I ever owned. Over the years, I probably had my dad replace at least two drive shafts broken during crashes into the carpet and I think that I recall replacing one all by myself later. This toy was incredible at perfecting eye-hand coordination and opening up many lessons in physics and aeronautical engineering. I can remember hovering my VertiBird in front of the TV and watching the rotor blades appear as if they were barely moving due to the interaction of the strobe effect of the TV refresh rate and the rate of rotation of the rotor blades. I asked my dad about this and he explained it to me. To this day, when I see similar effects of propellers and rotating objects on film, I recall my early days with the VertiBird. The inclusion of a capsule and astronaut rescue capability just made it all the more fascinating since I was a young boy growing up in the midst of the Apollo moon landings. What a toy and what a time to grow up!
Boyd
1963
Rigel1824@aol.com
This memory was added on: January 17,2004
Yet another fabulous toy. I think this was my all-time favorite, although I spent more time playing with my SSP's as they were human powered. I can only imagine how many batteries I sent to the landfill playing with my VertiBird. I recently saw one of the modern versions which I am going to purchase for my six year old son.
Mark
64
This memory was added on: January 4,2004
It's amazing how many hours I spent picking up and dropping those poor plastic people. My Vertibird was my favorite toy. I learned early on though that it didn't do well on our high shag carpet!
Todd Handley
1964
tnthandley@comcast.net
This memory was added on: October 25,2003
Oh yesss.........I had this flying food processor also. What a cool toy for back then, huh? I played with this thing til it wore ME out. Usually, it was the OTHER way around.
HeyJoe
1964
This memory was added on: October 24,2003
cool toy. i used it so much i eventually hard wired my train powerpak in to eliminate the need for batteries. still have it, now my kids play with it.
1963
This memory was added on: October 22,2003
WHAT A RIOT- LITERALLY! I REMEMBER WE USED TO TIE OTHER DUDES UP AND THEN ATTACK THEM WITH THE COPTER. WHAT A MESS WHEN IT HIT SOMEONE IN THE HEAD AND GOT TANGLED IN THEIR HAIR. ALSO A LAUGH WHEN SOME DUDE TOOK IT IN THE SCROTUM- I'M NOT SURE WHO CRIED MORE.
MARK
1966
MARKS@HOTMAIL.COM
This memory was added on: October 14,2003
I was able to find the RESCUE vertibird at a flea mkt for only $2.00!! That one rocked!!
charles berkhouse
1969
charlz@planeturo.com
This memory was added on: September 4,2003
Ya I had one too. Simple and very fun toy. I don't know why I could not get it to auto- rotate. And mine only did left turns. Funny? Ok maybe thats why I fly Radio control Helicopters today. I remember seeing a few years ago the remake of the vertibird. I maybe I'll get one for my son. Cool toy.
Mike
1959
This memory was added on: September 3,2003
My brother had the fire department version...you can still buy this or a very similar toy on the net. They have new versions.
Johnny Bravo
1968
johnnybravo@yahoo.com
This memory was added on: August 27,2003
I had 2 Virtibirds and my friends and I would set them up with the bases next to each other. Was a lot of fun to crash them into each other. I eventually modified one of them to use a huge battery for more power. Was a lot of fun on a cold winter day in North Dakota.
Chris Craft
1963
noemail@nospam.com
This memory was added on: August 26,2003
This was an AWESOME toy. I had two I would build Lincoln log cities around them and Play with them all day and night.
jdf
1962
jdf@aol.com
This memory was added on: August 7,2003
I just love this site. I am going to send the link to all my friends. Yes, I remember this great toy. I remember hours and hours of playing with it. The only "downer" was trying to untangle it from the green shag carpet. I had the one that was mounted to a 4"X4" box with a cord running to the controls. I like the others that I read would love to find this in a store. This time though, give it an AC adapter.
Don
1965
DACJADO@MSN>CO
This memory was added on: July 31,2003
I loved this toy Until I saw the picture here I forgot all about it thanks fot the picture
Hank
1965
hstaffa@ram-it.com
This memory was added on: July 14,2003
I had this toy in the early 70's. I loved it and played with it all the time. I loved the way the blades spun so fast you could feel the air move when it flew in circles. My dad divorced and remarried and my older step brother broke it one saturday morning as I was moving stuff into our new shared room. Jerk never even said he was sorry.... I have never forgotten that. Would love to find this toy again.
Jerry
1967
hawknar@hotmail.com
This memory was added on: July 2,2003
This was the absolute best toy ever in my opinion. I had two in my childhood chopper piloting career. I had the originial in '70 or '71 and then had Police Air Rescue I believe around '73 or '74. This toy posessed some type of majical hypnotic ju-ju that kept Americas children mesmerized. I know cause I was one of them. My memories of of both my choppers and the hours of enjoyment they provided are vivid. I'm now 38 years old and am undergoing a no holds barred quest to obtain a vintage working Verti. I WILL SPARE NO EXPENSE TO FLY AGAIN! If I recall, my original childhood Verti's were thrown out after having succumbed to severly bent drive wires resulting in such acute vibration the copter would no longer fly. Both times it was caused by that darn high pile 1970's butt ugly shag carpeting we had in our home. I have all the Vertibird knock-offs and must say that they have pretty much the same cool element about them...especially Chopper Command since they had not yet gone to the totally bogus "safety" rotor which detracts heavily from the handling of the chopper and realism both imagined and actual. Lets face it...sometimes safety = zzzzzzzzzzz... I cut the stupid safety ring off. It works much better now. My ultimate goal though is to once again own and fly an original Vertibird. It may take a while and cost me alot more than the original $12.99 that the Verti sold for at Sears, OTASCO, and the like, but I vow to the very end that I will make it happen!
Robert M. Smith
1965
rmsmith@ou.edu
This memory was added on: June 20,2003
Bob
1970
This memory was added on: June 20,2003
This was the best toy I ever got. I played with it so much that the first one broke. I was heartbroken. Without fail my parents and grandparents got me another one. I just remembered shortly ago that i used to have this toy. Funny, I'm 32 and a helicopter technician.
Bob
1970
This memory was added on: June 7,2003
Ah, yes. I don't think I owned this toy, but I do remember going over to a friend's house and using the Vertibird there. And this thing was a dangerous sucker! Like a little buzz saw, it was. Occasionally I would get the weird impulse to put my fingers into the spinning plastic blades, and zzzap! It would give you a good one. These don't exist anymore, right? They're too potentially dangerous to get approved nowadays, I would imagine. But it was a lot of fun making it zoom around. You could really feel the power of it.
I recall having a table fan which I think was from the 1940's (bought it at a thrift store because it looked cool, and a friend of mine called it the "Clark Kent fan"). Instead of the elaborate wire guards you see on fans nowadays, this one had all of four wires guarding you from injury, so it was very easy to stick your whole hand in there. It had metal blades, too. I guess what I am trying to say is, that old stuff is sure neat, but I'm still glad we make things a bit safer nowadays.
Ratty
1967
none
This memory was added on: May 20,2003
What a great toy! Lay on the floor at helicopter eye level and pretend you were actually inside this baby flying it. So many scenarios could be imagined, and all other toys could be incorporated into the mission.
Brian
1965
progcop@attbi.com
This memory was added on: May 15,2003
This was another cool toy made by Mattel. I remember positioning my VertiBird's central pivot point within the middle of my electric trainset & trying to land atop the train as it went around & around. My Vertibird was my first introduction to the hazards associated with a helicoptor's spinning rotor blades... it wasn't powerful enough to inflict serious injury but it still could create a pretty good "OUCH!" factor.
Ed
1961
This memory was added on: May 14,2003
It still is the best toy I ever seen, including all the new electronic toys and games i´ve bought to my song. In the 70´s me and my friends had to fight for it with my older cousings (18 and older)and friends, and took turns to use it. Expent a lot of batteries. We played to be NASA´s APOLLO rescue team with the little astronaut and spaceship it came with. Great memories of a GREAT,GREAT toy. Tow of my cousing are now airlanes pilots.
Juan Soto V.
1961
jasotov@hotmail.com
This memory was added on: May 13,2003
I loved this toy so much that when my stepson was 7 I had to go out and buy a knockoff of one. He loved it too. Funny -now he's going into Aeronautical engineering!! My memory as a child was waiting for our family cat to come into me and my brothers room as we where playing and we'd "divebomb' the cats tail as he stode buy. Oh the joys of child hood!!
Doug Lebo
1964!
Drmluvr32@aol.com
This memory was added on: May 12,2003
I had this toy and it was so cool. You actually felt like you were flying a real aircraft (in your own mnd at least!!!). I also had an airplay that was similiar to this. The teether was flexible and it had about a 6 foot radius. I remember setting it up in an empty room, and crashing into all the stuff on the walls. That was the challenge. This chopper toy was much smaller.
Karl Tomecek
1961
ktomecek@bellsouth.net
This memory was added on: May 11,2003
This is all I wanted for Christmas when I was 8. I am now the cheif pilot for a 30 UH-60 Helicopter Company.
Dave Messersmith
1963
This memory was added on: May 7,2003
this was my favorite toy. I would spend hours with it, which made my parents very happy. ive found the same type of toy recently and bought it for my child
js
1965
This memory was added on: May 7,2003
This was my mechanical introduction into aviation(The first being paper-airplanes). Later, I took up Model-Rocketry. This toy still brings back the best of memories:)!
Kalvin Jennings
1965
kalvinj@ameritech.net
This memory was added on: March 21,2003
I never had this one but a cheap knock off. My friend down the street had one. If I remember correctly the main body of the ship was made of styrofoam. It was really fun for a while. The helicopter was tied to a non telescoping stick so you could fly it in circles going up and down and pick up "things".
Bart
1965
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