Is Go-bots a Transformers spin-off or rip-off???

[Matt-a-Tastic]

I think its been mentiones here before of a Transformers rip - off called "Go-bots". THe strange thing happened yestderday though... I went to a toy shop and in the Transformers section they had things called "Transformers: Go-Bots" and jsut to make it even more confusing some of them were just called "Go-bots"

Whats going on :ack:

[Chris Wood]

Well, originally the Gobots and Transformers were competing toy lines and cartoons. I'm not completely sure which toys were produced first.

The Gobots brand vanished somewhere around the late 80s, and just recently has been brought back, but I believe it is now owned by Transformers parent Hasbro, so there is some cross-merchandising going on as you described.

[Artimus Gigan]

Tonka originaly owned the line when they imported Machine Robo and renamed it Go-Bots


later Hasbro bought Tonka and all the rights it held

[Conan-san]

I think its been mentiones here before of a Transformers rip - off called "Go-bots". THe strange thing happened yestderday though... I went to a toy shop and in the Transformers section they had things called "Transformers: Go-Bots" and jsut to make it even more confusing some of them were just called "Go-bots"

Whats going on :ack: Right, here's the low down on teh "Go-bots".

Orgaionaly, yes, Go Bots was a complete and utter rip of Transfromers and also had thier own show "The Challenge of the Go-Bots".

The short of it is that Harasbro/Tanaka sued Tonka, the makers of Go Bots, silly and pritty much assimilated them into the transfromers line.

[Artimus Gigan]

Also there was the Rock Lords that came after the Go-Bots


and also there was the Go-Bot Movie: Challenge of The Rocklords

HB really blew that one...

[Jon T]

There have also been no less than three anime TV shows based on the Go-Bots' original Japanese counterparts: Machine Robo.

[Chris Wood]

There have also been no less than three anime TV shows based on the Go-Bots' original Japanese counterparts: Machine Robo.

What??????? Details please.

[Jon T]

Well, the Machine Robo toys first began in Japan from Bandai in (I think) 1982, around the same time as Takara's Diaclone toys that became Transformers. When the Transformers cartoon was released in Japan in 1985, I guess Bandai felt they could use Machine Robo to compete with them.

So in 1986, there actually was a Machine Robo cartoon entitled Machine Robo: Revenge of Chronos. I've not actually seen the show in any great detail, but while the storyline is naturally completely different from Go-Bots, some of the same toys do appear (with far better animation). This show lasted from 1986-1987, and was sufficiently popular to get a sequel, Machine Robo: Running Battlehackers, also in 1987. It seems that even in Japan, Bandai's efforts could not successfully compete with Transformers, as the Japanese TF shows outlasted them.

There were also apparently a couple of OAVs based on some of the Machine Robo characters, but I don't know their titles.

Finally, Machine Robo Rescue was a 2003 series that was essentially a re-start of the whole concept. Some of the robots were loosely based on some older Machine Robo designs, but as far as I'm aware, that's as much as the shows were connected. This one was obviously made for a far more juvenile audience compared with the 80s shows (similar to the 1980s and 2000s TF shows), and the robots were CG renders rather than actual 2D animation.

There are actually three R1 DVDs of the first Machine Robo series that were released sub-only a while ago. I've not got them myself, but they're on my own 'want' list!

(Incidentally, Bandai had the idea of importing the Go-Bots TV show to Japan in the 80s, even dubbing one episode. It didn't go any further, probably after they actually saw what Hanna-Barbera had spawned! :) )

[Matt-a-Tastic]

So basiclly it was a rival to Transformers, than Hasbro bought the "Go-Bots" licence and bought out new ones under the name Transformers (Kids I'll buy anything so long as it says "Transformers" on it

[Beat]

Yup.

Machine Robo WAS popular enough to get into the Super Robot Wars games, a feat that till this day, the Transformers have never accomplished.

[Matt-a-Tastic]

What are the Super Robot Wars games??? Are they games with crossovers of lots of robots from different sereis

[Beat]

That pretty much covers it. It's also a gauge for the popularity of certain series depending on whether or not they make it.

[Matt-a-Tastic]

But surely Transformers is one of the most popular robot series ?

[Artimus Gigan]

But surely Transformers is one of the most popular robot series ?In America it reigns supreme crushing any(if all) competition

In Japan it competes against many other series

MR got into SRW mainly because it was a Bandai Franchise, Transformers is Takara...Takara also did Web Diver(which didn't really turn out so well)

[Sprocket]

Machine Robo WAS popular enough to get into the Super Robot Wars games, a feat that till this day, the Transformers have never accomplished.

In that case, popularity has nothing to do with it. They usually only use Bandai/Sunrise properties. Sunrise continued making GaoGaiGar OAVs after they cut ties with Takara, so they were able to use GaoGaiGar in SRW.

It's all about licensing rights.

[Matt-a-Tastic]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure Transformers would be more popular than Go-bots, even in Japan.

Was the animated series made by Hanna - Barebra, or was it just to movie.
Also, is just me or is "Go-Bots" the most terrible terrible terrible name ever, its even worse than "Butt Ugly Martians"

[Artimus Gigan]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure Transformers would be more popular than Go-bots, even in Japan.

Was the animated series made by Hanna - Barebra, or was it just to movie.
Also, is just me or is "Go-Bots" the most terrible terrible terrible name ever, its even worse than "Butt Ugly Martians"The Go-Bots came from Gobotron

The main bad guy was Cy-Kill and the main good guy was Leader 1, and the big combining robot was named Puzzlor...

the series was full of bad names...

[Leaping Larry Jojo]

I'm not following some of the other tangents here, but speaking strictly about the cartoon series...Go-Bots began airing in America BEFORE Transformers did. It's possible that the Transformers toys came out first in Japan...but I am pretty sure Go-Bots hit America before Transformers did from the merchandising front as well.

[Artimus Gigan]

I'm not following some of the other tangents here, but speaking strictly about the cartoon series...Go-Bots began airing in America BEFORE Transformers did. It's possible that the Transformers toys came out first in Japan...but I am pretty sure Go-Bots hit America before Transformers did from the merchandising front as well.Transformers came out in 1984, hwoever Diaclone came out before Machine Robo

[Don_East]

Rip-off, rip-off. I mean the Go-Bots' home planet is called "Gobotron" for the love of God.

[lostrune]

The Go-Bots came from Gobotron

The main bad guy was Cy-Kill and the main good guy was Leader 1, and the big combining robot was named Puzzlor...

the series was full of bad names...
It's full of "overkill" names typical of the 1980s, including Leader 1 (not only the leader but also #1) and even Optimus Prime (not only optimal but also the prime). I've seen too much of Gobots than healthy. :shrug:

[Chris Wood]

Yeah, I have the five episode Gobots origin story on tape and believe me, it's not a pretty sight.

Awesome theme song though.

[lostrune]

Yeah, I have the five episode Gobots origin story on tape and believe me, it's not a pretty sight.
I think I've seen most of it! :ack:
(But it was so long ago I don't quite remember.)

[Artimus Gigan]

It's full of "overkill" names typical of the 1980s, including Leader 1 (not only the leader but also #1) and even Optimus Prime (not only optimal but also the prime). I've seen too much of Gobots than healthy. :shrug:
It has nothing on MOTU's names though, Man-E-Faces is one that was like BAD PUN

[rubberchicken]

Didn't Go-Bots have this giant dinosaur robot too? Wasn't its weak point (we're talking IN the series, not just with the toys) a great big on/off switch on its torso that people had to walk up and hit to disable it?

[Contrail]

Didn't Go-Bots have this giant dinosaur robot too? Wasn't its weak point (we're talking IN the series, not just with the toys) a great big on/off switch on its torso that people had to walk up and hit to disable it?
It was called Zod, if memory serves correctly. As far as I know, Hasbro bought out Tonka in the early 1990s and acquired any and all associated trademarks; for example, the Transformers Armada series used the name Leader-1 for one of its characters. One would assume this was done to prevent any other company reviving the Gobots line in competition with Hasbro's Transformers.

[Conan-san]

It was called Zod, if memory serves correctly. As far as I know, Hasbro bought out Tonka in the early 1990s and acquired any and all associated trademarks; for example, the Transformers Armada series used the name Leader-1 for one of its characters. One would assume this was done to prevent any other company reviving the Gobots line in competition with Hasbro's Transformers. I think they called Megatron's Minicon "Leader-1" as a sorta example case out of anyone who was thinking of making a go at transfroming robots...