🔥 ROBOTO of the world!! 🤖
Roboto, the “Heroic mechanical warrior,” was produced in Hong Kong, Venezuela, France, and Spain. Equipped with a mechanical gear torso, his jaw opens, and his gears move as you twist his waist. He comes with three different weapon attachments.
Initially released in 1985, the Roboto made in Hong Kong is the Mattel standard figure on which all other Robotos are based. The figure can be identified by its lower case © Mattel Inc. 1984 behind the head and its mid-purple shorts, vibrant reds, and blues. Its weapons are dull gray, rigid, and have only small numbers, no COO markings per se. The initial release was made with a defective red paint, which leeches profusely and tends to stain the chrome pink. This issue was corrected when production was moved to China in a subsequent edition.
Production was moved from Hong Kong to France (presumed in 1986), where the mold was altered to have FRANCE markings on the figure and all three weapons. The markings behind the head became uppercase and larger © MATTEL INC 1984. Its vibrant colors can also identify the France Roboto and softer chrome, semi-translucent weapons with a hint of brown.
These “FRANCE” marked molds were then sent to Spain in 1987. The Spain Roboto is marked identical to the France Roboto. As usual, the colors are the distinguishing characteristic that sets Spain apart from France. The Spain Roboto’s gloves and legs are a muted red, the grays are flatter, and the weapons (while still semi-rubbery) are a dull, opaque red. The arms are also matte and lighter blue compared to France.
This FRANCE mold was moved from Spain to Venezuela for the final production of Roboto. At this point, all COO markings were covered up with a bar. The reds are flat red, darker shorts, and chrome tends to (but not always) be brighter—additionally, the weapons change to a very hard, brittle, slightly darker, opaque plastic. Perhaps the most significant distinguishing factor is that the Venezuela Roboto is the only variant missing the circuit board inside the torso. This figure is by far the most brittle and rarer of the four figures released.
