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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
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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]
SilverHawks is an American animated television series developed by Rankin/Bass Productions and distributed by Lorimar-Telepictures in 1986. The animation was provided by Japanese studio Pacific Animation Corporation. In total, 65 episodes were made. It was created as a space-based equivalent of their previous series ThunderCats.
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GoBots is a line of transforming robot toys produced by Tonka from 1983 to 1987, similar to Hasbro's Transformers. Although initially a separate and competing line of toys, Tonka's Gobots became the intellectual property of Hasbro after their buyout of Tonka in 1991. Subsequently, the universe depicted in the animated series Challenge of the GoBots and follow-up film GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords was established as an alternate universe within the Transformers multiverse. While Hasbro now owns the fictional side of the property, the actual toys and their likenesses were only licensed from Bandai in the 1980s, were not covered by the Tonka acquisition, and are not available for Hasbro use.
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Starcom: The U.S. Space Force is a 1987 animated syndicated television series inspired by a motorized toy franchise manufactured by Coleco. The characters were adapted for animation by series creator Brynne Stephens, who also story edited the show. Starcom was produced by DIC Animation City and distributed by Coca-Cola Telecommunications. The plot detailed the adventures of an American astronaut brigade as they fought off attempted invasions by Shadow Force, a nasty collection of humans and robots led by the nefarious Emperor Dark. The toy line was popular in Europe and Asia, but was unsuccessful in the North American domestic market.
The Enforcement Droid Series 209, or ED-209, is a fictional heavily armed robot that appears in the RoboCop franchise. It serves as a foil for RoboCop, as well as a source of comic relief due to its lack of intelligence and tendency towards clumsy malfunctions.
Lego Exo-Force was a Lego theme that was launched in 2006 and discontinued in 2008. It focused on a team of elite pilots that used robotic mechanical machines (mecha) to protect their home against attacking robots. The backstory for the toy sets was detailed in associated media, including an online comic and a series of story books.
RoboRiders was a short-lived Lego theme launched in 2000, following the Throwbots/Slizers, and preceding Bionicle.
Mechander Robot was an anime series aired in 1977 in Japan. There were 35 episodes aired at 25 minutes each. It is also known as Gasshin Sentai Mechander Robo, Mekander, Mechander, Combiner Battle Team Mekander Robot, Combining Squadron Mechander Robo, Mekander Robot and Mekanda. It was produced by Tokyu Agency and animated by Wako Productions.
Go Nagai's Mazinger related mechas and characters have many different toy lines, developed since Mazinger first appeared in the 1970s. Some of the most well known ones are described here.
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.
Giant Robo is a Japanese manga series by Mitsuteru Yokoyama. The manga, which was first published in 1967, spawned a live-action tokusatsu television series of the same name, as well as a series of original video animations called Giant Robo: The Day the Earth Stood Still.
Brian Volk-Weiss is an American film and television producer and director. He is the founder and current chief executive officer (CEO) of The Nacelle Company and its subsidiary company, Comedy Dynamics.
Mecha anime and manga, known in Japan as robot anime and robot manga, are anime and manga that feature robots (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 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. Comic book artists Jack Kirby and Gil Kane contributed to the design and concepts of the show while Norio Shioyama did the character designs. 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 new anime titled Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion Z aired from April 2021 to March 2022 on TV Tokyo.
