I'm not sure how this vintage US Jumbo eluded me when I was a kid, but I'm glad I have it now. It's a great toy and an affordable alternative to the expensive Popy version. It's always on Ebay and should be in every Voltron and Jumbo fans collection!

Voltron ruled the airways for me and my friends when I was about 10 years old. It was far and away our favorite show at the time and I had nearly all of the toys. But one that I never even heard of until I started collecting as an adult was this motorized version of the Popy Golion Jumbo Machinder that LJN released in 1984. Most people that I talk to now all remember it, but somehow it completely escaped me back then. Like most of the other vintage Jumbos released in the US, it takes the original Popy version (released 3 years previous in 1981) and modified it for the US market. And like the others, it was made worse than the original.

But that doesn't mean to suggest that this toy is not worth having. In fact, this one is probably closest to it's model than any other US jumbo. The sculpt of the toy is nearly identical to the Popy version. The only differences seems to be that the copyright stamp was changed and the missile launching mechanism and missile holders were removed (they used to be on the hips). But this is a real shame since the original gimmick was really cool. On the Popy version, when you pushed the levers on the red and green hands to open the lion mouth, it would press a button on the bottom of the hand and launch a missile out of the mouth! A great idea that I'm sure kids here would have loved, but I suppose it was removed for safetly concerns. But LJN did something to make up for it. They included a "blazing sword" that Volron could hold in either hand. This is something that the Popy version did NOT have!

Not only did you it have the sword included, but this version also came with a motorized base that you could attach Voltron to and move him around the floor. You could place Voltron on top of the base and use 4 included screws to make the connection. The screws would have to go up through the holes in the bottom of the base and then screw into the holes in the bottom of Voltron's feet. Insert two C batteries into the "remote" control, flip the switch and Voltron would roll back and forth. Most collectors think this is pretty lame, but hey, maybe kids got a kick out of it back then. And really, any extra gimmick you get can't be bad, can it?. If you don't like it, you don't have to use it. Strangely, this is not the only jumbo to use a motorized base. The first version Famosa Great Mazinger also had one, though it's served a different purpose.

There is a downside to the base though, actually. I assume it is probably the reason why the weights were removed for this release. Usually the Popy jumbos have the feet weighted down giving them a very solid feel. This toy, while the quality of the plastic is fine, feels almost like a bootleg because it is so light.

One other thing that I don't like about this toy is the amount of stickers that need to be applied. I count over FIFTY stickers that had to be put on this thing. When I got mine, the adhesives on the back had all dried up, too, so I had to respray each one and then apply them. It seemed to take forever to get them all on. But the toy does look great when they are all in place.

Voltron has 9 points of articulation. The head turns, the arms raise and lower, the wings are adjustable and the red and green lion's mouth open. Also, the elbows are on a ball joint. The only problem there is that the levers of the lion's mouths can hinder the arms movement as they often bump into the waist.

One quick note about the wings. They are a very similar mold to the wings on the Popy Robot Factory God Sigma Jumbo. And the Giant Commander Voltron has two different versions of wing connections. One is like the God Sigma jumbo and they fit over a rounded peg on the back. The other version has a plastic covering that pushes through the wings and into the back. This version does not appear to come off like the first.

Voltron comes in a large box (25.5" tall by 14.75" long and 6.5" deep) with a cellophane window in the top half that allows you to see the robot inside.

I recently came across a very cool related item, a giant 5 foot tall standee used to promote the show and the toy at Spencers. One collector remembers only seeing this toy at that store. Since I never saw it at all when I was little, I have no idea if it was sold only there or in regular stores as well. If anyone has any info about that, please leave a comment.

The motorized Giant Commander Voltron is a pretty cool toy, one that I feel doesn't get the respect it deserves. If it only shot something, I'd say it's better than all the Shogun Warriors. It's certainly the nicest looking, in my opinion. Furthermore, it's a cheap grab for a vintage Jumbo. You can usually get this thing on ebay for about $100 give or take. I can see not getting one if you aren't into jumbos. But if you've even got a passing interest, there's really no good reason not to have this one.

LJN was not the only company to copy the Popy Golion Jumbo. In Korea, there was a bootleg version that was called "Super K". (Click the image for more information about that toy.)

Voltron combination sequence (I never noticed the "War Of The Worlds" sound effect!)

The GB-35 ST Golion toy is one of the best representations of this character to this day. I, like many other Americans, grew up owning the stripped down version of this toy put out by matchbox in 1984. I would play with it, knowing that there had to be something more. The fists looked like they should fire, but they don’t. Where was the sword and shield?

If you have been a reader of CollectionDX for some time, you probably know that Voltron III (the lion one) came from a Japanese show called Golion. It should be no surprise then that the US miniature Voltron III toy is largely based on a Japanese toy.

The GB-38 ST Golion toy is one of the best representations of this character to this day. I, like many other Americans, grew up owning the stripped down version of this toy put out by matchbox in 1984. I would play with it, knowing that there had to be something more. The fists looked like they should fire, but they don’t. Where was the sword and shield?

It wasn’t until I was an adult collector that I found out about the original Japanese toy. There was a certain satisfaction realizing that the original toy DID have all those gimmicks, that I was right all along.

The ST Golion is essentially the same mold as Voltron, but different enough to be worth getting. The toy is almost all metal, save for the arms, wings and head. Each arm fires a lion-headed fist, and each fist can also hold the included shield and sword (the Blazing Sword and Shield were sold separately in the US). The feet can also be fired off by pressing buttons behind the legs.

There are some subtle color and mold differences as well. The teeth on the head of the Matchbox version aren’t as sharp as the teeth on the Popy version. The blue paint on the leg is darker on the Popy version as well.

When Popy released their toy, it was made in Japan, and had the appropriate Japanese stickers under the feet. By the time Matchbox wanted the license to the toy, Popy had been folded into Bandai. All of the Matchbox toys have ©TOEI and are made in Taiwan by Bandai.

Join me for a trip down memory lane as we return to the Summer of 1985 as I recap one of my fondest toy memories. A classic review of my Voltron bootleg, Lionbot.

It was 1985 when the bright primary colors on the box caught my eye at our local Holiday Mart. Lionbot! It looked like the lion Voltron but it said Lionbot and it cost 99.99, far more than I could ever afford in the fifth grade.

Holiday Mart was the local grocery store/department store combo in Hawaii back then and my family would do there grocery shopping while I wandered the toy section. This was my ritual every week for eight years but never was there a toy that I lusted after week after week like this one.

My Father told me that if I got a C in math for the end of the year he would buy it for me. That was a long 4 months. I hated math but I applied myself and got a D+ (Math has never been a strong one for me even in grade school) but I was rewarded for my effort with my Lionbot.

Voltron was extraordinarily popular and at this point I had not seen the Matchbox editions of the toy yet and little did I realize that Lionbot was not the original Japanese version but a bootleg of the Japanese Go Lion. Nor did I care even after I saw the official 'œbranded'? Voltron by Matchbox. For full release history of the Go Lion please read JoshB's review for the Trendmasters re-release here.

The package is a copy of the original Bandai Go Lion with the Kanji replaced with English.

Other than the upper legs having a silver sticker applied instead of painted silver like the original Go Lion this was a great toy. Unlike the official Matchbox release this one came with all of the original accessories. It had the Sword and Shield but also included the missile launchers and mouth blades used in the cartoon series. To top it all off the launchers worked!!!!

I will say the newer Toynami Masterpiece Edition Voltron rocks with its show accurate dimensions and beautiful fit and finish but my original Lionbot will always hold a special place in my heart and on my toy shelf.

If you look around eBay you will see this set is constantly available for the $75.00 to $100.00 price range as it is still being bootlegged in China to this day.

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.

Just when you thought you've seen it all from Korean toy makers, we bring you Boltron & Lionking.

Because somehow naming it Boltron, and changing the color, will hide the fact that it's actually Voltron. I'm always suprised that Korean companies call him Voltron as opposed to Golion.

Anyway, Boltron is about 4 inches tall, all plastic, and pretty well made. The intricate details are impressive for a Korean toy, although there is still a fair amount of sprue marks. Boltron comes with a sword.

What really gets me is the Lionking. On the box, it looks like it might be Berarios, the lion from Daltanious. But in reality, its some kind of Voltron lion mashup. It has a missile launcher that can attach to its back, that fires red missiles.

Whatever drugs they were on, I want some.

This is probably the smallest Voltron toy I have ever seen, and also one of the strangest.

First off, it's all white with blue highlights.on the face. Then, notice the box. I'm not sure what exactally is wrong here.. Parts of it are correct (the shield is in the right place), but the other cut-outs look upside down.

It's just odd start to finish. Voltron comes with a sword and shield, neither one accurate to the original design.

The plastic is high quality, and the molding details are sharp. The paint is kind of a mess though.

This is for the die-hard only.

This Voltron was made by a Korean toy company called Oscar Model. It's similar in size to the ST Popy Golion toy (imported to the USA as the Matchbox Voltron 3), but actually an entirely different toy. The wings are one piece molded onto the back, the sword is wrong, and the arms bend in from the sides, as most Korean robots do. For some reaosn, the feet fold down on this version.

The box art is nice, but there's no tray. It comes sealed in a ziplock bag. This is pretty common for Korean toys actually.

It's not bad for a bootleg, but unless you are a Voltron or Golion completist, i'd say skip it.

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.

This is a Korean version of the ST Popy / Matchbox Voltron 3 (aka golion). It is a 1:1 scale replica of the original toy, but is made entirely out of plastic. It is interesting to note that they decided to use the US name, "Voltron", instead of the Japanese "Golion" name. You would have thought they would have gone with Golion, seeing how close Korea is to Japan.

What makes this toy unique is the additional weapons and shield. The 4-headed lion shield is an original Korean design, not found on any other version. The waist guns are original as well.

Voltron comes packed in a nice styrofoam tray, inside of a window box. It also includes with a set of trading cards.

This is one of the higher quality Korean bootleg robots I have come across. The pieces are molded nicely, the paint is good, and there are minimal sprue marks.