Retrobots Revisited: The rest of Rogun Robots, Part 1

 

Just in the last few days, I realized I had gone since September without an '80s/ '90s robot toy post. It also happens I have accumulated a bit of a backlog, with some material that could easily have fallen under the "Giant Robots" feature. After a bit of debate, I decided to put it under this feature, in part because I hadn't done much with it in a while, and in part because it ties into one of my earliest posts on this vein, the Rogun Robots. Without further ado, here's some pics of the first of my new arrivals.

Tremble before the wrath of Stickerface!

As previously reported, the Rogun Robots were a line from Arco, the toy company that also admitted making and/ or distributing the patchisaurs. The original gimmick was that they were bots that transformed into cap guns, and vice versa. Some of the toys were infamously incorporated into the Gobots line, while Arco went on to use the name for a far better set of army man-style bots. I personally had and loved the mini bots, but had no knowledge of the actual transforming bots until many years later. Recently, I decided it was time to look at what started it all, so I ordered one online. Somehow, my package ended up sent to Idaho instead of Arizona, an adventure in all likelihood more interesting than the actual bot. I finally got it a week ago, and used the time to take a closer look.

My first impression of the toy is that he's absolutely huge. In terms of scale, this bot is as big as a toy can be and still be considered within action figure scale. He towers over the Truckstop Queen and even edges out the Big Red Robotech Guy. He's still a bit shorter than the grocery store dinobot, but not by much. Here's a couple more pics with a more complete lineup, including the Gas Station Duchess, the dollar store giant robot,  and the anime robot space jet.

Don't be shy, he's only a robot that's also a gun.

Unfortunately, it's equally clear that bigger is not better. The Rogun bot could embody everything that could be done wrong with a knockoff Transformer. The only points of articulation are those essential to the transformation (a little more about that below), and even there the motion is extremely limited. The arms can hook or scoop, the legs kick after a fashion, and the guy can bend over at the waist. Then there is that face. To start with, it is infamously a sticker, something apologists will point out was done even with some "real" Transformers. What makes matters worse is that there's nothing in the lines of the mold that would be different with or without it. Finally, there are the quite outlandish colors, which are literally clownish.

Of course, I have to say something about the gun transformation, which I've represented with a couple extra pics. In pictures, this might seem like the downfall of the toy, but if anything, it works better than the bot mode. The key step is to sort of pinch the legs together and bend the arms back until they hook over two pegs. There's a knob sticking out that holds the legs in place if you don't miss it. Part of one arm is missing on mine, which doesn't affect things. I had more trouble from a spring mechanism that holds the legs apart in bot mode; it spat rust the first few times I tried the transformation, but that seemed to clear up. Once it's transformed, the thing has a surprisingly decent feel and balance. An extending barrel comes out of the top of the head. That goes noticeably askew when fully extended, less so if you only do it with the black part. The trigger still makes a very loud clicking when pulled, which takes a fair amount of force. There's a revolver magazine inside that still advances when the trigger is pulled. Unfortunately, this and every other specimen I've seen pictured in detail has heavy wear and damage, including a fine powder that I believe to be ground-down plastic. I have no doubt that repeated firing without caps is the primary cause of this, but at this point it's a minor consideration.

In the process of acquiring the item, I learned a little more about the "Rogun" line. Arco actually made the Rogun bots before acquiring a license to sell them as part of the Gobots line. It's reported that those made in 1984 will bear the Rogun name, while those with the Gobots name on stickers and packaging are from 1985 or later. Intriguingly, the Rogun line was either continued or revived by Mattel after the more prestigious company acquired Arco. In the process, their sketchy branch of the Gobots line escaped its effective extinction with the acquisition of Tonka by Hasbro in 1991. From the evidence at hand, these later bots are unlikely to be confused with the originals. Like many post-buyout Arco toys, they are outwardly more polished but lack the kitschy charm that once made the company's products interesting. Here's an image of one in box, with credit to CollectionDX.

Meanwhile, I had one more lead. There were even bigger Roguns made, and I finally found one listed for quite a bit less than the one I bought. I got it just this weekend, and... oh... Hell... no.

To be continued!!!