1990
This Machinder, which is sometimescalled "Getta Robo Roar" ("go," in this case, means "roar" in Japanese), is something of an acquired taste. It was released in 1990 by Yutaka, a subsidiary of Bandai, in conjunction with the animated show of the same title. Although the appreciation of vintage toys is in full force in early 2000s, the late 1980s and early 1990s were a rough time for nostalgic designs. The Getta Robo Go was fairly unpopular when it first came out, and the toy sat on both retail and aftermarket shelves for years after the initial release. (It's actually still a fairly common sight in used toy shops in Tokyo.)

Speaking personally, I'd never had any interest in acquiring this particular piece. But when I managed to get my hands on one recently, I completely changed my tune. Even though the design shares very little in common with the previous incarnations of Getta Robo, it's a classic design in its own right. A pair of giant fan-blades on the back fire missiles, both fists are spring-loaded, and the elbows are articulated using ball-joints. There's also a huge drill-bit that fits into the backpack and can be swapped with either of the hands.

As with the previous Getta Robo characters, Getta Robo Go could combine into three distinct forms in the anime. Unfortunately, Yutaka only produced a toy of this one design.

Matt Alt