Perfect Effect’s Unofficial Biotron
Unofficial Transformers toymaker Perfect Effect has decided it’s time to explore Transformers history with a classic Micronauts toy brought into modern times. Biotron (see innerspaceonline.com) was a mid-seventies toy design, and now we can see Perfect Effect’s take on the toy in this Facebook post.
The return of the Diaclone series (find at Amazon.com*), new Machine Robo toys (find at Amazon.com*), and now toys inspired by Micronauts should leave all of us soon asking: What decade is this?
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I think that actually it’s more appropriate to say this is a figure based on Robotman rather than Biotron. Robotman was released two years earlier in Japan and later adapted by Mego into Biotron. He was the first true giant (and piloted!) robot toy from Takara, and as the iconic main robot of Microman (particularly featured prominently in the manga) he was far more famous in Japan and Asia than Biotron was in the US (though Biotron did gain some more popularity beyond the toy in the comics, much like Robotman did in manga form.
A lot of Takara’s robot designs were influenced by this robot, he truly is the grandfather of all the first wave G1 Transtormers and likely even the color scheme influenced the design for Battle Convoy in Diaclone, later to become known as Optimus Prime.
Of course, Robotman and Biotron are effectively the same toy in any case, if not the same “character” when comparing the manga and comics.
References:
http://micromanclub.tumblr.com/post/144217056744/tv-magazine-manga-1
http://www.microforever.com/Robotman-Biotron.htm