Machine Robo (マシンロボ) is a Japanese transforming robot toyline first released in 1982 by Popy, a division of Bandai, then later by Bandai proper. The franchise was marketed as Robo Machine in Europe, and Machine Men (or Robot Machine Men) in Australia. A large portion of these toys were exported to North America as part of Tonka's Gobots and Rock Lords series, beginning in 1984.
About Machine Robo[]
The initial assortment of Machine Robos consisted of small toy robots which transformed into vehicles, aircraft, etc, comparable in size to Matchbox cars. These early MR toys have become known as the "600 series" (being priced at ¥600 each), and were developed through ideas submitted by children, similar to the children's submissions in the Kinnikuman manga series. Larger-scale deluxe ("DX") toys were soon released, along with other non-transforming vehicles & figures.
Catalogs packaged with the toys contained stories depicting the Machine Robos as beings from the planet Romulos. Romulos was destroyed by the monster-like Devil Invaders from the Casmozone and thus the Machine Robo came to Earth. This premise would later be abandoned in favor of a new storyline originating with the first MR anime Machine Robo: Revenge of Cronos.