An R2-D2 figure made using processes from long ago and far, far away...

	Osaka Tin Toy Institute
	Height	6.25"
	Diameter	2.83"
	Overall Width	4.46"
	Weight	13 oz.
	Wind up motor - winding key included
	Walking is powered by an internal wind-up steel motor; R2-D2 Walks and makes a series of left turns; Head rotates as unit moves; on/off slide switch. Includes special "gold" winding key with the Star Wars Logo on it. Serialized Certificate of Authenticity included. Limited edition - Production limited to 2,000 units worldwide. Production has ended.
	Price	Status
	$299.00	Not Stocked
	--	Not Stocked
	$189.00	In Stock
	$300.00	Not Stocked
NOTE: The "Status" column reflects availability at each listed dot-com site.  Availability in other stores may vary from the indicated status. The "Price" column indicates the advertised internet price. Shipping, handling, and taxes may affect the ultimate total price. Also be advised that other sites may carry this product at prices other than those shown. This is not meant to be an inclusive list, but rather a sampling of availability for this item. While we do our best to keep this table current, prices at the indicated sites may differ from those shown here.

12/27/2002 By Sebulbadoug

Anyone old enough to remember going to a "Five and Dime" remembers that the toy section of the store was often full of inexpensive lithographed and embossed thin gage metal toys from Japan. The Japanese toy companies produced everything from rocket ships to robots, ships, planes, trains, and cars, all out of tin. The Osaka Tin Toy Institute in, of all places, Osaka Japan is a museum dedicated to the memory and preservation of the nearly lost art of making tin toys. The institute has made arrangements with one of the few remaining factories capable of producing the mechanical metal toys, and has commissioned them to make limited edition reproductions of the more popular toys of yesteryear, and a few new toys as well. Star Wars figures are some of the more popular "new" toys to be made in this old medium. R2-D2 was one of the first Star Wars figures to be made.

It should be noted that Osaka's R2-D2 figure is not intended to be a toy. It is an example of toys from an earlier time, and produced with the collector specifically in mind.

The process of making a tin toy is pretty interesting, and surprisingly labor intensive. Most of the assembly is done by hand, an expensive proposition in today's economy, and probably one reason why tin toys gave way to their plastic, machine molded and assembled counterparts. All parts of the toy start out as flat sheets of thin metal. The design is lithographed, or printed on the sheet, and then cut out. The part is then put in a die stamping machine where it is given shape. Since the flat metal is often formed into complex curves, there is a certain amount of stretching of the metal that occurs in some areas of the part. Also, a tight radius can cause the metal to wrinkle, because excess metal has nowhere to go. Detail in the part is often in low relief, since stretching the metal too much, as in a sharp bend or deep relief could cause the metal to tear. As a result, intricate relief was either painted on or left out.

Once all the parts are formed, they have to be put together. Advanced adhesives weren't available during the tin toy heyday, and welding would have burned off the design, and very probably would have been too expensive. So in order to put the toy together, parts were made with small tabs sticking out along the edges. The tabs were bent into slots in adjacent parts, thus holding the pieces together without the aid of any additional adhesive. The drawback is that there are some holes in the toy where tabs are locked on to other parts, as can be seen in R2-D2's dome in the picture to the left.

The Wind-up R2-D2 comes fully assembled in a box bearing Star Wars Episode 1 artwork. Something I found peculiar is that the picture of R2-D2 on the front of the box appears to be the actual R2-D2 and not an image of the tin toy. There is, however, an image on each of the four side panels of the box that are pictures of the actual toy. The box seems to be much longer than it needs to be, at just over 10.25". It may be a standard size box that the museum uses for all their reproductions.

In the box with R2 is a chrome card about the size of a credit card. It is the Certificate of Authenticity and carries the serial number of the particular toy. Most manufacturers of limited edition items mark each figure with a serial number. However, with the Osaka limited edition, the serial number is not on the toy itself, which is kind of a shame. The lack of the number on the figure makes the accompanying card that much more important to the collector. The back of the card has a short description of R2-D2 in both English and Japanese.

Other paperwork included with the figure comes in a small, clear plastic envelope. The papers are almost entirely in Japanese, although it appears that one is a registration form/membership application. A second piece has a red banner at the top, and I have no idea what information is on the small sheet. (I will try to get it translated and include the contents here). The last piece is a small folded piece that is includes a thank you for purchasing the piece and some warnings not to try to take the figure apart, and that the figure is for collectors and not intended for children under 15 years of age. It looks as if the folder has been designed to capture and hold the Certificate of Authenticity, although the one I received was separate from the folder.

As shown in the table above, this R2 stands about six inches tall. The photo at left shows the Osaka R2-D2 next to an R2-D2 from the 12" collection from Hasbro. (The R2-D2 in the 12" collection stands about 6" tall.) As can be seen in the photo, the Osaka R2-D2 has almost exactly the same dimensions as the Hasbro R2. There are some differences, however, and we'll talk about them now.

One of the things that we have grown accustomed to is the fine detail that mold makers have been able to achieve in recent years with advanced mold making techniques controlled in many cases by state of the art technology. Plastic is a material that lends itself exceptionally well to taking on intricate detail that can be imparted to it from the finely crafted molds available today. When we look at the Osaka tin R2-D2, we have to forget all that. We have to remember that this is a figure made in the fashion of toys manufactured in Japan in the 1950's. So detail comparisons to other R2-D2 figures isn't really fair. Even though the Osaka R2-D2 is the result of comparatively low technology, it is still an impressive piece.

The form of the Osaka R2-D2 looks good. What I mean is that without getting the micrometer out, he looks to be well proportioned. There are some things that are slightly out of proportion, but they do not interfere with the overall look. His legs are somewhat thicker than they should be, and his feet look a little too large. Because the top part of each foot is formed from a single piece of metal, there is some of the wrinkling I mentioned earlier evident on them. The wrinkles are small, and fairly symmetrical, so that the effect is that they look like they are supposed to be there.

While the Osaka R2-D2 is made of metal, his two motivators are made of plastic. They are interesting pieces. While they are smaller than the motivators on the 6" plastic model, they show signs that the plastic version was used as a model. For example, in the half circle at the bottom of the motivator on the Hasbro model, there are two holes (see the photo at left) The holes appear to have been molded in to accept tubing from R2's foot. However, the tubing was ultimately molded into the foot and the holes were not needed and never used. On the Osaka model, there is evidence of a slight indentation that suggests a hole (at arrow). If the Osaka model maker didn't know what the holes were for, he wouldn't have known that they weren't supposed to be there, and would have tried to recreate them in his model, which is what appears to have happened. There is also evidence that the model makers had other things to go by as well, such as the fact that both silver bands on the motivators have a blue blocks on them, while the Hasbro model does not. And the Osaka motivators appear to be more correctly sized (thinner) than those on the Hasbro model. The back side of the motivator unit is supposed to be blank. The Osaka model has the same two bands as the front.

The way the legs are attached is clever in that the restraint used is a good representation of the Prototypical detail in the shoulder area, and actually serves to keep the leg on. An axle runs through R2-D2's body that the side legs are mounted on. The keepers used are spring steel washers with tabs that grab the axle. The effect is that the design of the keeper replicates the detail on the prototype very nicely. While we're on the legs, I noticed that this figure has two left legs. What I mean by that is that the detail in the shoulder area reveals that one mold - the left leg - was used to make both legs. This seems to be a fairly common practice, and I guess it makes sense from a manufacturing perspective since it eliminates the need for an additional mold. But it isn't true to the original.

As I mentioned, the various pieces of the model are put together by inserting tabs from one piece into slots on the adjoining piece. The result is that there are some holes in the model that shouldn't be there. However, they really don't detract from the look of the model, and are typical of tin toys. The assembly of the toy shows ingenuity and experience, as slots and tabs are placed so that they have a minimal impact on the look of the toy. The tabs have to be bent over in order to hold the pieces together, and many run through very narrow slots in mating pieces. In order to bend the tabs after they are inserted, there is a small notch in the slot that allows a tool to be pushed in to bend the tabs.

A few additional observations of minor importance: There is a hole in R2's right side, just in front of his side leg. The hole is where the winding key is inserted to wind the motor. The hole isn't visible from the front, even when looking straight on. There is also a slot in the back of the body with a lever sticking out. The lever is used to turn the motor on and off. While it is not prototypical, it is indicative of wind-up toys, which is what this is. It really doesn't impact the look as it is in the back, and my guess is that almost all of these figures will be displayed in a manner that hides the lever from view. There is some slight wrinkling in R2-D2's dome. Again, this is the result of the method of manufacture. There is more surface area on the flat piece than is needed in the dome it will be formed into. Consequently, wrinkles appear that help use up the excess surface. The wrinkles are very minor, and in all but very bright lighting conditions aren't visible. The flat areas on the sides of the body of real R2-D2 aren't present on the Osaka model. This too is a minor detail that does not impact the look of the figure. The picture at left shows the hole for the winding key in R2-D2's right side. Also visible is the lever controlling his motor, and the mild wrinkling in the dome that results from the forming process. You can also see how the design of the retaining washer for the leg does a pretty good job of imitating the detail on that area.

The fit if the Osaka R2-D2 is very good, given the method of manufacture and material of construction. There are some minor things, such as the slots and tabs mentioned earlier, but in general, they really aren't a problem. This is a toy, after all. Most parts line up fairly well, although there is some minor misalignment in some of the pieces. As with other discrepancies I've talked about, I don't feel that these are so gross that they take away from the look of the piece. It's a tough call: On the one hand the model should be as close to the original as possible. On the other hand, it should represent the toys of the era of tin. I think it pulls off both requirements fairly admirably.

The Osaka R2-D2 finish is good. The paint is even and shiny, and painted detail is done well. Almost all detail is painted on, although a few details have been embossed in low relief as well. Colors are a good match, and because of the method of painting, there is no overspray present anywhere. Lithography is a lot like screen printing, where each color is laid down individually. One problem that can arise in this method of painting is that the colors aren't laid down exactly where they are supposed to be. Alignment of the different colors to each other is referred to as registration, and on the Osaka R2-D2 that I received, the registration, or color alignment, is very good.

The silver of the dome is painted, and done in a matte finish. The blue on the dome and elsewhere on the figure has a metallic sheen to it, and looks good. Each of the panels on the dome is outlined with a thin line of gray, which isn't prototypical, but does not take away from the look of the figure. I suspect that a 6" (from the 12" collection) R2-D2 may have been used as the model for the Osaka figure. This would explain the thin gray lines around the blue panels on the dome. If you look at the picture above, you will see that the 6" figure has grooves around each of the panels on the dome. The grooves aren't prototypical either, but serve to highlight the panels. A good way to represent the grooves is with a thin line of gray paint. So I think that the Osaka figure tries to replicate the groove on the plastic counterpart, even though the groove isn't on the real R2-D2.

A result of the manufacturing method is evident in the panels around the dome. Some appear stretched, and have slight curves to their edges, which should be straight. The stretching and curving occur because, as mentioned earlier, the pieces are painted when they are still flat. The forming process stretches and moves the metal and the design painted on it. The distortion of the design gets proportionally larger the further away from the center it is, so that the panels around the sides of the dome show signs of distortion while the panels at the top of the dome do not. Overall, the distortion really doesn't detract from the look of the figure.

Because the pieces are painted before being formed and assembled, some slight scratching can occur. The Osaka Tin Toy Institute chose not to try to retouch the scratches because the repair work often is more obvious than the nick or scratch. The mass produced metal toys of the 50's were rarely, if ever, retouched, and since this figure is supposed to represent the toys of that era, it seems that the scratches should be left alone. I should point out that I didn't find any deep scratches on the figure I received, and all scratches present were minor surface scratches that aren't visible unless the the model is closely examined under a bright light.

Operating the Osaka R2-D2 is accomplished by inserting the winding key into the hole in the right side of the body and engaging it on the motor crankshaft. Winding the mainspring in of the motor stores up energy - - - blah, blah, blah. This isn't a physics class, and I'm not a teacher. Crank it up, set it on a smooth surface and throw the lever. ("Throw the lever" is a technical term. You don't actually throw it anywhere. You move it from one position to another.) R2-D2 has a rubber treaded wheel in each of his side legs that propel him forward. A captive ball in his center leg allows him to turn easily without a complex steering arrangement or any castor wheels. The arrangement is evident in the picture at left. You can also see how the tabs are used to put the different pieces together.

While I can't say for certain because I didn't rip the figure apart to see, I suspect that the way the R2-D2 turns is through the use of a drive gear for the left side that has teeth missing. There are probably two gears meshed: one on the wheel shaft, and one on the drive shaft that has a few teeth missing. As the toothless area of the drive gear comes around, the wheel stops turning. Since the right wheel continues to turn while the left wheel momentarily stops, R2 turns left. The left drive gear continues to rotate and the teeth re-engage the gear on the wheel shaft and R2 moves forward once again. OK. That's probably more than you wanted to know about that, and it's probably wrong anyway, so just forget I ever brought it up. As R2-D2 moves, his dome rotates back and forth, also receiving power from the wind-up steel motor.

R2-D2 has very little ground clearance for his feet, meaning that if you intend to wind him up and let him walk around, he will probably only be able to negotiate table tops or other very smooth surfaces. He is definitely not made for carpeting, and outdoor use is not only out of the question, it's insane. What the heck were you thinking? Anybody that would run a $200+ limited edition collectible around on their driveway has more money than they need, and should send it (the money and the collectible) to me. Right away.

Now that I've explained how the Osaka R2-D2 operates and what he does, I have to confess that I didn't actually wind mine up to watch him do it. What I described is what he is advertised to do. I have no idea how well he does it. This R2-D2 is a display piece, and I doubt that I will ever wind him up. It's enough for me to know that he has a motor and is capable of movement. Besides, the winding key is sealed in a clear plastic envelope. The key is plated, and is probably vulnerable to tarnishing. So in order to preserve the finish of the key as best I can, I haven't removed it from the envelope. And without that key, I can't wind up R2. And even if I wasn't worried about the key, I probably wouldn't wind him up.

All in all, I like the Osaka Tin wind-up R2-D2 very much. I think it does an admirable job of representing its famous namesake and the style of toy from a bygone era. He is a neat mix of nostalgia and Star Wars, and I think he would be a valuable edition to a collection of wind-up toys as well as a Star Wars or R2-D2 collection. He is nicely made and nicely finished. Is he worth the price? That's a question that's always tough to answer. It is an individual evaluation that really depends on the desires of the prospective owner. I don't think this is the piece I would start a collection with. There are a lot of great figures out there that can get a collection going for a lot less money. I'd probably call it a piece for the serious collector. Fifty years ago, toys similar to this sold for less than a dollar. On the other hand, action figures today, which aren't much more than a hunk of painted plastic, sell for as much as $12 a piece new, and for some the sky is the limit in the secondary market. Are they worth it? There are quite a few people who think so, or the figures wouldn't be as widely available as they are.

Even though production of the Osaka R2-D2 has ended, the figure is still available. The toys originally sold for about ¥18,000 JPN, or about $150.00 US. Some stores still carry the tin R2-D2 at a reasonable mark-up, as can be seen in the table at the beginning of the article. However, since R2-D2 was a very limited production run and is no longer being produced, expect prices to edge upwards as remaining stocks are depleted. Osaka also later produced a Darth Vader figure, as well as a Bobba Fett and Stormtrooper. All are out of production, but available in limited quantities. Some have current prices as high as $500+. Yeow.

I would strongly recommend that this particular R2-D2 be handled as little as possible, and protected from dust. He is made of thin gage metal, and while he is painted, he is still vulnerable to rust and corrosion. Oils from fingers can attract dust, and dust attracts moisture. Moisture leads to rust. Rust leads to suffering, and there you are smack dab in the middle of the dark side. In order to avoid the dark side and all its rust induced suffering, I would recommend that this R2 be displayed in a protective case. Too bad I don't sell cases. This would be a great time to hawk them. Anyway, that's what I think. Hope it helps.

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