Roboto classic figure review thread

[Spacedust]

Goodness, is it time for another classic figure review already?!
Another good thread last week, with Kobra Khan.
Anyway, this week's selected figure is ROBOTO.

I bought Roboto when he was very first released. If I recall correctly, I caught sight of him on a shopping trip, and by the next visit had gathered enough to buy him. I had to have him!

Now on paper, Roboto is all that I am less keen on in the MOTU world. All technological and robotic, whereas I am one of the party who generally prefer the line's Greek / Medieval-hybird / barbarian / swords & sorcery roots more. But the Roboto figure was just so cool.

He looked great. Of course, his immediate eye-catcher is his clear torso, with his gears inside. And if you turn him at the waist, the gears actually work, moving the figure's jaw (or whatever it is) up and down.
In addition to this, it has three changeable arm extensions - an axe, a claw, and a laser.
And the figure's colour scheme is just so good - a combination of silver, blue and red.

Since I very first had Roboto, I have wondered if he was devised as a Heroic equivalent of Trap Jaw. Think about it - the changeable arm extensions, the movable jaw... its all there.

There is a debatable leg variation on the figure. My original one had red legs with silver detailing. Several of the second hand ones I have picked up have these legs, but with purple metallic paint sprayed on top. Some consider that this is in fact due to plastic deterioration over the years, causing this appearance, but I'm afraid I differ - I've picked up enough of both leg examples to believe that this was a proper variation when the figures were made. (I'll try and take a photo tomorrow to show the comparison).
There is also a more nit-picky variation on the yellow gear at the base of the torso. The more common one is bright yellow, but some can be found with a darker, mustard-y yellow.

Roboto's mini-comic, "The Battle of Roboto", while still not as good as the early ones, was one of the better later ones, IMO. It shows how Man-At-Arms has built Roboto to guard the boundaries of Castle Grayskull, complete with a "heart" to give him a conscience to do right. But Skeletor over-powers him and removes his heart, turning Roboto into a soulless killing machine. At the conclusion of the story, after He-Man has reinserted the heart, the Sorceress seals Roboto's heart with a magic spell so it can never be removed again. I liked how if you look inside the figure's torso, it does indeed have a little plastic heart.

Roboto appeared just once in the Filmation cartoon series, in the second season. The episode "Happy Birthday Roboto" gave him an origin story, which naturally was completely different to that in "The Battle of Roboto" mini-comic. In this account, Roboto had crash-landed on Eternia from an alien planet, and it is Modulok who is the nemesis in this version.
I much prefer the mini-comic origin.

I absolutely love the 200x revamp of Roboto. Again, it is a long way from the swords & sorcery origins that I prefer, but the 200x Roboto is awesome, and in my top three 200x revamps. He has an additional body plate to cover his workings, and looks cool both with it on and off. The feet are huge, looking very cyborg-like, and the face is a vast improvement on the 1980s version, maybe the one thing that didn't quite work for me on the original. The only drawback is that the 200x version only comes with two weapons - the axe is not included. But this is just a niggle. (I wonder if the axe was present in prototype stage?) There is a nice fitting on the figure's back for the laser to attach to, but there is no-where for the claw to attach to - they could easily have made the back fitting compatible with both. But overall, 2000x Roboto is brilliant, as I say, in my top thee 200x revamps.

Roboto played a much larger part in the MYP cartoon series, and again presented a different origin. There were vague similarities to the original "The Battle of Roboto" mini-comic, but again presented a different version. I quite liked what they did with him. There was also a nice friendship with Sy-Klone, with both characters feeling outcasts.

All-in-all, while Roboto is a long way from the line's roots that I prefer, I have to say that I have come to consider vintage Roboto as one of the line's best figures. Damn it, I have to give it 10 out of 10.

Well, that's my weekly ramble.
I'd really like to hear your own comments, memories, criticisms... anything Roboto-related. And whether you post or not, don't forget to give your rating for in the poll!

[suckator]

The Roboto I had as a child had silver legs without any metallic purple spray etc. I recently obtained an original Roboto mint in package. To my suprise there was a sticky purple color coming off of the silver and red parts of his legs. I thought it was ooze due to the plastic/paint deteriorating. This ooze/paint was also coming off of the gold parts of Jitsu and King Randor. My guess is that it is from deterioration. I would give Roboto a 6/10. He just didn't fit with the barbarian type mold I was after.

[Ultimate Evil]

Great Fig 8/10

[Megatorman]

I loved the idea of having the heart in there, i always love it when they put in very minor but important details(like the peace sign on Extendar).

9/10 becuz the heart wasn't removable

[Spacedust]

The Roboto I had as a child had silver legs without any metallic purple spray etc. I recently obtained an original Roboto mint in package. To my suprise there was a sticky purple color coming off of the silver and red parts of his legs. I thought it was ooze due to the plastic/paint deteriorating. This ooze/paint was also coming off of the gold parts of Jitsu and King Randor. My guess is that it is from deterioration. I would give Roboto a 6/10. He just didn't fit with the barbarian type mold I was after.

At first I thought it was "ooze" on the legs too, but then I got several more like it, and it seems "solid" not gooey (if that makes sense). Unless the ooze has sort of set over the years, or been wiped off and left a stain.
It's interesting that, if it is detereation, that some Robotos have it and some dont. I suppose it's like the thread about green-torsoed Skeletors that popped up a few weeks ago.

I alos agree that the figure wasn't very barbarian-like, but this figure was so cool that I couldn't help but like it. I think it would have stood out better as the token Heroic "techo-warrior" if they hadn't released more figures (Snout Spout, etc.) later on.

[motubot]

10, he's always been one of my favorite figures .

[Arkan]

The barbaric/medieval/greek/ancient style of the line is one of the features I most like. However, Roboto is a figure I like very much. First of all beacause the clear torso and the posibility to choose between 3 weapons (the laser is my favourite for its size!).
I give Roboto 8/10 beacause the gear and cob´s colours. I find them childish.

¡¡Roboto rocks!!

[Spacedust]

The barbaric/medieval/greek/ancient style of the line is one of the features I most like. However, Roboto is a figure I like very much. First of all beacause the clear torso and the posibility to choose between 3 weapons (the laser is my favourite for its size!).
I give Roboto 8/10 beacause the gear and cob´s colours. I find them childish.

¡¡Roboto rocks!!

I probably agree with you. I love Roboto, but maybe the gears are a little too "bold and colourful". They don't really bother me that much, but might have been better in silver, in keeping with the figure's colours scheme, and / or bronze. But it's still an awesome figure.

(Oh, and the comparison legs photo... I'll try and get it done tomorrow, been rushed off my feet!)

[Stampede]

I'll give him an 8, he's like the good version of Trapjaw, I was very excited to get him as a kid, I could spend ages watching his gears move.

[Mer-Man's Minion]

I'll give him an 8, he's like the good version of Trapjaw, I was very excited to get him as a kid, I could spend ages watching his gears move.

Me too Leech, on all counts! Gave him an 8, I loved his figure as a kid, and I also could have spent hours going by simply moving his body and watching the inner gears move... <--"hypnotic He-Man"

[Orko's Magic Hat]

Never had Roboto as a kid, Sy-Klone and Moss Man appealed to me more. I have the figure now and its a good figure which works well with motu. I really like the gears on his chest, a really cool feature and probably the most unique in any toyline. I really like the 4HM version of him more.

Figure Rating - 7/10

[Arkan]

This morning when I woke up I saw my Man e Faces figure standing next to Roboto and I realised that they have the same legs but with different painting. I found it odd.

[braxsis364]

I allways remember Roboto as one of my faverets. I used to make belive his clear plastic body, was a sort of magic crystall. and nearly inpervios to damage, as well as deflect lasers. could not be knocked out, by any humanoid evil or heroic. because he a dam robot and his laser gun packed quite the wallop. because I inmagined all kinds of extra energy was in his crystall robotic body. that came thro his blaster, but sometimes I just kicked some *(%, with his axe because my brother hated it. when I used Roboto needless to say. I allso inmagined him as being the robot that Grayskull, had and finaly been made. so as Spacedust has mentioned ill have to give roboto a perfect score of ten

Originally Posted by Arkan
The barbaric/medieval/greek/ancient style of the line is one of the features I most like. However, Roboto is a figure I like very much. First of all beacause the clear torso and the posibility to choose between 3 weapons (the laser is my favourite for its size!).
I give Roboto 8/10 beacause the gear and cob´s colours. I find them childish.

¡¡Roboto rocks!!

Your probley right but you don't realy see the preschool colors that much when your younger and have a better inmagination.

[bcrduke]

I liked Roboto - he was cool. I don't remember when I got him, as in, I don't remember if it was a holiday or a birthday, or it was just my mom buying it for me randomly. That's odd, because I have a many vivid memories of when and why I received MOTU toys.

Anyway, I liked the interchangeable weapons, but preferred the claw because it was the most practical... I lost that one first So then I used the gun - and that was what stayed on my Roboto. I have no idea what happened to the axe LOL... I have since acquired a new Roboto, so I have all the pieces

I loved that you could make him look as though he were talking. That was cool, though I was REALLY particular about keeping his torso in-line with his waist... I dug the gears and the heart was cool too - a great way to get Skeletor to tempt him to do evil.

I gave him a 5 out of ten, because he was a cool character and had good playability, but he was swiftly out-classed by future figures.

[faker83]

Id say 9/10. Good figure, Made well and when you a kid the choice of 3 weapons and the moving gears rocked. By the way i need a laser and claw for mine anybody got either one?

[Arkan]

I allways remember Roboto as one of my faverets. I used to make belive his clear plastic body, was a sort of magic crystall. and nearly inpervios to damage, as well as deflect lasers. could not be knocked out, by any humanoid evil or heroic. because he a dam robot and his laser gun packed quite the wallop. because I inmagined all kinds of extra energy was in his crystall robotic body. that came thro his blaster, but sometimes I just kicked some *(%, with his axe because my brother hated it. when I used Roboto needless to say. I allso inmagined him as being the robot that Grayskull, had and finaly been made. so as Spacedust has mentioned ill have to give roboto a perfect score of ten

Originally Posted by Arkan
The barbaric/medieval/greek/ancient style of the line is one of the features I most like. However, Roboto is a figure I like very much. First of all beacause the clear torso and the posibility to choose between 3 weapons (the laser is my favourite for its size!).
I give Roboto 8/10 beacause the gear and cob´s colours. I find them childish.

¡¡Roboto rocks!!

Your probley right but you don't realy see the preschool colors that much when your younger and have a better inmagination.

Yes I agree but when I was younger I liked every figure, but now I can have a better opinion.

Another thing I like of Roboto is when he kicks Teela´s ass in the minicomic

[faker32828]

I liked Roboto, Liked the heart, and still think he was a "good" trap jaw, but in my world, the bad one since trap Jaw is Fakers inventor of stuff.

[zodak74]

Roboto was cool but I think I like him more now looking at him in 2007 than I did as a kid. Now I can see his potential (can he control vehicles remotely, because he's a robot? Is he impervious to magic, because he's a robot? Can he download important archived information about spells, locations of items, villians weaknesses, and weather forecasts, because he's a robot?). Back then I was just kind of like "Oh, he's a robot. I guess he'll fight Faker". I didn't have a computer in the home (Atari 2600 didn't count) and I didn't know what computers could do. Now that times have changed, I know Roboto can do EVERYTHING. And that makes him VERY cool. Who cares about the new Apple iPhone? If you're an Eternian, all you gots to get is an iRoboto and your life is all set (can there be an army of Robotos, because he's a robot?).

[Dr Bo]

The barbaric/medieval/greek/ancient style of the line is one of the features I most like. However, Roboto is a figure I like very much. First of all beacause the clear torso and the posibility to choose between 3 weapons (the laser is my favourite for its size!).

I'm with you Spacedust and Arkan, even if I prefer a more Sword and Sorcey with dash of archaic scifi in it Roboto just rules.

I liked the details on his arm and his plain, stoic face. The gears really hook me as a kid, I wondered how they could put so much work in one figure an not have him as a "deluxe" or else. I used to make him the robotic pilot of the Talon Fighter, always found it worked well (and I still display him that way often).
As a kid I only had the gun (think I had found him in a yard sales), so I was pretty happy when I started completing my figure to found is other weapon. Heck, the axe sure look mean, and make a good link with the Sword and Planet atmosphere of earlier MOTU.

[pain]

I gave him a 7. Not one of my particular favorites, but for some reason, I have three of them from my childhood.

He gets most of his points for being see through with all of those gears, and the rest comes from the 3 interchangeable weapons that he comes with. Plus his mini was pretty good.

[TriKlops1971]

I thought Roboto was an interesting character, and a really cool action figure, so I gave him a 7. I think in some ways, Mattel might have been trying to cut corners in action figure production. Some of the action figures released in 1985 and beyond seemed like rehashed versions of earlier models. Moss Man was a green, fuzzy version of Beast-Man. Stinkor was a black and white (and malodorous) version of Mer-Man (with Mekaneck-style armor). I'm glad that the story was different with Roboto. Although the concept was similar to that of Trap Jaw's, I'm glad the body style was original (the turning gears and sharper arm features were a big plus). It's a shame we didn't see more of Roboto in the original MOTU series.

[kylefromdirtnapp]

I never new there was a heart in there! Cooooool. Unfortunately, I have to give him an 8 because of the crappy leg paint, and there's nowhere to put the other accessories.

[Sleeper]

Gave him a 10. Listed him as my 6th favorite character in this thread

http://www.he-man.org/forums/boards/...d.php?t=157736

so he must get a 10. I would assume that at least my top 10 characters (whatever they are) should deserve a 10/10.

[Evil_Horde]

Great design and more accessory! Voted 8!

[PaoloKr]

One of the most recognizable MOTU!
Cool and playable.
9