Robo Machines
Encyclopedia
Robo Machines was a short-lived European transforming robot toyline released by Bandai
from late 1992 to 1993. It was meant as an attempt to revive the European Robo Machine
toyline that ran from 1982 to approximately 1988. It incorporated several toys previously released in the Machine Robo
and Robo Machine toy-lines, and five new toys that had only been previously released in Japan as part of the CG Robo toy-line.
toy-line. 16 were 'regular'-sized figures (simply referred to as "Robo Machines"), and 6 "De Luxe" figures. Furthermore, 5 figures previously unreleased outside of Japan were sold as "Light & Sound" Robo Machines.
between 1983 and 1986, and the majority originated from Bandai's Machine Robo
'600 Series'. Exact names varied according to market - those given are for the United Kingdom
.
{|
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{|
| Name|| Vehicle Mode||
|----
| Aircraft|| F4U Corsair
||
|----
| Classic Car|| Classic Style Excalibur
||
|----
| F-15
|| F-15 Eagle
||
|----
| F-16|| F-16 Falcon||
|----
| Harrier|| Hawker Siddeley Harrier||
|----
| Helicopter I|| AH-64 Apache
||
|----
| Helicopter II|| SH-2 Seasprite
||
|----
| Light Plane|| Cessna
||
|----
| Motor Bike|| Harley-Davidson FL Electa-Glide
||
|----
| P-51|| P-51 Mustang
||
|----
| Scooter
|| Scooter
||
|----
| Sports Car|| Porsche 956
||
|----
| Submarine|| Submarine
||
|----
| Thunderbolt|| A-10 Thunderbolt II
||
|----
| Transport Helicopter|| CH-46 Sea Knight
||
|----
| Zero|| A6M Zero
||
|}
in America. Three figures (De Luxe Beetle, De Luxe Sports Car I and De Luxe Sports Car 2) originally came from the Machine Robo
DX series, two (De Luxe F-15 and De Luxe Space Shuttle) from the Big Machine Robo series, and one (De Luxe Motorcycle) had been issued only as a Gobot. Exact names varied according to market - those given are for the United Kingdom
.
{|
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{|
| Name|| Vehicle Mode||
|----
| De Luxe Beetle
|| Volkswagen Beetle
||
|----
| De Luxe F-15
|| F-15 Eagle
||
|----
| De Luxe Motorcycle|| BMW K100RS
||
|----
| De Luxe Space Shuttle|| Space Shuttle
||
|----
| De Luxe Sports Car I|| Porsche 911
||
|----
| De Luxe Sports Car II
|| Porsche 928S
||
|}
CG ('Change and Glow') Robo 1992 series, these were the only toys from the range to get names, as opposed to designations (in the United Kingdom
, at least - designations seem to have been used in other markets). The figures had flashing lights and siren sounds.
{|
| valign="top" |
{|
| #||Name|| Vehicle Mode||
|----
| 01|| Chaser|| Mitsubishi GTO
Police Cruiser||
|----
| 02|| Fire Chief|| Fire engine||
|----
| 03|| SOS|| Ambulance
||
|----
| 04|| Mega Truck|| Flatbed Truck||
|----
| 05|| Rough Rider|| 4x4||
|}
color scheme. Some toys had completely new and unique color schemes. The Light & Sound Robo Machines also had some color variations. For example, RM-05 Rough Rider is a lighter shade of blue than his Japanese counterpart (the CG-05 4WD CG).
The Light & Sound Robo Machines had some minor sticker changes in comparison to their Japanese CG-Robo counterparts. All the text in their designation numbers was changed from 'CG' to 'RM'.
All of the Italian packaging is mono-lingual, in Italian. It also lacks the Bandai logo, instead it features the Giochi Preziosi logo. This means that both Italian backing cards and boxes are different from the packaging used in the other countries in which the Robo Machines toy-line was released.
Bandai
is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs...
from late 1992 to 1993. It was meant as an attempt to revive the European Robo Machine
Robo Machine
Robo Machine was a European transforming robot toyline released by Bandai from 1982 to 1988. The line was initially a European release of their Machine Robo line, before gradually becoming the counterpart to Tonka’s Gobots line...
toyline that ran from 1982 to approximately 1988. It incorporated several toys previously released in the Machine Robo
Machine Robo
is a Japanese transforming robot toyline first released in 1982 by Popy, a division of Bandai, then later by Bandai proper. The franchise was marketed as Robo Machine in Europe, and Machine Men in Australia...
and Robo Machine toy-lines, and five new toys that had only been previously released in Japan as part of the CG Robo toy-line.
About Robo Machines
The Robo Machines toy line featured a total of 27 transforming robot figures, and was released by Bandai in France, Germany, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, Spain, and presumedly, the Netherlands. Giochi Preziosi, Bandai's agent in Italy, handled the release in that country. 22 of the figures were reissues of figures that were previously released as part of the Robo MachineRobo Machine
Robo Machine was a European transforming robot toyline released by Bandai from 1982 to 1988. The line was initially a European release of their Machine Robo line, before gradually becoming the counterpart to Tonka’s Gobots line...
toy-line. 16 were 'regular'-sized figures (simply referred to as "Robo Machines"), and 6 "De Luxe" figures. Furthermore, 5 figures previously unreleased outside of Japan were sold as "Light & Sound" Robo Machines.
The 'Regular'-sized Robo Machines
Sixteen 'regular'-sized Robo machines were released, in series of five. The first series had its line-up changed somewhere along the way to replace 'Harrier' with 'P-51'. All had been released as GobotsGobots
Gobots was a line of transforming robot toys produced by Tonka from 1983 to 1987, similar to Transformers. In 1991, the Gobots range was acquired from Tonka Inc. by Hasbro.-History:...
between 1983 and 1986, and the majority originated from Bandai's Machine Robo
Machine Robo
is a Japanese transforming robot toyline first released in 1982 by Popy, a division of Bandai, then later by Bandai proper. The franchise was marketed as Robo Machine in Europe, and Machine Men in Australia...
'600 Series'. Exact names varied according to market - those given are for the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
{|
| valign="top" |
{|
| Name|| Vehicle Mode||
|----
| Aircraft|| F4U Corsair
F4U Corsair
The Vought F4U Corsair was a carrier-capable fighter aircraft that saw service primarily in World War II and the Korean War. Demand for the aircraft soon overwhelmed Vought's manufacturing capability, resulting in production by Goodyear and Brewster: Goodyear-built Corsairs were designated FG and...
||
|----
| Classic Car|| Classic Style Excalibur
Excalibur (automobile)
The Excalibur automobile from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was a car styled after the 1928 Mercedes-Benz SSK by Brooks Stevens for Studebaker. Stevens subsequently formed a company to manufacture and market the cars, which were conventional under their styling....
||
|----
| F-15
Leader-1
Leader-1 is the name of several fictional characters from the Go-Bots, Robo Machines and Transformers toy lines in 1983. The original Leader-1 was voiced by Lou Richards in the animated Challenge of the Gobots series...
|| F-15 Eagle
F-15 Eagle
The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter designed by McDonnell Douglas to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It is considered among the most successful modern fighters with over 100 aerial combat victories with no losses in dogfights...
||
|----
| F-16|| F-16 Falcon||
|----
| Harrier|| Hawker Siddeley Harrier||
|----
| Helicopter I|| AH-64 Apache
AH-64 Apache
The Boeing AH-64 Apache is a four-blade, twin-engine attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear arrangement, and a tandem cockpit for a two-man crew. The Apache was developed as Model 77 by Hughes Helicopters for the United States Army's Advanced Attack Helicopter program to replace the...
||
|----
| Helicopter II|| SH-2 Seasprite
SH-2 Seasprite
The Kaman SH-2 Seasprite is a ship-based helicopter with anti-submarine, anti-surface threat capability, including over-the-horizon targeting. This aircraft extends and increases shipboard sensor and weapon capabilities against several types of enemy threats, including submarines of all types,...
||
|----
| Light Plane|| Cessna
Cessna
The Cessna Aircraft Company is an airplane manufacturing corporation headquartered in Wichita, Kansas, USA. Their main products are general aviation aircraft. Although they are the most well known for their small, piston-powered aircraft, they also produce business jets. The company is a subsidiary...
||
|----
| Motor Bike|| Harley-Davidson FL Electa-Glide
Harley-Davidson FL
FL is a model designation used on motorcycles manufactured by Harley-Davidson from 1941 to present. Mostly applied to Harley's large-framed bikes, including the current Touring series, the FL designation is also used with their Softail series, especially on Softails with traditional styling,...
||
|----
| P-51|| P-51 Mustang
P-51 Mustang
The North American Aviation P-51 Mustang was an American long-range, single-seat fighter and fighter-bomber used during World War II, the Korean War and in several other conflicts...
||
|----
| Scooter
Scooter (Gobots)
Scooter is a fictional character in the Gobots toyline, and the subsequent Challenge of the GoBots cartoon where he was voiced by Frank Welker. The character transformed into a motor scooter.-Gobots:...
|| Scooter
Scooter (motorcycle)
A scooter is a motorcycle with step-through frame and a platform for the operator's feet. Elements of scooter design have been present in some of the earliest motorcycles, and motorcycles identifiable as scooters have been made from 1914 or earlier...
||
|----
| Sports Car|| Porsche 956
Porsche 956
The Porsche 956 was a Group C sports-prototype racing car designed by Norbert Singer and built by Porsche in 1982 for the FIA World Sportscar Championship...
||
|----
| Submarine|| Submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
||
|----
| Thunderbolt|| A-10 Thunderbolt II
A-10 Thunderbolt II
The Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II is an American single-seat, twin-engine, straight-wing jet aircraft developed by Fairchild-Republic in the early 1970s. The A-10 was designed for a United States Air Force requirement to provide close air support for ground forces by attacking tanks,...
||
|----
| Transport Helicopter|| CH-46 Sea Knight
CH-46 Sea Knight
The Boeing Vertol CH-46 Sea Knight is a medium-lift tandem rotor transport helicopter, used by the United States Marine Corps to provide all-weather, day-or-night assault transport of combat troops, supplies and equipment. Assault Support is its primary function, and the movement of supplies and...
||
|----
| Zero|| A6M Zero
A6M Zero
The Mitsubishi A6M Zero was a long-range fighter aircraft operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service from 1940 to 1945. The A6M was designated as the , and also designated as the Mitsubishi A6M Rei-sen and Mitsubishi Navy 12-shi Carrier Fighter. The A6M was usually referred to by the...
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|}
The De Luxe Robo Machines
Six De Luxe Robo Machines were released - these figures had been released as Super GobotsGobots
Gobots was a line of transforming robot toys produced by Tonka from 1983 to 1987, similar to Transformers. In 1991, the Gobots range was acquired from Tonka Inc. by Hasbro.-History:...
in America. Three figures (De Luxe Beetle, De Luxe Sports Car I and De Luxe Sports Car 2) originally came from the Machine Robo
Machine Robo
is a Japanese transforming robot toyline first released in 1982 by Popy, a division of Bandai, then later by Bandai proper. The franchise was marketed as Robo Machine in Europe, and Machine Men in Australia...
DX series, two (De Luxe F-15 and De Luxe Space Shuttle) from the Big Machine Robo series, and one (De Luxe Motorcycle) had been issued only as a Gobot. Exact names varied according to market - those given are for the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
{|
| valign="top" |
{|
| Name|| Vehicle Mode||
|----
| De Luxe Beetle
Bug Bite
Bug Bite is the name of several fictional characters in the GoBots and various Transformers universes.-Challenge of the Gobots:Bug Bite was a Renegade Gobot who transformed into a yellow Volkswagen Beetle....
|| Volkswagen Beetle
Volkswagen Beetle
The Volkswagen Type 1, widely known as the Volkswagen Beetle or Volkswagen Bug, is an economy car produced by the German auto maker Volkswagen from 1938 until 2003...
||
|----
| De Luxe F-15
Leader-1
Leader-1 is the name of several fictional characters from the Go-Bots, Robo Machines and Transformers toy lines in 1983. The original Leader-1 was voiced by Lou Richards in the animated Challenge of the Gobots series...
|| F-15 Eagle
F-15 Eagle
The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter designed by McDonnell Douglas to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It is considered among the most successful modern fighters with over 100 aerial combat victories with no losses in dogfights...
||
|----
| De Luxe Motorcycle|| BMW K100RS
BMW K100
The BMW K100 is a family of four-cylinder 987 cc motorcycles that were manufactured by BMW from 1983 to 1992.-Background:As the 1970s came to an end, BMW faced three problems from developing its flat-twin boxer engine further:...
||
|----
| De Luxe Space Shuttle|| Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
||
|----
| De Luxe Sports Car I|| Porsche 911
Porsche 911
The Porsche 911 is a luxury 2-door sports coupe made by Porsche AG of Stuttgart, Germany. It has a distinctive design, rear-engined and with independent rear suspension, an evolution of the swing axle on the Porsche 356. The engine was also air-cooled until the introduction of the Type 996 in 1998...
||
|----
| De Luxe Sports Car II
Herr Fiend
Herr Fiend is the name of a fictional character from the various Gobots series. He is an evil Renegade scientist, and is also known as Doctor Go. -Gobots:...
|| Porsche 928S
Porsche 928
The Porsche 928 was a sports-GT car sold by Porsche AG of Germany from 1978 to 1995. Originally intended to replace the company's iconic 911, the 928 attempted to combine the power, poise, and handling of a sports car with the refinement, comfort, and equipment of a luxury sedan to create what some...
||
|}
The Light & Sound Robo Machines
Five Light & Sound Robo Machines were released. Originally from Bandai's Machine RoboMachine Robo
is a Japanese transforming robot toyline first released in 1982 by Popy, a division of Bandai, then later by Bandai proper. The franchise was marketed as Robo Machine in Europe, and Machine Men in Australia...
CG ('Change and Glow') Robo 1992 series, these were the only toys from the range to get names, as opposed to designations (in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, at least - designations seem to have been used in other markets). The figures had flashing lights and siren sounds.
{|
| valign="top" |
{|
| #||Name|| Vehicle Mode||
|----
| 01|| Chaser|| Mitsubishi GTO
Mitsubishi GTO
The Mitsubishi GTO is a sports car built by Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors between 1990 and 2001. In most export markets it was rebadged as a Mitsubishi 3000GT. It was also sold by Chrysler in North America as a Dodge Stealth captive import from the 1991 to 1996 model years with only minor...
Police Cruiser||
|----
| 02|| Fire Chief|| Fire engine||
|----
| 03|| SOS|| Ambulance
Ambulance
An ambulance is a vehicle for transportation of sick or injured people to, from or between places of treatment for an illness or injury, and in some instances will also provide out of hospital medical care to the patient...
||
|----
| 04|| Mega Truck|| Flatbed Truck||
|----
| 05|| Rough Rider|| 4x4||
|}
Changes from previous releases
Many of the figures released as part of the Robo Machines toy-line had some changes made to them in comparison to previous releases of the molds made in the 1980s.Mold changes
All of the toys that were reissues from the Robo Machine line had their molds modified, meaning that parts from Robo Machines toys are likely not to be interchangeable with those of their 1980s counterparts. Many of the toys featured their original Machine RoboMachine Robo
is a Japanese transforming robot toyline first released in 1982 by Popy, a division of Bandai, then later by Bandai proper. The franchise was marketed as Robo Machine in Europe, and Machine Men in Australia...
color scheme. Some toys had completely new and unique color schemes. The Light & Sound Robo Machines also had some color variations. For example, RM-05 Rough Rider is a lighter shade of blue than his Japanese counterpart (the CG-05 4WD CG).
Sticker changes
All of the reissued toys feature new sticker sheets which had any references to existing trademarks from other companies than Bandai removed. Instead, these references have been replaced with text like 'RM', 'ROBO MACHINES', 'ROBOMACHINES', or 'RM AIR FORCE' (on the planes). Not only the text was changed, but in fact the entire sticker sheets were redesigned, and they feature many differences when compared to previous releases.The Light & Sound Robo Machines had some minor sticker changes in comparison to their Japanese CG-Robo counterparts. All the text in their designation numbers was changed from 'CG' to 'RM'.
Country of manufacturing
All of the reissued toys were manufactured in China. The Light & Sound Robo Machines were manufactured in Thailand.Variations within the toy-line
Some of the Robo Machines released in different countries feature minor variations.Packaging
There are at least 3 different types of backing cards available for the carded toys. The carded toys were also released boxed in Germany.All of the Italian packaging is mono-lingual, in Italian. It also lacks the Bandai logo, instead it features the Giochi Preziosi logo. This means that both Italian backing cards and boxes are different from the packaging used in the other countries in which the Robo Machines toy-line was released.
Figures
Some of the releases featured minor differences due to a change in manufacturing. For example, the De Luxe Space Shuttle was available with either black screws or silver screws.Trivia
- P-51 has a Machine RoboMachine Robois a Japanese transforming robot toyline first released in 1982 by Popy, a division of Bandai, then later by Bandai proper. The franchise was marketed as Robo Machine in Europe, and Machine Men in Australia...
-logo molded onto one of its wings, even though it was never released as part of that toy-line. As the original release of P-51, the Gobot Ace' lacks this logo, it is likely that this mold was slated for release in the Machine Robo toy-line, but was canned. - The De Luxe Sports Car II (a Porsche 928Porsche 928The Porsche 928 was a sports-GT car sold by Porsche AG of Germany from 1978 to 1995. Originally intended to replace the company's iconic 911, the 928 attempted to combine the power, poise, and handling of a sports car with the refinement, comfort, and equipment of a luxury sedan to create what some...
S) features a color scheme that is very reminiscent of the color scheme that the European version of Zeemon (a Datsun 280Z) sported: Sports Car II is bright red with a black roof, and Zeemon is dark metallic red with a black roof.