So, as I mentioned last month the 1980’s era toyline Robo Force has made a triumphant return with new customizable figure sets from the fine folks over at Toyfinity. Along with this relaunch of the toys, head honcho John Kent has tapped Jerzy Drozd to help him bring the story of the new Robo Force to life with a webcomic. The first handful of pages have begun to update and the latest page is slap full of some fun, hidden, 80s cartoon and toy homages! I thought it would be fun to break them down and see all the cool stuff Jerzy packed in the panels…
1). First and foremost there’s a little bit of foreshadowing on this page. In the large middle monitor you can see the shoulder spikes, arm, and chest of Robo Force villain Hun-Dred!
2). Speaking of 80s Robot Evil Villains, there is a decimated Slaughter Steelgrave on the floor. Arch nemesis of Hot Shot from the Starriors figures by Tomy. I’ve talked about my love for these rad interchangeable wind-up figures before…
3). Now I didn’t catch this at first (I needed a hint from Jerzy to figure it out), but up in insert panel you can see the avian hood ornament from the Masters of the Universe Wind Raider!
4). Speaking of cool animal-themed 80s vehicles, jutting out from underneath that insert panel is none other than one of the arms from the ThunderCats Thunder Tank!
5). But not all of these references are from the far flung corners of the galaxy, off to the right in that above mentioned insert panel you can catch a glimpse at part of Cobra’s Weather Dominator from G.I. Joe!
6). If you’ve been following this Robo Force comic then so far we’ve seen a very wrecked looking Wrecker and the sad sight of Maxx Zero (Maxx Steele from the original toys) in pieces. Looks like he could use this next item to light his darkest hour, the Autobot Matrix of Leadership from the Transformers!
7 & 8). The next two hidden items get a little more obscure and are linked to the same character. The helmet and power staff of the villainous Cravex from the Visionaries!
9). This last hidden item made me blush, and that’s all I’m gonna say about that… ;)
So, if you’re a fan of 80s toys and haven’t had a chance to pick up one of the rad new Robo Force figure sets, keep your eyes peeled on the Toyfinty site for an announcement on the next drop of new stock. In the meantime head on over to their comic and keep up as the story of the new Robo Force unfolds with a new page each week! I’ve known Jerzy for a number of years, have tabled with him at conventions, talked at length with him and other friends about 80s cartoons and have loved reading his comics work over the years so believe me when I say that he’s putting his all into this new Robo Force comic and it’s well worth your attention!