Challenge of the GoBots
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| Challenge of the GoBots | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Format | Animated series |
| Starring | Lou Richards Arthur Burghardt Frank Welker Bernard Erhard Bob Holt Marilyn Lightstone Sparky Marcus Leslie Speights Morgan Paull Phil Hartman B.J. Ward Brock Peters Peter Cullen |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| No. of episodes | 66 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 mins |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | First-run syndication |
| Original airing | September 8, 1984 |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Challenge of the GoBots (also known as Mighty Machine Men) is an American animated series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, based on the Gobots toy-line released from Tonka. Most of the toys were imported from the Japanese Machine Robo toy line .
The show was first broadcast in syndication on September 8, 1984. It was later rerun on the USA Cartoon Express.
Contents |
[edit] Summary
GoBots dealt with two opposing forces of transforming robots from the planet Gobotron: the heroic Guardians and the evil Renegades. The Guardians were led by Leader-1 with others including Turbo and Scooter. The Renegades were led by Cy-Kill, with Crasher and Cop-Tur among their ranks. The characters rarely had guns, instead shooting energy blasts out of their fists. Unlike Transformers, GoBots had regular female characters. However, the females were built like the males (only Crasher receiving any distinguishable female features). The GoBots' origin as organic beings accounted for the presence of genders among the robots.
The series generally focused on the "lead" three robots from each faction (Leader-1, Turbo and Scooter vs. Cy-Kill, Cop-Tur and Crasher), who were virtually ever-present, with other characters seeming to rotate in "guest-star" roles.
GoBots had no clear divide between the two factions. The characters (as well as the toys) had no identifying insignias or markings to indicate their allegiance, although it was clearly indicated on the packaging. Likewise, there was no commonality of design within each faction.
The only 'theme' to a side was that anything that turned into a 'monstrous' looking robot or vehicle was a Renegade.
Clips from the show were used in Errol Morris' Fast, Cheap and Out of Control.
[edit] Characters
[edit] Guardians
- Leader-1
- Turbo
- Scooter
- Small Foot
- Van Guard
- Blaster
- Rest-Q
- Pathfinder
- Sparky
- Heat Seeker
- Road Ranger
- Night Ranger
- Hanss-Cuff
- Bolt
- Ace
- Mr. Moto
- Dive-Dive
- Flip Top
- Zeemon
- Treds
- Major-Mo
[edit] Renegades
- Cy-Kill
- Crasher
- Cop-Tur
- Loco
- Fitor
- Tank
- Screw Head
- Destroyer
- Tux (Stretch)
- Fly Trap
- Vamp
- Scorp
- Pincher
- Bugsy
- Hornet
- Creepy
- Dr. Go
- Scales
- Zod
- Stallion
- Stinger
- Buggyman
- Geeper-Creeper
- Snoop
- Slicks
- Zero
[edit] Humans
- Matt
- Nick
- A.J.
[edit] Plot
Thousands of years ago on the planet that came to be known as GoBotron, there lived a race of human-like beings. At some point in time, whether by natural causes or by catastrophe, this humanoid race was threatened with extinction.
One surviving humanoid became known as the Last Engineer. The other surviving humanoid is referred to as the Master Renegade. The Last Engineer, who had already supplemented his body with mechanical parts, devised the "Gobot form" for the surviving people of the planet, large robot bodies capable of turning into other vehicles.
In the last quarter of the 20th Century, the planet Earth became involved in the conflict between Leader-1's Guardians and Cy-Kill's Renegades. During one of these battles, one of Leader-1's lieutenants, Turbo, became severely damaged. Unwilling to let his friend and teammate die, Leader-1 began his quest to find the legendary Last Engineer. Leader-1 found the person he believed to be the Last Engineer, but Leader-1 had unwittingly released the Master Renegade (though he did repair Turbo to gain the Guardians' trust). The Guardians later found the true Last Engineer, who was instrumental in frustrating the alliance between Cy-Kill's Renegades and the Master Renegade.
The Master Renegade later escaped the custody of the Renegades, and plagued both factions, notably attacking the UniCom colony of New Earth.
[edit] Episode list
- Battle For Gobotron
- Target Earth
- Conquest Of Earth
- Earth Bound
- The Final Conflict
- It's The Thought That Counts
- Renegade Alliance
- Time Wars
- Terror In Atlantis
- Trident's Triple Threat
- Lost On Gobotron
- Cy-Kill's Shrinking Ray
- The Quest For The Rogue-Star
- Ultra Zod
- Sentinel
- Speed Is Of The Essence
- Genius And Son
- Dawn World
- Pacific Overtures
- Forced Alliance
- Invasion From The 21st Level (Part 1)
- Invasion From The 21st Level (Part 2)
- Doppelganger
- Scooter Enhanced
- Tarnished Image
- Cold Spell
- Crime Wave
- Auto-Matic
- Renegade Rampage (Part 1)
- Renegade Rampage (Part 2)
- Search For The Ancient Gobonauts
- Gameworld
- Wolf In The Fold
- Depth Charge
- Transfer Point
- Steamer's Defection
- The GoBot Who Cried Renegade
- The Seer
- Whiz Kid
- Ring Of Fire
- Cy-Kills Escape (Part 1 of 5)
- Quest For The Creator (Part 2 of 5)
- The Fall Of Gobotron (Part 3 of 5)
- Flight To Earth (Part 4 of 5)
- Return To Gobotron (Part 5 of 5)
- Element Of Doom
- Destroy All Guardians
- Escape From Elba
- Fitor To The Finish
- Clutch Of Doom
- The Third Column
- A New Suit For Leader-1
- Renegade Carnival
- The Gift
- Nova Beam
- The Last Magic
- Braxis Gone Bonkers
- Inside Job
- Element Of Danger
- Mission Gobotron
- Et Tu Cy-Kill?
- The GoBots That Time Forgot
- The Secret Of Hailey's Comet
- Guardian Academy
- Quest For New Earth
- Cy-Kill's Cataclysmic Trap
[edit] Comparisons to Transformers
The franchises of GoBots and Hasbro's Transformers have often been compared due to the obvious similarities between the products. Although GoBots were technically first to reach the market, Transformers became the clear leader in both the marketplace and in popular culture.
Examples of the similarities between the brands' backstory include:
- Both are opposing robot forces of robots which transform between humanoid and transportation-based forms which represent good and evil, respectively.
- GoBots hail from Gobotron where Transformers hail from Cybertron
- Both franchises introduced female robotic characters, however, GoBots featured these characters in the premiere and maintained the character(s) as regular players. Transformers did not introduce female robotic characters until the second season and used them only sparingly.
[edit] References
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Challenge of the GoBots at the Internet Movie Database
- Challenge of the Gobots Screenshots at Counter-X.net
- Challenge of the GoBots fan page
