Motorcycle Honda CB1100R

While not a great name, Motorcycle Honda CB1100R is an interesting little toy. Released under the Chibi Robo (ちびロボ) brand from Sun Life (サンライフ), this little oddity remained unknown to me until recently. Its one of many cheap toys designed to cash in on the Transformers fad of the early 80s.

The box is beautiful. All the hallmarks of early 80s toy robot design boxes are there. Wonderful airbrushed character illustrations, fantastic graphic design and even the grid pattern of the toy’s backing card. Wonderful.

The box acts as a sort of sleeve to the blister which is stapled to the backer card. The toy is conneted to the card by a cloth-covered elastic that is easily removable and re-used. A sticker sheet is also included.

The toy itself is unremarkable and cheap, but not without charm. It’s made entirely out of plastic with a simplistic transformation. There’s no articulation to speak of, and even details like the face are simple stickers.

Transformation is simple – fold up the arms and fold the legs underneath. The result is a tiny, compact motorcycle based on an early Honda CB1100R. The tires are rubber, and the rear tire has a friction motor that allows it to zoom across the table.

If this motorcycle mode seems familiar to you, you may be thinking of the Gobot Dart, based on a Honda VF1000R, a model that came a few years later.

Even the Robot modes are sort of similar, despite the Chibi Robo coming out a good few years before the Gobot one.

This toy was released in two color schemes – Red and Black.

One other was released, a Harley Davidson robo, also in two color schemes