#beetras

A couple of one-off Insectron concepts, based on concept art from Beetras.

October 13, 1984, Saturday, BC cycle

Toy Robots Turning Into Hot Toy Fad

BYLINE: By TERRIL JONES, Associated Press Writer

SECTION: Business News

LENGTH: 787 words

DATELINE: TOKYO

Tens of millions of Japanese robots are trooping off in an invasion of the United States that is turning into one of the year's hottest toy hits.

No ordinary fighting robots, these creations are intricately crafted to fold up _ through a series of complex maneuvers reminiscent of a Rubik's cube _ into shapes ranging from jetfighters and racing cars to cameras and stereo cassette recorders.

Their names are as imaginative as the twists and turns it takes to transform them. There is "Tequila Gunner," "Idelian Cangrid Harbla," even "Insect Armored Corps Variable Beet Gadoll Beetrass."

Tonka Toys and Hasbro Industries of the United States have both put in orders of $100 million to Bandai and Takara, Japan's No. 1 and No. 3 toymakers, respectively, to import legions of the little mechanical men in time for Christmas.

"We will ship 75, 80 million dollars wholesale this year," Dan Owens, Hasbro's vice president for marketing, said during a recent trip to Japan. "That's more than 10 million units and over three times the number of units shipped last year in Cabbage Patch dolls."

Seiichi Haga, design chief at Bandai, maker of such robots as the "MS-14C Mobile Suit Variation Gelgoog Cannon" and "ARV-C Astrogator Round Vernian Buzam," said: "Japanese children have always liked mechanical systems as well as all kinds of vehicles, so that gave us the idea to combine them."

Owens calls them "the ultimate fantasy toy."

They became popular in Japan about 10 years ago with Bandai toy versions of Biomen, five television superheros who drive block-like trucks and rockets that, when joined together, form a giant metallic warrior.

"Our most popular robots are those from television," Haga said.

The robots began appearing in the United States a few years ago and have been rising in popularity.

Bandai, whose 1983 sales were the equivalent $260 million,and which today commands some 60 percent of Japan's robot toy market, came out in 1982 with its "Machine Robot" line _ miniature robots that cleverly convert into nearly every imaginable conveyance, from submarine and bulldozer to dune buggy and the American space shuttle.

Haga said he used to have about a hundred stalking about his apartment, "but the neighborhood kids came and took them all away."

Twenty-four of the 40 models are on order for the U.S. market, where they are called "Gobots."

Hasbro is going much further in its marketing of 27 robots that it has dubbed "Transformers." Hasbro's idea department came up with an entire 4 million-year history of the good Transformers and the bad _ the "Heroic Autobots" and the "Evil Decepticons."

The Transformers are produced by Takara, which did $109 million worth of business last year.

Hasbro said it is spending about $8 million on advertising and has licensed Transformers to Marvel Comics, which has produced a four-part series. The Transformers also have robotic names like "Starscream," "Optimus" and "Megatron."

"We have our own group for picking names," Owens said. "We keep them locked up in the back and feed them raw meat."

The Americans come nowhere close to rivaling the Japanese for creativity in picking names like "HWR-10 Destroid Monster," "Bonaparte Variable Tank 61-LC Tulcas" or "WM Walker Galliar Xabungle."

"We invent names that sound strong and futuristic," said Haga, a mechanical engineer by training and the man behind the names for Bandai's "Devil Invaders" _ "Zarios," "Falgos" and "Casmodon." "Foreign-sounding words are catching."

Other names come from genuine words such as Laserion (laser) or Saurstar (dinosaur), while Bandai's "Blue Three" robot sounds the same as "Bruce Lee" in Japanese.

Takara engineers spend their time designing prototypes of new robots that convert into everyday objects, most recently microscopes, binoculars and radios, said Shusuke Kubota, head of Takara's planning department.

"They're always thinking of more unique, more fantastic ideas," Kubota said. "Half the time they're not normal."

Like any toy, though, robots represent a certain risk. Takatoku, another die-cast robot toymaker, went bankrupt in July despite smashing success with its "Macross Battroid Valkyrie VF-1S."

"They went under because of this," said toy wholesaler Yukio Munakata, holding up the 15-inch-long "Orguss Nikick Gerwalk" robot. "Kids just wouldn't buy it."

The Valkyrie folded up into a sleek F-15 Eagle jetfighter, but the Orguss series turned into heavy, ponderous spacecraft with too many rounded corners.

"It's incredibly expensive to get a robot like this on the market," Munakata said.

The designing, making of the mold and packaging of a single model can cost $40,000, he said, so "with kids' tastes, it's quite risky."

LANGUAGE: ENGLISH

ADVANCED-DATE: October 9, 1984, Tuesday, BC cycle

GRAPHIC: Laserphoto TOK4 of Oct 9