The awesome world of robot and humanoid toys sparked immense popularity from the 1950s to present day. These toys especially showed popularity in the 1980s with many versions of humanoid toys hitting the store shelves. Of these, the Robo Force toy lines, brought humanoid robotic characters to kids all around the world once again. Ideal released a line of Robo Force toys in 1984 and Galoob released theirs in 1992. Both Robo Force lines of toys feature their versions of robotic characters, each with unique abilities and design. Throughout this blog we will mention more between the two Robo Force lines. Follow along with us to see the differences between Robo Force Galoob and Ideal.
When people think of Robo Force toys, often one line gets forgotten or the two get mashed together as one. Some people don’t realize that two different Robo Force lines released. Moreover, many don’t know the difference between the two. Follow along in our blog today as we mention the two Robo Force lines released and the differences between them.
Join Us to See the Differences Between Robo Force
Join us as we mention the differences between Robo Force Galoob and Ideal. We will go through the design of the toys and packaging as well as the pricing of each. Along with this, we will mention the new Robo Force toys and compare them to those of the 80s and 90s.
Design Differences
First up, to see the differences between Robo Force Galoob and Ideal, we will mention the design. These toys show many differences in design of both the toys and the packaging. The Galoob toys appear way different compared to the Ideal toys. Along with this, many differences within the packaging show up.
Ideal Toys
To look into the differences between Robo Force Galoob and Ideal, we begin with the toys themselves. Ideal first released Robo Force toys featuring ten cylinder-shaped robots in 1984. Unlike Galoob’s figures, each of these figures had a well thought out and detailed back story. Furthermore, Ideal also released a playset and vehicles to go along with the Robo Force toy line. With the release of these toys, a cartoon special also scheduled to release in order to help the promotion of the toys. This special titled Robo Force: The Revenge of Nazgar. Ideal’s figures consisted of two sides, the heroic Robo Force side led by Maxx Steele and the evil Cult of Dred side led by Hun-Dred.
One of the toughest and most invincible robots, Maxx Steele, comes fully armed with laser hand weapons and a double barrel spinning attack gun. The evil leader, Hun-Dred, senses fear in anyone around and stands ready to crush them with his hands or shoot lasers with his guns and attack weapons. On Maxx Steele’s team, Blazer, Coptor, Sentinel, Wrecker, and S.O.T.A (State of the Art) all help defend against the evil Cult of Dred. Meanwhile, Enemy, Cruel, and Vulgar made up Hun-Dred’s evil Robo team. Alongside these, the Robocruiser and Dred Crawler vehicles defend and attack in favor of Hun-Dred’s team. The Fortress of Steele works in favor of the heroic Robo Force team as a playset. Although these toys have many very cool features, they do not have many points of articulation which makes posing in different ways difficult.
Galoob Toys
Galoob first released their Robo Force toys in 1992. This consisted of eight different Robo Warrior figures, all with interchangeable parts. This interchangeable feature allows for buyers to collect multiple figures and create their own epic custom Robo Warrior figures. Galoob released eight of these interchangeable Robo Force characters in 1992. These epic characters included: Arachnor, Augor, Dozoid, Jetor, Spidoid, Tankor, Trakoid, and Wingold.
The Arachnor character resembles the Spidoid character as they both consist of insect-like robotic legs and arms. Arachnor appears in all black paint with bright green, yellow, and orange accents for color. Spidoid appears in bright blue and pink paint with black, green, and orange accents. Both figures come with extra attachable parts to create more epic figures. Then, Augor resembles the Doziod character since they both take the boxy, square shape with a drill front piece. These figures can drill and plow their way through anything. Jetor and Wingold each have the same interchangeable parts including bullets and limb parts. Jetor’s black paint makes it look incredibly intimidating while Wingold’s blue, orange, and purple paint show the fierce and heroic side. Lastly, Tankoid and Trackoid also give off the dark and light contrast with the paint and come with the same detachable parts to switch with other figures.
Ideal’s Packaging
Next up, to see the differences between Robo Force Galoob and Ideal, we will dive into the packaging. Ideal’s Robo Force toys come in boxes with epic artwork on the front. The cardboard features bold colors with the characters in fighting action. When releasing these toys, Ideal also came out with the Robo Force Fan Club. This was featured on all of their packaging and gave members additional bonuses. Fan club members received a membership card and certificate as well as a Robo Force cap, iron-on patch, magazine, poster, and 3-D button. Along with these, each box came with a mini comic that told the story of the characters. Even toys such as the playset came with one of these mini comics within the packaging. These comics help bring the detailed story of these Robo Force bots, vehicles, and playsets to life.
Galoob’s Packaging
Galoob’s packaging also shows the differences between Robo Force toy lines. Instead of the box packaging of Ideal’s toys, Galoob’s Robo Force line released with bubble/ blister packaging. This included the toy in plastic with a cardboard backing. The plastic bubble allowed for the figure and accessories to easily be seen and displayed. The cardboard backing provided the packaging design as well as branding and any additional information. The front of the cardboard features an action scene between figures. Along with this, the Robo Force logo appears at the top and the words “Create the Ultimate Robo Warriors” appears underneath the logo. A picture demonstration of this is shown on the cardboard above the figure. The back of the cardboard features all of the possible figures to collect and also describes how to snap on and off the parts to make your own figures.
Pricing Differences
Next up, we need to look at the pricing differences between Robo Force Galoob and Ideal. With demand for vintage toys, both Galoob and Ideal’s toys now sell for more than they originally released for. Through this next portion of the blog, we will mention the original pricing differences between each other as well as what each sell for today.
Pricing Then
When Ideal’s Robo Force line released in 1984, these toys hit store shelves at approximately $5 to$8 USD. Then, eight years later, Galoob’s Robo Force line released in 1992. These figures hit store shelves at approximately $4 USD. There are a few things to look at here when inspecting the differences between Robo Force pricing. The first is the sizing of the figures. Ideal’s figures appear on a scale of about 5 inches, while Galoob’s figures are much smaller. Ideal’s toys also included more with the fan club option, vehicles, a playset, and backstory for each toy. Although Galoob’s toy line offered the option of interchange parts, only the eight figures released for this line with no backstory on characters. This allowed for imagination to flow and custom robot warriors to emerge. It may be one reason these figures originally released for the price they were.
Both lines were short lived which caused many of these toys to go on clearance. Other popular toy brands released around the same time such as Transformers, Star Wars, and G.I. Joe. Robo Force toys then often got overlooked. Although these toys didn’t hit the same popularity as some other toys during their initial release, they still hold nostalgia for many people today. These Robo Force toys brought a new world of robotic humanoid characters to store shelves that many kids and adults loved.
Pricing Now
Selling these Robo Force toys to vintage toy buyers and collectors may have their differences even within each brand. Since each figure is different and the condition of the figures plays a huge factor into how much the toy sells for, the prices differ widely today. Toys in good condition hold a higher value than those with damage and wear. Also, toys in their original packaging hold a much higher value than those with the seal broken or missing parts. These toys today sell for anywhere from just above their original retail price up to even a hundred or so dollars. Galoob’s figures have sold online for around $30 to $40 USD, although some may be higher or lower. Ideal’s toys sell for approximately $25 to $40 USD, with these prices differing as well.
Nacelle’s Robo Force
In more recent years, Nacelle released brand new Robo Force action figures based off of Ideal’s 1984 toy line. In 2022, Nacelle launched their Robo Force marketing. Nacelle mentioned the figures, comic books, and animated series coming out for these revamped humanoid characters. Their first line of figures included the characters Maxx 89 and Wrecker. These 7.5 inch Robo Force action figures feature more points of articulation than Ideal’s figures. However, Nacelle took a lot of the same ideas such as the suctioned feet, design, and names to make these characters based off Ideal’s.
Final Thoughts
Although Galoob and Ideal’s lines share the same name, there are many differences between Robo Force toy lines. From interchangeable parts and accessories for custom Robo Warrior characters to suction cup humanoids with incredibly detailed back stories, these Robo Force toy lines bring imagination and memories back and still lasting for decades. Along with their design, these toy lines differed in price when first released and still differ in prices among those buying vintage Robo Force toys.
Do You Have Old and Used Robo Force Toys?
If you have a collection of old and used toys. you can turn those toys into cash. There is no need to let those old toys collect dust. Contact us today to sell your Robo Force toy collection.
Made in Collaboration with:
Chris Ingledue
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Bio: I am the founder and owner of Wheeljack’s Lab Pop Culture and Toy Shop. My vision has always been to reunite customers with their favorite childhood toys and pop culture, triggering fond memories, and reigniting their imaginations. Every day, I work in the “lab” where it’s Christmas 365 days a year. I scour the internet, like when we had the Sears Catalog of yesteryear, for the next great treasure. Then, I await the arrival of the postman as if he were Santa Claus himself and helping collectors worldwide with their versions of Christmas. Every day as a vintage toy buyer is an absolute joy!