ith the Cold War at its height, a spaceship lands in Washington, D.C. An alien steps out. He carries a message from his people to the people of Earth. Bring your violence into space at your peril. Thinking he is a threat, soldiers shoot the emissary. While he recovers in a hospital, his robot guardian, Gort, stands guard over his spaceship.
One phrase stands between the Earth and total destruction: the phrase given to Helen Benson by the emissary Klaatu to indicate to Gort that he should stand down and not destroy the planet. Until then, Gort stands vigil. He stands immobile. Strong. Heavy. Resolute. It is The Day the Earth Stood Still.
Merchandise based on recent science-fiction films is plentiful. Merchandise from the golden era of science fiction is an exception. There are few likenesses available from The Day the Earth Stood Still. Those that are available are rare, hard to find and often expensive. Resin models exist, but they require special building techniques and can be fragile.
Last year, Rocket USA brought us a 9" wind-up tin toy of Gort. As a fun toy, it was a fantastic item for fans of this classic film. But due to the limitations in working with tin to ensure functionality, it was lacking as a model or likeness.
Now, Rocket USA releases a 5" solid die-cast metal depiction of Gort. Finished in a soft silver paint, this is a good representation of the stoic robotic policeman. Gort comes packaged in a small window display box with opening flap revealing the robot standing firm inside. The box art is practically identical to the beautiful art of the 9" wind-up toy from last year.
One of sci-fi's most memorable
metal men
Known for its excellent line of metal products, mostly tin wind-up toys, clickers, posters and other cool stuff, Rocket USA produces items from several popular licenses, including Futurama and The Simpsons.
This year's foray in the Day the Earth Stood Still license is a reprise of Gort for the serious collector. Its 5 inches are fairly accurately modeled from the film's robot. While being much more accurately proportioned than the wind-up tin toy, this Gort still is not a perfect likeness. Cast from a single piece of metal and weighing in at what must be half a pound, this model is much more stylized than realistic. It differs from the original in the creases and bulges in the thick padded costume worn by the actor in the film, which are perhaps best not reproduced if we are to believe Gort is a metallic robot and not a man in costume.
But on the other hand, accuracy is key for collectors, and this robot is a little too thin and straight to be fully like the film's representation of Gort. The arms too stiff, the legs too straight, the finish too perfect. Deciding whether this is good or bad will be up to the individual collector. Still, resin models I have seen usually include the imperfections of the original, which are what many collectors are after.
One interesting thing is that Gort seems to lean a bit too far to the rear. He is more likely to fall over backward than forward, though in truth he stands pretty firmly if he's on stable ground. If his display area is likely to be knocked about, he may indeed take a loud nap.
But for collectors, this is a find—a Holy Grail, if you will. For them, Gort will stand vigil. Immobile. Strong. Heavy. Resolute ... over their desks.
