| 12.21.2018 – When you talk about “Challenge of the Go-Bots” it’s that cheap Transformers that was from Japan that was manufactured by Popy in the early 1980s. They were known as Machine Robo that has 3 inch tall transforming robots from alien vehicles to Earth forms of transportation. They were way ahead of Transformers when it was released in a year Hasbro debut with their brand.
Hanna-Barbera partnered with Tonka to produce an animated series introducing both factions. The baddies have Cy-Kill; one of the members of High Protector with Leader-1 that started a revolution betraying the Guardians and started his own faction to conquer their home planet of Gobotron (sounds familiar). The toys, of course, were interesting that includes the Super Gobot line. |
Tonka licensed the Robo Machine line in the US market rebranding them into “Challenge of the Go-Bots”, which features two factions when the original line that Bandai marketed for Japan have no factions only robots that turn into vehicles. In the UK Bandai licensed the Machine Robo with a minor change to the brand’s name into Robo Machine, which is supported by a black and white comic book.
There was no distinctive difference with the toys when it was released in the UK until the Hanna-Barbera cartoon started airing and publishing a magazine that prompted the UK comics to introduce the characters with the Guardian/Renegade faction.
BMR-01 Big Bike Robo
Cy-Kill originally would appear in the US cartoon series in darker colors instead of the red, white, and blue that most have familiar with the character. But Tonka had re-released this late in the toyline. Besides that Tonka also released a larger version of Cy-Kill that was originally designated in Japan as BMR-01 or Big Bike Robo similar to his 3-inch figure only known as MR-01 Bike Robo.
In the US it was marketed as Super Gobots which also featured Leader-1 and Bug Bite, a yellow Volkswagen Beetle that is also a member of the Renegades. There are actually ten Super Gobots and the story behind the Cy-Kill figure being available in 2008 was because there was an excess amount of this character that was sold by a private seller who had that contact from Europe.
I acquired this sometime in 2008 from that particular seller who has started posting at the old forums I used to frequent with. The box has been water damaged, but the figure was still intact that have tight ratchet joints but some particles of the red paint are starting to chip off. Cy-Kill is 85% percent die-cast metal with the legs, arms, and the solid engine block that has both of the tires are made of plastic parts. While the chrome is still intact that is heavily seen in the engine block and the robot’s face.
Solid Renegade Leader
This leader of the Renegades is quite solid and the die-cast parts make this figure heavy that would be considered a lost art in modern toys even though some of them like Takara Tomy’s recent reissues of G1 vintage toys don’t have the heft that used to have in their original releases. Probably they are using a lighter die-cast material on the current reissues that you’re seeing being releases in the US.
But going back to Cy-Kill being one of the rarest Super Go-Bot around this may not look like it can go up against your G1 Optimus Prime. The rest of these Gobots were a laughing stock when Transformers cartoon started airing and the toys look more superior due to the quality Hasbro has put on their brand.
Tonka was bought by Hasbro in 1991 which include the rights to the Gobots brand for the reason why Bandai couldn’t reissue the toys in the US or outside Japan. There has been a third-party version of Cy-Kill but nothing compares to the original. This toy itself is already a grail for most collectors now that there’s a comic book mini-series that was released this month featuring the original characters by IDW Publishing that was written and drawn by Tom Scioli.
Gobotronian Big Bike
True to its form the Super Gobot Cy-Kill is is one solid piece compared to its 3-inch counterpart that is a parts former meaning his tires on his shoulder and engine block is removable to transform him into his bike form. The Super Gobot version doesn’t have removable parts the entire engine block with both front and rear tires are held together.
When Cy-Kill turns into this Gobotronian Bike the entire piece just rotates to his back that is held on his waist, which is good and bad as you might scratch the die-cast part if you’re not careful in moving the solid piece that is the main engine block with the wheels folded. It’s costly since this toy is more than thirty years old and you can’t find these now that have a high-value market despite the state of the toy.
The bike form looks nothing like being scanned from Earth motorcycles as being designed with a bullet-type head with orange translucent parts it is entirely an alien land vehicle that is pretty much an entire piece when Cy-Kill is on vehicle mode. The thicker tires don’t make this figure appear too fragile but by its standards, it’s one of the rare vintage pieces that are durable compared to current toys of today.
Machine Robo Future
Renegade Commander Cy-Kill certainly live up to the name as now the comic book is reviving the brand as a brutal gladiator if you haven’t picked up the first issue published by IDW. The vintage figure is a classic that may not be reissued anytime soon since the licensing rights are dividedly owned between Bandai and Hasbro. There’s no possibility of seeing this character coming back and the only time some of the ‘Machine Robo’ got a revival through the Machine Robo Rescue anime series from 2003 reusing the Fitor design to introduce the Jet Robo character that was short lived.
But you’ll never know that Hasbro might bring back some of these characters through their Transformers brand that made a Walmart Exclusive Fracture almost a decade ago that has familiar color Crasher. It’s unfortunate they didn’t have the rights to use the name though, but with Cy-Kill maybe Hasbro can do something about bringing the character back we’ll just wait and see.
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