Robotech

Robotech 80's Toys

The Robotech line of toys was based on an anime TV series released in 1985.  In the story line, an alien ship crashed on earth, and earth scientist reverse engineered the advanced technologies they discovered into fighting robots.  The robots were needed to repel alien invasions, such as the invasion by a giant warrior race called Zentraedi.  Big fans of the show are also aware of the 1986 movie, Robotech: The Untold Story.  Since the 80’s, a number of Robotech reboots have been in the works, even as late as the 2010’s.  It was rumored that a live action film based on the series was to be released in the mid 2010’s.

In addition to comic books, video games, models, card games, art books, and other misc. Robotech items, there was the Matchbox Robotech action figures first produced in 1985.  These Robotech action figures were nearly 4 inches tall and came with weapons, helmets, etc.  The Zentraedi characters, on the other hand, were 6 inches tall (they were giants, after all).  Vehicles were released as well, including the Alpha Fighter and the Armored Cyclone.  There were larger toys, such as the 12” Barbie style dolls released in 1985 (Lynn Minmei, Dana Sterling, Lisa Hayes, etc.), and a number of 12 robots (Macross Gakken, Jetfire Valkyrie, etc.).