Friday, January 31, 2025

Ideal 4659-9 Alien Invader

Ideal 4659-9 Alien Invader Box Front

The Zeroid Alien Invader was something new added to the Zeroid line for 1970, a programmable Zeroid villain that explodes! The figure is basically a Zeroid with the same CU-24 motor and a similar, if more complex, drivetrain from the bottom, but the rest has been covered by a hardshell "melted" body with rubbery arms. One places a programming disk (really more of a cam spool and referenced as a cam in the instructions) into the body and the Alien moves in specific patterns. One cam causes the arms to fall off and ultimately the head to pop off and with the body on its back.

Ideal 4659-9 Alien Invader Box Contents

Packaging:

Clamshell box with painted artwork details on five sides (the bottom is white). The figure and "disks" are covered by a  clear plastic blister on top of a colorful insert. An instruction sheet is included.

Instructions:

Ideal 4659-9 Alien Invader Instructions 

Ideal Catalog Specifications:

(First appearance: Ideal Toy Corporation 1970 "Toys - Games - Dolls - Vinyl" Catalog Pages 26-27)

4659-9 ALIEN INVADER
He may look somewhat mean and menacing but he's really an amazing mass of mirth provoking mechanics. Using 4 cams, included, our Alien Invader will Search a zig-zag course, or walk post Sentry-fashion, or Patrol the area in a square pattern...or...it will Self-Destruct as follows: First, right arm falls of-then left arm leaves then his head blows clean off - and now Alien Invader falls on his back like a lump as his motor turns off!
Pack: 6/12 doz. Weight: 9 lbs.

Variations:

  • There may be color variations but the examples I've seen have a red body, green arms and a yellow head.

John's Notes:

The rubbery arms are often collapsed and unusable. Also, the rubber interacts with the harder body plastic and can cause "melt" marks and indentations. It's also rare to find the cams with the toy and often the battery cover, head or arms are missing.

One can put the Alien into a Solar Cycle with the exploding cam - the others cause the Zeroid to only drive on one or the other tread to make turns which doesn't work well in the Cycle.


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