Modulo Spaziale
I’ve known about this toy for a long time, and had many opportunities to buy it, but it wasn’t until a recent personal surge of interest in Junior Machinders that I decided to finally add it to my collection. I was more interested in the box than the toy.
The box measures 11″ wide by 10″ long and 6.5″ deep, and features some very simplistic, perhaps even crude artwork on the top. It features an image of both modes of the toy, along with a Robo Kress riding it. Maybe even more interesting than that are the sides of the box. Two sides feature images of Junior Machinders!
What’s interesting about these pictures is not just that it shows some Juniors that were made, but that some of the ones pictured were not even made by the company that made this toy! On top of that, some of them are color variations from the known specimens. Some even have white belts, as opposed to the traditional black. I’ve never seen these before, and it makes me think these may be pictures of prototypes.
The toy itself is less interesting to me. It’s clearly inspired by the Jumbo Machinder XX-11 jumbo “car” by Popy, but does more than just copy the idea of having something for the toys to ride on. Instead, it takes it shape from the feet of Voltes V, and features an opening cockpit. When not being ridden by a robot, the toy makes a much nicer looking vehicle with nice, reflective chrome on the sides. There are also chrome exhaust pipes on the back.
With or without a robot riding on top, this toy moves back and forth, operated by a 9-volt battery and 6 AA batteries. When turned on, it will begin to move forward. A click of a button on a remote handle sends a signal to the sensor, causing it to reverse direction. Mine really doesn’t work very well, though. One of the back wheels has a tendency to fall off, but I really don’t care much.
At the time I took the pictures for this review, I really only had one Junior Machinder that would actually fit in the designated area.
Although I haven’t bothered to apply them, a sticker sheet is also included for you to add detail to the rest of the hard plastic body.
In closing, this isn’t really a great toy and is probably only for the most hardcore of Junior Machinder collectors. I really wanted to get it to display the box, but mostly because I wanted to see what toys were pictured on the side. I knew some were there, but there were no on-line images where you could see them. Perhaps now that there is, some interested collectors can save a few bucks.