Raidar X Battloid

The mold for this toy first appeared as part of the Macross series in Japan. Originally by Takatoku Toys, the “Destroid Defender Macross Series Collection No. 3” was part of a whole line of 1:144 mecha from Super Dimension Fortress Macross.

Its next lease on life occurred when Matchbox imported the toys to be a part of the Robotech line. The Matchbox versions were almost identical, with only copyright changes. (The molds were now owned by Bandai). These Toys were released in two color schemes. A grey “Tactical” version and a tan “Civil Defense” version.

In 1995, Playmates got the rights to use the old Robotech toys as part of their Exo Squad line. They re-released these small mecha toys on blister cards at a very low price point. Playmates also released both tan and grey versions of this toy. These battloids had all the metal removed, making a lighter, cheaper product. Still, the toys weren’t bad. the molds were OK, and they still came with a sticker sheet. For $3 at the time, you couldn’t go wrong. These all went on clearance at KB toys in the late 90s and could be had for under a dollar each.

One noticeable change made to the Playmates version is in the arms. They turned the dual cannons 90 degrees so that they are side-by-side instead of in front of each other. Playmates also added a small bit of plastic between the cannons for support. (Thanks to Zor Master)