ROCK 'EM SOCK 'EM ROBOTS!!!

There's always that certain feeling you get when you get to purchase a re-issue of a toy you remember from your childhood. Initially it makes you feel like a kid again as you wait to open it up and check it out. I always love to examine the box and and really take it all in. Recently I picked up the new Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots and I was not disappointed. They're smaller than the old ones from the 60's and 70's but still just as fun.

There's something about clunky, mechanical robot fighters that make me very happy. I think it's the fact that they are generally an analog version of my favorite old arcade games. This new version will probably stay up on my arcade as a display piece more than it will actually be used.  I never owned the robotic battlers as a kid but always would play a few rounds with my buddies if they had it. I remember my good friend wouldn't let kids play on it if they were too rough. He wanted to keep them in good shape and I don't blame him.

It's impressive that these actually came out in the 60's. Such a cool toy to grow up with. Even my Dad remembers them.

I think my favorite flavor is the more obscure Clash of the Cosmic Robots that came out in 1977. These were produced by Marx and the black ring was a very nice touch.

At some point I hope they re-release the full size version of these guys. For the time being though these aren't bad at all. The materials are very similar to the old Marx sets and function nearly the same in every way. If you remember these from your childhood, or have a soft spot for robot toys, go for 'em. They're only going for about fifteen to twenty dollars currently.

A couple of my favorite He-Man toys

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Masters of the Universe - ROBOTO - Released in 1985

Out of all of my old Masters of the Universe toys I think Roboto has to be my favorite. When you moved his torso from side to side the gears would move inside his chest. His visor also moved up and down.  

This is the one toy that friends would always be jealous of. Luckily for them I wasn't afraid to share and let them bask in the awesomeness of Roboto.  

The 3 interchanging arms sealed the deal for being one of the most sought after MOTU toys of the 80's.  

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Here's the picture that appeared on the back of the action figure cards.

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Masters of the Universe - MULTI-BOT - Released in 1986

Multi-Bot was the figure that I always wanted but never owned.  Luckily my friend Aaron had him and we would occasionally trade toys for a week or so at a time.

If I ever come across one that is in decent shape I think I'll pick it up if the price is right.  The last few auctions I saw on eBay went for about $60. Until next time friends. There's many more posts to come.

Remembering Robo Force

Welcome to my blog! For my first post I thought what better way to start than to share my memories of a forgotten toy line called... Robo Force! My obsession with these guys started in about 1987. 
    
Transformers were the coolest thing on the block but Robo Force toys ruled my toy box.  All through the 80's I only owned one or two Transformers but I had a nice collection of 5 or more Robo Force toys.  
     
The leader Maxx Steele (pictured to the left) had a cool storage compartment in his chest for his weapons.  The entire line of toys had a button on the back that could make the arms move and grip small items. There was also a suction cup on the bottom so they could grip to any surface. 

Here's a Robo Force commercial Featuring most of the main Robots.

The thing I liked the most about these toys is they mostly resembled the classic robots of early Sci-Fi movies and TV.  The arms are straight off of the Robot B-9 from "Lost in Space".  Some of the bodies/heads loosely resembled a Dalek or Robby from "Forbidden Planet".

I only have one Robo Force figure after all these years and even he was a recent purchase.  All of my originals have long since been traded away. 
I'm always on the hunt for memorable toys of my youth.  Through the years I make small contributions to my growing collection.

Well that's it for this post, but stay tuned for more in the future!