Apparently the object of the game is steering a generic robot through space while moving the paper beneath by turning the knob on the left with your thumb. In the days before Game Boy or even Tiger Electronics handhelds, this was the low cost option to play games on the go. Here’s another handheld bit of fun to pull off the peg at the local pharmacy.
You could legitimately convince your parents this was an education tool to keep your mind sharp on vacation. Just look at all the math you had to do with plus and negative score slots. One thing I’ll say about this game is that you better have your pencil and paper ready to keep score. You were sick of playing license plate bingo, so at the next gas station you begged your parents for this GoBots Pinball Game and a pack of Big League Chew. “Rack Toys” like this pinball game were usually 2 nd tier amusements reserved for moments of desperation on a family road trip. It feels like something you would have to cover up with a scratch n’ sniff sticker of a pickle to avoid a call to your parents. For some reason though I imagine teachers having a problem with your pencil pouch boldly displaying the word “KILL” on it. Granted it didn’t actually change into the jet, but it was still way more fun than walking up to the crank handle sharpener bolted above a trashcan in the classroom. Kids were always looking for a way to bring toys to school and what better way than a pencil sharpener in the shape of a transforming robot jet. I wonder if he would hang out with Fearless Photog from the Masters of the Universe create a character contest? "Film-Bot" would have been a hit for me at playtime. My solution as a child would definitely have been to build a robot body out of Construx and then rubber band this camera to the top as a head. But maybe they were banking on children being excited to have, “A real camera just like mommy’s and daddy’s”.
While it may have been fun to take some pictures of your GoBots toys assembled on the floor of your bedroom, it’s kind of a letdown. It’s just a camera with some stickers on it. Unlike the previous item, this licensed GoBots camera does not transform into a “Mighty Robot”. Likely stored in a humid garage for years, this machine has melted gumballs in the bottom, yuck! The only poor production choice I feel is selling the thing with the gumballs pre-loaded. The other plus was that if a kid’s fascination with GoBots faded as they got older, they could easily leave the dispenser in jet mode while playing “Danger Zone” by Kenny Loggins on their stereo and live that Top Gun life. Not only were you getting a gumball dispenser, but a bank and a toy all in one! The idea of bringing one home always appealed to me, but I was usually imagining one of the standard red metal and glass globe models on a stand. I don’t know about you, but nothing was cooler to my 4 year old self than gumball machines.
So today, let’s look back at some of the non-robot products that carried the GoBots name in our local drug stores. Tonka seemingly did everything right with GoBots, releasing toys at multiple price points, with Hanna-Barbera to create stories and characters, even licensing plenty of tie-in merchandise not directly related to the toy line. The truth is, Leader-1 and the GoBotronians debuted weeks before the Transformers in toy aisles and on TV. But despite the common misconception, GoBots was not a mere imitator, simply hopping on the Transformers bandwagon to cash in. From box art, to robot design, cartoon adaptation and catch phrases (Robots In Disguise/More Than Meets The Eye), Optimus Prime’s Cybertronian cohorts were just cooler. Let’s face it, GoBots never had the staying power of their fellow transforming robot vehicle competitors The Transformers.
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