Bike Robo MR-01 / MRB-12
Originally designed Japan by Bandai and released for their Machine Robo Series line as Bike Robo the model was not long after issued as Cycle Man and Moto in the West. Low sales in the US saw Tonka take over distribution and as part of successfully rebranding the line to 'Gobots' Cy-Kill was given his new name.
Bike Robo heralded the start of a multi year, successful toy line that introduced robots that change into things to Western audiences way back in late 1982. Robo Machine in Europe, Robot Machine Men in Canada and Machine Men in the United States and Australia started a craze that absolutely no one had anticipated. While Machine Men in the US and Robo Machine Men in Canada failed to capture the market's attention in Europe and Australia their lines steadily gathered momentum. Bandai seeing they weren't gaining a foothold in the US and Canada worked with Tonka to develop a more suitable marketing strategy and Gobots was born.
Bandai adopted the Gobots character name for the Australian Machine Men line on figure re-release; predominantly to benefit from the Challenge of the Gobots cartoon. Bandai did not re-release this model for their European Robo Machine distribution and so he was always sold only as Bike.
Further details are below, on the Series 1 Index and for more in-depth reading see the Toy Line History page.
Region Codes Used: JP Japan / US United States / CA Canada / AU Australia / EU Europe / KOR Korea
NOTE: Region codes only shown where items were known to be released. This list is accurate yet likely incomplete.
Gobots Series 1 01 US/CA Tonka [Red/Blue/White] 1983
Gobots Series 2 01 US/CA Tonka [Red/Blue/White] (old stock released on series 2 art card) 1985
Gobots Series 2 45 US/CA Tonka [Black/Grey/Green] 1985
Gobots Series 2 45 US/CA Tonka [Red/Blue/White] with 3-D Sticker 1985* ***
Gobots Series 2 45 US/CA Tonka [Black/Grey/Green] with 3-D Sticker 1985
Gobots Renegade Gift Pack #1 US Tonka 1985
Robo Machine RM-01 EU Bandai 1983
Robot Machine Men [Cycle Man] 01 CA Bandai America 1983 (card dated 1982)*
Machine Men [Cycle Man] 01 US Bandai America 1983 (card dated 1982)*
Machine Men [Cycle Man] 01 AU Bandai Australia (Orange Headlamp) 1983 (card dated 1982)*
Machine Men [Cy-Kill] AU Bandai (Orange Headlamp) 1984*
Machine Robo Series MR-01 JP Popy 1982* **
Machine Robo Series MR-01 JP Bandai 1983 (stamped Popy)* **
Machine Robo Series Best 5 MR-01 JP Bandai [Grey/White/Light Blue] 1983*
Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos MRB-12 Bandai 1986*
Mini-Changeable Bots YJ-4 KOR - Bootleg
* Machine Robo Series extra sticker sheet issued with this release.
** The Singapore (stamped S. PORE Popy) versions often have both poor paint application and metal casting. Metal sections are pitted and bumpy. Paint is thin overall, blotchy and often outside of where it should be. The arm arches and hip indents are also often not painted.
*** There are examples of red, blue and white Cy-Kill on the updated black, grey and green #45 release cardback pre-holographic sticker; likely to sell old stock.
On the upside, they usually have very clean headlights. The reason for this is the S. PORE stamped figures had the paint applied in this order; white, red, black while all other releases seem to be red, white then black. This result is the metal under the headlight is all white, whereas most others have a mottled combination of white and red. Red is more difficult to cover than white and as it was to go under the headlight presumably paint application care wasn't a consideration. As the S. PORE versions started with white and the red section painted next is not near the headlight it stayed white.
Machine Robo advertising showed Bike Robo's engine as an arm mounted weapon.
It was called an Ioniod Blaster and described as a heat canon
Early S'Pore vs. Japan manufacturing.