Yonezawa Toys - Revision history

Alpha Trihard: /* Overview */ Yonezawa 1968 catalog clarifies release date

2026-04-11T21:01:27Z

Overview: Yonezawa 1968 catalog clarifies release date

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:01, 11 April 2026
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	Yonezawa was founded in the 1950s, arising out of the ashes of a Japanese economy devastated by the Second World War. They quickly established themselves with a major presence in the then-emerging Japanese toy market, being one of the first manufacturers to pioneer electronic and [[Wikipedia:Radio-controlled model\|radio-controlled]] toys. Eventually, a lot of their products would get exported globally, both through other distributors and their own international '''Yonezawa Corporation''' brand.		Yonezawa was founded in the 1950s, arising out of the ashes of a Japanese economy devastated by the Second World War. They quickly established themselves with a major presence in the then-emerging Japanese toy market, being one of the first manufacturers to pioneer electronic and [[Wikipedia:Radio-controlled model\|radio-controlled]] toys. Eventually, a lot of their products would get exported globally, both through other distributors and their own international '''Yonezawa Corporation''' brand.

	~~One specific genre of toy that~~ Yonezawa was famous for ~~were~~ their battery-operated tin robots, featuring ~~all sorts of functions~~ like walking or ~~hip rotations~~. Among these was ~~a robot called~~ "Space Explorer", released in red and black decos, which ~~had~~ as ~~its main gimmick the ability to automatically 'fold' from a robot into~~ a box roughly approximating the ~~apperance~~ of a TV set~~... And was likely first released in 1959 <ref>There are multiple conflicting presumed dates for the release of Yonezawa's Space Explorer~~, ~~ranging from 1956~~ to ~~somewhere~~ in ~~the late 1960s - nonetheless; 1959 seems to be the most commonly-cited date on auction and antique websites. Notably~~, ~~his "first-transforming-toy-robot" status would still remain even if the later dates are correct, as the next second-oldest known instance of a transforming robot toy is Popy's~~ ''Raideen'' ~~all the way in 1975 - so, Yonezawa was very early to the genre!</ref>, before any other toy robot with a similar functionality is known to exist. This means that yes~~, it ~~is generally agreed that Yonezawa invented~~ the ~~very first transforming~~ robot toy!		Yonezawa was especially famous for their battery-operated tin robots, featuring gimmicks like walking, flashing lights, or [[Exhaust\|smoking]]. Among these robots was "Space Explorer", released in red and black decos, which started as a box roughly approximating the appearance of a TV set, then automatically unfolded and stood up to reveal a robot. Released in 1968, seven years before ''{{w\|Brave Raideen}}'', this would make it quite possibly the earliest “transforming” robot toy.

	Sometime during the early 80s, parallel to the then-emerging Japanese trend of robots that transform into realistic vehicles with [[Takatoku Toys\|Takatoku]]'s ''[[Macross]]'' and [[Takara]]'s [[Diaclone]] ''Car Robot'' and ''[[Micro Change]]'' toys, Yonezawa released their remote-controlled, battery-operated series of transforming toy cars with the ''Remote Change Robo Series'' (リモートチェンジロボシリーズ). These featured super-deformed versions of a Nissan Fairlady Z, Toyota Land Cruiser, and Porsche 911 - respectively named into "Fairlady & Robo", "Lancru & Robo", and "Porsche & Robo" - that'd transform from their alternate modes and back with the push of two buttons on a small controller that was attached to the toys with a cord. They were re-released in multiple countries across the world, including in the U.S. by Village Toys as the ''Convert-A-Bots'' "Pow-R-Bots" (a toyline that, interestingly, would also feature [[Pre-Transformers#Licensed international releases of pre-Transformers\|a licensed pre-Transformers version]] of [[Shockwave (G1)/toys#Notes\|Shockwave]]), and eventually; arrived to Brazil through [[Estrela]] as the 1985 [[Eletrix]] figures in their regional version of [[The Transformers (toyline)\|''The Transformers'']].		Sometime during the early 80s, parallel to the then-emerging Japanese trend of robots that transform into realistic vehicles with [[Takatoku Toys\|Takatoku]]'s ''[[Macross]]'' and [[Takara]]'s [[Diaclone]] ''Car Robot'' and ''[[Micro Change]]'' toys, Yonezawa released their remote-controlled, battery-operated series of transforming toy cars with the ''Remote Change Robo Series'' (リモートチェンジロボシリーズ). These featured super-deformed versions of a Nissan Fairlady Z, Toyota Land Cruiser, and Porsche 911 - respectively named into "Fairlady & Robo", "Lancru & Robo", and "Porsche & Robo" - that'd transform from their alternate modes and back with the push of two buttons on a small controller that was attached to the toys with a cord. They were re-released in multiple countries across the world, including in the U.S. by Village Toys as the ''Convert-A-Bots'' "Pow-R-Bots" (a toyline that, interestingly, would also feature [[Pre-Transformers#Licensed international releases of pre-Transformers\|a licensed pre-Transformers version]] of [[Shockwave (G1)/toys#Notes\|Shockwave]]), and eventually; arrived to Brazil through [[Estrela]] as the 1985 [[Eletrix]] figures in their regional version of [[The Transformers (toyline)\|''The Transformers'']].

FortressMaxxing: /* Overview */

2026-03-07T21:47:39Z

Overview

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:47, 7 March 2026
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	Yonezawa was founded in the 1950s, arising out of the ashes of a Japanese economy devastated by the Second World War. They quickly established themselves with a major presence in the then-emerging Japanese toy market, being one of the first manufacturers to pioneer electronic and [[Wikipedia:Radio-controlled model\|radio-controlled]] toys. Eventually, a lot of their products would get exported globally, both through other distributors and their own international '''Yonezawa Corporation''' brand.		Yonezawa was founded in the 1950s, arising out of the ashes of a Japanese economy devastated by the Second World War. They quickly established themselves with a major presence in the then-emerging Japanese toy market, being one of the first manufacturers to pioneer electronic and [[Wikipedia:Radio-controlled model\|radio-controlled]] toys. Eventually, a lot of their products would get exported globally, both through other distributors and their own international '''Yonezawa Corporation''' brand.

	One specific genre of toy that Yonezawa was famous for were their battery-operated tin robots, featuring all sorts of functions like walking or hip rotations. Among these was a robot called "Space Explorer", released in red and black decos, which had as its main gimmick the ability to automatically 'fold' from a robot into a box roughly approximating the apperance of a TV set... And was likely first released in 1959 <ref>There are multiple conflicting presumed dates for the release of Yonezawa's Space Explorer, ranging from 1956 to somewhere in the late 1960s - nonetheless; 1959 seems to be the most commonly-cited date on auction and antique websites. Notably, his "first-transforming-toy-robot" status would still remain even if the later dates are correct, as the next second-oldest known instance of a transforming robot toy is Popy's ''Raideen'' all the way in 1975 - so, Yonezawa was very early to the genre!</ref>, before any other toy robot with a similar functionality is known to exist. This means that yes, it is generally agreed that Yonezawa ~~pretty much~~ invented the very first transforming robot toy!		One specific genre of toy that Yonezawa was famous for were their battery-operated tin robots, featuring all sorts of functions like walking or hip rotations. Among these was a robot called "Space Explorer", released in red and black decos, which had as its main gimmick the ability to automatically 'fold' from a robot into a box roughly approximating the apperance of a TV set... And was likely first released in 1959 <ref>There are multiple conflicting presumed dates for the release of Yonezawa's Space Explorer, ranging from 1956 to somewhere in the late 1960s - nonetheless; 1959 seems to be the most commonly-cited date on auction and antique websites. Notably, his "first-transforming-toy-robot" status would still remain even if the later dates are correct, as the next second-oldest known instance of a transforming robot toy is Popy's ''Raideen'' all the way in 1975 - so, Yonezawa was very early to the genre!</ref>, before any other toy robot with a similar functionality is known to exist. This means that yes, it is generally agreed that Yonezawa invented the very first transforming robot toy!

	Sometime during the early 80s, parallel to the then-emerging Japanese trend of robots that transform into realistic vehicles with [[Takatoku Toys\|Takatoku]]'s ''[[Macross]]'' and [[Takara]]'s [[Diaclone]] ''Car Robot'' and ''[[Micro Change]]'' toys, Yonezawa released their remote-controlled, battery-operated series of transforming toy cars with the ''Remote Change Robo Series'' (リモートチェンジロボシリーズ). These featured super-deformed versions of a Nissan Fairlady Z, Toyota Land Cruiser, and Porsche 911 - respectively named into "Fairlady & Robo", "Lancru & Robo", and "Porsche & Robo" - that'd transform from their alternate modes and back with the push of two buttons on a small controller that was attached to the toys with a cord. They were re-released in multiple countries across the world, including in the U.S. by Village Toys as the ''Convert-A-Bots'' "Pow-R-Bots" (a toyline that, interestingly, would also feature [[Pre-Transformers#Licensed international releases of pre-Transformers\|a licensed pre-Transformers version]] of [[Shockwave (G1)/toys#Notes\|Shockwave]]), and eventually; arrived to Brazil through [[Estrela]] as the 1985 [[Eletrix]] figures in their regional version of [[The Transformers (toyline)\|''The Transformers'']].		Sometime during the early 80s, parallel to the then-emerging Japanese trend of robots that transform into realistic vehicles with [[Takatoku Toys\|Takatoku]]'s ''[[Macross]]'' and [[Takara]]'s [[Diaclone]] ''Car Robot'' and ''[[Micro Change]]'' toys, Yonezawa released their remote-controlled, battery-operated series of transforming toy cars with the ''Remote Change Robo Series'' (リモートチェンジロボシリーズ). These featured super-deformed versions of a Nissan Fairlady Z, Toyota Land Cruiser, and Porsche 911 - respectively named into "Fairlady & Robo", "Lancru & Robo", and "Porsche & Robo" - that'd transform from their alternate modes and back with the push of two buttons on a small controller that was attached to the toys with a cord. They were re-released in multiple countries across the world, including in the U.S. by Village Toys as the ''Convert-A-Bots'' "Pow-R-Bots" (a toyline that, interestingly, would also feature [[Pre-Transformers#Licensed international releases of pre-Transformers\|a licensed pre-Transformers version]] of [[Shockwave (G1)/toys#Notes\|Shockwave]]), and eventually; arrived to Brazil through [[Estrela]] as the 1985 [[Eletrix]] figures in their regional version of [[The Transformers (toyline)\|''The Transformers'']].

FortressMaxxing: /* Overview */

2026-03-07T21:45:34Z

Overview

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:45, 7 March 2026
Line 10:		Line 10:
	One specific genre of toy that Yonezawa was famous for were their battery-operated tin robots, featuring all sorts of functions like walking or hip rotations. Among these was a robot called "Space Explorer", released in red and black decos, which had as its main gimmick the ability to automatically 'fold' from a robot into a box roughly approximating the apperance of a TV set... And was likely first released in 1959 <ref>There are multiple conflicting presumed dates for the release of Yonezawa's Space Explorer, ranging from 1956 to somewhere in the late 1960s - nonetheless; 1959 seems to be the most commonly-cited date on auction and antique websites. Notably, his "first-transforming-toy-robot" status would still remain even if the later dates are correct, as the next second-oldest known instance of a transforming robot toy is Popy's ''Raideen'' all the way in 1975 - so, Yonezawa was very early to the genre!</ref>, before any other toy robot with a similar functionality is known to exist. This means that yes, it is generally agreed that Yonezawa pretty much invented the very first transforming robot toy!		One specific genre of toy that Yonezawa was famous for were their battery-operated tin robots, featuring all sorts of functions like walking or hip rotations. Among these was a robot called "Space Explorer", released in red and black decos, which had as its main gimmick the ability to automatically 'fold' from a robot into a box roughly approximating the apperance of a TV set... And was likely first released in 1959 <ref>There are multiple conflicting presumed dates for the release of Yonezawa's Space Explorer, ranging from 1956 to somewhere in the late 1960s - nonetheless; 1959 seems to be the most commonly-cited date on auction and antique websites. Notably, his "first-transforming-toy-robot" status would still remain even if the later dates are correct, as the next second-oldest known instance of a transforming robot toy is Popy's ''Raideen'' all the way in 1975 - so, Yonezawa was very early to the genre!</ref>, before any other toy robot with a similar functionality is known to exist. This means that yes, it is generally agreed that Yonezawa pretty much invented the very first transforming robot toy!

	Sometime during the early 80s, parallel to the then-emerging Japanese trend of robots that transform into realistic vehicles with [[Takatoku Toys\|Takatoku]]'s ''[[Macross]]'' and [[Takara]]'s [[Diaclone]] ''Car Robot'' and ''[[Micro Change]]'' toys, Yonezawa released their remote-controlled, battery-operated series of transforming toy cars with the ''Remote Change Robo Series'' (リモートチェンジロボシリーズ). These featured super-deformed versions of a Nissan Fairlady Z, Toyota Land Cruiser, and Porsche 911 - respectively named into "Fairlady & Robo", "Lancru & Robo", and "Porsche & Robo" - that'd transform from their alternate modes and back with the push of two buttons on a small controller that was attached to the toys with a cord. They were re-released in multiple countries across the world, including in the U.S. by Village Toys as the ''Convert-A-Bots'' "Pow-R-Bots" (a toyline that, interestingly, would also feature a licensed pre-Transformers version of [[Shockwave (G1)/toys#Notes\|Shockwave]]), and eventually; arrived to Brazil through [[Estrela]] as the 1985 [[Eletrix]] figures in their regional version of [[The Transformers (toyline)\|''The Transformers'']].		Sometime during the early 80s, parallel to the then-emerging Japanese trend of robots that transform into realistic vehicles with [[Takatoku Toys\|Takatoku]]'s ''[[Macross]]'' and [[Takara]]'s [[Diaclone]] ''Car Robot'' and ''[[Micro Change]]'' toys, Yonezawa released their remote-controlled, battery-operated series of transforming toy cars with the ''Remote Change Robo Series'' (リモートチェンジロボシリーズ). These featured super-deformed versions of a Nissan Fairlady Z, Toyota Land Cruiser, and Porsche 911 - respectively named into "Fairlady & Robo", "Lancru & Robo", and "Porsche & Robo" - that'd transform from their alternate modes and back with the push of two buttons on a small controller that was attached to the toys with a cord. They were re-released in multiple countries across the world, including in the U.S. by Village Toys as the ''Convert-A-Bots'' "Pow-R-Bots" (a toyline that, interestingly, would also feature [[Pre-Transformers#Licensed international releases of pre-Transformers\|a licensed pre-Transformers version]] of [[Shockwave (G1)/toys#Notes\|Shockwave]]), and eventually; arrived to Brazil through [[Estrela]] as the 1985 [[Eletrix]] figures in their regional version of [[The Transformers (toyline)\|''The Transformers'']].


	==Yonezawa moulds released as ''Transformers''==		==Yonezawa moulds released as ''Transformers''==

FortressMaxxing: /* Notes */

2025-07-24T23:36:56Z

Notes

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:36, 24 July 2025
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	==Notes==		==Notes==
	* Beyond the ''Remote Change Robo Series'', Yonezawa manufactured a handful of other transforming 'bots during this time which have a slight bit of interaction with other pre-Transformers toys. These included "Jet & Robo", a battery-operated robot that auto-transforms into a jet (which has a pretty similar head to [[Omega Supreme (G1)\|Omega Supreme]], leading to the yet unsolved question of who exactly plagiarized who!); "Daijim", a manually-transforming toy with a walking motion that converts into an offroad truck, and "Safari Robo", a manually-transforming toy that surprisingly lacks any battery-operated functions and also transforms into an offroad truck. All of these would be featured in the British pre-Transformers Grandstand ''[[Pre-Transformers#Licensed international releases of pre-Transformers\|Convertors]]'' toyline - releasing alongside an early Omega Supreme and multiple Diaclone figures - with Jet & Robo earning the name of "Deltatron" and, keeping in line with the Greek alphabet motif, Daijim and Safari Robo earning the names of... "Betatron" and "Sigmatron". No, this is not a joke <ref>[https://retromash.com/2015/03/11/anyone-recognise-these-grandstand-convertors-in-this-a1-poster/ Grandstand ''Convertors'' catalogue] at Retromash.com</ref>, and no, no one will ~~get why~~ it's funny in any ~~decade~~ past ~~the~~ 2020s, so cherish this moment.		* Beyond the ''Remote Change Robo Series'', Yonezawa manufactured a handful of other transforming 'bots during this time which have a slight bit of interaction with other pre-Transformers toys. These included "Jet & Robo", a battery-operated robot that auto-transforms into a jet (which has a pretty similar head to [[Omega Supreme (G1)\|Omega Supreme]], leading to the yet unsolved question of who exactly plagiarized who!); "Daijim", a manually-transforming toy with a walking motion that converts into an offroad truck, and "Safari Robo", a manually-transforming toy that surprisingly lacks any battery-operated functions and also transforms into an offroad truck. All of these would be featured in the British pre-Transformers Grandstand ''[[Pre-Transformers#Licensed international releases of pre-Transformers\|Convertors]]'' toyline - releasing alongside an early Omega Supreme and multiple Diaclone figures - with Jet & Robo earning the name of "Deltatron" and, keeping in line with the Greek alphabet motif, Daijim and Safari Robo earning the names of... "Betatron" and "Sigmatron". No, this is not a joke <ref>[https://retromash.com/2015/03/11/anyone-recognise-these-grandstand-convertors-in-this-a1-poster/ Grandstand ''Convertors'' catalogue] at Retromash.com</ref>, and no, no one will find it funny in any era past mid-2020s internet brainrot humor, so cherish this moment.

	==See also==		==See also==

FortressMaxxing: /* Remote Change Robo Series */

2025-07-08T04:22:56Z

Remote Change Robo Series

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:22, 8 July 2025
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	[[File:G1-toy Porsche.jpg\|upright=1.67\|thumb\|Eletrix Esporte, based on Remote Change Robo Series Porsche & Robo, <s>unfortunately not released by Grandstand in the UK as "Skibiditron"</s>]]		[[File:G1-toy Porsche.jpg\|upright=1.67\|thumb\|Eletrix Esporte, based on Remote Change Robo Series Porsche & Robo, <s>unfortunately not released by Grandstand in the UK as "Skibiditron"</s>]]
	===Remote Change Robo Series===		===Remote Change Robo Series===
	*[[Esporte]] - Fairlady & Robo, identical besides minor sticker changes		*[[Esporte]] - "Fairlady & Robo", identical besides minor sticker changes
	*[[Jipe (Eletrix)\|Jipe]] - Lancru & Robo, identical besides minor sticker changes		*[[Jipe (Eletrix)\|Jipe]] - "Lancru & Robo", identical besides minor sticker changes
	*[[Porsche (Eletrix)\|Porsche]] - Porsche & Robo, identical besides minor sticker changes		*[[Porsche (Eletrix)\|Porsche]] - "Porsche & Robo", identical besides minor sticker changes

	==Notes==		==Notes==

FortressMaxxing at 04:22, 8 July 2025

2025-07-08T04:22:13Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 04:22, 8 July 2025
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	Sometime during the early 80s, parallel to the then-emerging Japanese trend of robots that transform into realistic vehicles with [[Takatoku Toys\|Takatoku]]'s ''[[Macross]]'' and [[Takara]]'s [[Diaclone]] ''Car Robot'' and ''[[Micro Change]]'' toys, Yonezawa released their remote-controlled, battery-operated series of transforming toy cars with the ''Remote Change Robo Series'' (リモートチェンジロボシリーズ). These featured super-deformed versions of a Nissan Fairlady Z, Toyota Land Cruiser, and Porsche 911 - respectively named into "Fairlady & Robo", "Lancru & Robo", and "Porsche & Robo" - that'd transform from their alternate modes and back with the push of two buttons on a small controller that was attached to the toys with a cord. They were re-released in multiple countries across the world, including in the U.S. by Village Toys as the ''Convert-A-Bots'' "Pow-R-Bots" (a toyline that, interestingly, would also feature a licensed pre-Transformers version of [[Shockwave (G1)/toys#Notes\|Shockwave]]), and eventually; arrived to Brazil through [[Estrela]] as the 1985 [[Eletrix]] figures in their regional version of [[The Transformers (toyline)\|''The Transformers'']].		Sometime during the early 80s, parallel to the then-emerging Japanese trend of robots that transform into realistic vehicles with [[Takatoku Toys\|Takatoku]]'s ''[[Macross]]'' and [[Takara]]'s [[Diaclone]] ''Car Robot'' and ''[[Micro Change]]'' toys, Yonezawa released their remote-controlled, battery-operated series of transforming toy cars with the ''Remote Change Robo Series'' (リモートチェンジロボシリーズ). These featured super-deformed versions of a Nissan Fairlady Z, Toyota Land Cruiser, and Porsche 911 - respectively named into "Fairlady & Robo", "Lancru & Robo", and "Porsche & Robo" - that'd transform from their alternate modes and back with the push of two buttons on a small controller that was attached to the toys with a cord. They were re-released in multiple countries across the world, including in the U.S. by Village Toys as the ''Convert-A-Bots'' "Pow-R-Bots" (a toyline that, interestingly, would also feature a licensed pre-Transformers version of [[Shockwave (G1)/toys#Notes\|Shockwave]]), and eventually; arrived to Brazil through [[Estrela]] as the 1985 [[Eletrix]] figures in their regional version of [[The Transformers (toyline)\|''The Transformers'']].


	==Yonezawa moulds released as ''Transformers''==		==Yonezawa moulds released as ''Transformers''==

FortressMaxxing: /* Overview */

2025-05-10T20:20:12Z

Overview

← Older revision		Revision as of 20:20, 10 May 2025
Line 8:		Line 8:
	Yonezawa was founded in the 1950s, arising out of the ashes of a Japanese economy devastated by the Second World War. They quickly established themselves with a major presence in the then-emerging Japanese toy market, being one of the first manufacturers to pioneer electronic and [[Wikipedia:Radio-controlled model\|radio-controlled]] toys. Eventually, a lot of their products would get exported globally, both through other distributors and their own international '''Yonezawa Corporation''' brand.		Yonezawa was founded in the 1950s, arising out of the ashes of a Japanese economy devastated by the Second World War. They quickly established themselves with a major presence in the then-emerging Japanese toy market, being one of the first manufacturers to pioneer electronic and [[Wikipedia:Radio-controlled model\|radio-controlled]] toys. Eventually, a lot of their products would get exported globally, both through other distributors and their own international '''Yonezawa Corporation''' brand.

	One specific genre of toy that Yonezawa was famous for were their battery-operated tin robots, featuring all sorts of functions like walking or hip rotations. Among these was a robot called "Space Explorer", released in red and black decos, which had as its main gimmick the ability to automatically 'fold' from a robot into a box roughly approximating the apperance of a TV set... And was likely first released in 1959 <ref>There are multiple conflicting presumed dates for the release of Yonezawa's Space Explorer, ranging from ~~1959~~ to somewhere in the late 1960s - nonetheless; 1959 seems to be the most commonly-cited date on auction and antique websites. Notably, his "first-transforming-toy-robot" status would still remain even if the later dates are correct, as the next second-oldest known instance of a transforming robot toy is Popy's ''Raideen'' all the way in 1975 - so, Yonezawa was very early to the genre!</ref>, before any other toy robot with a similar functionality is known to exist. This means that yes, it is generally agreed that Yonezawa pretty much invented the very first transforming robot toy!		One specific genre of toy that Yonezawa was famous for were their battery-operated tin robots, featuring all sorts of functions like walking or hip rotations. Among these was a robot called "Space Explorer", released in red and black decos, which had as its main gimmick the ability to automatically 'fold' from a robot into a box roughly approximating the apperance of a TV set... And was likely first released in 1959 <ref>There are multiple conflicting presumed dates for the release of Yonezawa's Space Explorer, ranging from 1956 to somewhere in the late 1960s - nonetheless; 1959 seems to be the most commonly-cited date on auction and antique websites. Notably, his "first-transforming-toy-robot" status would still remain even if the later dates are correct, as the next second-oldest known instance of a transforming robot toy is Popy's ''Raideen'' all the way in 1975 - so, Yonezawa was very early to the genre!</ref>, before any other toy robot with a similar functionality is known to exist. This means that yes, it is generally agreed that Yonezawa pretty much invented the very first transforming robot toy!

	Sometime during the early 80s, parallel to the then-emerging Japanese trend of robots that transform into realistic vehicles with [[Takatoku Toys\|Takatoku]]'s ''[[Macross]]'' and [[Takara]]'s [[Diaclone]] ''Car Robot'' and ''[[Micro Change]]'' toys, Yonezawa released their remote-controlled, battery-operated series of transforming toy cars with the ''Remote Change Robo Series'' (リモートチェンジロボシリーズ). These featured super-deformed versions of a Nissan Fairlady Z, Toyota Land Cruiser, and Porsche 911 - respectively named into "Fairlady & Robo", "Lancru & Robo", and "Porsche & Robo" - that'd transform from their alternate modes and back with the push of two buttons on a small controller that was attached to the toys with a cord. They were re-released in multiple countries across the world, including in the U.S. by Village Toys as the ''Convert-A-Bots'' "Pow-R-Bots" (a toyline that, interestingly, would also feature a licensed pre-Transformers version of [[Shockwave (G1)/toys#Notes\|Shockwave]]), and eventually; arrived to Brazil through [[Estrela]] as the 1985 [[Eletrix]] figures in their regional version of [[The Transformers (toyline)\|''The Transformers'']].		Sometime during the early 80s, parallel to the then-emerging Japanese trend of robots that transform into realistic vehicles with [[Takatoku Toys\|Takatoku]]'s ''[[Macross]]'' and [[Takara]]'s [[Diaclone]] ''Car Robot'' and ''[[Micro Change]]'' toys, Yonezawa released their remote-controlled, battery-operated series of transforming toy cars with the ''Remote Change Robo Series'' (リモートチェンジロボシリーズ). These featured super-deformed versions of a Nissan Fairlady Z, Toyota Land Cruiser, and Porsche 911 - respectively named into "Fairlady & Robo", "Lancru & Robo", and "Porsche & Robo" - that'd transform from their alternate modes and back with the push of two buttons on a small controller that was attached to the toys with a cord. They were re-released in multiple countries across the world, including in the U.S. by Village Toys as the ''Convert-A-Bots'' "Pow-R-Bots" (a toyline that, interestingly, would also feature a licensed pre-Transformers version of [[Shockwave (G1)/toys#Notes\|Shockwave]]), and eventually; arrived to Brazil through [[Estrela]] as the 1985 [[Eletrix]] figures in their regional version of [[The Transformers (toyline)\|''The Transformers'']].

FortressMaxxing: /* Overview */

2025-05-03T11:29:22Z

Overview

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:29, 3 May 2025
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	One specific genre of toy that Yonezawa was famous for were their battery-operated tin robots, featuring all sorts of functions like walking or hip rotations. Among these was a robot called "Space Explorer", released in red and black decos, which had as its main gimmick the ability to automatically 'fold' from a robot into a box roughly approximating the apperance of a TV set... And was likely first released in 1959 <ref>There are multiple conflicting presumed dates for the release of Yonezawa's Space Explorer, ranging from 1959 to somewhere in the late 1960s - nonetheless; 1959 seems to be the most commonly-cited date on auction and antique websites. Notably, his "first-transforming-toy-robot" status would still remain even if the later dates are correct, as the next second-oldest known instance of a transforming robot toy is Popy's ''Raideen'' all the way in 1975 - so, Yonezawa was very early to the genre!</ref>, before any other toy robot with a similar functionality is known to exist. This means that yes, it is generally agreed that Yonezawa pretty much invented the very first transforming robot toy!		One specific genre of toy that Yonezawa was famous for were their battery-operated tin robots, featuring all sorts of functions like walking or hip rotations. Among these was a robot called "Space Explorer", released in red and black decos, which had as its main gimmick the ability to automatically 'fold' from a robot into a box roughly approximating the apperance of a TV set... And was likely first released in 1959 <ref>There are multiple conflicting presumed dates for the release of Yonezawa's Space Explorer, ranging from 1959 to somewhere in the late 1960s - nonetheless; 1959 seems to be the most commonly-cited date on auction and antique websites. Notably, his "first-transforming-toy-robot" status would still remain even if the later dates are correct, as the next second-oldest known instance of a transforming robot toy is Popy's ''Raideen'' all the way in 1975 - so, Yonezawa was very early to the genre!</ref>, before any other toy robot with a similar functionality is known to exist. This means that yes, it is generally agreed that Yonezawa pretty much invented the very first transforming robot toy!

	Sometime during the early 80s, parallel to the then-emerging Japanese trend of robots that transform into realistic vehicles with [[Takatoku Toys\|Takatoku]]'s ''[[Macross]]'' and [[Takara]]'s [[Diaclone]] ''Car Robot'' and ''[[Micro Change]]'' toys, Yonezawa released their remote-controlled, battery-operated series of transforming toy cars with the ''Remote Change Robo Series'' (リモートチェンジロボシリーズ). These featured super-deformed versions of a Nissan Fairlady Z, Toyota Land Cruiser, and Porsche 911 - respectively named into "Fairlady & Robo", "Lancru & Robo", and "Porsche & Robo" - that'd transform from their alternate modes and back with the push of two buttons on a small controller that was attached to the toys with a cord. They were re-released in multiple countries across the world, including in the U.S. by Village Toys as the ''Convert-A-Bots'' "Pow-R-Bots" (a toyline that, interestingly, would also feature a pre-Transformers version of [[Shockwave (G1)/toys#Notes\|Shockwave]]), and eventually; arrived to Brazil through [[Estrela]] as the 1985 [[Eletrix]] figures in their regional version of [[The Transformers (toyline)\|''The Transformers'']].		Sometime during the early 80s, parallel to the then-emerging Japanese trend of robots that transform into realistic vehicles with [[Takatoku Toys\|Takatoku]]'s ''[[Macross]]'' and [[Takara]]'s [[Diaclone]] ''Car Robot'' and ''[[Micro Change]]'' toys, Yonezawa released their remote-controlled, battery-operated series of transforming toy cars with the ''Remote Change Robo Series'' (リモートチェンジロボシリーズ). These featured super-deformed versions of a Nissan Fairlady Z, Toyota Land Cruiser, and Porsche 911 - respectively named into "Fairlady & Robo", "Lancru & Robo", and "Porsche & Robo" - that'd transform from their alternate modes and back with the push of two buttons on a small controller that was attached to the toys with a cord. They were re-released in multiple countries across the world, including in the U.S. by Village Toys as the ''Convert-A-Bots'' "Pow-R-Bots" (a toyline that, interestingly, would also feature a licensed pre-Transformers version of [[Shockwave (G1)/toys#Notes\|Shockwave]]), and eventually; arrived to Brazil through [[Estrela]] as the 1985 [[Eletrix]] figures in their regional version of [[The Transformers (toyline)\|''The Transformers'']].

	==Yonezawa moulds released as ''Transformers''==		==Yonezawa moulds released as ''Transformers''==

FortressMaxxing: /* Overview */

2025-05-01T18:38:56Z

Overview

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:38, 1 May 2025
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	One specific genre of toy that Yonezawa was famous for were their battery-operated tin robots, featuring all sorts of functions like walking or hip rotations. Among these was a robot called "Space Explorer", released in red and black decos, which had as its main gimmick the ability to automatically 'fold' from a robot into a box roughly approximating the apperance of a TV set... And was likely first released in 1959 <ref>There are multiple conflicting presumed dates for the release of Yonezawa's Space Explorer, ranging from 1959 to somewhere in the late 1960s - nonetheless; 1959 seems to be the most commonly-cited date on auction and antique websites. Notably, his "first-transforming-toy-robot" status would still remain even if the later dates are correct, as the next second-oldest known instance of a transforming robot toy is Popy's ''Raideen'' all the way in 1975 - so, Yonezawa was very early to the genre!</ref>, before any other toy robot with a similar functionality is known to exist. This means that yes, it is generally agreed that Yonezawa pretty much invented the very first transforming robot toy!		One specific genre of toy that Yonezawa was famous for were their battery-operated tin robots, featuring all sorts of functions like walking or hip rotations. Among these was a robot called "Space Explorer", released in red and black decos, which had as its main gimmick the ability to automatically 'fold' from a robot into a box roughly approximating the apperance of a TV set... And was likely first released in 1959 <ref>There are multiple conflicting presumed dates for the release of Yonezawa's Space Explorer, ranging from 1959 to somewhere in the late 1960s - nonetheless; 1959 seems to be the most commonly-cited date on auction and antique websites. Notably, his "first-transforming-toy-robot" status would still remain even if the later dates are correct, as the next second-oldest known instance of a transforming robot toy is Popy's ''Raideen'' all the way in 1975 - so, Yonezawa was very early to the genre!</ref>, before any other toy robot with a similar functionality is known to exist. This means that yes, it is generally agreed that Yonezawa pretty much invented the very first transforming robot toy!

	Sometime during the early 80s, parallel to the then-emerging Japanese trend of robots that transform into realistic vehicles with [[Takatoku Toys\|Takatoku]]'s ''[[Macross]]'' and [[Takara]]'s [[Diaclone]] ''Car Robot'' and ''[[Micro Change]]'' toys, Yonezawa released their remote-controlled, battery-operated series of transforming toy cars with the ''Remote Change Robo Series'' (リモートチェンジロボシリーズ). These featured super-deformed versions of a Nissan Fairlady Z, Toyota Land Cruiser, and Porsche 911 - respectively named into "Fairlady & Robo", "Lancru & Robo", and "Porsche & Robo" - that'd transform from their alternate modes and back with the push of two buttons on a small controller that was attached to the toys with a cord. They were re-released in multiple countries across the world, including in the U.S. by Village Toys as the ''Convert-A-Bots'' "Pow-R-Bots", and eventually; arrived to Brazil through [[Estrela]] as the 1985 [[Eletrix]] figures in their regional version of [[The Transformers (toyline)\|''The Transformers'']].		Sometime during the early 80s, parallel to the then-emerging Japanese trend of robots that transform into realistic vehicles with [[Takatoku Toys\|Takatoku]]'s ''[[Macross]]'' and [[Takara]]'s [[Diaclone]] ''Car Robot'' and ''[[Micro Change]]'' toys, Yonezawa released their remote-controlled, battery-operated series of transforming toy cars with the ''Remote Change Robo Series'' (リモートチェンジロボシリーズ). These featured super-deformed versions of a Nissan Fairlady Z, Toyota Land Cruiser, and Porsche 911 - respectively named into "Fairlady & Robo", "Lancru & Robo", and "Porsche & Robo" - that'd transform from their alternate modes and back with the push of two buttons on a small controller that was attached to the toys with a cord. They were re-released in multiple countries across the world, including in the U.S. by Village Toys as the ''Convert-A-Bots'' "Pow-R-Bots" (a toyline that, interestingly, would also feature a pre-Transformers version of [[Shockwave (G1)/toys#Notes\|Shockwave]]), and eventually; arrived to Brazil through [[Estrela]] as the 1985 [[Eletrix]] figures in their regional version of [[The Transformers (toyline)\|''The Transformers'']].



	==Yonezawa moulds released as ''Transformers''==		==Yonezawa moulds released as ''Transformers''==

FortressMaxxing at 23:24, 28 April 2025

2025-04-28T23:24:36Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 23:24, 28 April 2025
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	==Notes==		==Notes==
	* Beyond the ''Remote Change Robo Series'', Yonezawa manufactured a handful of other transforming 'bots during this time which have a slight bit of interaction with other pre-Transformers toys. These included "Jet & Robo", a battery-operated robot that auto-transforms into a jet (which has a pretty similar head to [[Omega Supreme (G1)\|Omega Supreme]], leading to the yet unsolved question of who exactly plagiarized who!); "Daijim", a manually-transforming toy with a walking motion that converts into an offroad truck, and "Safari Robo", a manually-transforming toy that surprisingly lacks any battery-operated functions and also transforms into an offroad truck. All of these would be featured in the British pre-Transformers Grandstand ''[[Pre-Transformers#Licensed international releases of pre-Transformers\|Convertors]]'' toyline - releasing alongside an early Omega Supreme and multiple Diaclone figures - with Jet & Robo earning the name of "Deltatron" and, keeping in line with the Greek alphabet motif, Daijim and Safari Robo earning the names of... "Betatron" and "Sigmatron". No, this is not a joke <ref>[~~Grandstand ''Convertors'' catalogue~~ https://retromash.com/2015/03/11/anyone-recognise-these-grandstand-convertors-in-this-a1-poster/] at Retromash.com</ref>, and no, no one will get why it's funny in any decade past the 2020s, so cherish this moment.		* Beyond the ''Remote Change Robo Series'', Yonezawa manufactured a handful of other transforming 'bots during this time which have a slight bit of interaction with other pre-Transformers toys. These included "Jet & Robo", a battery-operated robot that auto-transforms into a jet (which has a pretty similar head to [[Omega Supreme (G1)\|Omega Supreme]], leading to the yet unsolved question of who exactly plagiarized who!); "Daijim", a manually-transforming toy with a walking motion that converts into an offroad truck, and "Safari Robo", a manually-transforming toy that surprisingly lacks any battery-operated functions and also transforms into an offroad truck. All of these would be featured in the British pre-Transformers Grandstand ''[[Pre-Transformers#Licensed international releases of pre-Transformers\|Convertors]]'' toyline - releasing alongside an early Omega Supreme and multiple Diaclone figures - with Jet & Robo earning the name of "Deltatron" and, keeping in line with the Greek alphabet motif, Daijim and Safari Robo earning the names of... "Betatron" and "Sigmatron". No, this is not a joke <ref>[https://retromash.com/2015/03/11/anyone-recognise-these-grandstand-convertors-in-this-a1-poster/ Grandstand ''Convertors'' catalogue] at Retromash.com</ref>, and no, no one will get why it's funny in any decade past the 2020s, so cherish this moment.

	==See also==		==See also==