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Category: Toys

Tall Tales: How Big Are the Big Bots?

Posted on October 14, 2024 by Greg Tyler

Introduction

How tall is Voltron? The answer depends on which Voltron is being referenced.

  • Voltron, as seen in VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER (2016-2018)
  • Voltron, as seen in VOLTRON FORCE (2011-2012)
  • Voltron, as seen in VOLTRON: THE THIRD DIMENSION (1998-2000)
  • Stealth Voltron, as seen in VOLTRON: THE THIRD DIMENSION (1998-2000)
  • Lion Force Voltron, as seen in VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE (1984-1985) and VOLTRON: FLEET OF DOOM (1986)
  • Vehicle Team Voltron, as seen in VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE (1984-1985) and VOLTRON: FLEET OF DOOM (1986)

Let’s do some analysis to figure out how big each of these big bots “really” is.

I apologize for the low quality of some of the images that are featured in this article. I chose to focus on data rather than “pretty pictures.”

Voltron from VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER

During the Netflix run of VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER, the height of that program’s Voltron robot was established, fairly clearly, in at least two references.

Voltron Website

By May 26, 2016, but by this writing, no longer online, the official Voltron website (at http://www.voltron.com/legendary) contained a page of basic information about VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFNDER‘s characters and technology, including Voltron. As shown in this screen capture from the website, the Voltron page described Voltron as “a mighty warrior standing at over 100 meters tall.”

VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER Biography of Voltron, including the robot's height

Official Voltron Facebook Page

A May 7, 2016 post on the Voltron Facebook page, still online as of this writing (link), includes a low-resolution diagram of Voltron, the Statue of Liberty, and the Taj Mahal, with dimensions and dimension lines to show how tall each object is. The diagram establishes Voltron’s standing height as 100.584 meters. Since 2.54 centimeters equals exactly one inch, 100.584 meters is exactly 330 feet. Likely for artistic reasons, the diagram uses a perspective rendering of Voltron, rather than an orthographic rendering. (A perspective rendering represents what an object would look like through an eye or camera lens. An orthographic rendering is like a blueprint drawing.)

Height Comparisons - VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER Voltron, Statue of Liberty, Taj Mahal

A quirk about the image is that the dimension line makes it appear as if Voltron’s height is measured from the bottoms of Voltron’s feet to the tips of its wings in some arbitrarily extended position. A standing height would be more realistically measured from the bottoms of the feet to the top of the head.

By examining the diagram in Adobe Illustrator, if Voltron’s height is 100.584 from feet to wing tips, then I estimate the robot’s height from feet to the top of the head — the crown, so to speak — to be 84.1 meters (276 feet), and I estimate the robot’s height from feet to the tips of the horns on the robot’s head to be 85.4 meters (280 feet). With all that said, are we really meant to believe that Voltron’s height was measured from the robot’s feet to the tips of arbitrary posed wings?

One thing to keep in mind that is that this image was released over one month before the June 16, 2016, release of VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER. Height measurements and dimension lines aside, this image is less an “engineering drawing” than an artistic composition that offers a preview of the robot itself. For this reason, despite the dimension line on the image, we might surmise that the robot’s height is “really” measured to the top of the head. Let’s examine another image and see if that might indeed be true.

A July 14, 2016 post on the Voltron Facebook page, still online as of this writing (link), includes a color rendering of Voltron striking a pose, wings down, next to Big Ben. According to the Big Ben page on Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Ben), Big Ben’s tower stands 96 meters (316 feet) tall. Voltron is not standing at attention, but the robot, from feet to top-of-head, or feet to tops-of horns, appears to be slightly shorter than Big Ben — but not as short as the 84.1 to 85.4 meters that the May 16, 2016, Facebook diagram suggests. The July 14, 2016 image is also an artistic composition, and like the May 16, 2016, it almost certainly wasn’t meant to be a precise reference. The choice to make Voltron slightly shorter than Big Ben might have been a purely aesthetic decision.

VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER Voltron and Big Ben

It’s probably safe to assume that Voltron’s 100.584-meter (330-foot) standing height is “really” measured from the bottoms of the robot’s feet to the top of its head – which might or might be the tips of its horns.

Lion Force Voltron from VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE

Before I began researching for this article, I had encountered numerous online claims that Lion Force Voltron’s standing height is 60 meters (197 feet). I wanted to see if there was evidence to support these claims.

The 2014 book VOLTRON: FROM DAYS OF LONG AGO: A THIRTIETH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION, by Brian Smith, Marc Morrell, Joshua Bernard, and Jacob Chabot, establishes that Lion Force Voltron stands “at an awe-inspiring 300 feet tall.” 300 feet is 91.4 meters. This measurement is over 50% taller than the oft-claimed 60-meter figure. What is the origin of the 60-meter claim?

Before we investigate where the 60-meter claim might have originated, I should point out that the very book from which the 300-foot height is established also offers some evidence for Voltron being 60 meters tall.

FROM DAYS OF LONG AGO contains a section that I have described as a “Robeast Rolodex” — a short description of many of the Robeasts that Lion Force Voltron and Vehicle Team Voltron encounters in VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE, and that Voltron encounters in VOLTRON FORCE. Far Universe Entry #60, “Drule Voltron 1,” describes the Haggar-created Voltron lookalike Robeast that Lion Force Voltron battles in the VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE episode “Voltron Vs. Voltron” (Production Number 244). This entry describes the Voltron lookalike as being 200 feet tall, or 61.0 meters. In the episode, Voltron and its lookalike are clearly intended to be the same size.

Drule Voltron 1, as described in VOLTRON: FROM DAYS OF LONG AGO: A THIRTIETH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

In 1997, toy company Trendmasters released a plastic and die cast metal toy of Lion Force Voltron that, despite minor changes, was basically a re-release of Matchbox’s 1985 Voltron III, or Lion Force Voltron toy, which in turn was basically a re-release of the 1981 Popy / Bandai GB-36 Golion toy in Japan. One panel of the Trendmasters toy’s box contains size information about, not Voltron, but rather each of the five lions that combine to form Voltron.

Trendmasters 1997 VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE box art

The panel specifies each lion’s height, in meters.

  • Black Lion: 40 meters (131 feet)
  • Red and Green Lions: 20 meters (98 feet)
  • Blue and Yellow Lions: 30 meters (66 feet)

Based on how the lions are reconfigured to form Voltron, Voltron’s height can be estimated by adding the length of Black Lion to the length of Blue or Yellow Lion. Each lion is much longer than it is tall, so if these metrics are accurate, then Lion Force Voltron would be significantly taller than even the 300-foot (91.4-meter) claim in FROM DAYS OF LONG AGO.

In search of more information about Lion Force Voltron’s height, let’s go back further — waaaaaay back, to the instructions of the Popy/Bandai Golion GB-36 toy. As a reminder, most Lion Force Voltron episodes of VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE were adapted from the 1981 anime program BEAST KING GOLION. Thanks to Voltron collector Brad Schneider for providing these photos.

Because the Golion instructions are in Japanese, I used Google Translate and my smartphone’s camera to translate the Japanese text.

GB-36 instructions. Photos by Brad Schneider.

GB-36 instructions. Photos by Brad Schneider. Translated by Google Translate.

The translated instructions reveal the height of Golion and the lengths of each lion.

  • Golion height: 60 meters (197 feet)
  • Black Lion length: 40 meters (131 feet)
  • Red and Green Lion lengths: 20 meters (98 feet)
  • Blue and Yellow Lion lengths: 30 meters (66 feet)

The lion length values do match the “height” values that Trendmasters printed on their Voltron toy box.

The instructions of Bandai’s 2017 Soul of Chogokin GX-71 Golion also contain the same metrics, as shown in the translated photos below.

GX-71 instructions. Translated by Google Translate.

What do we conclude from this evidence? Unlike VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER, the evidence is somewhat contradictory, but my conclusion is that Lion Force Voltron, like Golion, has a standing height of 60 meters (197 feet).

Vehicle Team Voltron from VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE

Before I began researching for this article, I had encountered numerous online claims that Vehicle Team Voltron’s standing height is 60 meters (197 feet). I wanted to see if there was evidence to support these claims.

The 2014 book VOLTRON: FROM DAYS OF LONG AGO: A THIRTIETH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION, by Brian Smith, Marc Morrell, Joshua Bernard, and Jacob Chabot, establishes that Vehicle Team Voltron stands “at over 300 feet tall.” On the other hand, since the book uses the 300-foot height for Lion Force Vfoltron, and a 200-foot height for the Voltron lookalike Robeast, its claim about Vehicle Team Voltron’s height is similarly suspicious.

In VOLTRON: FLEET OF DOOM (1986), Vehicle Team Voltron and Lion Force Voltron are shown to be roughly the same size. This, coupled with my conclusion about Lion Force Voltron being 60 meters (197 feet) tall, suggests to me that Vehicle Team Voltron also has a standing height of about 60 meters.

I own a Popy/Bandai Dairugger DX toy — the toy that corresponds most closely to the Popy/Bandai Golion GB-36 toy from which I posted photos of the instructions. Unfortunately, my Dairugger toy does not include its original instructions. I will update this page with Dairugger DX instructions if I should find someone who owns them and is willing to share photos.

The instructions of Bandai’s 2019 Soul of Chogokin GX-88 Dairugger reveal Dairugger’s height to be, like Golion, 60 meters.

GX-88 instructions. Translated by Google Translate.

Voltron from VOLTRON: THE THIRD DIMENSION

Voltron from VOLTRON: THE THIRD DIMENSION is of the same “classic-style” design as Lion Force Voltron from VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE, except for minor, stylistic changes. Having seen no evidence to the contrary, I assume that Voltron from VOLTRON: THE THIRD DIMENSION is of the same standing height as Lion Force Voltron from the 1980s program. As previously mentioned, that height is 60 meters (197 feet).

Stealth Voltron from VOLTRON: THE THIRD DIMENSION

In the VOLTRON: THE THIRD DIMENSION episode “Consider the Alternatives,” Stealth Voltron encounters a classic-style Voltron from an alternate universe. The robots appear to be of similar size. Having seen no evidence to the contrary, I assume that Stealth Voltron is of similar standing height as that of classic-style Voltron from VOLTRON: THE THIRD DIMENSION: approximately 60 meters (197 feet).

VOLTRON: THE THIRD DIMENSION "Consider the Alternatives" - Voltron from an alternate universe, versus Stealth Voltron

Voltron from VOLTRON FORCE

One thing that I didn’t mention about VOLTRON: FROM DAYS OF LONG AGO: A THIRTIETH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION is that the book’s “in-universe” sections treat VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE, VOLTRON FORCE, and the six VOLTRON FORCE comics by VIZ Media as having a shared continuity. The book suggests that the visual differences between Lion Force Voltron from VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE and VOLTRON FORCE are the result of upgrades that were performed by the Voltron Force: Keith, Lance, Pidge, Princess Allura, and Hunk. Arguing whether that makes sense is outside the scope of this article. What is in scope is that the book’s mention of Lion Force Voltron being “an awe-inspiring 300 feet tall” — that is, 91.4 meters tall — applies to Voltron regardless of its visual appearance. This means that Voltron from VOLTRON FORCE, like Voltron from VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE, is 300 feet (91.4 meters). That said, as previously mentioned, the Voltron lookalike Robeast iss said to be 200 feet — 61.0 meters — tall.

The height of Voltron from VOLTRON FORCE is the most ambiguous of all the Voltron robots, because I have been unable to find any references that are more definitive than the contradictory figures in FROM DAYS OF LONG AGO. In the VOLTRON FORCE cartoon itself, and likely also in every Voltron production, the sizes of the lions and Voltron can vary from shot to shot or scene to scene. Simply for its relevance to the plot, if we choose this image from the episode “Clash of the Lions,” we can see that Voltron’s head is large enough, with Voltron’s face retracted, to allow Sky Marshall Wade to stand inside Black Lion’s open mouth. This is consistent with many other episodes, which show Voltron Force pilots and cadets entering and exiting the individual lions by way of the lions’ mouths.

VOLTRON FORCE "Clash of the Lions" - Sky Marshall Wade inside Voltron's head (Black Lion's mouth)

Based on visual evidence that I will provide in a future article, an adult human could stand inside the mouth of a lion that forms a 60-meter-tall Voltron. For that reason, unless any future contradictory information, I’ll assume that Voltron from VOLTRON FORCE, like all other Voltron robots except the version from VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER, is about 60 meters (197 feet) tall.

Conclusion

To summarize, based on as much evidence as I have found, and with conclusions and assumptions that I drew from sometimes conflicting sources, the Voltron robots have the following heights:

  • Lion Force Voltron from VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE: 60 meters (197 feet)
  • Vehicle Team Voltron from VOLTRON: DEFENDER OF THE UNIVERSE: 60 meters (197 feet)
  • “Classic-style” Voltron from VOLTRON: THE THIRD DIMENSION: 60 meters (197 feet)
  • Stealth Voltron from VOLTRON: THE THIRD DIMENSION: 60 meters (197 feet)
  • Voltron from VOLTRON FORCE: 60 meters (197 feet) (barring evidence to the contrary)
  • Voltron from VOLTRON: LEGENDARY DEFENDER: 100.584 meters (330 feet)
Posted in Armored Fleet Dairugger XV, Beast King Golion, Lion Force Voltron, Special Features, Toys, TV, Vehicle Team Voltron, Voltron, Voltron Force, Voltron: Defender of the Universe, Voltron: Legendary Defender, Voltron: The Third Dimension

Voltron Force Costume (Rubie’s)

Posted on November 5, 2022 by Greg Tyler

VOLTRON FORCE (2011-2012) was a fun show. Unfortunately, the show had little tie-in merchandise. One of the show’s licensed merchandisers was costume-making company Rubie’s. The company produced a child-size costume of the Voltron robot, and a separately sold Blazing Sword costume accessory.

For several years I have had the costume and sword accessory. Recently I decided to open the package and photograph it. Here are the photos. Enjoy!

VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Front of Sealed Package
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Front of Sealed Package
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Back of Sealed Package
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Back of Sealed Package
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Costume Size Decal (Large)
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Costume Size Decal (Large)
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Costume Contents
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Costume Contents
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Back of Package - Note the snaps
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Back of Package – Note the snaps
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Package outer bag opened, cardboard insert unfolded
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Package outer bag opened, cardboard insert unfolded
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Contents removed from package outer bag
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Contents removed from package outer bag
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Contents removed from package outer bag
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Contents removed from package outer bag
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Jumpsuit and hand and shoe covers
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Jumpsuit and hand and shoe covers
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Jumpsuit and hand and shoe covers
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Jumpsuit and hand and shoe covers
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Hand and shoe covers (in bag)
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Hand and shoe covers (in bag)
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Hand and shoe covers (in bag)
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Hand and shoe covers (in bag)
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Hand and shoe covers (in untaped bag)
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Hand and shoe covers (in untaped bag)
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Hand and shoe covers
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Hand and shoe covers
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Hand and shoe covers
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Hand and shoe covers
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Hand and shoe covers
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Hand and shoe covers
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Hand covers
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Hand covers
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Hand covers
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Hand covers
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Hand covers
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Hand covers
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Shoe covers
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Shoe covers
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Mask
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Mask
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Mask
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Mask
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Mask
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Mask
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Shoe covers
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Shoe covers
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Shoe covers
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Shoe covers
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Shoe covers
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Shoe covers
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Shoe covers
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Shoe covers
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Shoe covers, hand covers, mask, jumpsuit
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Shoe covers, hand covers, mask, jumpsuit
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Mask
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Mask
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Mask
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Mask
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Mask
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Mask
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Mask
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Mask
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Blue Lion shoe cover
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Blue Lion shoe cover
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Yellow Lion shoe cover
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Yellow Lion shoe cover
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Mask
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Mask
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Hand covers
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Hand covers
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Jumpsuit
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Jumpsuit
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Jumpsuit
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Jumpsuit
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Jumpsuit
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Jumpsuit
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Jumpsuit
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Jumpsuit
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Jumpsuit
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Jumpsuit
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Jumpsuit
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Jumpsuit
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Jumpsuit
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Jumpsuit
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Jumpsuit
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Jumpsuit
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Jumpsuit
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Jumpsuit
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Jumpsuit
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Jumpsuit
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Package cardboard insert
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Package cardboard insert
VOLTRON FORCE Costume - Jumpsuit - note hooked loop fastener for Red Lion hand cover
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Jumpsuit – note hooked loop fastener for Red Lion hand cover
Costume - Jumpsuit - note hooked loop fastener for Green Lion hand cover
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Jumpsuit – note hooked loop fastener for Green Lion hand cover
Costume - All costume elements
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – All costume elements
Costume - Mask
VOLTRON FORCE Costume – Mask
Posted in Merchandise, Special Features, Toys, Voltron Force Tagged: costume, rubies, voltron, voltronforce

WEP’s Voltron Force Lion Models

Posted on September 5, 2021 by Greg Tyler

At VoltCon 2019, I had the privilege of photographing physical models of the Lions from Voltron Force, the enjoyable but short-lived television program that premiered on NickToons in 2011-2012. The models were the property of World Events Productions (WEP), the company that owns the Voltron intellectual property.

The Voltron Force Lion models were seemingly 3D-printed. They were constructed of hard, gray plastic, except for their tails, which were made from a flexible plastic.

Perhaps uncoincidentally, the Lion models bore a strong resemblence to the neutrally posed Lion models that Mattel had displayed in its booth at San Diego Comic Con 2011. Click here for photos from the SDCC 2011 Mattel booth.

Nearly two years after VoltCon 2019, I’m finally presenting the photos that I took of WEP’s Voltron Force Lion models. Enjoy!

Left to right: Red Lion, Yellow Lion, Black Lion, Blue Lion, Green Lion
Left to right: Red Lion, Yellow Lion, Black Lion, Blue Lion, Green Lion

 

Left to right: Red Lion, Yellow Lion, Black Lion, Blue Lion, Green Lion
Left to right: Red Lion, Yellow Lion, Black Lion, Blue Lion, Green Lion

 

Left to right: Red Lion, Yellow Lion, Black Lion, Blue Lion, Green Lion
Left to right: Red Lion, Yellow Lion, Black Lion, Blue Lion, Green Lion

 

Left to right: Red Lion, Yellow Lion, Black Lion, Blue Lion, Green Lion
Left to right: Red Lion, Yellow Lion, Black Lion, Blue Lion, Green Lion

 

Background: Ryan Howe reattaches Red Lion's broken rear left leg. Foreground, left to right: Yellow Lion, Black Lion, Blue Lion, Green Lion
Background: Ryan Howe reattaches Red Lion’s broken rear left leg. Foreground, left to right: Yellow Lion, Black Lion, Blue Lion, Green Lion

 

Left to right: Red Lion, Yellow Lion, Black Lion, Blue Lion, Green Lion
Left to right: Red Lion, Yellow Lion, Black Lion, Blue Lion, Green Lion

 

Left to right: Blue Lion, Green Lion
Left to right: Blue Lion, Green Lion

 

Left to right: Black Lion, Blue Lion, Green Lion
Left to right: Black Lion, Blue Lion, Green Lion

 

Left to right: Yellow Lion, Black Lion, Blue Lion
Left to right: Yellow Lion, Black Lion, Blue Lion

 

Left to right: Red Lion, Yellow Lion, Black Lion
Left to right: Red Lion, Yellow Lion, Black Lion

 

Left to right: Red Lion, Yellow Lion
Left to right: Red Lion, Yellow Lion

 

Top to bottom: Red Lion, Yellow Lion, Black Lion, Blue Lion, Green Lion
Top to bottom: Red Lion, Yellow Lion, Black Lion, Blue Lion, Green Lion

 

Top to bottom: Green Lion, Red Lion
Top to bottom: Green Lion, Red Lion

 

Top to bottom: Green Lion, Red Lion
Top to bottom: Green Lion, Red Lion

 

Left to right: Yellow Lion, Blue Lion
Left to right: Yellow Lion, Blue Lion

 

Left to right: Green Lion, Yellow Lion, Blue Lion
Left to right: Green Lion, Yellow Lion, Blue Lion

 

Left to right: Yellow Lion, Blue Lion
Left to right: Yellow Lion, Blue Lion

 

Left to right: Green Lion, Yellow Lion, Blue Lion
Left to right: Green Lion, Yellow Lion, Blue Lion

 

Left to right: Green Lion, Yellow Lion, Blue Lion
Left to right: Green Lion, Yellow Lion, Blue Lion

 

Yellow Lion
Yellow Lion

 

Blue Lion
Blue Lion

 

Left to right: Red Lion, Green Lion
Left to right: Red Lion, Green Lion

 

Top to bottom: Yellow Lion, Black Lion, Red Lion
Top to bottom: Yellow Lion, Black Lion, Red Lion

 

Top to bottom: Blue Lion, Yellow Lion, Black Lion
Top to bottom: Blue Lion, Yellow Lion, Black Lion

 

Top to bottom: Blue Lion, Yellow Lion, Black Lion
Top to bottom: Blue Lion, Yellow Lion, Black Lion

 

Red Lion
Red Lion

 

Green Lion
Green Lion

 

Black Lion
Black Lion

 

Black Lion
Black Lion

 

Black Lion
Black Lion

 

Green Lion
Green Lion

 

Top to bottom: Blue Lion, Yellow Lion, Black Lion, Red Lion, Green Lion
Top to bottom: Blue Lion, Yellow Lion, Black Lion, Red Lion, Green Lion

 

Top to bottom: Blue Lion, Yellow Lion, Black Lion, Red Lion, Green Lion
Top to bottom: Blue Lion, Yellow Lion, Black Lion, Red Lion, Green Lion

 

Top to bottom: Blue Lion, Yellow Lion, Black Lion, Red Lion, Green Lion
Top to bottom: Blue Lion, Yellow Lion, Black Lion, Red Lion, Green Lion

 

Top to bottom: Blue Lion, Yellow Lion, Black Lion, Red Lion, Green Lion
Top to bottom: Blue Lion, Yellow Lion, Black Lion, Red Lion, Green Lion

 

Top to bottom: Red Lion, Green Lion
Top to bottom: Red Lion, Green Lion

 

Top to bottom: Black Lion, Red Lion, Green Lion
Top to bottom: Black Lion, Red Lion, Green Lion

 

Posted in Conventions, Merchandise, News, Special Features, Toys, VoltCon, Voltron Force

Voltron Classic Lions Being Re-Released — GameStop Exclusive

Posted on September 11, 2019 by Greg Tyler

Playmates Toys’ “Voltron 84″ Classic Legendary Lions, which were originally released at mass retail in late 2017, are being re-released as a GameStop exclusive.

The five lions combine into a 16” Voltron. Black Lion features electronic lights and sounds. Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow Lion each include a variety of accessories.

Here’s how to pre-order online:

  • Voltron Classic Black Lion Figure Only at GameStop – $39.99 
  • Voltron Classic Red Lion Figure Only at GameStop – $24.99 
  • Voltron Classic Green Lion Figure Only at GameStop – $24.99 
  • Voltron Classic Blue Lion Figure Only at GameStop – $24.99 
  • Voltron Classic Yellow Lion Figure Only at GameStop – $24.99 

As co-host of Let’s Voltron: The Official Voltron Podcast, I reviewed these lion toys for the podcast’s YouTube channel. Check it out here.

Here is a link to all Voltron merchandise at GameStop: Link

These are my all-time favorite toys of the 1980s Voltron lons that don’t carry pilot action figures. (Yes, I like them more than the Popy/Bandai Golion of the early 1980s, the classic Matchbox version in the mid-1980s, and the Bandai Soul of Chogokin GX-71 of 2017.)

Posted in Lion Force Voltron, News, Special Features, Toys, Voltron, Voltron: Defender of the Universe

Playmates Toys – No Pidge, Allura, Hunk Action Figures

Posted on May 1, 2018 by Greg Tyler

It has been reported on social media that Playmates Toys has decided not to produce Voltron Legendary Defender action figures of Pidge, Princess Allura, and Hunk. Although Playmates Toys released twelve action figures in its basic assortment, only three were of characters from the show — Shiro, Keith, and Lance. The other basic figures consisted of the five (non-transforming/combining) Lions, three Voltrons, and Robeast Myzax.

At various toy fairs, Playmates had teased figures of Pidge, Allura, and Hunk, as well as King Zarkon and Robeast Drazil. Zarkon and Drazil were not shown at the most recent toy fair, February’s New York Toy Fair 2018, which suggests that by that point, Playmates had already decided not to proceed with making those two figures. Other no-shows at NYTF 2018 that had appeared at previous toy fairs were a super-sized, non-transforming/combining Red Lion, which would have been bundled with an exclusive variant of the Keith figure, and a super-sized, non-transforming/combining Blue Lion, which would have been bundled with an exclusive variant of Lance.

This Voltron collector is saddened that only half the Paladins of Voltron are represented as action figures.

The link below is to the toy review video of Shiro, Keith, Lance, and Cannon Fire Voltron basic action figures, which I made for the Let’s Voltron YouTube channel.

Posted in News, Toys, Voltron, Voltron: Legendary Defender

Matchbox 1985 and 1986 Toy Fair Catalogs

Posted on February 25, 2018 by Greg Tyler

In the 1980s, and still today, toy makers try to entice retailers to purchase current and possible future toy offerings at an annual trade show called New York Toy Fair. In the pre-Internet era of the 1980s, a toy maker would give printed catalogs to retailers, so that they would be aware of the toys that the company made, how to order them, and other information.

In the mid-1980s, Voltron: Defender of the Universe was a hot toy property, and Matchbox was Voltron’s first licensed toy maker. All of Matchbox’s Voltron toy offerings were modified re-releases of toys that had originally been produced by Popy, later Bandai, for the anime programs that were adapted to make Voltron.

Here are some photos of Matchbox’s 1985 and 1986 Toy Fair catalogs!


1985

Front Cover

What’s that on the cover? Is that Voltron? Yes — it’s Voltron I! There’s not a lion to be found… yet. Given Matchbox’s history with small toy cars, this Voltron does seem to be the most appropriate robot to feature on the cover of the catalog.

Pages 48-49

It’s Voltron I! This mighty robot had five toy offerings:

  • 700211 Voltron I Air Warrior Set
  • 700212 Voltron I Space Warrior Set
  • 700213 Voltron I Land Warrior Set
  • 700002 Voltron I Miniature Space Warrior Robot
  • 700210 Voltron I The Deluxe Warrior Set.

If I were a nitpicker, I would point out that the forearm vehicles are swapped in the photo of The Deluxe Warrior Set — and in the photo of the Land Warrior Set. I’d also point out that the Air Warrior Set, Space Warrior Set, and Land Warrior Set did not have die-cast parts. It’s good that I’m not a nitpicker.

Note the “NEW! TV” markings on each page. Having a television program as a promotional outlet for toys was and still is hugely important to a retailer.

Pages 50-51

It’s Voltron II! This mighty robot had four toy offerings:

  • 700100 Voltron II Miniature Red Gladiator Robot
  • 700110 Voltron II Miniature Blue Gladiator Robot
  • 700120 Voltron II Miniature Black Gladiator Robot
  • 700220 Voltron II The Deluxe Gladiator Set.

These toys are also “NEW! TV” — but Voltron II never appeared on TV, at least not in the Voltron: Defender of the Universe program. To my knowledge, Matchbox never even televised ads for this poor guy, who incidentally is horribly mis-transformed on page 51. As shown in the catalog, the Blue Gladiator Robot’s head seems to be stuck in the ro-butt of the Black Gladiator Robot, whose head seems to be stuck in the ro-butt of the Red Gladiator Robot. It’s a good thing that robots don’t feel pain.

Pages 52-53

It’s Voltron III — or what most people today simply call Voltron. This mighty robot had five toy offerings:

  • 700201 Voltron III Giant Black Lion Robot
  • 700202 Voltron III Yellow and Green Mighty Lion Robots Set
  • 700203 Voltron III Blue and Red Mighty Lion Robots Set
  • 700001 Voltron III Miniature Lion Space Robot
  • 700200 Voltron III The Deluxe Lion Set

Again, it’s good that I’m not a nitpicker, because if I were, I’d point out that, in the photo of The Deluxe Lion Set:

  • The rear feet of Blue and Yellow Lions are pointed incorrectly.
  • The front legs of Blue and Yellow Lions are posed incorrectly.
  • Black Lion’s rear legs (Voltron’s thighs) are posed very strangely.
  • Black Lion’s shoulders (Voltron’s shoulders) are oriented incorrectly.
  • Black Lion has a yellow button on its left shoulder. This play feature was never present in the released Voltron toy.

Voltron III’s “NEW! TV” markings are the most apropos of the three robots, because after the first run of Voltron: Defender of the Universe, “Voltron I” all but disappeared from television, and as I already mentioned, “Voltron II” never made it to TV.


1986

Front Cover

What the heck are those toys? They aren’t Voltron toys, and more strangely, they aren’t the tiny, die-cast toy cars for which Matchbox was best known. Read on, fearless reader!

Table of Contents

Voltron scored two fewer pages in 1986 than it enjoyed in 1985. Then… there’s this thing called Robotech, which spanned 36 pages — whereas Matchbox’s traditional die-cast cars had only 22 pages. What gives?

Pages 30-31

If you’re thinking that these toys look like 1985’s “Voltron I” toys, then you’re thinking correctly. At some point, Matchbox must have gotten a memo from World Events Productions that the Roman numerals became passe sometime between when the TV program’s pilot episodes were made and when the “real” episodes were made. The renamed offerings were:

  • 700211 Strato-Fighter
  • 700212 Aqua-Fighter
  • 700213 Turbo-Terrain-Fighter
  • 700002 Miniature Vehicle Team Voltron
  • 700210 Vehicle Team Voltron

Why was the “Aqua-Fighter” previously called the “Space Warrior?” I have no idea.

Pages 32-33

By 1986, poor “Voltron II” had disappeared even from Matchbox’s toy offerings. Fortunately “Voltron III” was still around, albeit renamed. The 1986 offerings for this Voltron robot were:

  • 700201 Giant Black Lion
  • 700202 Yellow and Green Lions
  • 700203 Blue and Red Lions
  • 700001 Miniature Lion Force Voltron
  • 700200 Lion Force Voltron
  • 700401 Blazing Sword Set
  • 700402 Miniature Blazing Sword Set

The new-to-1986 items, 700401 and 700402, probably came along because someone at Matchbox realized that Voltron had become kind of well known for using a sword.

The Lion Force Voltron toy is once again mis-transformed:

  • The rear feet of Blue and Yellow Lions are pointed incorrectly.
  • The front legs of Blue Lion seem to be posed incorrectly.
  • Black Lion’s shoulders (Voltron’s shoulders) are oriented correctly; however, Black Lion’s lower front legs are sticking out as if whoever set up the toy didn’t know that the lower front legs could be folded inside the shoulders.

Pages 34-35

These pages have nothing to do with Voltron, but they have everything to do with the catalog’s cover, as well as the most prominently featured licensed property in the catalog: Robotech, another animated program made by adapting multiple anime programs. Matchbox put a huge investment into Robotech. The company launched an enormous product line targeted at boys and girls, and it was co-financing the production of a 65-episode sequel to Robotech, called Robotech II: The Sentinels. Unfortunately retailer interest at 1986 New York Toy Fair was well below expectations. This and other factors led to Matchbox abandoning Robotech II: The Sentinels mid-production. But that’s a story for a different website.


And there you have it — Voltron as it appeared in Matchbox’s 1985 and 1986 Toy Fair retailer catalogs.

Posted in Lion Force Voltron, Merchandise, Special Features, Toys, Vehicle Team Voltron, Voltron, Voltron: Defender of the Universe

Images of Playmates Toys Voltron 84 Legendary Lions Toys

Posted on December 2, 2017 by Greg Tyler

ToyWiz.com has released official product photography of the upcoming Voltron 84 Classic Legendary Lions. ToyWiz has opened pre-orders for the toys, which have estimated shipping dates of January 2018.

The toys look amazing. I will be all over these when they are released!

Classic Legendary Black Lion

Classic Legendary Red Lion

Classic Legendary Green Lion

Classic Legendary Blue Lion

Classic Legendary Yellow Lion

All Classic Legendary Lions in Packages

Product photography of the assembled Voltron robot has not yet been seen online.

These toys will be mine. Oh yes. They will be mine.

Posted in Lion Force Voltron, Merchandise, News, Toys, Voltron, Voltron: Defender of the Universe

Let’s Voltron Reviews Voltron Legendary Defender Shiro, Keith, Lance, Cannon Fire Voltron Action Figures

Posted on September 16, 2017 by Greg Tyler

Just posted to the Let’s Voltron podcast’s YouTube channel (link) is a video review of four new Voltron Legendary Defender basic action figures: Shiro, Keith, Lance, and Cannon Fire Voltron! I had fun making this video, and I hope you enjoy watching it! And happy hunting for these new action figures!

Watch the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zacy5t4pVu0

Posted in Let's Voltron Podcast, Merchandise, News, Special Features, Toys, Voltron, Voltron: Legendary Defender

Playmates Toys Making Classic Voltron Lions?

Posted on August 30, 2017 by Greg Tyler

Today collectors across the universe were surprised to discover that Big Bad Toy Store (Website: http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/) is accepting pre-orders for all-new 1980s-style Voltron Lion toys from Playmates Toys.

“Voltron Classic Black Lion” is available for $39.99, which is the same as the site’s price for the Legendary Black Lion from Voltron Legendary Defender. (Link: http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/Product/VariationDetails/60188)

“Voltron Classic Lions Set of 4” — including Red Lion, Green Lion, Blue Lion, and Yellow Lion — are available in a set for $89.99, which is $5 higher than the site’s price for a set of Legendary Red, Green, Blue, and Yellow Lions from Voltron Legendary Defender. (Link: http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/Product/VariationDetails/60185)

No details about these lions have been released yet, but given the similar price points with the Legendary Lions, plus connector ports on Black Lion’s shoulders and lower rear legs that resemble those of Legendary Black Lion, it seems possible that these lions will be able to combine into a Voltron that might be comparable in size to the Voltron Legendary Defender Voltron that can be assembled from the five Legendary Lions. It also seems that the classic Black Lion might incorporate electronic features similar to the Legendary Black Lion.

Posted in Lion Force Voltron, Merchandise, News, Toys, Voltron, Voltron: Defender of the Universe

10% Off at The Voltron Store Now Through August 31, 2017 with Coupon Code

Posted on August 8, 2017 by Greg Tyler

Now through August 31, 2017, get 10% off of your order at The Voltron Store when you use code SDCC2017 at checkout! And this week only, when you use the code, you’ll get a free The Voltron Store decal!

The Voltron Store

Posted in Merchandise, News, Toys, Voltron, Websites

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