LSA stands for Land Sea Air, but we know it as a bootleg of the Deluxe Voltron 1 or Dairugger XV

Perhaps one of the longest running bootleg toys around.

The DX Dairugger XV by Popy was a great toy, and one of my all time favorites. It is a remarkable toy in terms of engineering.

In 1984 Matchbox got the rights to the DX Dairugger XV and branded it the Deluxe Voltron Warrior Set. The early runs of the toy were the same as the Popy toy, just repackaged. Later runs would have different copyright information, so at some point in 1984 the molds were re-tooled. The Deluxe Voltron Warrior set had its run at retail, and then vanished from the shelves in the USA.

In 2000, something funny happened. Bootlegs of the Dairugger XV appeared in discount stores and flea markets across the country, labeled as LSA Combo. The LSA stands for Land, Sea Air. The toy is a sharp reproduction of the original toy. It came in a large box with an old-school handle. What was really great about this toy was the fact that it came with Dairugger XV’s sword, something the Matchbox version never had. Now US fans had a cheap way to get the sword for their Voltron 1.

The toy combines from 15 vehicles into the combined robot, in addition to the three teams. Construction is sharp and professional. The friction motors have been removed, the rubber tires changed to plastic, and some paint detail has been changed to stickers. Obviously, the entire color scheme has been changed, but it is done so well.

But wait, it gets weirder. This set actually appeared in Toys R Us in the mid 00’s, albeit under a different name. I wonder how they got around that? These bootleg still appear today on ebay, making a version of this toy in production in one form or another for almost 25 years.

This bootleg is worth getting, if only for the sword for your legit Voltron. Oh, you can also use the fists to replace any broken fists on your original.

It seems there is no place I won’t go in my quest to get as many toys of Voltron 1 as I possibly can. Each time I make a purchase I am amazed at the depths to which I have sunk.

In this case, I managed to track down on of the few American exclusive Voltron 1 toys made by LJN. This one is called the Computer Control Vehicle Force Voltron. He stands about 11” tall, and is actually a pretty nice representation of the character. The arms move, but that’s about it. He comes with a sword, but I unfortunately do not have mine.

The Computer Control Voltron has a control panel on the back, on which you can program a series of moves. For example, if you press the up button 3 times and then press GO, Voltron will move ahead three cycles. He is battery operated, and the battery compartments are under the feet.

The toy comes in a giant window box that is almost never seen intact.

LJN also made a Lion Force version with the same Computer Controls.

I kind of dig this toy, largely because of the character. I’m sick, I know…..
:

You may know him as Vehicle Voltron, or by his original Japanese name, Dairugger XV!

This has to be one of my all time favorite toys. The Deluxe Voltron 1 Warrior set. I’ve been obsessed by this character since I was a little kid.

When I was about to turn 12, I asked my parents for a voltron. I probably should have been specific and said the “LION” voltron, but I didn’t. My birthday came and I got the deluxe Vehicle Voltron. I was so let down. I really wanted the Lion Voltron. But when life hands you lemons, you make lemonade. I got into the Vehicle Voltron eventually. Its interesting combination and huge size established the precedent of what I like about toys today.

Me and my Voltron, 1985

The story of this toy is a bit complicated...

The original Character comes from the 1982 Japanese Animated series Armored Fleet Dairugger XV (機甲艦隊 ダイラガーXV - Kikō Kantai Dairagā XV). Produced by Toei, the series ran for 52 episodes and ran until 1983. The premise of the show was that Dairugger XV was a space exploration team. The individual Dairugger ships could combine their 15 vehicles into 3 individual teams, or combine into one larger robot.

The show was popular enough for Popy to make a few toys for it. Along with the standard and DX chogokin toys, Popy planned a larger, diecast, combining version, to be in the same line as the SG-01 Chokinzoku ("Super Metal") Tetsujun 28. The toy was designed by Katsushi Murakami (who also designed the SG-01) but the expense of the SG-01 caused the line to be cancelled. Popy decided to move forward with the toy, but in plastic instead of metal. This toy was called the Deluxe Kikougattai KikouKantai Dairugger XV. For a more in-depth look at why the SG-01 was the last of its kind, check out this great translation of an article from the Chogokin Chronicle by Matt Alt.

The original Popy versions were sold as a boxed set, or as three sets of 5.

In 1983, an American company called World Events Productions was looking for Japanese shows to import and translate for American audiences. Golion, Albegas and Dairugger XV were chosen. (Another show, Daltanious, was considered, but never got aired.) These shows would become known as Voltron, although Voltron II was never aired.

Matchbox got the rights to produce toys for Voltron, and decided to use the Japanese toys as a base for their American products. Where the DX Golion toy had to be heavily modified to meet US safety standards, the large Dairugger did not. In fact, all that was changed between the US and Japanese versions were the omission of a sword, stickers, and three small antennae. The very first versions of the Deluxe Voltron Warrior robot still has all the Japanese copyright info on the backs of the vehicles (Later versions do not).

Second Release (english) First Release (Japanese)

The Deluxe Voltron Warrior also had two different kinds of packaging. The first version had an opening cover that revealed a die-cut window, while later versions just had a solid box.

UK version 1 box

US version 2 box

Leftover vehicles were also sold individually bagged in discount houses.

Bagged Voltron part

The Toy

The Deluxe Voltron Warrior set is comprised of 15 Individual vehicles that can combine three teams, or the full deluxe robot.

Air Team (クウラガー Kurugger)

• Command Jet Explorer (ラガー1 - Rugger 1)
• Strato Weapons Module (ラガー2 - Rugger 2)
• Advanced Recon Helicopter (ラガー3 - Rugger 3)
• Advanced Recon Helicopter (ラガー4 - Rugger 4)
• Fighter Plane (ラガー5 - Rugger 5)

Air Team

Sea Team (カイラガー Kairugger)

• Communications Module (ラガー6 - Rugger 6)
• Space Prober (ラガー7 - Rugger 7)
• Space Prober (ラガー8 - Rugger 8)
• Multi Wheeled Explorer (ラガー9 - Rugger 9)
• Multi Wheeled Explorer (ラガー10 - Rugger 10)

Sea Team

Land Team (リックラガー Rickrugger)

• Armored Equipment Carrier (ラガー11- Rugger 11)
• Rotating Personnel Carrier (ラガー12 - Rugger 12)
• Jet Radar Station (ラガー13 - Rugger 13)
• All Terrain Space Vehicle (ラガー14 - Rugger 14)
• All Terrain Space Vehicle (ラガー15 - Rugger 15)

Land Team

All of the vehicles are plastic. There is no metal in this toy, unless you count axles, springs and screws. The tires on the vehicles are rubber, and on the smaller vehicles are often dried out and cracked, if not gone altogether.

	Command Jet Explorer is a small jet that becomes the head of Voltron. The doors on the top open up to reveal the face. There are four rubber wheels on the bottom, two of which have a friction motor. This piece is commonly found with missing tires and broken fins.
	The Strato Weapons Module becomes the upper chest of Voltron. It looks simple but it serves many functions. The wheeled base can rotate 90 degrees to allow it to roll when combined with the rest of the Air Team. As a stand alone vehicle, it features two silver blocks that fold out, apparently some kind of weapon. It looks as if missiles should go in these blocks, but no version ever had firing missiles. One of the red bands also rises up, just for aesthetics. The red button in the center acts as a release button for the head and middle torso pieces when combined.
	The Advanced Recon Helicopters feature rotating silver blades and rubber tires. The blades are commonly broken off at the center, and the small rubber tires are often cracked or missing. These units do not have friction motors
	The Fighter Plane features 2 small white clips that fold out to attach to the chest of Voltron. This ship has rear friction wheels as well. The red ship is commonly found with portions of the wing broken off
	The Communications Module forms the mid-torso of Voltron, and also forms the middle of the Sea Team. It has no action features other than rubber wheels. In the Japanese version of the toy, the Communications Module (or Rugger-6) has a tall chrome antenna. This was flattened to a chrome panel and permanently attached in the US version. It is made of the fragile blue Popy plastic, and is often broken at the connection points.
	The Space Probers form the upper legs of Voltron, and are also the tips of the Sea Team. One features a Red front, the other Blue. These feature wheels on the bottom as well.
	The Multi Wheeled Explorers form the lower legs of Voltron, as well as the rear sections of the Sea Team. They both feature a white cube section that slides out to accommodate the tabs from the Communications Module. These vehicles feature friction motors in the rear as well. The Japanese release included a chrome tower on each vehicle. These have been omitted for the US release, but the holes for the towers are still visible. These vehicles tend to take the most beatings, and are often in the worst shape. First, the wheels are often broken off, and secondly, the tabs that connect this unit to the upper legs often snap off, or lose their ability to grab to the parts. There is a lot of weight on these joints, so it is not surprising.
	The Armored Equipment Carrier forms the lower torso of the Voltron Robot. The center part pushes in and reveals two tabs on the other side that the legs connect to. To retract those tabs, you need to open the silver door on the top and move the yellow switch. This switch is nearly impossible to move without some kind of instrument.
	The Rotating Personnel Carrier (red) and Jet Radar Station (blue) become the hands of Voltron. Each features a firing fist, and friction rear wheels. The rubber tires are often cracked of missing altogether. The fists are often missing due to the fragile tab that locks them into place. It’s a good idea to remove these fists for long-term storage.
	The All Terrain Space Vehicles become the feet of Voltron. Each vehicle features friction wheels and small, chrome supporting wheels to keep Voltron from falling over in robot mode. These are probably the most durable vehicles in the set.

Voltron is not a sturdy toy. The plastic can be brittle, and the connection points wear out easily. The fists break, the tires dry up. The toy just doesn’t age well. It just wasn’t able to stand the punishment a young child was going to put it through. Finding a unused mint one is a rare find, and although parts are plentiful on ebay, piecing one together from loose bits is next to impossible.

There have been many bootleg versions of this toy out there, some produced as recently as 2004. There was a version sold at Toys R Us that was very high quality, and even included a sword (something the US release did not). It’s worth getting just to have the sword. You could also get fists from this toy as well.

Voltron 1 with Bootleg Sword

Despite all its flaws, I really love this toy. Part of it is sentimental, but part of it is that it is so damn aesthetically pleasing. It’s a big chunky robot toy that shoots fists and transforms.

On a personal note, It was this toy that began me on my path of rooting for the underdog so to speak. NOBODY liked Vehicle Voltron, including me. He was always second best. But I really identified with it and that concept at a young age. Since then I have always been drawn to the things that are unpopular or uncool. It’s part of my nature that I can trace back to this toy.

My original Voltron 1 from 1985, as he looks today

Random Notes about Voltron 1

• On the US version of the box, the three teams are the Land, Sea and Air teams. On the UK box, the teams are called Turbo Terrain Fighter, Aqua Fighter and Strato Fighter. Adding to the confusion, the three box sets refer to them as Space Warrior, Land Warrior and Air Warrior.
• Also, the UK box uses the English spelling of “Armoured”
• The US version is called Voltron 1 Deluxe Warrior Set, where the UK version is called Vehicle Team Voltron.
• The US box incorrectly states that the toy is made of “Durable Metal Die Cast Parts”. There is no Die Cast metal on the toy.
• The photos of the toys on the back of the box are all of the Japanese Versions of the toys.
• The quote on the front of the US box says “Includes All Parts To Make the Towering and Terrifying Voltron 1 With Heroic Human Face for Hours of Endless Play!”
• The illustration on the box has the fists on the wrong sides

In Japan, Voltron II is known as Kosoku Denjin Albegas. It is often translated as Arbegas, Abegas, Albegus and Arbegus.

Voltron II or Gladiator was meant to be the second TV series to go along with Voltron I (Dairugger XV) and Voltron III (Golion). For some reason, the show never aired, but Matchbox licensed the toys and put them out anyway.

In Japan, Voltron II is known as Kosoku Denjin Albegas. It is often translated as Arbegas, Abegas, Albegus and Arbegus.

In 1983, Popy released the DX Chogokin Kosoku Denjin Albegas Denjinbox. It featured three individual chogokin robots that could be transformed into 6 “official” modes. The robots were Alpha Robo (Black), Beta Robo (Blue) and Gamma Robo (Red).

Alpha

Beta

Gamma

Each figure featured a sword and firing fists. The six modes are:

• Denjin Dimension (Alpha > Beta > Gamma)
• Space Dimension (Alpha > Gamma > Beta)
• Magma Dimension (Beta > Gamma > Alpha)
• Sky Dimension (Beta > Alpha > Gamma)
• Marine Dimension (Gamma > Alpha > Beta)
• Guard Dimension (Gamma > Beta > Alpha)

The Albegas Denjinbox actually comes in two versions – The first version box is horizontal and has the green, grid-like background artwork and the Popy logo. The second version is vertical a rainbow strip at the top and the Bandai logo. Popy was absorbed into Bandai during this toy’s production run. The toy originally retailed for 4,500 yen.

In 1984, when World Events Productions licensed Albegas as Voltron II, Matchbox imported the Denjinbox set for release in America. To conform to safety standards, Matchbox removed the swords and the firing fists from the release. They also split the box set up into individual robots.

At the time, the Gladiator Robot was a pretty ingenious thing. Each robot came apart and could recombine in endless combinations. Because we never saw the show, we really had no idea what was the “right” combination. I always thought the red robot was supposed to go on top as a kid.

Marine Dimension

Each robot is constructed basically the same. The legs attach at the waist via a fragile connection point. The bottom of the legs are solid metal, with a hinged foot and knee. Doors on the side open and act as a lock to hold the legs in place when they are compressed. The arms are jointed at the elbow, but have a small bump in them that prevents them from bending backwards. A yellow button on the shoulders releases the arms so that they can swing backwards for the combination. The shoulders slide out from the metal chest area and a grey hinge allows you to compress the torso into the chest, and then the shoulders push back in to lock it all in place.

Hinge Assembly

As a kid, I remember getting one of the three Gladiator robots – I think it was the blue one, but my memory is hazy. I remember the toy practically disintegrating after a short period of play. As cool as the concept was, these toys were really fragile. The connection joints where the legs attach to the body are pretty flimsy on their own, but add in Popy’s trademark fragile blue plastic, and you have a recipe for disaster. To this day, finding an unbroken set is a rarity. Other common problems were fists breaking off (they were just glued in), and slouching. Over time the middle plastic on the robots cannot support the heavy weight of the metal chest, and the robots “slouch”.

I have always had a soft spot for this toy, largely because as a kid I never had all three robots, and was never able to see the 3 robot combination. As an adult collector, I love the looks of this toy, and its endless play value. It really is a shame that it is so fragile.

The art on the Matchbox package shows the Gladiator with his hands out, but the Albegas robot always had only one set of hands visible at a time.

Terebi-kun ad from July 1983 for the Popy DX Chogokin Albegas Denjinbox

I’m gonna cut right to it – the Masterpiece Voltron is awesome.

I know what you are saying. You don’t believe it. But it is true. This thing is pure deluxe chogokin all the way. This thing is great, and I will tell you why.

I’m gonna cut right to it – the Masterpiece Voltron is awesome.

I know what you are saying. You don’t believe it. But it is true. This thing is pure deluxe chogokin all the way. This thing is great, and I will tell you why.

PACKAGING

The Masterpiece Voltron comes in Toynami’s signature book-style packaging. The cover is textured, and it actually feels like a real book. The spine has the Voltron team on it, while the inside front talks a bit about Voltron. Two drawers slide out the side of the book, holding all the lions and accessories. The back cover holds the “certificate of authenticity”, which holds the toy’s number. This means nothing to me, but maybe there is a segment of the collecting community who appreciates this. Included is a full color manual with simple instructions.

LIONS

Each Lion comes packaged in its lion form, so we will start there. The important thing to keep in your mind while handling this toy is that this is not the popy/Bandai/trendmasters/bootleg version. It is not meant to be. I found myself looking at this toy and wondering if they included the same details, like the opening ear sections on the yellow lion. You really have to remind yourself that this is not a reissue, nor is it trying to compete with that old version.

	The yellow and blue lions form the legs. The body of each lion is entirely diecast. The legs are beautifully chromed and fully articulated. The heads are plastic, and are on ball joints, so they have a full range of articulation. The jaws open. Each tail is made of a sturdy plastic and retracts in to the body. The tails are made of a sturdy material – not at all fragile. I wish I knew what kind of plastic this is, but I think it’s the same kind of plastic used on kids’ outdoor toys. Paint and detail is top notch.
	The green and red lions become the arms. Both the front and rear bodies are entirely diecast. The heads are plastic, and have a full range of motion, with moveable jaws. The waist joint on the lions are actually jointed in three places – it swivels at both ends, and bends in the middle. The bend only bends one way though, to make for a rigid elbow joint. The tails here retract also. The chest area is made out of diecast, while the rest of the lion is plastic.
	The black lion becomes the main body of Voltron. The body is mostly diecast. The head is fully articulated, with three joints. The legs are chromed and fully poseable. The shoulders pop out a little to allow you to spread the front legs out a bit. The wings fold out from the back, and can swivel however you want to pose them. The tail folds up, and again, is made out of a rigid material.

FORM FEET AND LEGS!

Transformation here is much like the other version – fold the legs close to the body, and tilt up the heads. The tails get pushed into the body. The back end of each lion has a spring loaded door that the black lion’s feet go into.

FORM ARMS AND BODY

For the arms, fold the legs in and push the tail into the body. In the old toy, you would use the tail to connect the figure to the body. This time there is a small peg that folds out from the rear of the lion. This again, is made of that tough plastic. The peg fits into the shoulder of the black lion. You would thing that this would be a fragile connection point, but it is not, it is really secure and strong.

AND I’LL FORM THE HEAD

The black lion forms the body. First you fold out the bottom legs so that they are pointed straight down. Then, open the panels on the shoulders of the front legs and fold the legs in. Be careful with these panels, as these are the only fragile points about this toy that I can see. Rotate the shoulders around so they match up with the front, and then push them in towards the body until they click. Pull the lower jaw down to reveal the face, and push the ears down. The wings unfold and have a little angle cut out of them for them to rest against the leg assembly. The legs even have a little groove to show where they are supposed to go.  Finally, the tail folds up onto the back.

ROBOT MODE

The first thing that grabs you is how sleek this toy looks. It’s leaner than the old toy for sure, but this one looks more like what Voltron actually looked like on the show. Us hardcore collectors can get a bit caught up on the toys and forget about the character. I myself, associate Voltron with the Matchbox toy, big and bulky. My first thought upon seeing this was that it Just didn’t look right. But when you actually go back and look at the animated Voltron, this is how he is supposed to look. When you see this toy in person, the dimensions are all perfect.

In robot mode, Voltron is incredibly articulated. The head is articulated in three places, and has the ability to look straight up, or even down at you due to a recess in the neck area. The shoulders, elbows and wrists are fully articulated. There is a waist joint, but it is limited slightly – if you have the tail tucked in the back, the waist does not turn. Take that out and you have more of a range of motion, but you are still limited by the emblem on the waist.

The hip joints have full motion, but are not as strong as I would like. This is one of those toys that you put in a dynamic pose on a table, but when you pick it up in the air the legs clank together at the heels. This really isn’t a bad thing – the legs are just so heavy. I don’t know how they would have made them stronger without sacrificing the range of motion. The legs also have a swivel joint where the chrome and black meet. Knees bend fully back and forth, and are very tight. Like the old toy, make sure your lower legs are firmly attached, or they will come off. The feet are articulated, and can swivel and turn; making wider dynamic poses more convincing. Use the chrome legs on each lion to give extra support, as Voltron is a bit top-heavy.

ACCESSORIES

Voltron comes with a huge Blazing Sword and Shield. The weapons stay in place via a peg on the handles that plug into a hole in hands. This is a very nice touch. The shield has molded in details that look much better than the original. Also, the handle is long enough for both hands to hold it.

THE VERDICT

I like this toy. A lot. I know Toynami has gotten a bad rap from some people, and there have been concerns about QC. I can tell you that my toy has no QC issues whatsoever. It’s a solid, heavy, articulate chunk of modern gokin. If Toynami keeps up this line, and this quality, we will have a great series on our hands.

That does not mean that the toy is perfect. There are a few minor concerns, and a few things I wish they would have done differently. First, the small panels that hide the front legs on the black lion scare me. They seem fragile, but they have not broken. The wings seem a bit thin, and when unfolded tend to bend at the joint. I would have liked to have seen a sturdier system here, maybe having one wing section slide out of the other. There’s the previously mentioned hip joint – I wish it were a little tighter, and the last thing I think everyone would have loved – firing fists. I know, Voltron never fired his fists in the show, but I really love that feature of the old toy.

At around 150 bucks, you cannot go wrong with this toy.

This is the diecast Voltron toy released by Trendmasters in 1997. It was released as a teaser to Voltron 3D, and the new toy line that would follow it. It is amazing to think that this is actually the fifth time this toy has been issued.

This is the diecast Voltron toy released by Trendmasters in 1997. It was released as a teaser to Voltron 3D, and the new toy line that would follow it. It is amazing to think that this is actually the fifth time this toy has been issued.

It is based off of the classic Popy Golion DX toy, which was then later bootlegged as Lionbot. Bandai first brought the toy to America as part of its Godaikin line in the early 80s, and later Matchbox picked up the rights to market the toy as Voltron 3 (Or Voltron Lions).

The Popy and Bandai Golion, as well as the bootleg Lionbot all feature a full compliment of working missiles and small weapons. Both the Popy and the Bootleg version were available as box sets or in individual boxes (body, arms and legs). When they toy made it to America under the Voltron name, it had been re-tooled to conform to US safety standards and did not include any small weapons, missiles or launchers. This too, was available in either a single box, or in separate individual boxes. All of the above are known to be good quality, including the bootleg.

Then there is the Trendmasters version. This sold in one box set in 1997 for $29.99. It did include many of the small weapons omitted from the Matchbox version, but still did not have any missile firing features.

Trendmasters also released a limited number of this toy with gold accessories instead of the standard chrome. There are no special markings on the box, but you can tell by the color of the sword through the window box.

The toy retains all the diecast content of the originals - the arms and legs are solid bricks of metal. But this toy is sloppier than the others. The paint isn't as nice, and the fit is just a bit off on some of the pieces. There was one major mold change - the addition of fins to the red and green lions. It is unknown why these were added, but perhaps it was to be able tell the difference between the reissue and the originals. The paint is also a bit different as well; the yellows are pale compared to the orange-tinted original, and the green and red arms are not as vibrant.

Trendmasters also changed Voltron's face to black instead of blue. Also worth noting is that the ears on the head of my Voltron do not go down all the way. I don't know if that is a defect on all the toys or just mine.

I have heard collectors complain about this toy having loose joints, and that the lower legs do not secure properly. My toy has no connection issues, as long as you make sure that the legs are firmly attached.

This Voltron is not a terrible toy in itself; it just isn't up to par with the previous four versions. It is probably the most affordable version though, and if you want a low-cost way to add a big metal robot toy to your collection, look no further.

Voltron ruled 1984. Toys were made by Matchbox, Panosh Place and LJN, and everyone was cashing in on the craze. As with any fad, you get quality toys, and you get an assortment of junk.

In the Junk category, LJN decided to release a set of rubber combining Voltron Lions called the Voltron Lion Force Assembler. The figure came on a card, disassembled, with a sword and shield. They also released one for Voltron 1. Once assembled, the toy is roughly the same size of the ST Voltron (about 6 inches). Despite it's rubber construction, it's actually a pretty cool sculpt.

I don't have proof yet, but I have reason to believe that this is based off of a Japanese toy. I have seen a Japanese version of the Voltron Vehicle Force Assembler on a popy card, so I assume one will turn up for the Lion Force eventually.