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.

This toy really is crap, but due to my Dairugger illness, I had no choice but to buy it.

This toy really is crap, but due to my Dairugger illness, I had no choice but to buy it. It’s actually a pretty interesting piece.

The Diecast 12 in 1 Space Fighter is of course a knockoff of Dairugger XV, aka Voltron 1. The thing is, I don’t recognize which toy it is a bootleg of. My guess is it is some obscure model kit or candy toy, but I can’t be sure. The instructions on the back are that of an unassembled model kit

The toy comes unassembled in a tray, with a set of foil stickers. Interestingly, the sticker sheet has stickers for both Dairugger and Golion.

The assembled toy is very floppy. It is a very cheap bootleg, and it shows. There is still flash left on some of the parts. The toy can also be transformed into its teams – land sear and air.

The one saving grace of this toy is the diecast chest. I guess this technically makes this a gokin, but it is a stretch.

This is purely for the diehards. Buy it if you have just plain run out of things to collect.

What you are looking at is a thing of legend. A toy so rare that I have only ever seen three in all my years of collecting. This is a fully combining ST Dairugger XV (aka Voltron 1).

What you are looking at is a thing of legend. A toy so rare that I have only ever seen three in all my years of collecting. This is a fully combining ST Dairugger XV (aka Voltron 1).

Now, I know what you are saying, They made not one but TWO combining Dairugger XV toys. Popy made a Deluxe Chogokin (GB-72), a large plastic combiner, and a small, non transforming Chogokin (GB-73). What you are looking at here is a bootleg of the GB-73, only unlike the original, this toy actually separates into 15 separate vehicles! Amazing!

I first learned of this toy at the 2003 Summit, when Mark Gradwell brought up his version of the toy. His was packaged in black packaging. I begged and pleaded with Mark, "Please Please sell me this toy! I will give up my first born for it!". But Mark would not budge. Apparently he had some kind of "Sentimental" attachment to it or something.

Years went by, and I had never seen another until I got a chance to look at Mark's toy again at the 2006 summit. Again, I pleaded. Again, I was denied. However a few months later, Mark sent me an email alerting me to an auction with another bootleg Dairugger XV. This one was loose, and missing a few parts, but I jumped on it instantly.

Almost immediately after I received the package, I saw that a Robot-Japan user was selling another bootleg Dairugger XV, this time in different packaging than the one Mark had. The deal was done, and now I have not only one, but TWO bootleg combining Dairugger XV toys.

The name on the box says United Fleet of the Armed Forces, but we all know it is Dairugger / Voltron. Each of the 15 parts rests in a separate spot in the styrofoam tray. The box front has an image of the large plastic DX Dairugger on it, with a few windows cut out to see the parts. The back has instructions on it, but the instructions are also for the DX Plastic Dairugger.

The toy can be assembled into the three teams in addition to the full robot.

In it's combined form, the bootleg is almost the same height as the real ST Dairugger. While some parts are based off of the Popy toy, most of the toy is made of entirely new molds. The bootleg is mostly plastic, but the entire leg assemblies are metal.

Matchbox (left) and Bootleg (right)

The fists fire just like the ST Chogokin, and this version even includes a sword!

When I was younger, I had the small Matchbox Voltron 1, and I always wished there was a version that transformed like it did in the show. Never in my wildest dreams would I imagine I would actually own one. It really is one of the most cherished pieces in my collection.

Good luck finding one.

Your eyes are not deceiving you. It's a combining rubber Dairugger XV (aka voltron 1). Bandai released this series of capsule toys in 1982.

There were 8 sets released in all. 7 of the sets came with a small pilot, catalog and 2 or 3 vehicles. The 8th set was a miniature combining yellow Dairugger XV.

All the little erasers could combine to form the towering Dairugger XV, or each of its component Land, Sea and Air teams (Rickrugger, Kurugger and Kairugger).

It is interesting to note that this toy is different than the Voltron Assembler, the US released rubber combining Voltron.

The Dairuger XV Pla-Dela (or Puradera) toy is one of the rarer toys of this character. It's about 10" tall, and made out of plastic. This toy does not separate into its individual vehicles, although the feet and chest ship are removable.

The toy comes with 2 red propellers, 2 silver propellers, two sets of fists and a sword. Both propellers and fists fire.

Puradera translates to "Pla-Deluxe" (plastic deluxe), a cheaper line of robot for the Japanese market. The line is designed to provide an affordable alternative to Japanese consumers.

Rumors of a Dairugger XV Jumbo Machinder toy have been around for a number of years now, but never has any evidence surfaced that such a toy was produced. What HAS recently come to light though is the existence of this junior machinder-sized bootleg. Checking in at 13.5" tall and 9" across, this toy is made out of polyethelyne and came molded in 9 different colors. Silver highlights have been painted on rather sloppily throughout the toy, which is very cheaply made and extremely lightweight (weighing in at exactly 1/2 of a pound.)

Dairugger has several points of articulation. The arms raise and lower, the legs and feet both turn and the head swivels. The fan blades on the shoulders also can rotate. Although the toy is pretty garish to look at in whole, I think it is these fan-blades with are the worst part. They are, simply put, too big. Even if Dairugger had jointed elbows, he would not be able to move his lower arms without bumping into the blades. Also the blades scrape against the wings on the plane on the chest.

Other than that it exists, nothing is really known about this toy, where it came from or who made it. There are no markings indicating manufacturer anywhere on the toy nor do I have any sort of packaging for it. However, one clue may come from a smaller toy produced in Mexico by the company "Juguetes Juarez" in 1995. This toy is obviously a scaled up version of the smaller one, with the only difference in sculpt being that the smaller one has a hole in the right hand, in which it holds a sword. If it is true that this toy is from Mexico (or really anywhere in the Americas) it was most likely marketed as Voltron and not Dairugger.

Most people likely would not be interested in actually owning this toy. Unless you are a Dairugger XV or Machinder completist or just happen to love really, really ugly toys, most likely it would pass for nothing more than an interesting conversation piece.