It should come as no surprise that the original toys are worth the most, some fetching prices for that of a used car.
GOBOT FIGURE TOYBOX MOVIE
While the old Transformers cartoon shows and Transformers: The Movie (1986) are beloved today, it’s the toys that get the big ticket prices. It’s not really because the show or toys were all they great – they were okay! It’s more to do with a powerful dose of nostalgia coupled with capitalism that first got the property in front of our childish eyes, then got us hooked enough to never want to let it go.Ĭase in point, Transformers toys. I like the broad styling, and it makes an attractive setting for Go-Bot play, but if you don’t like Go-Bots than you’re probably going to loathe this.Transformers is one of the seminal properties from the 1980’s that’s still extremely popular to this day. It’s an essential addition to a Go-Bot collection, but it isn’t particularly interesting or desirable on its own merits. The Command Center is ultimately best suited for Go-Bot diehards.
I couldn’t find a proper battery, but the eyes and mouth of the head apparently light up and make sounds. The ‘head’ unit at the top spins to reveal a hidden Strategy Chamber. One platform utilizes an enemy-detecting screen. The fueling depot uses a couple of rubber hoses, usually missing from the set. There are areas for fueling, de-programming, detention, teleportation, eating, etc. Most of the details are provided by decals.
The elevator is manipulated by pinching a handle in the rear and moving up and down.Īs intended, the piece really comes alive with, you know, actual Go-Bots.
GOBOT FIGURE TOYBOX SERIES
The command center is essentially a series of platforms, joined by a nifty elevator in the center. You stand the thing up and open the bay doors, to reveal. The rear of the box promises a handle which does not exist. You will notice a general blandness of sculpt and dependency upon decals which will characterize this piece (though, to be fair, many other sets of the era also). The proportions are strong and it feels sturdy and playable. The Command Center works as a walker/vehicle mech, but isn’t terribly exciting. Transformers knew when to take liberties with the box illustrations. That painting exactly depicts the toy within, awkward details and all. The painting is typically Go-Bot: lush, handsome, but too damned literal. The Command Center’s box is largish at 24” x 12” x 6”. An inept but somehow charming interpretation. The design is an obvious interpretation of the AT-AT. The Command Center is pure Tonka: a big, clumsy, goofy vehicle possessing little of the refined Bandai design ethos. While Tonka mostly regurgitated Machine-Robo molds for the Go-Bots, it frequently designed unique pieces in-house. The Command Center was the Guardian mobile headquarters. The Gobots, however, released at least three proper playsets.
The emphasis was still clearly on the figure, not the setting. Sure, Fort Max and Metroplex are kind of city-type environments, but only just. Unusually, the Transformers eschewed the playset. He-Man, Voltron, even outliers like my beloved Power-Lords, Mantech, and Robo-Force - all produced large fortress playsets. The apotheosis of the boom-era playset was the USS Flagg. The figures themselves became accessories to the increasingly elaborate set-pieces. Joe were the undisputed kings of the playset. Modern toy manufacturers have all but abandoned the playset, but in the 80’s, no action figure line was complete without a Fortress, Base, Lair, or Castle.