Retouching a photo, and checking out some Disney robots...

The best part of being an illustrator is being able to add missing details to a picture. I was bummed out that I couldn’t get a clear picture of the full Oswald mural that I mentioned in the previous blog. I also didn’t understand why the part that read “The Home of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit” was covered in butcher paper. Hopefully the next time I get out to Culver City I might be able to get an unobstructed view of the painting. To hold me over I recreated a classic illustration of Oswald with a bucket of paint, and paintbrush filling in the part that I didn’t get to see.

Before the month wraps up I’m hyped on some high-end Disney toys that I found out about earlier this year. The manufacturer Morstorm has some pricey figures based on the Disney classics, as well as some of the newer films. They made a couple of figures that were stylized to look like robots. What do you think about the mechanical Donald Duck, or Stitch?

Would you spend $50 or more per each of these six-inch figures, or would you pass? Are there any expensive toys that you like to collect? Tell me in the comments section. As always if you enjoyed this blog, and would like to sponsor me please visit my Patreon page and consider donating each month, even as little as $1 would help make better blogs and even podcasts!

Robo-D, the tiny Disney robots from Japan. A 1UP Classic...

Friends, today we're going to look at my favorite capsule toys, the Robo-D series by Yujin. The parent company Takara Tomy has been in the business for a long time and has the Disney license for a number of unique products. I had mentioned the detailed figures the company produced with the Epic Mickey capsule toys blog. Many years prior they released a series of figures that were absolutely brilliant. The 1-inch plastic robots shaped after the Disney mascots were among the most unique figures I had ever seen. A decade ago I had seen these figures in a Japanese toy magazine. I knew that they would never appear in the US and was saddened with that realization. The tiny figures were meant to be won in capsule toy (vending machine) prizes and not for sale in any Disney park. However there were stores that did nothing but sell these prizes directly to the consumer. My big brother surprised me by tracking down the set and giving them to me for my birthday almost a decade ago.

The figures were reminiscent of classic wind-up tin toys. The small rivets, boxy proportions, tubes and dials that made up the details were amazing. The hard plastic figures looked as if they were metal toys. The initial release featured Pluto, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Donald. On the backs of the figures were wind up keys featuring the initial of the character. They had the illusion of being wind-up toys but the arms, legs and keys were simply springs. The figures did not move. Yujin did release a set of figured that did move but they were larger and did not quite have the same proportions or charm of the original Robo-D series.

As the years progressed Yujin would revisit or update the line. They released a matte painted version of the figures called the Robo-D Zero version, a 5-inch version of Mickey, Minnie and Goofy and keychain versions of the original lineup as well. A few years ago they revisited the line and added new members. Robo-D version 2.0 featured Pete, Popotto (a Japanese character), Mickey with wheels and a paint gun, Winnie the Pooh and Bambi. The new figures kept the same color scheme and proportions of the original cast. As he was in animated form so too did the Pete figure impose over the rest of the cast. Pete was the heftiest of all, he was about 2 inches tall and about 2 inches wide as well.

The figures were instantly collectable and something not really seen in the west. They married the classic Disney designs with a nostalgia of tin robot toys that never existed.

The most recent Robo-D release, Version 3.0, saw more familiar faces but also a bold redesign for Donald. The updated Duck featured him riding atop a UFO sporting a removable visor.

The new lineup also updated Mickey slightly, with a large rocket booster belt. The new robots included Chip and Dale, Daisy and Popotto's girlfriend. Disney fans and collectors owe it to themselves to track down these figures. It might be hard to find the first generation of figures but V.2 and V.3 still appear in circulation. Thanks to eBay it has never been easier to collect rare items from around the world.

Happy hunting!

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