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Voltron

Comments

11 comments posted
Good Enough

Again, it's not the Soul of Chogokin figure, but for $100+ and how easy it is to get, this works as a set. I especially enjoy how stable it is compared to the Legendary version. To be fair to the Legendary version though, I think the issues with its toys stem from the design not being made with toys in mind at all. It was simply made to be more modern & visually punchy.

Optimal III's picture
Posted by Optimal III on 26 March, 2018 - 13:19
Don't know about that

I think the Legendary Defender redesign was very much made with toys in mind, Playmates just didn't sufficiently cross-check everything when developing those toys. Like clearance between the elbow joints and the haunch cowlings. Or how much strength the Blue and Yellow lions' foreleg ratchets needed to function as stable heels in the combined mode. If those ratchets were a lot tighter, or there was a way to lock the forelegs in place, I suspect most or all of the LD version's stability issues would vanish.

Playmates' version of the classic design very much benefits from 1. being a refinement of a design that already existed (rather than one being rendered into toy form for the first time) and 2. being the second 16" Voltron that Playmates did.

ZeldaTheSwordsman's picture
Posted by ZeldaTheSwordsman on 21 December, 2023 - 00:59
Wow that intro is my

Wow that intro is my childhood as well, right down to the years, incredible. Feel the same way.

TattooedRobot's picture
Posted by TattooedRobot on 26 March, 2018 - 16:39
44 going on 45

I first saw a plastic model of Golion when I was just a little kid growing up in S Korea. It wasn’t until some years later in the US when I was reacquainted with Voltron on TV. More than it being a cool robot, it was a familiar friend from home that made my transition to my new home that much easier. Now almost 35 years later Voltron/Golion still has a special place in my heart. A lot of Really cool collectibles have come and left my shelf but this guy- well tbh the SOC VERSION OF HIM - will probably remain a permanent fixture alongside my Mazinger. Oh The power of nostalgia and that robot-lovin child that still survives within all of us. Thanks for the review.

JC73's picture
Posted by JC73 on 26 March, 2018 - 21:05
The greatest combining robot.

Until he met... Predaking....

mechota's picture
Posted by mechota on 26 March, 2018 - 23:53
I found the Lions on

I found the Lions on clearance at Target. $15.99 for the black lion and $13.99 for the limbs.

Heavyarms's picture
Posted by Heavyarms on 27 March, 2018 - 09:11
Great with a couple of nits

I never thought I'd say it but this thing is almost too big. I love the fact that I can hand it over to my kids and not worry about it getting damaged, though. Props to Playmates for making a nice Voltron *toy* after all these years.
If we could swap out the sound gimmick and get proper shoulder rotation and bicep swivel, I'd have been perfectly content. But all in all a great piece and I'm glad I found all the pieces at retail.

magicsp00n's picture
Posted by magicsp00n on 28 March, 2018 - 08:00
Size and Shoulders

It's still not as big as the Matty Collector version. That one is gargantuan since it's made to sit 4" action figures in the front bodies of the lions.

As for the shoulder rotation using the Black Lion's shoulder ratchets instead of having the sockets (or plugs) rotate separately on their own ratchets, I think that's actually a compromise dictated by both the size and the cross-compatibility:
* The Black Lion's shoulders already have to accommodate both its own shoulder ratchets and space to tuck the lower legs into. That limits the available space for the socket to have its own ratchet to the point that I doubt there'd be room for one capable of bearing the weight of the limb lions.
* If the connector plugs rotated, they'd be significantly different from the ones for the Legendary Defender version (for one thing, they'd almost certainly be bigger in order to bear the weight) and the cross-compatibility (which JoshB seems to be wrong about the true extent of) would be undermined.

ZeldaTheSwordsman's picture
Posted by ZeldaTheSwordsman on 21 December, 2023 - 01:10
It’s just great seeing such a

It’s just great seeing such a nice Voltron, or any decent robot, toy at retail again. It’s not perfect, but it has deep presence. And is fun to play with. Both TRU and Walmart are dumping the lions at deep clearance, I think because Playmates stupidly gave them the same skis as the Legendary Defender ones. So Classic is coming straight from the factory to the clearance rack. Idiotic as they will be gone soon. But it means the robot can be had for about $60 complete. I was also able to grab the Legendary Voltron complete box set for $80 at the TRU clearance sale. Also Props to Playmates for packing in the full range of accessories. Everything we never got from Matchbox. Not just Lion Blades but painted Lion blades. Spring firing shoulder cannons. As was said everything but Rocket fists. The only real disappointment is the sword. It’s half the size it should be. Unpainted, and just feels wrong. Plus it tends to warp. Overall the perfect toy for a younger new generation robot fan with which to share the hobby.

faelon's picture
Posted by faelon on 2 April, 2018 - 10:25
Skis?

Did you mean to say SKUs?
If so, that seems to be a dumb thing with toy manufacturers in general anymore. I know Hasbro are guilty of it.

What do you mean by the sword being half the size it should be? It looks fairly well-proportioned with the lions. Or were you specifically talking in terms of length?

I suspect it's unpainted because of being made of softer plastic (guess they couldn't get away with the tip as hard plastic). A lot of the common soft plastics don't take too well to the enamel paints used for other bodywork.

I'm more disappointed that Playmates left out the Black Lion's blade, personally.

ZeldaTheSwordsman's picture
Posted by ZeldaTheSwordsman on 21 December, 2023 - 00:44
"All of the Legendary

"All of the Legendary Defender lions can be used with the Voltron 84 body, but not the other way around."
An eBay listing I found when looking for non-painful prices on the Voltron '84 limb lions (because this thing now has Combiner Wars Syndrome) says otherwise: https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/~nEAAOSw1ENkcPce/s-l960.jpg
You can't stick limbs on the wrong sides, sure, but it definitely seems you can stick the '84 limb lions on the LD Black Lion.

* The apparent lack of bicep swivels you mention is odd - it looks like it should have them, the Legendary Defender version has them, and the upper part of the elbow is clearly separate from the shoulder. Weird. I will say, it's nice that the elbows are unblocked without needing to slightly mistransform. The Legendary Green and Red lions really needed to have their haunch cowlings collapse a little.
* The Black Lion obviously copies a lot of design layout from the Legendary one, may even be a heavy reshell. But they definitely repeated not only the electronics setup but also the shoulder joint setup, with the socket itself being static and the rotation using the lion's own shoulder ratchet. It's a bit of a cheat, but I think it's acceptable. Here's why: Between the lion's own shoulder ratchet, and having to accommodate the tucked-in lower leg... it's unlikely there was room to give the socket its own separate ratchet - at least, not one that could handle the weight of the arm lions.
* From the sound of it, Playmates' circuit board designer doesn't seem to have been the best at complex audio priorities. I know from experience the Legendary Black Lion has similar issues.

I don' really see this and the Legendary Defender version as having different proportions as such, aside from the wings.

Having acquired the 16" Legendary Defender version, I'd really like to get this one. It seems more fun than either the Masterpiece one or the Matty Collector one.

ZeldaTheSwordsman's picture
Posted by ZeldaTheSwordsman on 21 December, 2023 - 00:35