Mattel Vertibird Toy Helicopter - It really messed me up!

[@vocals7693]

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.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Agreed 🙂

[@craigdallen]

Hurt fingers.. ouch.. lol

[@zandig666]

Loved it of course we tried picking stuff up it could barely carry lol

[@zandig666]

I believe the family cocker spaniel wrecked it lol

[@BrianKliewer]

I had one. It was great but it ate batteries like nobody's business.

[@hhc19avn]

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.

[@paristo]

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...

[@Rchelicopterfun]

@hhc19avn - Excellent stuff! Thanks for sharing your awesome Verti story.

[@darrenwaters5179]

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.

[@dougduddles8464]

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!

[@MrTheHillfolk]

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.

[@MadMax0318]

Wow thought I would never see one again...thanks for the memories.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@elduderino2404]

My favorite toy as kid until my dad brought home pong

[@stitchyboi1206]

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!

[@rockinrodlittle]

The most memorable Christmas present that I ever received as a kid. Hours and hours of play time.

[@chrisnotap]

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!

[@An2oine]

This and Evel Knievel.

[@Wheelchair-bear]

​@@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.

[@Robin-my2gz]

There are resin 3dprint materials that feels like this softish plastic. and the prinnt quality of the resin printers are really good.

[@EllieMae4101]

Five boys in my family too, all wanting to play with the helicopter.

[@EllieMae4101]

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.

[@chiphister]

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,...

[@patrickeckes1262]

i got mine Christmas 1972 as well !! One of my all greats for sure .

[@BillyT.]

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.

[@lewis7515]

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.......😮

[@philiphatfield5666]

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.

[@greekpapi]

I still have my AFX racing set from 1977......lol

[@brettwinstead]

No kidding. I would have trashed the Box 18 minutes after opening the toy

[@JPEvans-qh9fs]

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.

[@Maxumized]

Good story

[@marshmellow377]

I remember having this as a kid, its what made me want to fly! 25 years later I am a commercial fixed wing pilot!

[@slowery43]

greast, this isn't all about you

[@marshmellow377]

@@slowery43 nobody asked for your opinion either… I’m just revisiting my past?

[@lil-dexxy6475]

​@@slowery43 Man you're a real dickhead aren't ya?

[@CastleAdam]

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!

[@andresouza2314]

With a 3D printer u could replace parts...

[@Wildstar40]

Do a restoration video and fix er up !

[@waynel879]

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!!!

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Thanks for watching 👍🙂

[@shauntoole1553]

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.

[@higear223]

That spring was a weak point.

[@MrPruske]

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

[@camptube7621]

Mine used to disconnect at the spring at the chopper, my grandad used to solder it back for me quite regularly.

[@freeman-1776]

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.

[@billyd78]

I've often said this was the greatest toy ever made. I was in awe of it as a child.

[@MarzanWorldwide]

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

[@Rchelicopterfun]

The Classics! 🙂

[@SmokinwithKasket]

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!!!!

[@joeneighbor]

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.

[@udidit71]

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.

[@billroberts5661]

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.

[@joenwc]

That's super impressive! I never thought of that and wouldn't have figured out how had I tried!

[@jacksemporiumofstuff]

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!

[@nicholasandrou2747]

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!

[@2degucitas]

RC helis and drones are the next step from this toy. Freedom from the base!

[@cyberpleb2472]

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.

[@Martsims9]

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.

[@marineboy6033]

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!

[@kendallevans4079]

This is how we learned about electric power! AC/DC ect....trial, fire and error!

[@jackspratt4343]

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.

[@fancybobbybob]

Wow, my Dad did the same thing with the transformer… hours and hours of nonstop playing!

[@stuartoakley4784]

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.

[@SCWgreg]

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.

[@johnnyh3653]

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.

[@Rickenbacker69]

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...

[@stoopidbastid6420]

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.

[@johnmarksmith1120]

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.

[@tracywilkinson1820]

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.

[@rcary]

wow! i had that toy in the 70s! I loved it. I was shocked to see they were still out there. Very nostalgic. 🥰

[@robertmcguire8905]

52 now and along with my Big Track they were the best toys ever.. Great memories!!

[@Gadgetonomy]

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.

[@klacustoms]

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.

[@justjonoutdoors]

I can’t tell you how many hours I spent flying mine back in the ‘70’s!

[@montypythonish]

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.

[@ExpertAdviceTV]

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.

[@jamesboyd5511]

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.

[@justincase5272]

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...

[@truthseeker9454]

@@jamesboyd5511 Ingenious!

[@explorewithgeoff]

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.

[@ChadDidNothingWrong]

lol i feel you there. thats the kind of thing I would have done too

[@robertbates6494]

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.

[@guyelluzzi2705]

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.

[@pchris6662]

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!

[@davidkropodra]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[@StevieOnHisBike]

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.

[@joenwc]

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!

[@TheDopalgangr]

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.

[@thegovernor4403]

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 ❤

[@thegovernor4403]

Adding to my comment, pair this with a matchbox city for a little kid and they’ll be in nirvana 🥰

[@budb.8560]

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.👌

[@MoMadNU]

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.

[@sablatnic8030]

It is not forgotten, there even exists a simulator for PC - I flew it last week.

[@HughShower]

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! 😂

[@justincase5272]

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. 🙄🤣

[@DB-lm1nj]

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”😅

[@nubie1100]

My grandad done the same for me too. How a toy like that amazed us for hours, brilliant

[@rockinrodlittle]

My dad did the exact same thing

[@2degucitas]

Smart Dad!

[@danmark61]

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.

[@Fran11784]

lmao! I cant believe you still have one of those. I used to love playing with that thing. Thanks John, great memories.......

[@frederickfunk4561]

I had one of these in the early 70s as well, loved playing with it! Thanks for showing it!

[@thatdudefromthefuture3346]

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.

[@gelf1907]

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.

[@patrickbuick5459]

I had one and still miss it.

[@michaelsemenchuk3056]

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.

[@nicholassanders527]

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.

[@michaelhansen6802]

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.

[@Rigel_Chiokis]

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.

[@morlockmeat]

This was one of my favorite toys as a kid and I actually miss it.

[@TheDemockery]

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.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

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.

[@marzsit9833]

@@Rchelicopterfun i had a big trak with the optional trailer. i must have used up hundreds of batteries in that rig....

[@RocketToTheMoose]

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.

[@MrBogart62]

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.

[@gt1man931]

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.

[@f.d.6667]

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!

[@starshiphopper7044]

Lego?

[@f.d.6667]

@@starshiphopper7044 Yes, but in a different domain: LEGO is optimized around what psychologists are calling "flow" and "need states". Lego is a great concept in many areas but agility and hand-eye-coordination are not their strong points. That's the price you have to pay when building a system from universal/multi-purpose elements. I see Lego as a great design prototyping system and the VertiBird as a type of stationary sportive play experience. In an ideal world, you would have BOTH, the Mattel toy AND the old Technic 852 from 1977 (which I did as a kid...). Side note - Iater in life I became the head of the Technic design team (and turned down the Mattel offer) but that was 20 years later...

[@Chris-gc1hw]

My uncle had one of these when I was like 6 yrs old. Was absolutely my favorite toy. This is the first time ever seeing it again since! Thank you!

[@dougsingkofer3034]

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.

[@eddiespagetti8395]

Toys were made to last in the 1970s. I'm glad I was born in 1971. All the best of the 70s childhood

[@bogdog999]

Not this one. My drive wire snapped at the base unit within 3 months. I had a blast with it until then. I had seen plenty of toys in the 1970s break. My little brother's Evel Kneviel stunt motorcycle broke the first day jumping small ramps as they show in the commercials.

[@davenelson8187]

A lot of plastic toys were made in Hong Kong back in those days…

[@uhhhclem]

I can assure you that the toys Mattel was manufacturing in the 1970s were not, in any way, made to last.

[@frostyball1591]

​. Great toy but the same happened to mine, we had a next door neighbour who used to repair it for me. Kids would love this today, we would spend hours having fun with it. Good old days....

[@jeffreybarton1297]

I'd buy this again. Loved it as a kid in the late 79's! Thanks for reminding me of it.

[@Notonmywatch1340]

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!

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Nice 🙂 Thanks for watching.

[@Seaker24]

This was my favorite toy too. The Apollo program was in full bloom. It was my reminiscing of this toy about 4 years ago that got me into the hobby. Your rc helicopter site was the first thing I found too. I read every post and learned so much! I can’t thank you enough!

[@Seaker24]

On my version you picked up the command module re-entry capsule after splashdown.

[@davidnorth3411]

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 .

[@JesseeSage]

Such a great toy at the time. I was fortunate to get one at Christmas, the Virtibird attached to a long styrofoam boat with marked landing pad. When I got bored with it, I detached it from the foam boat and it was game on again. Cheers!

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Nice 👍

[@AppleBman]

I enjoyed every moment of this! Thank you! I had two Vertibirds -- the first one was maybe orange(?) and then I saw the Police Helicopter version and absolutely had to have it too. I played with them for hours and years. I'm sure they both broke and were thrown out but such great memories just to hear that whirring sound again!

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Glad you enjoyed seeing (and hearing) a Verti again - thanks for watching 👍🙂

[@jonathanday2242]

Definitely was my favorite toy,I remember circling it in the sears catalog. Pretty sure mom was tired of buying batteries for it,she sold it in a yard sale one day while I was at school

[@petersardella4256]

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!

[@Rchelicopterfun]

Glad you enjoyed it 🙂👍

[@munz1870]

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.

[@tksambrano]

The Vertibird was one of my coolest Xmas presents that I received as a child. My friend had one with a boat if I remember correctly. I seem to recall that it broke somehow and it wouldn't get any lift.

[@Zooumberg]

I'm 51 in a couple of days, I got this toy when I was a nipper from my dad. I loved it. But it went faulty, the drive wire from the motor to the chopper snapped. I was gutted. But strangely I was thinking of this toy just the other day. That and my Big Trak.

[@RV6Pilot]

Zooumberg The same thing happened to mine. My mom took me to the local hobby shop to see if the guy could fix it. He got it working again, but not for long. A few years later I went back to that hobby shop, and even started hanging out there. That lead to years of fun with RC airplanes. I eventually even built an actual airplane. Thank you, Vertibird!

[@Zooumberg]

@@RV6Pilot I wish I still had mine. Although I would probably go for an RC plane now. But that's a great story and thanks for sharing. I'm considering going for my AFF (accelerated Free Fall) soon, it isn't cheap, but nothing is here in the UK any more

[@yukimikasaki9705]

It broke on you? Why, that DirtiVertibird piece o' junk!!!!

[@Digthemadscientist]

Awesome video haven't seen that old bird in years. That toy is what started everything for me in many ways as well 😄

[@VincentBee2532]

Absolutely loved my Vertibird as a kid. The Tv commercials blew me away and got one for Christmas. So much fun. All time favorite toy.

[@agranero6]

In Brazil there was a copy of this toy made by a company called Estrela (I don't know if it was licensed but I think it was), the toy was Vertiplano and is was almost identical but its objective was to rescue a Mercury type capsule from the ocean. The nice thing is that it really flies despite of the motor being on the base of the toy and the movement being transferred by a rotating cable (just like a car velocimeter cable). I loved you really controlled it, it was the most similar thing to a video game you could get on the 70s in fact it was better.

[@washboardmac]

I'm in the UK but I also had a space-themed version with a capsule to pick up - orange if I remember correctly. I've no idea what it was called over here but I'm hopeful a llittle while on google will find me the answer!

[@vonJaerschky]

I loved that thing! I had the Coast Guard version with the big styrofoam ship. I think it came with a space capsule to lift up and put back on the deck.

[@OhMySack]

That's the one! I was trying to remember which one I had. If I recall, there was a little dude in a basket like a USCG A/C Swimmer. I think it was the very first version, and the one in this video was a later iteration because I wanted this one, too! I equate that to a TV show called Chopper One that was sort of a knock off of Adam 12 with a helicopter. This was the best toy!

[@sentino68]

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.

[@TachyonDriver]

There was a more modern vertibird clone (Chopper Command I think) only about 10-15 years ago. I bought it from my local Toys R Us store. In the UK ,as a kid the Vertibird was too expensive for my parents, so of course I had to have a go with the Chopper Command one as an adult! Of course due to health and safety nanny state, the 3-bladed main rotor had a plastic ring around it thus adding weight and sapping performance. The ring was promptly removed :). I used to fly RC helis until very recently. I'm not kowtowing to the CAA and registering my Raptor 30, nor my 450 size heli. I'll just try and locate some private farmland, pay the farmer a bit of rent and then fly in the middle of a private field. No need for public liability insurance, nor registration.Besides, where I live, if any full size plane is going to have a problem with my helicopter, then that plane is already crashing anyway. ;)

[@triskellian]

Ha!ha! Brilliant toy John!I loved playing with these too.I also had a Star Trek version of this.It was counter balanced instead but worked pretty much the same.It also had little objects to snag with a hook from the "modified Enterprise".Great stuff man.🛸🚁😎

[@poduck2]

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.

[@Rchelicopterfun]

I cover the Vertibird in much more detail on my website: www.rchelicopterfun.com/mattel-vertibird.html I also want to thank several viewers/subscribers for reaching out and sending me their original Verti rotor blades. Vibration free flying once again - thanks so much folks! It's also very interesting that so many people also kindly offering a fix, suggest 3D printing a new rotor as an easy solution. I thank them too for their thoughtful feedback, but I would like to take the time to point out what that actually involves for those with no 3D printing experience. As an FDM 3D printing hobbyist myself (as I demonstrated in the R2-D2 building series: kzbin.info/aero/PLZV8xZm3OCXz8I0FoPzIeU--13oWWJfZv ), printing a rotor for this Vertibird is far from easy or practical, especially when you don't have an STL/OBJ 3D print file and there are none available. So you either need very good propeller CAD design skills to make up an exact working replica of the original in Fusion 360/similar, or have a good quality high resolution 3D scanner to accurately scan a good known rotor. Then there's the question of what thermoplastic material to use to print the new rotor with; most being too brittle to work in this application. Nylon is the obvious choice but very difficult for the average FDM printing hobbyist. We won't even get into removing the layer lines in Nylon as this rotor like all, has to be be more or less glass smooth to create lift without too much drag. Resin printing would be the better option to eliminate the layer lines that all FDM 3D printing produces, but I've read most resins are even more brittle than most thermoplastics? Thoughts?

[@philipgorham388]

John Salt Good morning Just a thought how about contacting 3D printing nerd and see if he can print you a new set of blades

[@stopthephilosophicalzombie9017]

Your dad must have been a great father!

[@deathstrike]

I love the fact your set is complete with the parts it came with!! I had to scrounge for mine and it took 3 years of patient waiting and eBay to finally get all the parts to finish my set. These toys were from the time before everything had to be super safe and educational. I also collect Cox control line airplanes and I wish they would bring the Cox and Testors gas line of cars and airplanes back. The younger set misses so many good toys from the 60s to the early 90s.,

[@mikee8244]

Awesome, just dug mine out. Got it in '74/'75. Needs one wire soldering, the cardboard runway is missing and the hook under the chopper is snapped ( pretty sure i can make another). Apart from that it's all there, the box is a bit knocked about. I had hours of fun with this toy. 👍

[@jasonlara]

I went to the website to try and understand the way it works, but was still left with one question: How do the wires that go from the controller to the base not get twisted/tangeled up when the base is spinning? I had this question for the revolving Christmas tree too, but found out how the power was transferred. It's not like that with this thing. Any help?

[@matthewmillaisgray]

Good day John, What a delightful presentation of a well designed toy! I love the radar dish following the helicopter making complete illustrative and practical attached sense. Your demonstration & explanation of the Mattel Vertibird Toy Helicopter was truly inspiring, not only for children but also for adults like myself. I did time travel back to 70's as a result. I empathized with you when it came to the unfortunate damage to the propeller blade. However, I believe that such experiences are part of the learning process, and your conservative approach in repairing it with heat was excellent. Considering that the blades are detachable and the other blade is in good condition, I personally might let my OCD get the best of me. I would guess you have thought of doing all sorts of things and probably have drawn a conservative line to how far you'd preserve or restore things before feeling satisfied. I would consider making a mold of the intact blade or even 3D scanning it. The other blade acts as a perfect mirror, and with clever positioning on the 3D printer bed, you could potentially recreate it using resin printing. Alternatively, you could also experiment with other 3D printing types or techniques, ensuring proper blade placement, and then shape it with heat using a copper dowel or angle. I imagine that the plastic used in the toy is similar to that of zip tie material. Of course, there are likely various other solutions to this issue, and these are just a few ideas that came to mind off the cuff. I simply felt inspired to engage with your excellent video presentation and wanted to express my best wishes, encouragement, and gratitude. Thank you for sharing your experience with the Mattel Vertibird Toy Helicopter, and I hope you continue to inspire others with your imaginative and creative endeavors from toys designed to stimulate just that. Best regards and wishes from the Cape of Good Hope peninsula SA.

[@bret9741]

I’m 65. I got the same toy that year. I absolutely loved that toy. Memories. Wow

[@AudiophileTommy]

You could use this to pass the salt in these social Distancing times ! 😀

[@TerryMusick]

I got one for Christmas and haven't stop thinking about flying since. I was a young adult before I started dabbling into RC airplanes. I never new RC Helicopters were a thing until a few years ago. I found your website when I was researching them and you inspired me to take up the challenge. Now I have too many..... Nah, no such thing!

[@Rchelicopterfun]

👍🙂

[@d8zvevoh879]

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

[@Cboot301]

I had one in the 70’s. It was a really cool toy, I loved it!

[@waterpogojim5296]

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.

[@leorivas]

My cousin had it. It was the most wonderful toy I ever saw. It was so realistic!. Tried to look for it and found your video. It was as amazing as I remembered it. Thanks for sharing!

[@laskermitchell9619]

Oh man, I remember when I first saw the commercial for this I was about 10 years old and I had to have one. I played with that toy for hours and it was also my first "rc" toy. Fifty years later, I'm loving my drones 😀👍

[@roba4295]

I almost had a tear in my eye when I saw this toy for the first time in almost 50 years! This was my favorite toy. I had so etching I could control that actually flew. I spent so much time laying on my bedroom floor, playing with this toy. Thank you for this video!

[@nolanohana]

One of my favorite toys growing up, I recall a short section or roadway came with it too. Thanks for bringing back those memories.

[@javaking1000]

Probably my favorite toy as a kid. I would blast it around in circles over and over, as fast as it would go!

[@kingsleykronkk3925]

I made a Chinook version at about 14yo, it was a challenge but it worked. It had 2 x 12v slot car motors in the heli with those plastic props from rubber band wind up balsa planes I smashed. A thin pine boom was counter weighted instead of a spring on the turret and it pivoted on a home made slip ring contact, assembled from an old wood sewing cotton reel with 4 washers glued on and soldered to 4 wires running to the heli, but I soon discovered it only needs 3 using a common ground wire. Old slot car brushes were used to contact the washers for continuous rotation but the washers needed regular sanding off the rust. The slot car 12v transformer and 2 pistol speed controllers were used one in each hand for a very tricky learning curve because those coil resistors would get almost red hot in the hand and become unreliable speed until cooled it down. It had end stops at the heli to minimise the maximum pitch angle and it could spin almost 2 revolutions per second so the center turret needed weights to stop it flipping over or taking an eye out. Enticed by Evil Knievil I latter removed the heli and attached a home made electric motorbike with front suspension forks, and made ramp jumps. The silly thunderbirds TV show got me into solid pellet rockets and then finally making one of the very few RC fixed wing VTOL planes in 2005. To this day I still fly rc helis, planes and VTOLS, and ride dirt bikes, thanks to the obsession I developed in the 70's. Oh and I wrecked my suspension on an old Ford trying to emulate the dukes of hazzard.

[@kevintedder4202]

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.

[@Joesfosterdogs]

Got one for Christmas as a kid in 70s...lasted one before the sprig broke...back to Sears for another...worked for a day or two before spring broke and never played again...so I have maybe two days of playing my favorite toy ever...and the memory burn.