"Renegades! I don't know what you Renegades are after to but you'll have to come through me to get it"
The Gobot toyline was based on figures produced by Popy of Japan (later Bandai), named Machine Robo.
In 1983, Tonka decided to import the line into America after realizing Hasbro were doing the same with Takara’s Diaclone and Microman's Microchange lines, which became Transformers after crossing the Pacific.
In another similarity to Transformers, Tonka decided to make the figures sentient robots, rather than human-piloted mecha as they had been in Japan, and divided them into two factions – the good Guardians and evil Renegades (although early figures were simply described as ‘Friendly’ or ‘Enemy’ on the packaging).
The figures were all given individual names, in contrast to the simple designations they received in Japan.
The North American GoBots line contained over 60 regular size figures produced from 1984 to 1987.
They were the basic figures of the line, and all averaged in the same height. Each figure was given a GoBots number on their package. Collectors choose to go by the MR (Machine Robo) numbers that were placed on each figure. Machine Robo is the original Japanese line that was produced earlier than GoBots.
Leader-1 is the leader of the Guardians who protect Earth from the evil Renegades. He's featured in every episode ofthe TV show. I used to like transforming toys so my dad bought me a mix of Transformers and Gobots. Gobots were selling for a lot less than Transformers so I tended to have more of those early in my childhood.
Front:
Side:
The clear canopy is nice a touch but can't be opened
Back:
Top:
Pretty nice wing detailing
Bottom:
The hinged wings usually didn't stay up and drooped down
Robot
Front:
No articulation in the legs
Side:
Back:
Minimal kibble
Articulation:
Sadly he has limited articulation that's just limited to his arms swinging on ball joints.
Comparison:
G1 Ramjet to Leader-1
Older Transformers of the time were larger and much more interesting transformation
MP Starscream to Leader-1
Leader-1 turns into a fairly good looking F-15 aircraft but has 4 wheels rather than the 3 wheel set up of the actual F-15. His robot form doesn't look exactly like the cartoon version since he has a mouth and 2 eyes underneath the visor in the cartoon. However the transformation of the toy is accurate to the cartoon. Leader-1 is primarily grey and some black. It's nice to see the use of diecast metal for the black. Unless you really liked the cartoon, Leader-1 isn't a very memorable design as a robot but his jet mode is pretty good.
Eric Toy Score: 2.5 out of 5
Publisher: Tonka / Bandai
Year: 1985
Price: ~$2.00
1 comments:
Great read, thanks for posting this. I remember getting Starscream and Leader-1 at the same time as a kid and was extremely disappointed with Starscream because his toy didn't look anything like in the cartoon. Leader-1 on the other hand, was almost exactly like his TV counterpart (barring the mouth), plus he was portable.
Post a Comment