VertiBird


VertiBird was the name of a line of toy helicopter products made by Mattel between 1971 and the early 1980s.

Description

General

The VertiBird helicopter flies around a central base containing an electric motor, spring lift assist, pitch control, batteries, and a throttle. A 21-inch arm with pitch control rod and the spindle that transfers the power to helicopter via drive springs and drive rod, is connected from the central base to the helicopter.
The original VertiBird playset has a space theme appropriate for the space age attitude of the 1970s. The first set was reminiscent of the Project Mercury program. Later versions of the VertiBird would continue to revisit the space theme as well as other popular television and movie themes of the 1970s and early 1980s time frames.

Box contents

The box contents of the average VertiBird playset consisted of the following items:
- Accessory bag with the following items.
Other versions of the VertiBird also included:
Power was provided by 4 'D' sized alkaline batteries in the base. They also doubled as weight to hold down the base.

Flight

The helicopter is controlled using a two lever control unit. The controls operate similar to a real helicopter. The throttle control provides proportional control of the blade speed. The pitch control provides for tilting the Vertibird forward or backward. During flight the VertiBird is subject to the same physical flight characteristics as a real helicopter. This included ground-effects for low level hovering, plus altitude gains and losses when changing direction. Overall the VertiBird is easy to learn how to pilot for basic flight, but precision flying will require some patience and time on the controls as in a real helicopter.
As noted there is a spring assist to lift the VertiBird. However, in actual operation the assist is not enough to lift the VertiBird off the ground. Most of the lift comes the spinning rotor itself. Subsequently, dropping heavy items during flight will result in a very rapid ascension of the VertiBird unless the pilot has good flight skills.
Mattel designed the set with the young flyer in mind. The VertiBird can take quite a beating during crashes and toybox storage. This design has resulted in a toy that has survived over 38 years and remains as fun today as it was when VertiBird first came on the market back in 1971.
The one exception to the required VertiBird flight skills was the introduction of the themed playset, which did not feature the "VertiBird" branding on its packaging elements. The version was the one playset which abandoned the VertiBird concept in favor of a look and feel to match television series. The set had controls were radically different from the standard VertiBird controls. The Eagle was fully supported by controls. The set used only two C-cell sized batteries. The throttle provided nothing more than a switch to spin the rotor. Effectively there was no lift provided by the rotor and instead all lifting is performed with the controls using hand strength. This set would not be a good version for the first time VertiBird pilot wanting to have a true VertiBird experience. Considered notable only for its Space: 1999 theme tie in and high collector value. But otherwise a poorly performing VertiBird set. The later Battlestar Galactica playset successfully blended the VertiBird concept with a space theme.

Popularity

The average retail price for most VertiBirds back during the 1970s was between $8.00 and $20.00.
Today, with more and more people collecting and restoring them, collectors are willing to pay over $400 for a working Vertibird. On July 31, 2006, a "mint in box" Vertibird sold for $500 on eBay, with 4 individual bidders bidding at least $400.
Earlier eBay sales were also noted for final sale prices in excess of $1200.00 for the extremely rare themed playset in unplayed, brand new, condition. In 2005, a complete, near-mint condition set of the German "Libelle 12 Polizeihubschrauber" changed hands for $850 in a private sale.

Distribution and licensing

Distribution was not limited to the United States. Mattel produced international versions of the VertiBird playset for the various markets including Canada, Brazil, the UK, Germany, and Italy. Just when it seems the final international VertiBird version has been found, another is reported. To date it is unknown just how many markets and languages Mattel distributed the VertiBird into. The most recent "new" variant to surface is a Mexican version of the "Polar Adventure" set, offered on eBay in mid-November 2008.
Mattel also licensed the VertiBird for production by other companies. At least two are known.

In the media

Several Mattel VertiBird commercials were made in the 1970s and early 1980s. One of the advertising agencies used for production was Ogilvy & Mather.
In a Christmas-themed episode of That '70s Show, Eric Forman can be seen playing with the VertiBird in a basement scene.
Tiltwing aircraft called "Vertibirds", appear in the games Fallout 2, Fallout 3, , and Fallout 4.

Similar VertiBird toys and games

In addition to the VertiBird itself there are several other pre-VertiBird and post-VertiBird units covering various eras, global regions and business lines. Some units like the Dan Dare were home usage toy sets. Others such as the WhirlyBird were skill games meant for arcade distribution or other location-based business usage. All units share the VertiBird's basic premise of fun by allowing the user actively control the helicopter, while still providing a safe and easily controllable experience.

VertiBird versions

There are 13 known different US versions of the VertiBird playsets. The original VertiBird had an early manufacturing change that modified the drive spring to drive rod coupling. The first version had the end of the drive rod screwed into the drive spring on the helicopter. The production modification resulted in the drive rod being permanently soldered to the drive spring, and packaged the base, controls, rods, and helicopter into one complete unit.
In addition to the different US versions other international versions were produced. These international VertiBird versions were localized as needed for language, playset graphics, and pictures, and local service depot information as required.
There were also some contracted production runs of the Mattel VertiBird for other companies.
Grouped all together, there are currently 23 different known variations. Every year or so it seems a new variation is discovered somewhere around the globe.
In February 2015, an American eBay seller with immaculate feedback offered several pieces of supposedly original conceptual art by former Mattel designer Tom Hodges, which featured graphic layouts for a number of unproduced VertiBird variants from the mid-to-late 1970s. These included a "Spacehawk X7" intergalactic probe model, a "Medivac" military-themed set, a "Disaster Air Rescue" version, a "Space War" sci-fi model, and a 1979 M*A*S*H-themed set that was obviously meant to tie in with the successful TV series.

USA versions

International versions

Localized for language and/or graphics.

Brazil (Brasil)

Manufactured under the Brazilian Brand "Brinquedos Estrela"

Bluebird Air Police contracted set by Mattel

Pre-VertiBird Era similar sets

Childs and Smith :
Knickerbocker :
Maline:
Amusement Engineering Inc.:
Sega Enterprises Inc.:
Midway:
Mattel:
Simpsons-Sears :
Good Play :
Remco Controlled Space Flight :
BlueBird Toys:
Milton Bradley Company :
Galoob Micro Machines:
Kool Toyz, contracted for Target Stores and KayBee Toys by Jasman Toys:
Jasman Toys Chopper Command:
Jasman Toys Chopper Patrol:
Jasman Toys Command Force Chopper Patrol:
Jasman Toys Spider-Man 3:
RoboFly custom Set:
Draganfly Innovations. Acquired RoboFly production rights: