Pick-Up (Bat-Robô)

This article is about the Bat-Robô. For the Malignus, see Pick-Up (Malignus).

Pick-Up is possibly an Autobot from the Estrela portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.

GOOOAAAL!

Pick-Up is a Bat-Robô. He goes vroom, crashes, and then becomes an invincible robot!

Toys

Transformers

File:Pick-Up Bat-Robô-Orange.jpg

File:Pick-Up Bat-Robô-Green.jpg

• Pick-Up (Bat-Robô, 1985)

Released only in Brazil by Estrela, Pick-Up transforms into a Datsun Truck. The toy features a friction-driven motor, which, as part of its gimmick, is used to trigger its transformation. After pulling it back, the truck drives forward until it hits something with its front bumper, whereupon it springs up into robot mode and then will roll back the other way as a robot.

Pick-Up was released simultaneously in orange/black and green/blue color schemes. It is unknown which, if either, is more difficult to come by.

Notes

• The Pick-Up mold was originally made in Japan. It was sold there in 1985 by a company called Fujisho (株式会社不二商) as the "Dattora Turbo" (ダットラターボ) in a toyline called Attack Change Machine Powertron (アタックチェンジマシーン パワートロン). The toy was also released in 1985 by the Ertl Company, sold in their Pow-R-Trons line in North America, the United Kingdom, and Europe. Ertl's use of the mold included the heroic Zoomer (red/black) and evil Distroid (grey/black).
• Confusingly, the 1985 advertisement for Fujisho's Powertrons shows them as already having their Ertl stickers, which are also present in their packaging stock photos. Furthermore, while a 1986 Tokyo Toy Show catalog has the Fujisho Powertrons in unique decos, all of the samples on the aftermarket retain Ertl's color schemes, stickers, and copyright stamps! As Fujisho had a large business as a toy importer (including LEGO, Fisher-Price, Märklin, and Ravensburger), it is difficult to say whether Fujisho put the Ertl stock they were already making into localized Japanese packaging, or if they actually re-imported the toys from Ertl for the Japanese market (meaning someone else in Japan was responsible for their original creation).
• It is likewise uncertain what company Estrela licensed the Bat-Robô molds from, as the only copyright stamps on them are for Estrela itself (which state the toys were physically made in Brazil). In any event, the color schemes Estrela used appear to be unique to South America.
• Due to the lack of faction symbols on the toy or packaging, it is not explicit what faction Pick-Up fights for. However, the toy does use Hasbro's Autobot style packaging, so we're going to default to Autobot.
• Thanks to Estrela's habit of re-using names and only giving bios to about half their products, it's unclear just who this Pick-Up is. We're treating him as his own character, but it's possible he's a new version of Gears, who was named "Pick-Up" in Brazil. It's similarly unclear what relation either of these Pick-Ups have with the evil Malignus Pick-Up. Fun!

External links

• Bat-Robôs at Super Toy Archive