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Robo Force was a toy line created by the Ideal Toy Company in the year 1984. [1] The line was revived in 2013 by new rights holder Toyfinity. [2] The line was sold from Toyfinity to The Nacelle Company in 2021. [3]
The original toy line featured robot action figures with suction cup bases and "crusher arm" action. In addition, each figure, which basically resembled a customized Dalek, also included another gimmick or two such as a hook or extendable guns. Besides action figures, there was also an Electronic Maxx Steele Programmable Robot and a Maxx Steele Erector Set released.
Robo Force
Cult of Dred
While the figures were developed up to the product catalog photo stage, they were not released before the original line came to an end. A few early production Tiltor sample figures have pop up over the years and gotten into the hands of collectors. [4]
Robo Force
Cult of Dred
Vehicles
The rights to Robo Force (until 2021) - along with former Ideal lines Rocks & Bugs & Things, Zeroids, and Manglor - are held by production company Toyfinity. The Robo Force line specifically was sold to Nacelle in 2021 while the other former Ideal lines were retained by Toyfinity. Compatible with the Glyos System Series designed by Onell Design, the Robo Force kits feature 41 or more pieces a figure which can be arranged and re-arranged in any way the user sees fit. [6] The new line was launched at New York Comic Con with a limited run Maxx Zero: Genesis Edition figure. [7] Some figures receive more than one edition to go along with the developing story line featured in the new Robo Force comic book. [8] By 2018 two additional Robo Force kits had been introduced offering additional parts to create Zeroids and more members of the original Robo Force line-up. [9]
In original Toyfinity Robo Force mold was released in 2013 as Maxx Zero Genesis Edition. It contained 41 parts inspired by Enemy, Hun-Dred, Maxx Zero and Sentinel. It could be assembled in a variety of configurations which included articulated legs and tank treads. Paint and additional parts were used to create numerous other characters.
A completely new Robo Force mold was released in 2018 as Zetonian Proto Enforcer. Made up of 26 parts inspired by Coptor and S.O.T.A. among others. This design featured a round body and a suction-cup-like base.
Robo Force
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Zetonians
Modern Zeroids-based mechanical beings from the lost outpost of Andor. New body features a circular design to mimic the suction cup look of the original line. A joint design between Toyfinity and Onell Design.
In 1984, Ruby-Spears Productions released an animated adaptation of the series in the form of a one-shot special called Robo Force: The Revenge of Nazgar. [10] Michael Hack provided Voice Direction with Flint Dille writing and Ron Jones composing the music.
A scientist named Dr. Fury and his family are in his house with Coptor. Suddenly, the evil robots led by Hun-Dred blast their way into his house. Coptor fires on the evil robots, but is defeated. The scientist is abducted by the evil robots for his research on putting human brains into robots. Hun-Dred and his crew would like Dr. Fury to do this for the evil Nazgar, who created trouble for the scientist's planet nearly two-thousand years ago.
Ten years later, a repaired Coptor and Dr. Fury's son (Mark Fury) along with new robots like Maxx Steele created by Mark go on a mission to find his father.
The final battle occurs in Nazgar's headquarters. Nazgar (whose brain is now in a robot body) seemingly escapes, Hun-Dred and a laser gun meant to wreak havoc on the planet are destroyed by Maxx Steele and Dr. Fury is saved.
The animated Robo Force adaptation was released by Warner Archive as a special feature for the volume 2 DVD release of Challenge of the GoBots on March 10, 2015. This is its first home video release.
In 2021, The Nacelle Company announced that would acquire the rights to the Robo Force toy line from Toyfinity and plans for the animated television series based on the toy line are in development, and in January 2023, it was given the straight-to-series order and on March 7, Nacelle announced that the upcoming Robo Force television series will be distributed by GRB Studios for both linear and streaming television. [3] [11] [12]
Magne Robo Gakeen is a Japanese anime television series produced by Toei Animation. It is the third installment to Takara's Magne-Robo Franchise. It aired from TV Asahi from September 5, 1976 to June 26, 1977, with a total of 39 episodes. Outside Japan, several episodes were edited by Collins Walker and cobbled together into a movie-length feature produced by International Media Group and released by Century Video Corporation, and in this format it is also known as Magnos the Robot or Renegade Force.
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The Zeroids were a line of toy robots from the Planet Zero introduced by the Ideal Toy Company in 1967 and re-licensed by Toyfinity in 2013 along with the later "STAR Team" revival. Consisting of Zerak, Zintar and Zobor, the Zeroids powered their way into the imaginations of young boys for nearly a decade.
Mecha, also known as giant robot or simply robot, is a genre of anime and manga that feature mecha in battle. The genre is broken down into two subcategories; "super robot", featuring super-sized, implausible robots, and "real robot", where robots are governed by realistic physics and technological limitations.
Onell Design is an independent toy company and artist collective. They produce the Glyos System Series featuring the characters Pheyden, Exellis, Crayboth, Argen, Gobon, Armodoc, Armorvor, Noboto, Buildman, Skeleden, and various others. The toys are made of interchangeable parts, and hearken back to the durable, small-scale action figures of the 1980s, such as Adventure People. The figures can be described as a cross between an Action figure and Lego. Onell Design toy figures are primarily sold directly by the manufacturer, although on occasion a release may be made available where a specially decorated figure is available elsewhere.
RoboRally, also stylized as Robo Rally, is a board game for 2–8 players designed by Richard Garfield and published by Wizards of the Coast (WotC) in 1994. Various expansions and revisions have been published by both WotC and by Avalon Hill.
Centurions is an American science fiction animated television series produced by Ruby-Spears and was animated in Japan by Nippon Sunrise's Studio 7. The series began in 1986 as a five-part mini-series and was followed with a 60-episode series. The series was story edited by Ted Pedersen and written by several authors, including prolific science fiction writers Michael Reaves, Marc Scott Zicree, Larry DiTillio and Gerry Conway.
Toyfinity is an independent toy company and artist collective. They produce figure kits compatible with Onell Design's Glyos System Series. Several are former lines previously released by Ideal Toy Company. The toys are made of interchangeable parts, and hearken back to the durable, small-scale action figures of the 1980s. The figures can be described as a cross between an Action figure and a Lego set.
Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion is a Japanese toy franchise created by Takara Tomy, in association with the Japan Railways Group. It is a spin-off of the long-running Plarail model train franchise, with the toys first launched back at March 16, 2015. An anime adaptation by OLM aired in all JNN stations in Japan from January 2018 to June 2019. A second anime titled Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion Z aired from April 2021 to March 2022 on TV Tokyo. A third anime by Signal.MD and Production I.G titled Shinkalion: Change the World premiered in April 2024.
The Great Garloo was a robot monster from the Marx toy company. Decades after Marx died and his company bankrupt, the toy is acquired by The Nacelle Company for a reboot animated series along with Big Loo, his fellow Marx Toy.
