Patrol Car Robo

While most old Machine Robo toys have a sort of vintage charm, this one barely makes the grade.

Yes, it’s a bootleg, and that’s really why I have this. In the 80’s, as bootlegs proliferated across flea markets and discount stores, Machine Robo knockoffs ruled. They were cheap and easy to make due to their simplicity, making them an ideal target for counterfeiters.

Patrol Car Robo is one of the more frequently bootlegged of all of them. Its simple design and transformation made for a low-cost knock off.

The thing is just plain ugly, and is not one of PLEX’s finer moments. The face is derpy, the arms hang low and uneven, and they are all generally loose as hell. I’ve never held one of these, bootleg or original, that was tight in any way.

So what’s it got going for it? Well, it has some metal, and real rubber tires. Despite being nearly 30 years old, the tires have not rotted off.

The box is more interesting than the toy to me. Many different Machine Robo toys came in this packaging, secured only with a twist tie. In this case, it was secured backwards.

The box is labeled MR-MACHINEROBO, which as a child I thought was “Mr. Machinerobo”. I had no idea that Gobots had come from the Machine Robo line when I was younger.

On the back, four releases are shown, with arbitrary numbers:

PR-01 – Steam Robo (Loco)
PR-02 – Jet Robo (Fitor)
PR-03 – Space Shuttle Robo (Spay-C)
PR-04 – Patrol Car Robo (Hans-Cuff)

So many MachineRobo toys were bootlegged in so many packages, I wouldn’t be suprised if we saw other toys in this packaging.