Review – Robot Racer Dromo (1985)
I’ve mentioned the ESSO Robot Racer cheap transforming robot toys twice this month (first post, second post) and now it’s time to crack one of these open and get a look at the toy. Those of you who cry whenever a decades-old toy is opened may want to look away; I’m ripping this baby off of that 1985 blister card.
Before I release the toy from its prison, though, I’d like to take a moment and admire the packaging. I think I made it pretty clear in Each Sold Separately* just how much I love those old cardbacks of the eighties, and this ESSO Robot Racer’s packaging does not disappoint. On the back we get to see the entire series, but it’s that artwork on the front of the card that really stands out. That’s a gorgeously cheesy and rough painting!
A Hefty Truck
Above you can see Dromo in his truck mode. The toy wheels spin freely, but the sparking action motor means that the toy doesn’t just race across the floor like a Hot Wheels toy car. Pushing the car forward activates the friction motor, and the toy then propels itself quickly and with sparks flying. Yay, sparks!!!
Transformation Design
Check the cardback for the specific instructions, but I can promise that there’s nothing odd or special about the toy’s transformation design. Swing out the arms, extend the hands, and then extend the rear of the truck to form the “legs” and you’re robot is ready for battle. The drum on the back also opens, meaning that you can give the toy little wing-like appendages on the back of its legs. Why? I have no idea at all.
Sculpt and Paint
Standing just under 3-inches tall, the Robot Racer toy has a clean, mechanical sculpt that works well in both truck and robot mode. The robot’s squarish head makes me think of the heads on the smaller Transformers “Scramble City” team members, and the little bits of paint on the eyes make the toy’s face pop a lot better than the Bug Bots toy I reviewed earlier this month.
Stickers add a little more depth to the color scheme. Why isn’t there a sticker on the chest to cover that screw? Weird. Maybe the toy needs a few of those old Fleer Robot Wars stickers (review here) to improve the look.
Closing Thoughts
I’ve no idea if these designs were unique to ESSO or uses of existing molds, but the “Made in Japan” stamp on the robot makes me think this is a resuse of tooling that already existed. The Dromo toy is everything I was hoping for: This is a cheap transforming robot toy that helps show us just how popular transforming robots were in 1985.
Now to see if the other toys look as great out of the package as they do. Prepare to be free, robots!