Honda VF1000R RM-55
This model was originally designed in Japan by Bandai for inclusion in their Machine Robo Series toy line but it did not see distribution in that country. Many of the Series 3 Gobots were unused Machine Robo Series prototypes never intended for production and released purely to keep up with Western demand for more Gobots, Robo Machine and Machine Men figures. As this model did not have an original Machine Robo Series name the Tonka Gobots character name Dart was adopted for all Western releases. Multilingual Robo Machine blister cards show both Honda* and Dart in the name section.
* Honda VF 1000R is the real world motorcycle the Dart is based on.
Further details are below, on the Series 1 Index and for more in-depth reading see the Toy Line History page.
Region Codes Used: US United States / CA Canada / AU Australia / EU Europe
NOTE: Region codes only shown where items were known to be released. This list is accurate yet likely incomplete.
Gobots 69 Series 3 US/CA Tonka 1986 [chrome face] (black painted screws)*
Robo Machine RM-55 EU Bandai 1986 [red face] (fuel tank side stickers) (silver screws)**
Machine Men AU Bandai 1986 [red face] (fuel tank side stickers) (silver screws)
* Unsure whether distributed without 3-D Sticker offer.
** Stamped S'PORE instead of MACAU.
Dart is a mixed bag. While it could be argued the Gobots chromed face makes a better figure, the Robo Machine/Machine Men release sports additional fuel tank stickers making it a closer match to an actual Honda VF1000R.
NOTE: a prototype for the Robo Machine release of Dart showed a black face with silver eyes.
The Robo Machine cardback shows the Gobots version of Dart.
Regional Versions Comparison