Review – Convertors Mini Bot Wagon

“Created as local defense systems to aid the Defenders locating Invaders that may have gone undetected.”
— from the front of the card

It has been quite a while since we looked at a Convertors transforming robot toy — my Convertors Mini Bot Sport review was posted in December of 2009 — so since I can’t sleep this morning I asked myself “what better way is there to pass the time than with a transforming robot toy from 1984?” Being sleep-deprived and insane I couldn’t come up with any answer except to sit down and play with this chunk of plastic and metal. And now, because you haven’t clicked away from the site, you get to see Wagon in all of his cheapness and fun.

A Simplistic Transformation

You already know how to transform Wagon from vehicle mode to robot mode. Even if you’ve never played with a transforming robot toy I’m confident that a few moments with the toy will leave you a master of his design. Basically, flip the legs out and then pop the arms out and you’re done. It’s not the most exciting of designs, but it works and — in my opinion — it’s a classic transformation and is well-suited to the younger kids out there.

A Floppy Leg

On my Wagon there’s a loose leg joint that keeps him from standing well and from holding together well in truck mode. The instant you pick up the toy the leg starts flopping around and I honestly cannot tell how to fix the problem. And it’s not that the toy has been well-loved for over 25 years; nope, I opened the package myself just a few weeks ago and I can report that he was floppy from the second I took him out of the pack. But what can we expect from a cheap transforming robot toy that was released in 1984?

Cool Face Design

The photo below gives you a close look at Wagon’s face, and I’ve gotta say that I really like these roboty-like face. It’s at least far superior to the bizarre faces we see on most of the Michael Bay Transformers characters. There’s just a little paint on the yellow plastic to bring out the details, but the silver-on-yellow doesn’t work well at all.

A Leany Bot

The first thing I noticed when I stood Wagon in robot mode is that he has a tendency to lean forward; getting the guy to stand up straight is a challenge. I thought it an unusual design flaw, and wasn’t shocked when I read this Wagon review at Counter-X that says:

The other annoying thing is the bottom of the feet parts is sloped, meaning Wagon is difficult to pose without him leaning forward…

Yeah, that is annoying. And there’s absolutely no way to fix the problem because the diecast metal “feet” are just shaped the wrong way.

Yes, This is a Cheap Toy

I’m not going to recommend that anyone rush out and start collecting Convertors. At least not these simple car designs, but I wouldn’t be at all surprised if you followed this link to Counter-X and then immediately set out to snag every single Avarian and Insector toy that was published by Select in the eighties. Well, at least that’s my plan. But it’s possible that you’re not insane like I am.

Closing Thoughts

The Convertors line isn’t a fantastic transforming robot toy series from the eighties, but the toys had wide enough distribution that — if you like what you see — they’re not impossible to find these days. Wagon is pretty representative of what I’ve seen of the series, and while I won’t go bankrupt trying to find more releases in the Convertors line I like this guy well enough to keep one eye open for more of the toys.

His leg problem is frustrating, but in general this is a durable, decent robot toy from the eighties. And he looks good in a group of similar toys and that’s never a bad thing for any collector.

Philip Reed should be ashamed that he actually took the time to post this review. But hey, at least you have another reason to laugh at him now.