![]() |
Durham Industries, Inc. No. 5758 Sidewinders Star Mission Robot - Zobor and Zerak Fronts |
Oscar Wilde is attributed with the quote "Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can pay to greatness."
Imperial Toy Corporation No. 7848 Space Fighters Knock-Offs
Imperial seems to be the first company to knock-off the Zeroids with this pair that was part of their "Space Fighters" set of three figures in 1977. These are rubbery bendies that stand about five inches tall.
Durham Industries, Inc. No. 5758 Sidewinders Star Mission Robot Knock-Offs
Perhaps the best of the Zeroid copies that I'm aware of were made in 1978 by the New York company Durham Industries, Inc. who was known for their wind-up toys manufactured in Hong Kong. These are approximately the same size as the original Ideal robots but a bit taller, using a wind-up mechanism instead of the CU-24 motor and batteries.
Zerak "Battery Operated Remote Control Robot" Knock-Off
Willis Imports of NYC produced this wired remote controlled Zerak knock-off, probably in the late 70's. It's obviously a Zerak copy sharing body details and the blue Zerak color.
Super Robot Transparent (スーパーロボット 透明) Knock-Offs
These Japanese market robots continued a trend in the early 80's of producing translucent figures - seems there were four different of this model, with a copy of Zintar's head.
All content, including images and
editorial, is Copyright ©1999-2025 John Eaton and/or contributors unless
otherwise stated. If there are any comments or objections, please
contact John Eaton.