Robo Force

Robo Force was a toy line created by the Ideal Toy Company in the mid 1980s.

The Toys

The toy line featured robot action figures with suction cup bases and "crusher arm" action. In addition each figure, which basically resembled a customised Dalek, also included another gimic or two such as a hook or extendable guns.

A 1984 product catalog includes a short comic showcasing a few of the toys and a list of the following Robo Force toys:

Good Guys:

* Maxx Steele: the Leader Robot
* Blazer: The Ignitor Robot
* Coptor: The Enforcer Robot
* Sentinel: The Protector Robot
* Wrecker: The Demolisher Robot
* S.O.T.A. (State of the art): The Creator Robot
* Tiltor: The Changer [unreleased]
* Opticon: The Interceptor [unreleased]
* Plundor: The Pulverizer [unreleased]
* Ripper: The Anti-Robot [unreleased]
* Mark Fury [unreleased]
* Deena Strong [unreleased]

Bad Guys:

* Enemy: The Dictator Robot
* Cruel: The Detonator Robot
* Vulgar: The Destroyer Robot
* Hun-Dred: The Conqueror Robot (He is referred to as the leader of the enemies, not Enemy the robot.)
* Plundor: The Pulverizer [unreleased]
* Fangar: The Conspirator [unreleased]
* Arsenal: The Devastator [unreleased]
* Nazgar: The Tyrant [unreleased]

Other toys:

* Robo Force Robocruiser Robot Defender Vehicle
* Robo Force Dred Crawler Robot Attack Vehicle
* Robo Force Command Patroller
* Robo Force Fortress of Steele playset
* Robo Force Triad Three-Way Attack Vehicle [unreleased]
* Robo Force Transblaster Laser Lift Cannon [unreleased]
* Electronic Maxx Steele Programmable Robot

The Robots

Maxx Steele

Maxx Steele is one of the toughest robots and almost invulnerable. Armed with a pair of laser hand weapons stored in his backpack and a back-mounted, swiveling double-barreled attack gun he is hard to beat when against Hun-Dreds army of evil robots. His motto "Any mission, any time, any place" shows his team that he is determined to win the fight against Hun-Dred no matter what stands in his way.

Blazer

Very powerful and very crazy is what describes Blazer. His weapons are not only unique but his way of using them are amazing. On both of his arms he has nozzles which can shoot out boiling hot plasma which can melt the hardest of steel and on his head is a cryogenic water cannon which can extinguish the flames he creates so his fire doesn't burn and destroy everything in sight.

Coptor

Speed and agility are qualities that Coptor never lacks! He is the team’s acrobat always zooming by using the propeller on his head. Weapons he carries are two laser guns and a communicator that can contact Max Steele or any of the other robots from anyplace far away. Digging is even possible with the aid of his propeller.

entinel

Sentinel is always ready to hop into combat. With a permanent laser gun in his head that he can use anytime he never runs out of weapons. He also stores two other weapons in his backpack just in case the battle gets tough. Putting the Command Patroller through moves no one had ever seen before he was made the team driver.

Wrecker

Wrecker is a construction worker in his civilian life but in Maxx Steele's army he is the team's demolitionist. A fortress would easily crumble if Wrecker was cent to destroy it. His weapons are an atomic jackhammer and a laser drill. He also stores a metal-alloy wrecking hook.

.O.T.A.

S.O.T.A is a professor when he's not on Robo Force missions. But when he is serving Max Steele he is a calm and always in control senior councilor. His name stands for State of the art which gives a clue about his superior intellect. He has an information-collection dish on his backpack which gives him radar, sonar, and extended hearing along with infra-red, microscopic, and telescopic vision. He also carries a drill which can be used for crafting and battle while an accurate laser targeting weapon is stored in his head.

Enemy

A terrible and vicious robot enemy would destroy anything that got in his way as long as Robo Force falls. If Hun-Dred orders him to not attack he does. If Hun-Dred orders him to destroy one robot he destroys the whole planet. His weapons are a retro-fire gun that he mounts on his backpack and twin laser weapons that are stored in his chest.

Cruel

An expert in combat Cruel uses his terrifying crushing grapplers to destroy any robot he meets. He is silent and indestructible which makes it easy for him to commit heinous acts. He also has two communication antennae on the upper sides of his head which allow him to communicate to others over long distances.

Vulgar

Vulgar is charged with evil dark forces that make up his body and puts his sinister abilities to use. his amazing strength was made from a mixture of science and wickedness. He is a gray, black, and red being with a large rotating head and villainous looking eyes. He wields many weapons including a drill bit located permanently in the back of his head which is sharp and dangerous to Max Steeles army of good robots. Vulgar also carries a deadly loaded mace blaster that he can hit targets with amazing accuracy.

Hun-Dred

The worst enemy that threatens Maxx Steeles team, Hun-Dred leads the evil robot empire. His weapons include laser guns, crushers instead of hands, twin hand-held attack weapons, and laser shooters that he uses for artillery. He also has the ability to sense fear in any being and destroys anyone or anything that stands in his way.

The Animated Television Special

Broadcast

In 1985 Ruby Spears Productions released an animated adaptation of the series in the form of a one-shot special or television movie. In at least the Denver, Colorado area the special replaced the after school time slot regularly allotted to Voltron: Defender of the Universe, and may have been aired on a holiday.

tyle

For Western audiences at least, Robo Force prefigured the robotic carnage of . The storytelling was fast-paced and violent space opera that recalled the dynamism of the early Star Wars films. The fighting was for keeps, and by the end of the adaptation many or most of the Robo Force robots had been dramatically and definitively destroyed in what were-- for the time and the context-- shocking displays of savagery. The sheer brute power of these hulking robots was effectively conveyed, bringing surprisingly realistic life to the colorful toy line.

In terms of character, the story was driven by the robots, with little involvement or screen time given to the human characters. The highly non-anthropomorphic nature of the Robo Force robots makes this an unusual choice, recalling the portrayal of the robotic underworld in Disney's The Black Hole, where the strong-willed automatons enacted their rivalries and frustrations in a parallel world to the humans that often bordered on outright disobedience.

Availability

The animated Robo Force adaptation is at present unavailable either as a home video release or on movie sharing services such as YouTube. Given that it was apparently only aired once, in the time slot of a regularly scheduled show, without any known promotion or announcement, any off air video recordings that may exist can be considered exceedingly rare.

ynopsis [as hazily remembered from childhood]

A scientist and possibly his family-- a daughter?-- is in his house with a robot, possibly S.O.T.A. A utopian atmosphere of peace and happiness abounds.

Suddenly, the evil robot empire comes calling, literally with a knock at the front door! The friendly robot fires on the evil robots, damaging Enemy-- a corner of Enemy's "head" is blasted off, but Enemy's function is unimpaired. Cruel then lays the proverbial smack down, destroying the friendly robot with one mighty punch. The scientist and possibly any family are abducted through a hole blasted in the wall leading to a spaceship that the evil robots take to get away.

The Robo Force investigates. They find the shard of Enemy at the scene of the raid and correctly conclude that they know who the culprits are.

One by one the evil robot empire is hunted down and destroyed in a harrowing and deadly contest of robot skills and wits, wherein each robot has ample opportunity to show off its special powers and winning personality before being blasted into oblivion.

There is a battle in a volcano. The robots demonstrate their ability to hover, evading the lava flows.

The final battle occurs in an underwater city, possibly the remnants of Atlantis. After a blundered ambush by his minions, Hun-Dred is the last of the evil robots. He confronts Maxx Steele one on one.

Hun-Dred is bested, and appeals for leniency as Maxx Steele holds him by the "neck" up against a stone wall. Hun-Dred is stalling for time to commit treachery, however-- in a tense moment where he seems on the point of capitulation and perhaps even repentance, he fires after lining up a shot with the dual blasters concealed under the hood of his head.

Maxx evades the shot, and punches Hun-Dred, whose chassis is crushed against the wall, falling completely to pieces and possibly catching fire and even exploding.

Presumably the scientist is rescued and there was some reason for the antagonistic actions of the evil robots beyond forcing humans to spend time with them, but such subtleties are forgotten by the present synopsist. Presumably there were other humans involved, but the story was driven by the robot characters.

External links

http://www.i-mockery.com/roboforce/default-ns.htm

http://www.i-mockery.com/minimocks/roboforce-unseen/ --humorous details of the unreleased Robo Force toy line

http://www.x-entertainment.com/messages/398.html

http://www.theoldrobots.com/maxxacc.html

http://www.virtualtoychest.com/roboforce/roboforce.html

http://www.rubyspears.com/film.shtml --a list of Ruby Spears productions, including Robo Force-- perhaps petitions here by the right person might yield a copy?