Tulip Head is an unusually poetic nickname for the Space Robot X-70 robot. (X-70 would confuse it with one Cragstan Astronaut and with a cute little Hong Kong robot). This is a tin and plastic robot dating, most probably, from the late 60s or early 70s. Like its brother, the Radar Robot (Topolino) it has a markedly flimsy construction: the tin seems to be of a lighter gauge than earlier toys and its closer in design to the modern type of toy. The arms are molded in soft orange plastic, and look good.

Of course the focus of attention on this robot is its remarkable head that provides the nickname. The toy advances, stops and the three panels in its head separate to reveal a television camera and screen. The interiors of the panels have detailed control room litho, suggesting that the robot is really a gigantic space vehicle (like the Yonezawa Talking Robot).

The lilac colouring of the body, the bright orange arms, the neat litho detailing and that unexpected action combine to make this a very collectible robot. The box art is particularly impressive: there's a worm's eye view of a gigantic striding robot set against a spectacular space backdrop. The perspective is full of energy and the robot is an interpretation rather than a copy of the toy. Someone should frame it. Tulip Head is more common than its counterpart but it will still set you back quite a sum.

Compare the box with Topolino - same artist.

This robot suffers from the little-green-gear problem. The complex action puts too much stress on the gear attached to the motor, causing it to split. The motor whines but Tulip Head won't move. Unfortunately this means that if you have an working original, you take something of a risk each time you run it. The repair is easy, but keep your hand steady as you dismantle a two grand toy!