Robots were the thing of the 1980s. Nearly everything that was trying to appeal to our tiny brains in the Decade Of Excess usually had at least one robot involved. Robocop, COPS, Transformers, R2-D2, Omnibot, and so on. Everywhere you turned, we were being peddled droids in some form. But unfortunately, only a few made it out of the ’80s alive.
While I was checking out Figures.com, I caught a glimpse of some familiar robots. Not Transformers, or Go-Bots, or Alphie. No, these were characters from Robo Force! The overall designs may now be different, but those head and chest parts gave it away.
Robo Force launched in the 1980s around the same time as Transformers. Guess who won that battle for parents’ money? Prime and company cleaned up, but some of us ended up with a Maxx Steele or Wrecker in our stockings. The bots had expanding tube arms and suction cup bases, which meant Robo Force battles permanently scarred many bathroom mirrors. Now they’re making a comeback thanks to The Nacelle Company.
Although the article we found points to April 22nd being the kickoff date for pre-orders, Robo Force has yet to appear at the Nacelle Store in any form. No articles, artwork, or updates. Thankfully Figures.com had plenty of info.
The rebooted Maxx Steele and Wrecker will stand at 7.5″ tall. Each will retain aspects of the original toys while also implementing current figure trends like premium paint application and lots of articulation. The pre-order price is $49.99, but it is unclear if that’s for both or the cost per figure.
The Nacelle Company may not sound familiar, but the organization has produced the fantastic 1980s documentary The Toys That Made Us, currently on Netflix. I can’t think of anyone better to try to relaunch a line like this.
Brian Volk-Weiss, Nacelle’s CEO, had the following to say regarding the reenvisioning of Robo Force:
“Of all the IP’s we’ve been buying, we wanted to launch our toy division with Robo Force because not only are they fun and iconic, but due to them being crushed at Toy Fair in 1984 by another line of charismatic transforming robots, we wanted to give them their due with a reimagined storyline and high-end redesigns. But don’t despair lovers of the 80’s version, our new figures will of course have the infamous suction cups, but these will be attached to something the originals never had; legs!”
For more info on the rise and quick fall of Robo Force, check out Toy Galaxy’s video below:
Did you have any Robo Force toys when you were a kid? Let us know in the comments section below.
[Source: Figures.com]
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