In the wake of a transforming robot craze ignited by Hasbro, Select Toys decided to introduce budget-friendly Convertors to the market. This small toy line appeared in toy aisles around 1984. Unlike the larger companies, Select opted to silently introduce the line without any additional marketing. Instead, they banked on their similarities to Transformers and Go-Bots would make their sales for them.
While many companies would create knock-offs of popular toy lines, Select was not one of these companies. The majority of their Convertors toys could trace their origins to a Japanese company called Takatoku, which had produced toys for Macross in the early 1980s. Since Takatoku went bankrupt in 1984, the rights to these toys fell under the umbrella of Bandai. However, Mark Toys also retained the license for these toys. With this license, they also produced budget versions of these toys that they could license out in turn.
When Select Toys decided to enter the transforming robot market, they picked up these budget licenses from Mark Toys. This led to their Convertors toys also having the same budget-friendly production. Moreover, they kept the packaging for their toys budget-friendly as well. Most Convertors were sold on card back packaging. While the front of these cards displayed colorful images, the backs only featured black line art that often displayed the transformation steps.
Understanding that the battle between good and evil helped sell a toy line, Select created two groups for their robots. There were the Heroic Defenders who battled valiantly against the evil machinations of the Maladroids.
Earth’s Central Computer created the Defender robots as Earth’s hope against invading forces. They soon had the chance to prove their worth as they kept the Earth safe from the Maladroids. When not in battle, these robots transformed into other forms.
The standard class of Defenders had several members. There was Chopper that transformed into a helicopter. Next up was Fast Track which converted into a train engine. There was also Tanker, a robot that transformed into a tank, and Wheels which became an off-road vehicle.
Within the Defenders were a few different sub-groups. For instance, there were the Super Defenders which featured a collectible card with each package. These toys included D.A. Tona, who transformed into a white sports car. Then, there was Indy, which transformed into a blue and white racing car. This subline also included Monty Carlo, which transformed into a blue car, and X, which became a red car.
The next subline for the Defenders was the single Jumbo Defender, Bull. This orange robot transformed into a bulldozer. It also stood out for featuring a one-touch transformation sequence.
The Defenders also had a group of Mini-Bots ready to fight against evil. Their members included City, which transformed into a red Honda City Turbo. Then, there were Sports which became a silver Toyota Soarer. The other two members were Van, a robot that became a black Nissan Vanette, and Wagon, which converted into a blue Toyota Hilux.
Select also produced a small selection of motorized defenders. Each member of this sub-line transformed into a motorized boat. It included Argonaut, who became a blue and white boat. Then there was Atlantis which transformed into a white boat. The Cpt. Nemo toy became a sea green-colored boat. Finally, there was Neptune which converted into a light grey boat.
Another sub-group of the Convertors toy line was the Avarians. The Avarians came from the recently discovered Avarious, home of several winged creatures that converted into robot warriors. As the mortal enemies of the Insectors, they have come to Earth to help protect the planet.
Each of the Avarians transformed into a form of a flying creature, usually a bird. There was Calypso, who became a parrot, and Feathers who transformed into a peacock. Then, there was Hoot who converted into an owl, and Rex who became a blue eagle. Finally, there was Robat, who stood out for becoming a black bat.
Meanwhile, the Maladroids came to Earth from the Malacon Galaxy intending to destroy the planet and enslave humanity. Most of them changed from spaceships into menacing robots. Only the Defenders stood a chance at fighting them.
The main group of Maladroids included five different action figures. First, there was Nofka, which had a few different versions. The first version of this toy took the mold from SDF-1 from Super Dimensional Fortress Macross. This toy featured both a battle form and a spaceship. There was another version of Nofka which used the mold of Orgus from Super Dimension Century Orguss. This toy transformed into a stylized jet, a hover tank, and a walking tank.
Then, there was the designated leader of the Maladroids, Sunyak. This mold originated from a toy for Super Dimension Century Orguss. It was advertised with a Battle, Earth Walker, and Spaceship form. The next Maladroid was Zardark who was based on the mold of VF-1 from Super Dimensional Fortress Macross. This toy was advertised with an Earth Walker and Spaceship transformation. Finally, there was Zark, who was based on the mold for VF-1S from Super Dimensional Fortress Macross. This toy was also advertised with an Earth Walker and Spaceship alternate form.
Like the Defenders, Select created a small group of motorized toys that were part of the Maladroids’ forces. These toys included Meeshak who became a grey jet and Mooriah who became a white jet. There was also Turak which converted into a blue jet and Volcan which transformed into a red jet.
The Insectors came from the planet Inesectus, located in the Malacon Galaxy. With their close ties to the Maladroids, these insect-like machines plan to help with the conquest of the Earth.
The insectoid forces included Crawler, a robot that converted into a stag beetle. Then, there was Creepy who transformed into a longhorn beetle. The robot Morphus could convert into a locust while Scorpio changed into a scorpion. Finally, Tenticus converted into a spider.
The 1985 JC Penny Toy Catalog notably featured the Convertors toys from Select. On page 419, the catalog displayed the play set for this toy line. While it appeared in this catalog, the play set was apparently never released. The Converters reappeared on page 429, which listed the Flexibot Malagons and the Flexibots Defenders.
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