Machine Robo's Bike Robo Gets a DX Upgrade




If I've learned anything from observing the transforming Japanese robot collector community over the last few years, it's this: ANY transforming robot character can be redesigned and rescaled many, many times over.

Last year, Action Toys began releasing vintage Machine Robo MR-600 figures as they appeared in the ‘80s anime series, Machine Robo: Revenge of Chronos. These figures are between four and five inches tall and, thanks to advancements in toy production technology since the '80s, their small sizes can accommodate intricate features and more complex transformation configurations than figures from the original Machine Robo line. The original MR-600 figures were known for their simple yet sturdy designs, which made them suited for rigorous play; the new, more complex figures are obviously aimed at the collectors market, those who are looking for more screen-accurate representations of their favorite Machine Robo 'bots.


Four figures from the Action Toys' Machine Robo MR-600 series.


Action Toys will soon be re-releasing MR-01 Bike Robo as a seven inch figure (a.k.a. "MRDX-01 Bike Robo, with DX meaning "deluxe"), and with a larger size inevitably comes more features. In particular, this version includes replaceable faces for fans of Tonka's rebranding of Machine Robo as "Gobots". The extra faces make Bike Robo look like Cy-Kill as he appeared in Hanna-Barbera's Challenge of the Gobots tie-in cartoon.


The MRDX-01 Bike Robo figure with a replaceable Cy-Kill face.


For Machine Robo completists, this new figure will be the final component in an unofficial four-piece MR-01 Bike Robo collector's set. The original Bike Robo figure was released in two sizes back in the '80s; now, Action Toy's Bike Robo redesign is getting a bigger counterpart as well. It remains to be seen if MR-03 Eagle Robo, another MR-600 figure that was originally released in two different sizes, will be getting the same DX treatment from Action Toys.


The very first MR-01 Bike Robo figure (left) and the Action Toys DX version (right).




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