The Mighty, Affordable History of Tonka's GoBots: 1983 Edition - NOT the Poor Man's Transformers!

[@nicholaseedy3244]

I loved Gobots. My dad used to bring them back when coming home from being on course in the military.

[@thabuloodles9209]

Man I loved the gobots watched them just as much as the transformers

[@sith7183]

Same here

[@ricardolozano5356]

me too

[@ricardolozano5356]

I watched them in Chicago? Channel 32 wfld

[@jasfrt6384]

The Gobots hate is a more recent thing. I don't remember ever hearing a kid complain about getting a Gobot. If it was a transforming robot, we were happy. Hell, I had a box full of Convertors and loved them just as much as transformers.

[@emerje0]

Funny thing about Fitor is in Japan his figure was the primary hero character for Machine Robo, Blue Jet (AKA Jet Robo).

[@ReaverPrime]

6:52 Sentinel Prime from Dark of the Moon could be considered your evil fire truck, given his motive and method.

[@SpaceCase1214]

Not to mention Smolder from the Power Core Combiners toyline.

[@JLAvey]

Wait, wasn't Sentinel just trying to preserve its people? Not wanting to go extinct doesn't necessarily make you evil.

[@ModernVintageTV0]

An Underated Toyline. Great retrospect, Michael.👍

[@MichaelMercy]

Thanks!

[@touchingevil2302]

I really like the Gobots cartoon ❤

[@Tr0nzoid]

Go-Bots were my introduction to transforming toys and I was extremely fascinated with the concept. I completely abandoned Star Wars toys. The action figure-style packaging was also alluring. I liked the simple method of transformation. I got a few knock-offs too, which were prevalent in the same stores selling the real stuff. Much of my excitement was driven by anticipation for the Go-Bot Command Center in Christmas 1984, which was also when I would get my first Transformers. I never saw the cartoon though so I went solely by imagination and the packaging stating who was a good guy and who was a bad guy. I only learned now that Space-Y was a female.

[@quincywilliams9860]

Thanks to you and your patrons! The best I can do is all the YT things right now. Keep up the great work 🙌

[@Commander_Bly327]

Thank you for this! Had some of the GoBots back in the day. They fueled hours-upon-hours of imaginative play!

[@xazylsclubhouse]

I wonder if Hans Cuff is any relation to Hans Chow? Our cartoon in Australia was also called the Mighty Machine Men. I didn't know what a Gobot was until later in life. I still prefer the Aussie theme song for the cartoon. Great video 🎉

[@MichaelMercy]

I was thinking the same thing about Mr. Cuff and Mr. Chow. 😂 Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video!

[@TheHoboPig]

I'm glad to see this video finally come out after seeing your Leader-1 review!

[@BobHansenJokes]

GOBITS!!!!!!!!!!!! Tremendous! I didn't know Leader 1 wasn't around at the beginning, and that while Gobits came out a year before TF, the TF lore came first for the "well actually" crowd :)

[@Tazirai]

Best thing was that they had female characters from the beginning and made no big deal about it.

[@michaelpalmer5351]

Whatever doesn't un-alive us, only makes us stronger!!!

[@MichaelMercy]

😂 Now that's a hill I'd un-alive on!

[@michaelpalmer5351]

@@MichaelMercy hahahahaaa

[@DeadManDownunder]

In Australia the entire cartoon series was called Machine Men.

[@Manatouille]

I had a bunch of these that transformed together into a bigger robot, and I just LOVE THEM

[@Dr.JHamilton]

I loved the Gobots as a kid, and played with them as much or even more than my transformers. My favorites were Scooter, Coptur, Heatseeker, and my all time favorite, Blaster.

[@beatrixwickson8477]

Australian here, I loved the Machine Men so much and would embassingly march around singing the theme song from the ads. They always felt superior to Transformers but it was a blessing and a curse they were limited to the Matchbox/Hot Wheels size class. If they had met the Autobot cars head on instead of just the minibots, maybe things would have gone another way.

[@shuey9299]

Awesome! Really enjoy your "History of" episodes. Thanks for the nostalgia buzz!! 👍

[@MrJermeyp]

9:22 lmfao … props on the Jesse the body impression 😂😂😂👍

[@Steven-ip8xo]

Hi Micheal, even though you're Asleep Great video about The Mighty, Affordable History of Tonka's GoBots: 1983 Edition- Not the Poor's Man's, keep them coming, Also your latest video was outstanding, Also The Go- Bots are my best and most favorite Tonka Toyline/Faction of All time, Also The Heroic Guardians are my best and most favorite Hero Team/Organization of all time, and The Evil Renegades are my best and most favorite Villian Team/Organization of all time, Also I'm looking forward to watching your latest video Tomorrow, Also I really like the GoBots Cartoon❤️ Also An Underated Toyline. Great Retrospective Micheal.👍 Also GoBots were great and the Cartoon was incredible. The first GoBots I got was Leader-1, it was a soild Toy and withstood a lot of play, Also I'm glad to see this video finally come out after seeing your Leader-1 review! Also I loved GO BOTS! The combiner and the transforming base were fantastic toys. Thanks again for the trip down memory lane. Also Awesome! Really enjoy your "History of" episodes. Thanks for the nostalgia buzz!! 👍Also Thank you for the review Micheal, Also thanks for sharing Micheal keep up the good work stay safe out there in Canada have a goodnight and Nerdmaste.🙂💪🟢🏋️😎👊🎃😊🥷😀🦸🇺🇲🇺🇲💯👌 2:46 am.

[@planet6288]

The Go Bots were sweet. They actually transformed into functional action figures. No weapon? Don’t worry they, shoot lasers out of their fists. Hanna Barbara did their cartoon, which is a huge flex.

[@TheMightyCookieShow]

When I was a kid and dabbling around with art I actually made a full-on comic book at one point with the GoBots and the transformers both in it. They ended up being rival groups that were previously unaware of each other's existence but ultimately everybody kind of aligned themselves where you might think they would.

[@ats2099]

Dumper was the first transforming toy I remember getting- and he came in a box with window, not in a blister pack. In fact, he might not have even been branded a Go Bot, though I figured out he was later. Mom bought him for me out of a bin at a Kay Bee Toys in the mall. I transformed him back and forth to the point that all his joints were too loose to keep him standing.

[@ogbrmusic]

Just watching the intro and... EXACTLY!! GoBots were rad!!

[@ogbrmusic]

I always thought they were cool with Transformers, sort of like cousins lol Didn't they team up at one point?

[@ZedMazaus480]

Ah, I remember those days. I actually had quite a bit of GoBots as a kid. They were fun and simple toys that were pretty inexpensive. But were also prone to easy breakage too. I can't tell you how many times I had to replace Cykill, let alone other figures from the line. I still loved them anyways in the end. I think Crasher was one of the few I never had to replace back then.I'm gonna have to try and find another Crasher some day. She was always one of my favorites. 😮

[@mapleavenue77]

Loved the GoBots just the same as my Transformers. And I mostly integrated them when playing: Optimus Prime was the leader, Leader-One was his 2IC and blue Leader-One was his scout leader, etc. Thanks for this, MM.

[@265308]

Michael is da most underrated TOY KZbinr. He was in the game way way WAY b4 Toy Federation, Etermia Dreams, Toy Attics etc. I personally remember a time when I actually thought GoBots were better at least until Transformers exploded by going beyond just cars n planes especially the Dinobots.

[@KardboardKenny]

another great thing about the GoBots was the uniform scaling. in vehicle mode they blended in perfectly w/your Hot Wheels.

[@QuaimeVLee]

Thanks for this. I started out on Team Gobots and was sad to see the fade.

[@Chris_of_M]

Thanks for explaining this. I remember buying “F-15 Man” in Australia in 1983 as part of the popular Machine Men toys. From memory they were just marketed as “two toys in one” so there was no lore. Then Transformers came out and I remember their names being changed to the ones you mentioned here, but I think they were still called machine men not Go-Bots. but I remember the Machine Men were very popular here before the Transformers boom.

[@p.a.u.l.555]

The forgotten budget transformers, I remember my mom getting these from a car boot sale ( yard sale) , great memories Micheal 🙏👍

[@yellowgut]

Jeez the character names alone are enough to “tank” this toy line. Though I was a seventies/eighties kid, so I love the gobots as well.

[@shoked99]

I checked out the wiki and think I had quite a few GoBots in my childhood toy collection. Thank you. Looking forward to GoBots 1984.

[@Bluestar1079]

Somehow I had forgotten, but I actually had more gobots than transformers as a kid. Only after seeing retrospectives like this one, was I like oh I had that figure and that one and that one. I even had the big space shuttle base.

[@passionnotparked9099]

Thank you for covering The Gobots, twas one of my favorite cartoons. I like the Gobots toy line more than the Transformers, the size that was inscale with Matchbox and Hot Wheels cars were perfect for pocketting. Fitor and Pathfinder provided years of fun.

[@daviddalrymple2284]

I liked both Gobots and Transformers (although I preferred the latter overall) and I would generally use them interchangeably when playing with them as a kid. The showpiece of the lines, of course, were the respective Headquarters vehicle/playsets that debuted in later years.

[@BlackArroToons]

Great video on this classic line (and fun Challenge of the Gobots TV series too). Cy-Kill was my first GoBot back then, bought in the mall store. I opened it while eating at a restaurant with my family. I liked it, but knew I'd eventually lose track of the engine and wheels since they didn't stay attached and I would put the figures into a pile bin for storage.

[@mattpatterson3415]

I think in a way i liked gobots better than Transformers as a kid, but the show ended and that kind of automatically made them second best. I loved that they had actual playsets. I definitely find them more nostalgic now because of their inherent obscurity.

[@JMan1380]

I loved Go-Bots and watched it more than Transformers. Never had Leader 1 but I did have Turbo...still do. Loved that figure, you're right it's perfect in both modes.

[@_TasMatt]

I loved the Mighty Machine Men back then... We never saw them as Gobots here in Australia..

[@rodneylove8027]

Man! Love this vid. I still collect masterpiece Transformers but my first love was Go-Bots. As you said, Tonka failed to flesh out the lore and hierarchy of the Go-Bots. The carton wasn't nearly as flashy as the Transformers. Loved their diecast construction and small size. Thanks for voting on this. Subscribed!

[@chrisdaugherty8265]

I still hunt for Go-Bots\Machine Robo. Also, I don’t care what anyone says, the Go-bots theme rocks!!

[@jontuell5338]

Great video! True about kids leaning towards GoBots more than Transformers. There just wasnt many TF that first year or two & the price (at least in my circle of friends) made them almost exclusive to the Doctor's kids. Transformers WERE amazing the first time you laid eyes on them. It was almost like seeing a HeMan & BattleCat for the first time. I remeber getting Turbo for some guft-giving holiday, then Dumper soon after w/ my allowance I had saved up and i didnt want to take them off the card I was so in love. May have been the trigger moment for me being a moc collector now. GoBots 4 Life

[@therant3837]

Oh my word.... I remember these toys. I was very very young. I remember when my mother bought me one YEARS ago. I thought it was pretty darned cool at that time. 80's toys in general are pretty darned rad.

[@charlesdavis7285]

The toyline had so many more figures. Looking forward to more videos about the line especially my favorite, Puzzler.

[@williemac163]

I still watch Go Bots each Saturday Morning on Me TV Toons. What killed them was having Hanna Barbera do the cartoon. Hanna Barbera insisted on drawing the characters identical to their actual toys which looks crazy. People also get them confused. Go Bots are actually Cyborgs, where as Transformers are actually the true robots. When Hasbro contracted with Sunbow and Marvel, they would not draw the cartoon unless they were granted "liberties" in drawing the characters. That is what caused the Transformers (along with the great writers they had) to move past the GoBots. Hanna Barbara is known for goofy, campy cartoons and it shows with Go Bots. I am just glad they are now a part of Hasbro and there is talk of really doing something with them. You are starting to see the Go Bots being released as transformers and they look great. I have picked up several of them. Road Ranger looks fantastic in the Huffer/Pipes mold.

[@CB-ke7eq]

9:22 "I fought Cy-Kill once back when I was a Navy SEAL; I took him out using a polar bear femur bone as a club."

[@Summertimeblues28]

Thank you for reminding me of just how many of these original Gobots I owned. Awesome Video Michael

[@MichaelMercy]

Thank you!

[@SJHFoto]

I've always loved the Gobots. My friend Brian and I would have crossovers

[@wheeljack0]

Great video as always. I only got into Gobots the last few years as i have been collecting Rock Lords before. Also found out they had an ongoing comic strip for a while in the U.K. 2000AD comic

[@andyzib]

Had both GoBots and Transformers as a kid, but GoBots toys had a superpower that made them the superior toy when you weren’t at home… GoBots didn’t have ratchet joints so you could play with them silently in the church pew. 😂

[@AgentNevets]

I love the Go-Bots…I’ve been considering going on a mission to collect them all.

[@bowelrupture]

Just like many others here who reacted, i love the gobots too. Still got a few of them, and i want to buy some more (definitely the ones i had before).

[@co81385]

Some of the Gobots had some really cool designs, especially Cykill!

[@jtoons99]

GoBots are awesome! Would love to reboot them in comic form in the spirit of the original, fun, and optimistic series.

[@k3n0ju]

I loved GO BOTS! The combiner and the transforming base were fantastic toys. Thanks again for the trip down memory lane.

[@filmandpage1138]

I had a few gobots, and would just mix them in with my Transformers. I had a friend that actually preferred Gobots over Transformers, because unlike Transformers, Gobots had a uniform scale.

[@MasterMayhem78]

Transformers was mind blowing because of the multiple points of articulation and complex transformations, while GoBots all had the same transformation method. I still loved them both. I remember specifically being given ‘Dumper’ by a friend because it wasn’t cool enough for his collection. I never got a Cy-Kill though 😕

[@whispermason8052]

There was an army jeep and the f-16. Were cool ones. Those , they put a little thought into the folding mechanisms

[@TheIndoNerd]

I've found more than enough go bots over the years and you appreciate them, even if they were not a part of your regular programming as a kid, lol

[@robot2747]

MORE GOBOTS!!!!!!!!

[@TheNightBadger]

There's quite a bit of revisionist history which I find doesn't match my memories of certain times. I agree with you on this - I remember Go-Bots doing well, and competing well with TF's right through to about '86 (ish). I had some - most kids did. Even Rock Lords did ok, and that was well into Transformer dominance. I recall TF's seemed to win because the branding and cartoon was better (and lets face it - the characters), and both Optimus Prime and Soundwave were just such magnificent toys. Soundwave looking like a Walkman and coming with cassettes that transformed was such a cool idea - I remember that blowing me away back in the day. Combiners just sealed the deal, and Go-Bots making rocks just couldn't beat that...

[@madtownangler]

My parents were divorced and my dad could only afford to buy us a few GoBots. When were were adopted my grandma bought us a few Transformers but the show was just about over. I ended up giving my stuff away to some other kid later on with all my toys when I graduated from Junior High. I got into making models by then and shooting my pellet gun and hunting

[@jsteelav8r]

Gobots are awesome I especially love the rock lords I've got almost all the basic figures including 2 of the 3 gem lords! And the three that have spring loaded features

[@teddyfreddie4739]

Mmmmm I'd recall seein Loco & Dozer in Toys r us at the time 🤔🤔 oh my....I was hopin Hasbro put the cartoon series on dvd back in 2002 I guess I have to watch it on MeTv toons on Saturday nights.....I still have "Limo" in good condition & can't find my others.😢...Great video here Mike as always!!!

[@sith7183]

I love the Gobots. Me and my dad watched the cartoon ervery weekday afternoon and i had a few GoBot toys

[@IntergalacticDustBunny]

I still have a lot of my Gobots from my childhood, including my Gobots command center. There's a few I need to get to restore my collection. I still have my complete set of Wendy's Gobots. The only piece I'm missing to anything is "Grundgy's Blaster" need to track that one down too. Probably my big gripe as a kid (and an adult collector) is how quickly the joints loosen on some of them (like Leader-1s wings for instance)

[@tonyjackson4078]

Go Bots were fun alternatives to the Transformers. I had a decent little collection, and Road Ranger was, like a lot of kids, my Optimus Prime.

[@anthimospolitis6963]

Thank you for your review Michael

[@zeroswings2]

Thank you for this... if Id tried to say the same thing, I dont think anyone would believe me... but... I lived it! had about 3 or 4 Go-Bots (black 928 porsche & a gray blazer) and later a Transformer or two... a

[@eugenelau3927]

Wow, Michael, we got our facts straight, huh? Gobots did come out before Transformers except for the number of seasons and toy sales that helped Hasbro swing the favor with Transformers more than ever. There were older KZbin videos of the Cybertronian Transformers fighting the Gobots, search it later bro. Price ranging was yet another factor why more of us loved Transformers over Gobots but some students would be glad to ever show Gobot toys in school ever!!! Keep this reel rolling, dude, it just shows how many people like yourself want to keep the 80s alive!!!

[@dazzawadsworth8643]

In the UK they were branded as Robo Machines, and they had a strip in the UK anthology Eagle. This strip was way more edgy than any of the Gobots properties.

[@Snouthunter]

Man... I had a lot of those... I wish I still had them.

[@Damien-u2x]

Bandai also released them as "Robo Machine" in Europe (at least here in Ireland and the U.K).....and the Robo Machine variants card backs did have chracter bios.....also there was a short lived Robo Machine back up story in one of the UK comic books .....Eagle Comic... and it ran from 10/11/84 to 15/03/85.....then it had a 2 week break and resummed its run from 29/03/ 85 to 29/07/85.

[@rastazrealities]

I just picked up a lot after checking them out. For sale.

[@SA-dl9ox]

I remember Go-Bots being a common birthday present, as they were inexpensive at $3. Gi Joe figures were also $3 at the time (I know this because it was all I saved my allowance for). As a kid, the Go Bots cartoon seemed dated to me- like watching 60s/70s re-run cartoons. Transformers was something else entirely, weirdly I don’t ever think I compared the two- Transformers was just awesome.

[@askeworbit]

Lore was not that big in Japan, but helped alot over here. Cool Vid.

[@sunwentai1]

I only discovered recently that my Spay-C when I was a kid was a bootleg. The real Spay-C's shuttle fin rotates to her back, while mine was detachable and would fit in her hand like some kind of space axe.

[@cbreezy1322]

GoBots was not as horrible as people make it seem. I thoroughly enjoyed it!

[@chrisbarba516]

In 84 I wanted transformers for Christmas but I got a couple of gobots. I was sad at first but thought instead of being sad I didn't get what I want I said be happy my mother did her best to get me what I wanted. I still have loco, my first ever transforming toy. It means more than the plastic and metal

[@gazz_N7]

Go-Bots were the best!! So many cool vehicles, easy transformations, and they fit in with my Matchbox seamlessly!! Nerdmasté 😘👍

[@MichaelMercy]

Forget Transformers/GI Joe crossovers, we need GoBots/Megaforce crossovers! 😗👍

[@gazz_N7]

@@MichaelMercy 😮 that's perfect Mike!!! Imagine the Delta Mach's, Destroyers and Tac-Com as Go-Bots..er Machine Men (sorry Xaz 😅), that would be epic!!! 😘👍

[@MichaelMercy]

And best of all, Ace Hunter o-ring figure included!

[@Three_Tiny_Robots]

I remember Machine Men being just as big as Transformers here in Western Australia as transformers well into the '80s. Everyone I knew had at least a couple of them.

[@JohnSchafer-rs2nh]

Love this video now,vi wanna go buy some GoBots now and collect.

[@goodreverend2k1]

I remember telling my mom I wanted either GoBots or Transformers. She looked at the price of a few of the Transformers, and decided to buy me every GoBots toy released in N. America at the time. Just because GoBots were so much cheaper. None of my friends had more than 1 Transformer. while I had tons of GoBots.

[@moyoamadi4456]

I remember seeing the GoBots as a kid and thinking wow!!!! these guys are just like the transformers lol. To me, it was just another awesome transforming robot show. I never really thought of them as inferior.

[@francoisregis2155]

Very interesting video I remember when they came out some of my friends had several go bots they where nice but I was more into Gi joe he man and still Star Wars When Transformers came out I forgot about the go bots

[@emocormatt]

I recommend the 2018 GoBots comic miniseries from IDW, it's super fun!

[@matthewbailey376]

So, I have a story about these. My dad bought a few for me one time because a trip to the shore went bad. My great uncle who was a fisherman from Sweden and never had a toy in his life. He ended up with 2 of the 3 and a metal egg that turned into an elephant. I think it was Fightor and loco

[@Retrotoyguysi]

Awesome video sir! 😃

[@johnnyrocketed2225]

Loved that motorcycle guy. 🤩

[@johnscott6481]

The deluxe gobots,especially destroyer, was the greatest of all trsnsforming,and the larger deluxe robots especially psykill was cool

[@patricksheffield2839]

Awesome I loved the go bots was much easier to get at the lower price then transformers and I still have one 40 years later it got a drill for a head so look forward to more videos and finally finding out it's history

[@francoisregis2155]

Was there a Go bot who kinda looked like a cylon raider?

[@NaaraShikamaru]

I loved them same as Transformers. Hail Gobots !!!

[@bobahicks]

I'm pretty sure that I watched GoBots around the same time I first watched Transformers. Both shows were regular rentals from the local video shop.

[@frankschuler2867]

My brother and I had a handful of GoBots between us…Turbo, Crain Brain, Dive Dive, Spay-C, Klaws and Super Cy-Kill…maybe one or two others I can’t remember. We had most of them before Transformers really took off, and I do remember them catching some flak as being inferior eventually. Regardless, we did like them and they got some heavy play over the years. I think the only ones that survived our childhoods are Klaws and Super Cy-Kill…which belong to my brother. I have since gotten a replacement Turbo and Crain Brain and picked up Crasher, Scooter, Loco and a couple others. I’m hoping somebody starts making larger modern GoBots again to pick up where Action Toys left off.

[@myretronation]

I had four Go-Bots as a kid - Leader-1, Cy-Kill, Loco, and Scooter I didn't have a Transformer until I was a working adult

[@cabbitkisser2620]

i use to watch the go-bot's cartoon back then. i did have a few go-bot's. if i remember they cost about $3 or $4 back then