I had the Headquarters playset from this line as a kid and had no idea what it was! It just made a great base for my Joe's, Autobots and random Wars Figures :)
My first Robo Force toy was a Maxx Steele I purchased with birthday money at K-Mart. I think it was $4.99. Since I had a $5 bill in my pocket...and understood nothing about the concept of sales tax...I figured I could afford it. The total came to about $5.23 at the checkout, which made no sense to me at the time, and I was heartbroken thinking that I wouldn't be able to get it. Then, a kind lady in line behind me flipped the cashier a quarter to cover it. I'll never forget that. I learned two things that day: 1) They should include sales tax on the price sticker, and 2) There are some generous people out there. Mom went Robo Force Crazy that following Christmas and got my brother and me pretty much the entire Robo Force toy line. I still have a boxed Maxx Steele and a boxed Hun-dred somewhere (purchased these as an adult...sadly my childhood Robo Force toys were all lost somewhere along the way). Good memories.
I had some of these as a kid. My parents couldnt afford a transformer toy for me one year and i ended up picking up one of these. I loved them! They where great fun and relied a lot on your imagination for play rather than gimmicks.
"We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese..." "Big McLargeHuge" "Slab Bulkhead" "Fridge Largemeat" "Punt Speedchunk" "Butch Deadlift" Sorry, backed the new season of MST3K's Kickstarter and got that as my ringtone now. Great catch on the names, keep up the good work folks.
this video first came out during a very difficult time for me, the death of my father. thank you so much for helping me cope through laughter. long live retroblasting.
I just watched Robo Force for the first time since I was a kid. I have to say it's not bad. It wasnt cheesy or anything. By 80s standards it was a good show. With a futuristic believable storyline, I have to say I liked it.
I got one of these from my aunt for Christmas in the 80s, but I didn't even know what show it was from. So it just became a stand-in robot for various star wars adventures.
Thank you for doing this review,......... Honestly i didn't think anyone remembered "Robo force." I had one of the figures "The dictator" and I remembered the toy line because it was so odd, but I didn't know about the cartoon. Love your channel, it brings back a lot of memories, PLEASE keep dong what you're doing!
Saludos Retroblasting... unfortunately "Robo Force" was not shown here in Chile back in the 80s. Thank you for showing us something that we did not know existed.
Great Video. I had no idea this cartoon existed, I remember hearing about the "Robo-Force" toyline from your "Transformers vs. GoBots" panel video. The fact it only lasted one episode is just astounding. But judging from the footage, it really looks like nothing to write home about. Can't wait to see what you have to say about the actual toyline. The opening with "Broken Vader" was a hoot, I bet that character won't be getting any sleep anytime soon. lol
Awesome video as always! I remember when I was a kid there was a local pharmacy in my small town that ALWAYS had a selection of weird, obscure toys that I never saw anywhere else. When I saw Robo Force, I was fascinated by them because they were so out of places in the toy market of 1984. I always loved cheesy 50's & 60's sci-fi and the Robo Force toys possessed that esthetic. With their weird, corrugated "crusher arms" and the suction cup base replacing anything resembling legs, they were more like the Robot from Lost in Space. I only ever managed to score Hun-dred, but he was utilized extensively in the hunting of Rebel scum, serving as Cobra Commander's Mark XIII S.N.A.K.E. armor, and battling Roboto and his allies as Skeletor's evil robot.
You have inserted the memory puzzle piece that I didn't even know I needed!! I had the blue copter robot but I never knew it's origins so it therefore became integrated with my other toy lines. So thank you for entertaining and informing as always.
I had maxx as a kid in fact I still have him! As for when the special aired that day a TV guide ad found on google says the special aired at 7pm in prime time!
You deserve an award for outing J.J. That scallywag won't get away with this! Kudos for showing that clip of the Rubik's Cube cartoon. No one ever remembers that!
"Would robots really form a cult" is what I asked myself about the re-booted Battlestar Galactica... Also, the fortress out of a mountain looked to me like something out of Thundaar The Barbarian, but then I checked and they're by the same company. :)
I remember these lameo robot toys, I got those "trash can" style robots for Christmas of '84 while all my cousins, school friends and even my younger sister got Transformers! I was inconsolably crest fallen if not outright insulted with these fail-out-the-gate toys. Talk about one pissed off 10 year old Max!
Hooray for RetroBlasting! Finally you've shown some love for Maxx Steele and Co. I get that the show is rubbish, and that the toys aren't much better, but I can't help having a special place in my heart and collection for these funky, huggy robots.
I remember seeing this show when it aired, and it was in the evening time. As an interesting side note, Robo Force aired back-to-back with a Cabbage Patch Kids cartoon, if I recall. I did get a Maxx Steel and the Robo Force audio book on cassette once. It included a full color picture book to read along with.
The animation was excellent. I love the style. Sadly, the story needed a lot of work. - I recall seeing some of those toys in garage/yard sales in the 80s and 90s but like so many others I had no idea they were connected to a TV show.
I remember this show. In Philly it was shown on channel 17 sometime between 7 and 8 pm. I was at my Dad's house at the time. Considering this was a Ruby Spears show either legendary artists Jack Kirby and/or Gil Kane would have worked on the character designs. Nothing about the footage looks Kirbyish (ie Thundar or Centurians) so I'll go on a limb and say Gil Kane did the character designs. I'll see if I can confirm that. Thanks for the video. It brings back a lot of memories.
RoboForce definitely was scheduled for the evening. My memory of it is that where I had been eagerly waiting for it to air all day, but where I lived (Massachusetts), the show was pre-empted for something else, and I never got to watch it. My dad even called the station to see if it would ever be re-aired (which it wasn't).
Hahaha. Awesome. I love the dig at J. J. Hackrams, too. At 2:30, you have a clip from an 80s cartoon about robots. What was the name of that cartoon? I totally forgot about it until seeing that clip!
The cartoon is really well drawn for 1984 it's look great but yeah the robot looks like toys instead of well robots, with that quality they can have made a great looking mecha back in the time Still im a sucker for robots and i approve all the violence like putting a flamethrower in his fucking mouth, that's was fantastic XD
Great review! It has more funny commentary than usual. A few additional observations: 1) This special was produced by Ruby Spears (producer of Thundarr, Centurions, etc.), but it was animated in Japan by Toei (who was working on GI Joe and Transformers around the same time). 2) This special has an all-star voice cast! - Roger Bumpass (better known as Squidward), Arthur Burghardt (Destro), Robert Ridgely (Thundarr), Neil Ross (Shipwreck), Alan Young (Scrooge McDuck), Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime), Michael Bell (Duke), 3) The story director was Doug Wildey, creator of Jonny Quest 4) The composer was Ron Jones (Star Trek the Next Generation, Family Guy) I guess even all that talent couldn't make such crappy toys interesting.
I remember when this aired. It was on the night there was an open house at my school and I had to miss it. I was SO BUMMED OUT! I had 1 or 2 of the toys and I kinda liked them, so i was really interested in what the cartoon would be like. It just killed me having to miss it. Over the years I always remembered that it existed and that one day I might get to see it... Now I don't want to.
I remember having a choose your own adventure style picture book of these guys. There were no humans and the story didn't match what was in these cartoons.
I can't say I was aware of this show or the toys, though part two might bring back some memory. The animation looks good. The plot sounds like a mess with all the stuff they crammed into it and limited time. Despite not knowing about this, I really enjoyed the video. Great work, as usual. Thank you.
Although I have them all in my adult life, when I was a kid I only had one which was "Enemy The Dictator". I didn't even know what it was from to be honest. Either my parents just purchased it for me randomly or I got it at a birthday party or something. But, I never forgot my good friend Enemy. I do love these figures.
I got Hundred and his car/ship/sled thing one year for my birthday. Upon unwrapping but before they were even out of the packages, my IMMEDIATE thought was, "Awww...you coulda spent that money on some GI Joe stuff!"
Just discovered your channel. Loving it. But I notice that while you’ve mentioned Mego action figures a few times, you haven’t done a video on them. Micronauts are also sadly absent. I take it you are focused exclusively on 1980s toys and shows? Any plans to delve back into the '70s?
Not only did Robo Force have action figures they also had a fully functional Maxx Steel robot. I remember seeing it in the Sears Wish book. I wish I had one. I hope you mention it in Part 2. Love the opening!!! NOOOOOOO!!!!!! LOL!!!!!
I had Blazer as a kid in 84! The red bits on his arms were super easy to lose, but you could squirt water out of the nozzle on his domed head, and the arms were poseable because they were basically concertinas! I never saw anything about them, but I got Blazer as a Christmas present. There was something about the character I liked, even though the storyline was trash. I just liked the robot character.
Just a query, as a kid I was lucky to find the cartoons I watched, as here in Australia I remember them being blocked with a generic kids show built around them and you just hoped to god your show was in the mix. It’s not until later I even realised there were seasons of the shows I loved due to how they were broadcast here...were US kids able to look through TV listings and identify the scheduled times for each specific show?
to be fair, the Japanese Chogokin/Jumbo Machinder/Shogun Warriors had their names or anime/toku of origin printed on their torso as well...but at least *those* were well known characters in Japan so it is acceptable. this series has no excuse. Also the robots here look like pimped out Daleks. lol.
I distinctly remember watching about 5 minutes of this pilot when it first aired. I was actually really fascinated by the toys. I had one of the vehicles (a yard-sale find by my grandmother) but none of the figures, so the absentee robots accrued a kind of mythical status in my mind. I just wish your review wasn't so purposefully... flippant. Entertaining, yes. But I appreciate more the tone, affect, and perspective of a historian, which you've employed when commenting on other properties. That's all. In any case, still glad you dug this old line up.
Are you sure you're not mistaking me for someone else? I can't think of a single review in which I didn't employ humor -- and I'm never flippant in my criticisms. I put a lot of thought into my reviews, thank you.
Ha, yeah, that comment came off more prickly than intended. You do good work, from what I've seen. This was just the expressed longings of a Robo Force fan that hopes for a David Attenborough-narrated treatment of the property that I know will never come.
In case you're interested I can tell you that, where I grew up in Oregon, this absolutely came on in the evening; not during the day. Something happened at my house that night that I will always remember right before this came on. I liked Robo Force and was looking forward to it. Just wanted to let you know since you made mention of it. Thanks for the video, really really looking froward to part two. Have a great Halloween.
I'll also confirm that it originally aired in the evening - at least in Oregon, where by amazing coincidence, I also saw it as a kid. I had that original airing recorded on VHS for a time, even. I liked the toys well enough at the time (and had almost all of them - pretty much the only toyline about which I could say that), but looking back, I almost certainly would have rather gotten more Transformers that Christmas.
Haha!! Absolutely on the Transformers. That is awesome that you still have the original airing of it. It's funny how the commercials use to drive me crazy when I was a kid and now I love seeing the old ads for stuff!
I never knew there was an animated show. That robot style even as a kid seems so odd to me. I couldn't put my finger on it then. But now I see that style feels like it was released 5-10 years too late. The esthetics are strangely older than a lot of shows of the time. I wonder if the designs took a long time in design hell, tooling and production before it got onto the market. And than show was a last minute thing before launch. If only vhs taps weren't so heavy. They might have faired better if the show came in pacage(lol that's a maybe by the sounds of it). Great piece.. Looking forward to the next one.
Great video of a special I did hear about when I bought the Gobots DVD but didn't yet watch it. Also, you reminded me of another 1 and done cartoon, Robotman and Friends! It's so obscure that there isn't even a Wiki of it! But if you check it out, it's actually pretty good, although geared towards a younger age. I kinda remember it from back then but have no idea if it aired on TV or went straight to VHS. :O
Poor DV.....😢 I think it's time he got at least ONE of his arms put back on!! It would make life a little easier for him.... he could shake hands, write letters, hold a spoon, drink from a cup, -cut you up with a lightsaber- ..... ANYWAY, Great choice for a video! I remember this!! I forgot all about it! I got the toys for my birthday one year. I was just going through boxes and came across these toys but couldn't remember what they were from!! Now I remember, thanks to you guys!!! Funny how that works! I actually really liked this, from what I remember. Shame that this wasn't more successful! I can't wait to see what you guys have in store for future videos!! Thanks for the entertainment guys!! ❤️👏🏻👏🏻 #FreeDV #OneArmIsBetterThanNone #2isBetterThan1 💪🏼💪🏼 #CantSpellLovedWithoutDV #HelpDVHug (By putting the arms on!) #ItsAboutTime #DV2018 🤖🤓
My God! I got on of these either for my bday or Christmas of '84 I've been trying to remember the name of these toys for years & out of the blue here's the answer.
I love this channel even though I was born at the ass end of the 80s. 1988. I still prefer alot of these toys and cartoons over the 90s wave. Have you ever done a best 80s toy ad commercials..or commercials that were amazing but the toy actually bombed?
If there's anyone who can produce this much content from a toyline nobody cared for with a cartoon that had ONE episode, its gotta be Retroblasting. Love the new setup, and oh yeah, BROKEN VADER IS BACK!
Ideal was a toy company that was continually in financial trouble, mostly a doll company they had some big wins with grow hair dolls in the Seventies (Crissy etc..) and Shirley Temple licence...by the mid 80s they were on their last legs and I think were bought out by Mattel. It doesn’t surprise me that the toys were a little lacklustre.
The overturned trashcan aesthetic of the robots is actually cute. THAT'S THE PROBLEM THOUGH. The “cute” robots are supposed to be the small toyetic sidekick NOT the seven foot tall hero.
I've never seen this cartoon and didn't know it existed. I'm impressed that they crammed so much story(however ineptly) into 24 minutes. Onto the toys. I have almost all of them and the vehicles except for S.O.T.A. The Creator(titles imply function and title, so assuming THIS one built most of the others? Who knows.). They are goofy toys. SO different compared to everything else on the shelves in the 80's like Transformers and GI Joe and I think that's why I was attracted to them. Whoever thought 1950's looking robots would do well in the 80's marketplace must have had a hard time finding work after this. Lol. Anyway, I seem to remember something very similar in the early 70's I ordered out of Starlog magazine which shot darts. This was just before or just after Star Wars. They might have done better if they came out then. Kind of a case of wrong time and place.
The saddest thing about this trash is the anime airing at the same time were shows like Votoms, Dancouga, Bismark, maybe even Layzner. Japan got the freaking SPT-LZ-00x Layzner! And we got... Maxx Steele. Damn. And that's not even talking about the "Summer of 1984 Macross Movie" festival.
the toys were good for small children that were a little too young for the fragile Transformers. My younger cousins had them and they were much better as play things then some of the other 80's toys that had many parts that broke.
Hey RetroBlasting! Not sure if you ever saw these figures, or if you'll mention it in the toy portion, but Earth Force from Pace toys has a character named Professor Hacksaw Hacket. He looks suspiciously like Mark Fury: www.action-figures.ca/earth_force.htm I wonder if after Robo Force failed, IDEAL sold off the other characters?
All I ever remember owning was a robo force robot punch out book for making paper the robo force team. Also I remember other kids at school showing off their robo force bots.
Got to admit, I find the art style and animation impressive for its time.
I had the Headquarters playset from this line as a kid and had no idea what it was! It just made a great base for my Joe's, Autobots and random Wars Figures :)
BRILLIANT ENDING, MICHAEL! BLOODY BRILLIANT!
My first Robo Force toy was a Maxx Steele I purchased with birthday money at K-Mart. I think it was $4.99. Since I had a $5 bill in my pocket...and understood nothing about the concept of sales tax...I figured I could afford it. The total came to about $5.23 at the checkout, which made no sense to me at the time, and I was heartbroken thinking that I wouldn't be able to get it. Then, a kind lady in line behind me flipped the cashier a quarter to cover it. I'll never forget that. I learned two things that day: 1) They should include sales tax on the price sticker, and 2) There are some generous people out there. Mom went Robo Force Crazy that following Christmas and got my brother and me pretty much the entire Robo Force toy line. I still have a boxed Maxx Steele and a boxed Hun-dred somewhere (purchased these as an adult...sadly my childhood Robo Force toys were all lost somewhere along the way). Good memories.
What a great story! Thanks for sharing!
And a true story at that! Thanks for the kind words. To this day, I look for opportunities to pay that lady's kindness forward.
Frank Schuler You do that. What a blessing.
I had some of these as a kid. My parents couldnt afford a transformer toy for me one year and i ended up picking up one of these. I loved them! They where great fun and relied a lot on your imagination for play rather than gimmicks.
"We put our faith in Blast Hardcheese..." "Big McLargeHuge" "Slab Bulkhead" "Fridge Largemeat" "Punt Speedchunk" "Butch Deadlift"
Sorry, backed the new season of MST3K's Kickstarter and got that as my ringtone now. Great catch on the names, keep up the good work folks.
this video first came out during a very difficult time for me, the death of my father. thank you so much for helping me cope through laughter. long live retroblasting.
thank you, that is very sweet
i am...coping. its not easy but i have a lot of support.
I just watched Robo Force for the first time since I was a kid. I have to say it's not bad. It wasnt cheesy or anything. By 80s standards it was a good show. With a futuristic believable storyline, I have to say I liked it.
I got one of these from my aunt for Christmas in the 80s, but I didn't even know what show it was from. So it just became a stand-in robot for various star wars adventures.
I can honestly say I've never seen or heard of this show. But I remember the robots but thought they were just generic robots at my local store.
Thank you for doing this review,......... Honestly i didn't think anyone remembered "Robo force." I had one of the figures "The dictator" and I remembered the toy line because it was so odd, but I didn't know about the cartoon. Love your channel, it brings back a lot of memories, PLEASE keep dong what you're doing!
Saludos Retroblasting... unfortunately "Robo Force" was not shown here in Chile back in the 80s. Thank you for showing us something that we did not know existed.
My God! JJ ripped off Roboforce! We're through the looking glass here, people!
I wouldn't be surprised if he next rips-off Robotech and Empire Strikes Back for the next crappy Star Wars movie.....oh wait, looks to be so. (-_-)
Max Brandt How is he ripping off Robotech?
nah he and that other dude just ripped off the Original Trilogy and Roboforce stimultaniously.
Now I am reconsidering my opinions on the Prequels
When has J.J. not ripped off or remake something?
Star Wars is Lensman, Samurai movies and The Dam Busters all squished together, soooooo...?
Great Video. I had no idea this cartoon existed, I remember hearing about the "Robo-Force" toyline from your "Transformers vs. GoBots" panel video. The fact it only lasted one episode is just astounding. But judging from the footage, it really looks like nothing to write home about. Can't wait to see what you have to say about the actual toyline. The opening with "Broken Vader" was a hoot, I bet that character won't be getting any sleep anytime soon. lol
Awesome video as always! I remember when I was a kid there was a local pharmacy in my small town that ALWAYS had a selection of weird, obscure toys that I never saw anywhere else. When I saw Robo Force, I was fascinated by them because they were so out of places in the toy market of 1984. I always loved cheesy 50's & 60's sci-fi and the Robo Force toys possessed that esthetic. With their weird, corrugated "crusher arms" and the suction cup base replacing anything resembling legs, they were more like the Robot from Lost in Space. I only ever managed to score Hun-dred, but he was utilized extensively in the hunting of Rebel scum, serving as Cobra Commander's Mark XIII S.N.A.K.E. armor, and battling Roboto and his allies as Skeletor's evil robot.
You have inserted the memory puzzle piece that I didn't even know I needed!! I had the blue copter robot but I never knew it's origins so it therefore became integrated with my other toy lines. So thank you for entertaining and informing as always.
Holy cow! I totally had forgotten about this toy line and I never even knew there was a cartoon!?! Great video, RB! Looking forward to part 2!!! :D
I had maxx as a kid in fact I still have him! As for when the special aired that day a TV guide ad found on google says the special aired at 7pm in prime time!
You deserve an award for outing J.J. That scallywag won't get away with this! Kudos for showing that clip of the Rubik's Cube cartoon. No one ever remembers that!
"Would robots really form a cult" is what I asked myself about the re-booted Battlestar Galactica...
Also, the fortress out of a mountain looked to me like something out of Thundaar The Barbarian, but then I checked and they're by the same company. :)
I remember these lameo robot toys, I got those "trash can" style robots for Christmas of '84 while all my cousins, school friends and even my younger sister got Transformers! I was inconsolably crest fallen if not outright insulted with these fail-out-the-gate toys. Talk about one pissed off 10 year old Max!
That's painful.
Ouch!
Hooray for RetroBlasting! Finally you've shown some love for Maxx Steele and Co. I get that the show is rubbish, and that the toys aren't much better, but I can't help having a special place in my heart and collection for these funky, huggy robots.
Yay, return of broke Vader!!!!!!
We need more of your awesome shows Michael, whether its a review or restoration.
I remember seeing this show when it aired, and it was in the evening time. As an interesting side note, Robo Force aired back-to-back with a Cabbage Patch Kids cartoon, if I recall.
I did get a Maxx Steel and the Robo Force audio book on cassette once. It included a full color picture book to read along with.
The animation was excellent. I love the style. Sadly, the story needed a lot of work. - I recall seeing some of those toys in garage/yard sales in the 80s and 90s but like so many others I had no idea they were connected to a TV show.
I vaguely remember watching this cartoon once, thanks for the memories.
I remember this show. In Philly it was shown on channel 17 sometime between 7 and 8 pm. I was at my Dad's house at the time. Considering this was a Ruby Spears show either legendary artists Jack Kirby and/or Gil Kane would have worked on the character designs. Nothing about the footage looks Kirbyish (ie Thundar or Centurians) so I'll go on a limb and say Gil Kane did the character designs. I'll see if I can confirm that.
Thanks for the video. It brings back a lot of memories.
RoboForce definitely was scheduled for the evening. My memory of it is that where I had been eagerly waiting for it to air all day, but where I lived (Massachusetts), the show was pre-empted for something else, and I never got to watch it. My dad even called the station to see if it would ever be re-aired (which it wasn't).
And here's the best part of MY Sunday! Hilarious opening, btw. :)
Hahaha. Awesome. I love the dig at J. J. Hackrams, too.
At 2:30, you have a clip from an 80s cartoon about robots. What was the name of that cartoon? I totally forgot about it until seeing that clip!
"There's a lot to unpack, here!".....It's lines like that one that make these reviews so much fun!
That's why we use zip codes to tell the difference between the places of doom.
Those Broken Vader intro's are getting more awesome each time!
The cartoon is really well drawn for 1984 it's look great but yeah the robot looks like toys instead of well robots, with that quality they can have made a great looking mecha back in the time
Still im a sucker for robots and i approve all the violence like putting a flamethrower in his fucking mouth, that's was fantastic XD
Excellent review of a show I've never heard of. I like the Jeopardy skit. Anything with Skeletor is good in my book.
Oh, Lord, that last part was just way too true! Thanks for another great video.
Great review! It has more funny commentary than usual. A few additional observations:
1) This special was produced by Ruby Spears (producer of Thundarr, Centurions, etc.), but it was animated in Japan by Toei (who was working on GI Joe and Transformers around the same time).
2) This special has an all-star voice cast! - Roger Bumpass (better known as Squidward), Arthur Burghardt (Destro), Robert Ridgely (Thundarr), Neil Ross (Shipwreck), Alan Young (Scrooge McDuck), Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime), Michael Bell (Duke),
3) The story director was Doug Wildey, creator of Jonny Quest
4) The composer was Ron Jones (Star Trek the Next Generation, Family Guy)
I guess even all that talent couldn't make such crappy toys interesting.
Dammit - I still remember the lame toys and didn't want to have to go on to part 2 but I've got to now. Blast! You've done it again, Michael.
I remember when this aired. It was on the night there was an open house at my school and I had to miss it. I was SO BUMMED OUT! I had 1 or 2 of the toys and I kinda liked them, so i was really interested in what the cartoon would be like. It just killed me having to miss it. Over the years I always remembered that it existed and that one day I might get to see it... Now I don't want to.
that is one toy line the 80s could have done with out. Robo Force makes The Starriors look like The Transformers.
I remember having a choose your own adventure style picture book of these guys. There were no humans and the story didn't match what was in these cartoons.
The ending made this video an instant classic!
I can't say I was aware of this show or the toys, though part two might bring back some memory. The animation looks good. The plot sounds like a mess with all the stuff they crammed into it and limited time. Despite not knowing about this, I really enjoyed the video. Great work, as usual. Thank you.
Welp. We know what Lawrence Kasdan watched in the 80s.
Although I have them all in my adult life, when I was a kid I only had one which was "Enemy The Dictator". I didn't even know what it was from to be honest. Either my parents just purchased it for me randomly or I got it at a birthday party or something. But, I never forgot my good friend Enemy. I do love these figures.
I feel like a remake of this, with A LOT MORE thought and effort put into it, could work.
I got "Enemy 1" for Christmas, because I thought it was hilarious the kid on the commercial called him "laser breath"
I got Hundred and his car/ship/sled thing one year for my birthday. Upon unwrapping but before they were even out of the packages, my IMMEDIATE thought was, "Awww...you coulda spent that money on some GI Joe stuff!"
Just discovered your channel. Loving it. But I notice that while you’ve mentioned Mego action figures a few times, you haven’t done a video on them. Micronauts are also sadly absent. I take it you are focused exclusively on 1980s toys and shows? Any plans to delve back into the '70s?
Not only did Robo Force have action figures they also had a fully functional Maxx Steel robot. I remember seeing it in the Sears Wish book. I wish I had one. I hope you mention it in Part 2. Love the opening!!! NOOOOOOO!!!!!! LOL!!!!!
Intro's epic with that "Hug" request by the Robo Force...
I had Blazer as a kid in 84! The red bits on his arms were super easy to lose, but you could squirt water out of the nozzle on his domed head, and the arms were poseable because they were basically concertinas! I never saw anything about them, but I got Blazer as a Christmas present. There was something about the character I liked, even though the storyline was trash. I just liked the robot character.
Just a query, as a kid I was lucky to find the cartoons I watched, as here in Australia I remember them being blocked with a generic kids show built around them and you just hoped to god your show was in the mix. It’s not until later I even realised there were seasons of the shows I loved due to how they were broadcast here...were US kids able to look through TV listings and identify the scheduled times for each specific show?
...Yes? That's how all the shows are here in the US. Even when there's a "block", it's more just bumpers and marketing.
Star warriors was a great game! Especially when combined with the RPG.
I appreciated the call out to Space Mutiny! Love your content!
My memory of seeing this as a kid was at night .
Was hoping for Old Ben to make fun of Vader
Great video!! As always I enjoy your videos a lot
I actually have one of these toys, somewhere. Enemy, the Dictator. And I remember watching this episode as a special at night.
I did t know they even had a cartoon. Those toys were fun. I even had the transport thingy
Another masterpiece gang! Gawd, I love you videos!!!
+Tom Berges Thanks Tom!!!!!!!
to be fair, the Japanese Chogokin/Jumbo Machinder/Shogun Warriors had their names or anime/toku of origin printed on their torso as well...but at least *those* were well known characters in Japan so it is acceptable.
this series has no excuse. Also the robots here look like pimped out Daleks. lol.
Damn. I remember these toys in the local Zayers or Hills forever ago.
This was a great video I had no Idea that this show even existed.
Great and hilarious video!! Needed this today!
I distinctly remember watching about 5 minutes of this pilot when it first aired. I was actually really fascinated by the toys. I had one of the vehicles (a yard-sale find by my grandmother) but none of the figures, so the absentee robots accrued a kind of mythical status in my mind. I just wish your review wasn't so purposefully... flippant. Entertaining, yes. But I appreciate more the tone, affect, and perspective of a historian, which you've employed when commenting on other properties. That's all. In any case, still glad you dug this old line up.
Are you sure you're not mistaking me for someone else? I can't think of a single review in which I didn't employ humor -- and I'm never flippant in my criticisms. I put a lot of thought into my reviews, thank you.
Ha, yeah, that comment came off more prickly than intended. You do good work, from what I've seen. This was just the expressed longings of a Robo Force fan that hopes for a David Attenborough-narrated treatment of the property that I know will never come.
In case you're interested I can tell you that, where I grew up in Oregon, this absolutely came on in the evening; not during the day. Something happened at my house that night that I will always remember right before this came on. I liked Robo Force and was looking forward to it. Just wanted to let you know since you made mention of it. Thanks for the video, really really looking froward to part two. Have a great Halloween.
I'll also confirm that it originally aired in the evening - at least in Oregon, where by amazing coincidence, I also saw it as a kid. I had that original airing recorded on VHS for a time, even.
I liked the toys well enough at the time (and had almost all of them - pretty much the only toyline about which I could say that), but looking back, I almost certainly would have rather gotten more Transformers that Christmas.
Haha!! Absolutely on the Transformers. That is awesome that you still have the original airing of it. It's funny how the commercials use to drive me crazy when I was a kid and now I love seeing the old ads for stuff!
Oh my.. the most creepy broken vader video I have seen so far..but entertaining and hilarious 😂 also..keep it up..RETROBLASTING👍
I mean, I don't blame them for wanting hugs. If I were forgotten about for 20 years I'd want some affection too...
You know, if Broken Vader ever breaks something on his back, Y'all can call him "Brokeback Vader!"
I never knew there was an animated show. That robot style even as a kid seems so odd to me. I couldn't put my finger on it then. But now I see that style feels like it was released 5-10 years too late. The esthetics are strangely older than a lot of shows of the time. I wonder if the designs took a long time in design hell, tooling and production before it got onto the market. And than show was a last minute thing before launch. If only vhs taps weren't so heavy. They might have faired better if the show came in pacage(lol that's a maybe by the sounds of it). Great piece.. Looking forward to the next one.
I loved the Roboforce toyline. Shame it didn't get more attention. I enjoyed the minicomic stories more than the cartoon though.
2:32 what show was that from (dancing robot one), It looks familiar but i can't place it?
"Mighty Orbots".
Great video of a special I did hear about when I bought the Gobots DVD but didn't yet watch it. Also, you reminded me of another 1 and done cartoon, Robotman and Friends! It's so obscure that there isn't even a Wiki of it! But if you check it out, it's actually pretty good, although geared towards a younger age. I kinda remember it from back then but have no idea if it aired on TV or went straight to VHS. :O
the animated robo force tv special the revenge of nazgar is on dvd but as a bones episode on challenge of the gobots vol.2
I pretty much stated that in my comment, and it's mentioned in the video.
Animation on this was WAY above par for its time. Looks better than ‘90s X-Men.
0:10
I have never felt so sorry for Darth Vader in my entire life.
Poor DV.....😢
I think it's time he got at least ONE of his arms put back on!! It would make life a little easier for him.... he could shake hands, write letters, hold a spoon, drink from a cup, -cut you up with a lightsaber- ..... ANYWAY, Great choice for a video! I remember this!! I forgot all about it!
I got the toys for my birthday one year. I was just going through boxes and came across these toys but couldn't remember what they were from!! Now I remember, thanks to you guys!!! Funny how that works!
I actually really liked this, from what I remember. Shame that this wasn't more successful! I can't wait to see what you guys have in store for future videos!! Thanks for the entertainment guys!! ❤️👏🏻👏🏻
#FreeDV
#OneArmIsBetterThanNone
#2isBetterThan1 💪🏼💪🏼
#CantSpellLovedWithoutDV
#HelpDVHug (By putting the arms on!)
#ItsAboutTime
#DV2018
🤖🤓
My God! I got on of these either for my bday or Christmas of '84 I've been trying to remember the name of these toys for years & out of the blue here's the answer.
What was the intro before the inspector gadget clip?
I know it's 3 years late, but that was Bionic Six. Don't grt the intro song stuck in your head - it's hard to get out.
I love this channel even though I was born at the ass end of the 80s. 1988. I still prefer alot of these toys and cartoons over the 90s wave. Have you ever done a best 80s toy ad commercials..or commercials that were amazing but the toy actually bombed?
Have you guys heard "Ring Raiders Toys".
Because if not then you guys should check it out.
If there's anyone who can produce this much content from a toyline nobody cared for with a cartoon that had ONE episode, its gotta be Retroblasting. Love the new setup, and oh yeah, BROKEN VADER IS BACK!
Damn! And I was thinking that this was a story of how human society replaced the Cylons between the wars.
Ideal was a toy company that was continually in financial trouble, mostly a doll company they had some big wins with grow hair dolls in the Seventies (Crissy etc..) and Shirley Temple licence...by the mid 80s they were on their last legs and I think were bought out by Mattel. It doesn’t surprise me that the toys were a little lacklustre.
Maybe it’s just me but I really like the animation involved here.
Did you know Remco Mantech announced in ads an animated series done by Hanna Barbara for fall of 1984? Sadly it never happened.
How big is that telly?
I never saw the show but loved these robots
Hahaha! You described the new star wars movies wonderfully.
OMG, brilliant comparison!!
The overturned trashcan aesthetic of the robots is actually cute. THAT'S THE PROBLEM THOUGH.
The “cute” robots are supposed to be the small toyetic sidekick NOT the seven foot tall hero.
That Kylo Ren dig was ace.
I still have Hun-Dred in storage somewhere.
I've never seen this cartoon and didn't know it existed. I'm impressed that they crammed so much story(however ineptly) into 24 minutes.
Onto the toys. I have almost all of them and the vehicles except for S.O.T.A. The Creator(titles imply function and title, so assuming THIS one built most of the others? Who knows.). They are goofy toys. SO different compared to everything else on the shelves in the 80's like Transformers and GI Joe and I think that's why I was attracted to them. Whoever thought 1950's looking robots would do well in the 80's marketplace must have had a hard time finding work after this. Lol.
Anyway, I seem to remember something very similar in the early 70's I ordered out of Starlog magazine which shot darts. This was just before or just after Star Wars. They might have done better if they came out then. Kind of a case of wrong time and place.
The saddest thing about this trash is the anime airing at the same time were shows like Votoms, Dancouga, Bismark, maybe even Layzner. Japan got the freaking SPT-LZ-00x Layzner! And we got... Maxx Steele. Damn. And that's not even talking about the "Summer of 1984 Macross Movie" festival.
the toys were good for small children that were a little too young for the fragile Transformers. My younger cousins had them and they were much better as play things then some of the other 80's toys that had many parts that broke.
I cant believe Michael brought up killing Optimus in the 1986 movie, I've been pissed about that since I was 12 in 86..
Hey RetroBlasting! Not sure if you ever saw these figures, or if you'll mention it in the toy portion, but Earth Force from Pace toys has a character named Professor Hacksaw Hacket. He looks suspiciously like Mark Fury: www.action-figures.ca/earth_force.htm I wonder if after Robo Force failed, IDEAL sold off the other characters?
All I ever remember owning was a robo force robot punch out book for making paper the robo force team. Also I remember other kids at school showing off their robo force bots.
How big is that TV? WOW!!!