Arco GoBots Hot Chamber Rifle
Not the Ro-Gun we’ve seen a few times before (most recently here), but a different transforming rifle known as the GoBots Hot Chamber Rifle (see toyarchive.com). Just how many transforming gun toys did Arco make in the eighties? And how awesome is it that this particular block comes from an Albertson’s advertisement?
Good old Arco. I remember getting this for Christmas from the grandparents that just didn’t understand. It was one of the wonkiest toys I ever had–poorly designed, triggers were stiff and awful, not a lot of play value in robot mode because it had no useful POA. Still, it had a kind of charm. Years later it became a stand in for a Sentinel.
They actually mislabeled this one. The “hot chamber” gimmick was actually employed in a different Arco rifle bot that had a removable scope that became a smaller robot. The torso was transparent red and you could see the flash from caps firing (allegedly). That one is more futuristic looking. In some ways it looks better, but I’m sure it was equally wonky.