Mattel Vertibird Toy Helicopter - It really messed me up!
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- Опубліковано 1 сер 2024
- Do you remember the Mattel Vertibird toy helicopter from the 70's? If you had one, you likely considered it one of your favorite toys. The Vertibird was the first step toward my life long passion for RC helicopters. Let's have a look at this awesome little toy helicopter in action and see how it works.
My web page on the Mattel Vertibird goes into much more detail of how they work, the different versions of Vertibirds that were available, common things to check & look for when purchasing used VertiBirds: www.rchelicopterfun.com/matte...
If you have a working Vertibird chopper, hang on to it. As working examples become more and more scarce, their values are going up considerably. Working ones in good condition with the original box are often fetching $300 USD and up.
Time Stamps:
0:00 Intro
1:03 Vertibird flying demo
3:50 Picking stuff up
5:00 Vertibird design & how it works
12:07 Final thoughts
Please consider giving a thumbs up & subscribe if you enjoy my content - thank you & thanks for watching :) - Навчання та стиль
One of the greatest toys ever created IMO. Loved this thing as a kid. It would be a huge seller today. Don't know why Mattel would stop making it.
Agreed 🙂
Hurt fingers.. ouch.. lol
Loved it of course we tried picking stuff up it could barely carry lol
I believe the family cocker spaniel wrecked it lol
I had one. It was great but it ate batteries like nobody's business.
i am a former US Army helicopter pilot. I served from 1973 to 1980. Rated in UH-1H and OH-58. I did my overseas service in ROK and was the Airfield Operation Officer at Desiderio Army Airfield at Camp Humphreys. I had one of these with me in Korea. I was THE most popular guy in the unit. Every pilot in the unit wanted to try his hand on the Verti-Bird. Thanks for posting your video. It brought back many fond memories. Gets you a "LIKE" and a subscribe.
Thanks for the story. Have you used the DCS World simulator for PC? The UH-1H module in it is very nice. And OH-58D is coming at some point...
@hhc19avn - Excellent stuff! Thanks for sharing your awesome Verti story.
The most memorable Christmas present that I ever received as a kid. Hours and hours of play time.
Amazing. I haven’t thought about this toy for decades. Bought back memories. Had one as a kid. And you’re right - the best toy ever.
Wow thought I would never see one again...thanks for the memories.
Glad you enjoyed it
My favorite toy as kid until my dad brought home pong
Not even kidding I'm looking for one for my 5 (turning 6 years old in a couple days) I'm 27 years old and had this when I was a kid!
This brings back great memories! This was my absolute favorite toys when I was a kid. I wish I would have taken better care of it because I would still love to play with it now that I'm 50 years old!
Hah, same at 50.
They'd do a heck of a dive bomb striking the ground and keep on going.
Moms still got it stashed in the attic, I'm not sure if it still works.
I got this helicopter as a gift in 1976 or 1977. For me, It was the coolest thing in the world . I never forgot it and was very happy about this video.
It seems incredible to me that this man kept this toy, in this condition, for a whole lifetime - even while playing with it: and he even still has the box.......😮
A lot more kids than you think took great care of their toys-----and even kept the boxes whenever they could. The Vertibird was great but it was not too durable even for the era it was popular in.
I still have my AFX racing set from 1977......lol
No kidding. I would have trashed the Box 18 minutes after opening the toy
I got one of these for Christmas in I think 1972 - just showing this to my daughter when she asked me what the best Christmas present I ever got was,...
i got mine Christmas 1972 as well !! One of my all greats for sure .
One of my favourite toys! Played with it for many hours. My father somehow managed to use a Radio Shack multi-voltage adapter to supply it with 6v via the wall outlet so we never had to buy batteries, so I played with it endlessly. I had lots of plastic toy soldiers that I fitted with thin wire hoops so I could pick them up and “rescue” them! 😂
Nice! The father of a neighborhood friend did the same with power. I like the idea of wiring your toy soldiers for pickup! All I had were wooden blocks. Way too heavy. 🙄🤣
Wow that would have been awesome! Those D batteries weren’t cheap! The batteries wearing out was the only thing that got me to stop “flying”😅
My grandad done the same for me too. How a toy like that amazed us for hours, brilliant
My dad did the exact same thing
Smart Dad!
I remember having this as a kid, its what made me want to fly! 25 years later I am a commercial fixed wing pilot!
greast, this isn't all about you
@@slowery43 nobody asked for your opinion either… I’m just revisiting my past?
@@slowery43 Man you're a real dickhead aren't ya?
Had this as a hand-me-down when I was a kid. Later in life, I became a product developer and worked for a biiiig toy company (not Mattel) and this toy was my benchmark in play value, story, skill-building and fun (flow experience to use the psychological term). *Unmatched to this day* - especially when you consider the price point!
I had to be about 7 or 8 when the spoiled kid down the block got one of these. I was Soooo jealous! - Gave my parents royal hell for weeks until they finally got one for me, but only after I had done 10 times more chores than the thing was worth. Yeah it was worth it, IMHO.
Good story
This was by far my most favourite toy!! I had 4 brothers and we were all in line waiting for our turn! I have suggestions for the rotor vibration. Slide the 3 pronged piece of the shaft, reattach it to the blade and then balance it. 2nd suggestion would be to have a local person 3d print another one. Good luck!
This and Evel Knievel.
@@An2oineI had both Evil and this whirly bird, I remember dropping little bombs of rolled up paper towel on the helicopter, trying to make it crash, probably why I don't have it anymore, it's amazing to still have this toy in that kind of condition.
There are resin 3dprint materials that feels like this softish plastic. and the prinnt quality of the resin printers are really good.
Five boys in my family too, all wanting to play with the helicopter.
This was definitely up there with the greatest toys ever created. I did have some James Bond toys like a pocket knife that would turn into a pistol and a radio that would turn into a machine gun.
I've often said this was the greatest toy ever made. I was in awe of it as a child.
This was the best toy of my childhood! We built a power adapter so we could plug it into the wall and save some batteries, and I flew endless "missions" around the living room floor. Still have one somewhere...
This was my NUMBER 1 toy as kid. It broke and got patched up many times before it eventually bit the dust. The spring in the control tower went I seem to remember. I would love to have one of these again.
That spring was a weak point.
I've damaged few in my day and one of the scariest was the ends of the prop had been shortened due to an accident and the helicopter still flew but only at full throttle with the blades spinning much too quickly with quite sharp edges.😂 I fixed it after the next accident
Mine used to disconnect at the spring at the chopper, my grandad used to solder it back for me quite regularly.
I had one in the early 70’s .. absolutely loved it . such a lot of fun! Played with so much it wore out, but to this day still sits in the attic . Occasionally I bring it out for nostalgia. Seeing your video was amazing, and your bird is in such incredible condition!
With a 3D printer u could replace parts...
Do a restoration video and fix er up !
Hi. I can't believe I found this video. I had this toy as a kid. Over 50 years ago. Always remembered enjoying it. Couldn't remember the name of it to find one as an adult. Finally watched this great clip and all the wonderful memories came back. Now can try to find one.... A million THANKS!!!
Thanks for watching 👍🙂
I had this as a child in the 70s and loved it. I also have a "Schaper U-Fly-It", which allowed you to land a plane on a runway. The plane ran down a greased fishing line. We made a very long run in our backyard. My older brother had a control line gasoline powered plane. I remember him cutting the line, tying the throttle down and launching it straight up. We never saw it again.
I was just about to reply about having both and I saw your post. Hook on end to a chair or something elevated and the other end was connected to a flight yoke and the plane would slide down along the line towards you and your job was to land on the paper/plastic runway. I played with that thing for hours. You're the first person I've come across that even remembers it most don't.
I remember when I had this the one thing I added was some light. I attached a 1.5volt battery where the radar is with sellotape and ran the wire along the arm which was wired to a little bulb which was fitted inside the helicopter. Lots of night time fun for a young boy back in the seventies.
That's super impressive! I never thought of that and wouldn't have figured out how had I tried!
I used to add little lights to my stuff too. Just had to talk mom into a trip to radio shack! I really loved the little LED bulbs , seems like most were red yellow or green. Oh and white/clear!
During my childhood I had the verti bird , the Jackie Stewart AFX racing set, A tyco train set, and a big wheel! ....aaahhhh the good life!!
Thank you Mom and Dad!
May God bless you all and Merry Christmas
The Classics! 🙂
I randomly stumble on this vid. I have never seen this toy before, was born in 86, and for a toy in the 70's this is really amazing.
It was 1971 and was I believe the first present opened on my 6th birthday ,my dear dad had got me this gift , my first chance to play hero and every kid their made their mind up to get one as well . Just can’t thank him enough for being their , it was a good day .
Thanks for posting. I'm 55 years old now but I had one of these when I was a kid. It has always been my favorite toy by far. Today I fly a DJI Mavic air drone. For me its very easy to fly because the vertibird or wherley bird taught me the basic skills. I have friends who are afraid of their drones. Not me. I was pre-programmed by this toy at an early age to fly. Back then, I flew mine so much that I wore out the springs and motor. I cried for weeks when the piano wire detached from the spring and the plastic part at the base broke. Now that I have a drone, my faith in this world has been restored. Hahahaha. Great video.
I won one in a competition - I absolutely loved it. It chewed batteries so I eventually connected the transformer from my model railyway - it worked a treat although for some reason bypassed the 'throttle' on the vertibird so you had to use the rotary power control on the train controller. The model was very well engineered and surprisingly robust! Happy memories!
This is how we learned about electric power! AC/DC ect....trial, fire and error!
I won 1st prize in my counties ( UK Home Counties ) drawing competition for a wild west themed picture aged 8 in 1976,.
After a posh reception, and photos for the press, I got a £ 5 voucher and went to Debenhams toy section to buy one of these , BUT they had sold out. Instead I bough an action man hang glider and it was total shit. Flew it straight into the barbed wire at our local park and that was the end of that. Never did get the chopper, although I have made up for that many times over with big boys toys.
Wow, my Dad did the same thing with the transformer… hours and hours of nonstop playing!
I had one of these as a child and I was actually thinking about it recently ! What are the odds of this video randomly appearing on my recommendations?! It's brought back so many memories.
wow... what in instant, vivid memory! I had one too, my favorite toy. I was obsessed with helicopters and still am. I grew up to become a commercial helicopter pilot. I think this may have had something to do with it. I distinctly remember not thinking of it as a 'toy' and being very serious about operating it and picking things up with it.
Thank you for this! My son (and I) played with this in the 70's. He was much better at it than I was. Your video brought back such wonderful memories. It's possible this may have influenced him, since after he grew up, he became a commercial airline captain, and after he retired started a successful drone business!
RC helis and drones are the next step from this toy. Freedom from the base!
Awesome!!!! I was born in 1966. Had two of these during my preteen years and these were by far one of my most favorite and cherish toys during my childhood. You are so fortunate you kept yours. I’d do anything to have mine back again. I don’t know what happened to them. This might’ve been the inspiration for me as later in life I ended up getting my private pilots license (1989). I want to give you a special thanks for taking your time to publish this video and show us your childhood toy. This brought back some wonderful memories! Please continue to cherish and guard your VerdiBird. Stay safe!!!!
They were so silly though. At least for the time didn't have much better. But all you would do is just fly it around in a loop.
Although seems like was a challenge to control the hovering as I recall.
One of my absolute favorite toys as a kid. Spent countless hours in the 70s playing with it. Seeing it again makes me want to try and find one.
Got one for my birthday in August and loved it so much that I told everyone I wanted one for Christmas. I actually got 3 for Christmas. I played with them all the time. The first one was flown by myself and my 4 brothers and sister that were still home. We wore it out before Christmas. The three I could fly all at the same time, 2 (one with each hand) the third with my feet and could pickup items with all simultaneously.
When these began to wear out one of my brothers would make spare arts in my dad's machine shop. The whole family would play with, even mom and dad.
I agree they were the best toys ever.
My first one did not have the rubber tips on the blade ends. Two of the three at Christmas did though. Must have been a safety improvement.
I can’t tell you how many hours I spent flying mine back in the ‘70’s!
Brings back fond memories. I had the VertiBird Helicopter Coast Guard Rescue Ship. Spent many hours on rescue missions "at sea" in my livingroom. I also had the Schaper U-Fly-It. Like you, John, these toys got me hooked on model planes and much later RC flying planes and helicopters.
We (my brother and I) each had a similar version, no ship, but had to rescue the guy in the lifeboat. It also had a cardboard landing pad for the helicopter. Hours and hours of fun. I’m now 60 years old, wish I had it now. I’d share with the grandkids.
I had the one with the coast guard ship as well. If I remember correctly, it came with a hinged space capsule that allowed you to extract the astronaut.
I too had one in the late 70s. I wore it out, so in the 80s, i moved on to RC helicopters and am still flying them today, in my 60s. A great little toy.
Oh God. This was my absolute favorite. As I remember it actually took a good bit of skill (through practice) to fly it smoothly. You can tell THIS guy is a veteran.👌
52 now and along with my Big Track they were the best toys ever.. Great memories!!
This was absolutely my favorite toy from childhood. I remember the feeling of sadness at the realization that the batteries were getting too low after playing with it for hours.
I only got one set of batteries but i hooked up my train power supply to it and could play with it as long as i wanted.
Aye, that was a bummer! Fortunately, Dad had spare batteries... A neighborhood friend had one, and his father, being an electrical engineer, had wired up a six volt power supply with sufficient amperage to keep it flying indefinitely, or at least until his son had reached the limit of his attention span, or dinner, whichever came first. His also ran much smoother than mine, as his father knew just the right lubrication to use on all moving parts. He even dynamically balanced the rotor blades by adding a single wrap of black electrical tape at just the right point. Smooooth...
@@jamesboyd5511 Ingenious!
I’m 65. I got the same toy that year. I absolutely loved that toy. Memories. Wow
wow! i had that toy in the 70s! I loved it. I was shocked to see they were still out there. Very nostalgic. 🥰
Wow, the memories that come flooding back. This was by far my favorite toy as a child. It’s also the reason I retired my Ricochet Racer. Thanks for posting this.
This was absolutely the best toys ever from my childhood. My brother got one for Xmas and I played with it for hours while he watched. We played Adam 12, Emergency and many other cop shows. Best memories.
I had this when I was a kid, gave me so many memories. The craziest thing is your video showing up on my feed. Those were the good old days
I love this. I had something similar called Super Copter, I'd guess around mid to late 1970s. The big difference from what you've shown is that it was a twin rotor. The controls only gave you 3 options - Hover in place, go clockwise or anticlockwise. Being a geek and electronics nerd, I hooked up the twin motors to my train set controller and got the thing lifting much heavier loads and spinning around fast! Teehee, great memories.
lol i feel you there. thats the kind of thing I would have done too
This was one of my favorite toys when growing up. The Armatron from Tandy, Radio Shack was another favorite of mine. It was a great time back then from the 70's to the 80's from mechanical to electronical. Electromechanical to digital. I have one of the first digital pinball machines that uses digital readout instead of electromechanical reels from 1977. Genie pinball machine. Great game.
I had one of those when I was a kid. My dad used to go off on business for months at a time, and when he came back, he would always bring toys. He came back from working in Florida, and brought me one of these. It would have been back in the late 70s. I forgot all about it until seeing this video.
I totally had forgotten about this cool RC copter. I never called it a toy. I was about 8 in 1976 when I got this for Christmas. My parents were great. It was a great time.
I had two. The one like you have and the arctic set up in styrofoam to look like snow. Loved them. Looking back, that toy is what started my interest and eventually my career in aviation.
How could all of us late boomer techies forget this one!! This toy plus the Jaycopter ride at the '64 World's Fair got me totally hooked on helicopters. When the Internet boom happened I was finally able to fund the training for a rotor craft PPL. Thanks for these great time travel moments.
It is not forgotten, there even exists a simulator for PC - I flew it last week.
Probably my favorite toy as a kid. I would blast it around in circles over and over, as fast as it would go!
I had one of these about 48 years ago. I played with it nonstop. My favorite toy. And yes I ended up buying a large RC helicopter. Now I build and fly drones.
Brings back great memories! The Vertibird and the Dareplane Stunter biplane (also by Mattel) were awesome cable-powered flying toys.. The Vertibird was more reliable and durable as it had a more rigid drive cable than the Dareplane, which would kink during maneuvers.
So cool! I thought I was the only one who loved this toy as a kid. My favorite of all time also. Thanks for the memories!
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
Holy crap!!! I very much remember this from the 70s. I spent sooooo many hours playing with this thing. Between this and my GI Joe Mobile Command Center, I was never bored after school. My fave toy no doubt...😆
This was one of my favorite toys as a kid and I actually miss it.
lmao! I cant believe you still have one of those. I used to love playing with that thing. Thanks John, great memories.......
I had one of these in the early 70s as well, loved playing with it! Thanks for showing it!
I remember having something like this when I was a kid. Not sure it was the same as this, but I played with it for HOURS in the early 80's.
I had one of these in the mid 70's and loved it. Apart from the amount of batteries it got through. No USB charging back then. Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
I had one. It was awesome. I loved that thing. Yep, had no problem picking stuff up. Things were simpler back then, this was out of the ordinary. There was a pretty cool Evel Knievel motorcycle that would run on it's own for a bit. It also came with a little ramp and did jumps pretty good. Super cool toy also.
My favorite toy as well, hands down. I never remember getting tired of it. I had a fleet of police vehicles so you add them with the use of the police helicopter and you can come up with all types of scenarios to respond to. What a wonderful childhood I had. Thanks for sharing. Made my day ❤
Adding to my comment, pair this with a matchbox city for a little kid and they’ll be in nirvana 🥰
I had one in the 70’s. It was a really cool toy, I loved it!
I had a vertibird as a kid and I played it for endless hours. Can't believe you found this one!
Took me straight back to my days as a kid! I got mine around age 10 and I love love loved it! When I got mine out an flew it, I would be alone in my own world free from the "pressures" of being a little boy of that age. I played with mine until I was old enough to start riding dirt bikes and that was pretty much it for the Vertibird, Years later I retrieved it from my childhood closet but sadly one of the piano wires was either warped or broken. Sometime later I guess my Mom put it in the trash to make room for something else. Watching this video was a blast to the past, thank you so much for keeping yours so that you could share it with the World!
When I was 7, my father worked for TRW across the street from Mattel HQ in Redondo Beach CA. They has a program where the Engineers at TRW could have their kids be toy testers for Mattel and submit reports as to what broke or worked on their toys. I hade 3 of these helicopters back then, none lasted more than a week before the gears failed. The first one was probably my fault, but I really loved the toy, so I was extra careful with the next 2, but they broke fast. I hope the production units were improved by my broken hearted kid testing. I did get into RC airplanes and helicopters as an adult, when it became affordable to me to do so. Not that the hobby was affordable, just I made enough to afford it. I always wanted another one of these until I bought a RC kit helicopter and built it myself.
I had one and still miss it.
I’m 65 and I had one of those toys. I had forgotten until I saw this video.
Sooo much fun, that toy. I had one in the 70's or 80's (don't recall exactly). One of my favorite toys along with the Big Trak. Thank you for resurrecting those VERY old and fond memories.
Ah the Big Trak - yep I remember those. Never had one and I can't remember if any of my friends had one, but it's funny how just seeing the name of it, I can recall exactly what it was - the beginning of programable toys. Thanks for sharing another fun 70/80's memory.
@@Rchelicopterfun i had a big trak with the optional trailer. i must have used up hundreds of batteries in that rig....
I had a Vertibird when I was young. Loved the helicopter flight and picking up objects on the fly
I had this toy when I was as kid. Played with it for hours and hours.
I'm now a professional helicopter pilot flying a Sikorsky S76 for a living.
Follow your dreams, kids. The challenges are real, but you can achieve.
I got one in1975 for Christmas. Was in my mom's attic until family members recently decided to cleaned it out, and "throw it out", along with my other toys. They cited it was an old toy anyway. This was 2 years ago I'm still crying.
The greatest toy of my childhood, right next to my HO slot car set from then.
I spent hours playing with that little chopper, no idea how many batteries I went through. I eventually wore it out, probably from load testing to carry way more weight.
I seem to recall the spring ends letting go and my dad soldered them back, and eventually the control handles got weak and broke and I ended up jamming some sticks or ball point pen tubes in the control box so I could keep going.
I would still play with one if I had one, and I am 60.
I had this exact set.
I got it for Christmas in the mid 70s too.
I got pretty darn good at it too.
I loved loosening the rotor, cranking the throttle and watching the prop zing to the ceiling. :)
😀👍
I don't want to date myself. However, this reminds me of a toy helicopter I received for Christmas almost 70 years ago. As with most toys of those days it was painted stamped sheet metal. Flight was in the same manor, with no batteries though. It had a small handheld gearbox with a crank on the side driving a flex cable. The cable was about two or three times as long. Lift was determined by how fast I cranked and lateral direction was inputted by simply twisting the gearbox right or left. With practice, I was able to walk around the room and fly it wear ever I wanted. WHAT GREAT FUN!! Thanks for bring back this memory from so many years ago.
I had one in the second grade. I played with it so much I wore it out. It’s amazing I survived the 70’s with both eyes!
Thanks John, Great to see other Vertibird enthusiasts. I also go hooked on the vertibird in the early 70s and than onto slot cars sets and eventually RC planes. BTW, I also still have my Vertibird and still fly it occasionally. Thanks for reminding me of the joy of toys.
This along with the Air fix Flight Deck are what got me hooked on flight. Thanks for bring some nostalgia xx
Never knew about the AFFD. Just looked it up - very cool!
Mattel nailed it again what great toy company, remember the electronic handhelds they came out with in the mid 70's?,hours of fun!.
@Paul-nc8pg - Oh man, I totally forgot about Mattel Electronics handhelds. Yes loved them too. Had Auto Race, Football & Baseball. Seem to recall Football being the most fun but enjoyed them all 🙂👍
@@Rchelicopterfun Football and Battlestar Galactica were awesome 👍
I only seen one better than the original Vertibird. When I was a kid we were so poor, and my older brother Gary at 12yrs old really wanted one so he built his own. It worked on a slightly different principle with the motor in the helicopter and contact brushes in the base turret. I can't remember how the tilt function operated? (I was 8 at the time) but it was fully functional with a hook that picked up objects that he also made. No 3d printing in the early 1970s, all completely Home-made and I'll never forget it 🚁🤗
Definitely brought back a lot of memories. My parents always bought me cool toys and this was one of them. Thank you for this video and it bringing me fond memories of Mom & Dad!
Nice 🙂 Thanks for watching.
Absolutely my all time favorite toy when I was a kid. Hours & hours of fun. Unfortunately, having 3 brothers meant it got a LOT of use and didn’t survive as well as yours. Thanks much for sharing.
I'd buy this again. Loved it as a kid in the late 79's! Thanks for reminding me of it.
I miss mine. Got it around the same time you did. Loads of fun. Mine had a carboard insert for the canopy/cockpit.
We also had a Starship Enterprise with similar mechanics. Not as much fun.
I found a remake of the Vertibird on the local Target Store shelves years ago. I bought it as a present for someone. Should have picked one up for myself.
Oh man you brought back memories. I got one of those in 1976 and it was the greatest toy I had ever gotten. I went through many batteries flying that around and had numerous sore fingers from catching them in the blades. The fun unfortunately ended when the shag carpet got all tangled in the chopper internals. Always wanted to be a helicopter pilot because of that toy.
Bought one of these in ‘75, and had to take it back 4 times for replacement. The local Zellers ran out. All four broke at the little rotating cable. I’m amazed this one is still working.
Wow, I spent hours playing with my VertiBird. This was one of my favorite toys growing up.
As a young kid both my brother and I had received this Mattel helicopter set for Christmas. From what I remember the name on the box for our orange colored version was called "Whirlybird" I guess they had name changes throughout the years that it was available.
These were so cool when I was a kid my parents bought me one. The fact that yours is still in mint condition says a lot about you when you were young. Mine was scratched dinged and all the stickers peeled off over time. :D
This sparked an old memory. Thank you for this. One of the best toys ever made along with the sandbox excavator that you sit in and circles 360 degrees and has manual levers pitch down and scoop.
I had one of these as a kid... WISH I had it today... And yes this thing led me to RC as well...
I remember making my own version using an old electric slot car motor, a propeller from one of those rubber band planes and a wooden rod. that was almost 60 years ago - I still remember it was a lot of fun!
I had the orange one as a kid. I always wondered if it was really "flying" or if the rotating blades were just cosmetic, so good info here. I later had an airplane version with a yellow foam F4U Corsair. It most definitely was not flying, or even powered, since it didn't have a working prop.
Hell yes! I got one in the late 70s not from my Dad as he could not afford one, but from his Employer ( Hyatt Hotels) during a Staff n Family Xmas party. I thought, back then, what a great Company to work for.
My old man ran a model shop in the north of the UK back in the '70s and sold these. I wanted one so badly but my parents couldn't afford it (there was simple too many of us). As with John, it fuelled a passion for RC in later life.
Videos like this are what makes the Internet great. What a fantastic memory you brought back to me. I loved the Vertibird! Your demonstration was so thorough that it was like having the toy all over again. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed it 🙂👍
Thanks for letting me relive the past. I too was hooked forever more. But it was actually a toy before this one. It was the DUX Condor 204 helicopter. It was a simple free flying rotor head that you would spin up with a pull from the hand launch tool.
Had one of those too- until Dad pulled the cord so hard that all of us at the two story apartment building watched as it gracefully rose up, up, up passing the roof line, catching the upper breeze….and then gentle settling down on top of the inaccessible to a 4 year old roof. Never saw it again 😢😂
I was born in '65 and had this as a kid...my most fave toy!
OMG, I had one of these. I’d totally forgotten about it but I loved it. I’m sure it was destroyed somewhere along the line. Had mine at the same time….around 1974. Thank you for taking me back
I had the Mattel Vertibird with the Apollo capsule. Then I was flying line control in my late teens (yes, Cox planes). Then finally in 2013 I got my first RC plane. I am currently flying the E-Flight Twin Otter. I'm surprised yours is still working all these years later.
I think I had this toy. It still stands the test of time, from a pure enjoyment perspective too. They couldn’t make a toy like this today though. It would be deemed too dangerous.
Wow. I loved this as a kid. Wish I still had mine. Thanks for making me smile.