IMAI Robodachi Pro-Wrestling figure sets review

A robotic Hulk Hogan? Volcanoes, Island Deathmatches and an African Andre The
Giant? Read on...


As I've mentioned before, one of the great aspects of getting into Japanese Pro-Wrestling figures
is the the discovery of  obscure and exciting product lines from decades past. Hidden gems that
collectors may have overlooked for one reason or another, series' produced in minuscule numbers,
or releases from toy manufacturers who folded just as quickly as they started.

Possibly one of the coolest Japanese figure sets posted to this blog so far, Blog #222 tangles
with IMAI's Robodatchi Pro-Wrestling figure sets.


"What is a Robodatchi?"

Known in Japan as "ロボダッチ" (Robodachi), Robodachi started out as a character design
created by Manga Artist Satoru Ozawa back in 1975. That same year, Japanese toymaker
IMAI released the first-ever Robodachi figure; which became a hit overnight.

The name Robodachi literally translates to "robot friend".

The original Robodachi character Tamagoro.

As Robodachi's success continued to climb, IMAI began to release more complex figures
involving playsets, dioramas, diecast figures and additional characters adopted into
themes such as pirates, sumo wrestlers, sports teams, sea exploration and even
Pro-Wrestling.

A 1999 advertisement for the diecast Tamagoro Robodachi figure.


Robodachi Pro-Wrestling series

Among other themes, IMAI released a number of Pro-Wrestling themed Robodachi sets
in the 1980's:


#1 Red ring playset  (ロボダッチ赤いリング)

At first glance, I thought the packaging was the box art of an obscure Famicom Wrestling title
from the 1980's. The packaging reads "Robodachi Red Ring" and "Bad Guy Army vs Tamatama
Army" (Tama being short for Robodachi's Tamagoro character).

The red ring fully assembled. The left side reads "Robodachi World Pro-Wrestling RWGP".
The RWGP (a nod to New Japan Pro-Wrestling's IWGP tournament) most-likely stands for
Robodachi World Grand Prix.

The right side of the ring reads "Tamatama Army VS Bad Guy Army".

As invasion angles were extremely popular in Japan during the 1980's (Riki Choshu "invading"
AJPW, Rusher Kimura, Animal Hamaguchi and Isamu Teranishi "invading" NJPW, etc), the
faction/army trend carries over into Robodachi format.

The red ring features a design of Robodachi's Tamagoro. The eagle on Tamagoro's head
makes me think of Antonio Inoki's NWF Heavyweight Championship belt (which also
has an eagle design).

The two circles in the bottom left and top right corners serve as spring-loaded platforms
that can send the Robodachi figures flying.

As you may have guessed, some of the figures featured in Robodachi's Wrestling series are
based on real-life Pro-Wrestlers. The figures are:

Texas Robo (Stan Hansen)

Debutcher (Abdullah The Butcher)

A generic "Wrestling Demon" that has a light-up mouth!

Riki Robo (Riki Choshu)

Miracle X

Giant Robo (Giant Baba)

Mr. Chun


#2 Blue Ring playset (ロボダッチ青いリング)

Same mat design as the red ring set. Just coloured blue.

The figures this time around are:

Monster Robo (a nod to Andre The Giant's Monster Roussimoff gimmick in Japan)

Antonio Inochi (Antonio Inoki)

The generic Wrestling Demon (the box depicts him as a cameraman).

Ichiban Robo (Ichiban being the catchphrase and symbol Hulk Hogan would adopt during
the early portion of his career in Japan)

Referee Robo

Great Z.

and King Tamagoro (who includes a Championship belt around his waist) along with a
silver ring bell.



#3 Pro-Wrestling Island playset (ロボダッチ プロレス島)


The packaging for the Pro-Wrestling Island set.


This is where the Robodachi sets really start to stand head and shoulders apart of other
Pro-Wrestling playsets released in Japan.

While Robodachi also has a Treasure Island playset for their non-Wrestling figures, the
concept behind the Pro-Wrestling equivalent may have been inspired by Antonio Inoki's
1987 Island Deathmatch against Masa Saito.




You'd be forgiven if you thought this killer playset looked just like a grail out of the LEGO
catalog.

The banner on the bottom left corner reads "プロレス島" (Pro-Wrestling Island); which is
also the name of this particular playset. The left side of the ring reads "Robodachi Champion
Series" (which may be a reference to All Japan Pro-Wrestling's Excite Series tournaments).

The second banner on the right reads "実力" (rough translation "Real Power No. 1." - could
be a reference to Robo Riki).

The mat of the Pro-Wrestling Island playset. This particular example was coloured in.

                      

A look at the stickers for the Pro-Wrestling Island playset.



#4 Kinniku Land Playset  (ロボダッチ キン肉ランド)

The fourth variant takes place on a volcano playset. On this particular packaging, Riki Robo looks
more like "the father of Puroresu" Rikidozan (complete with PWF belt) than Riki Choshu.

The text "APO!!" is actually onomatopoeia. In this case, the impact sound from Giant Baba's
dropkick.

The word "Apooooh" also appears as the name of a 1984 Japanese Pro-Wrestling Arcade game
that features a large majority of the Pro-Wrestlers featured in this set.

IMAI was also known for also producing less-expensive figure sets for different consumer
budgets. The Kinniku Land Playset (being smaller in scale in comparison to other Robodachi
sets) is a prime example.

Admittedly, this was the first Robodachi playset that I came across, and because of the Kinniku
playset name (which translates to "Muscle Land"), I originally thought the Robodachi figures
were a spinoff of the M.U.S.C.L.E./Kinnikuman series (sadly, not the case).

Kinniku Land's playset.


#5 Pro-Wrestling Set (ロボダッチプロレスセット)



The packaging of Robodachi's "Pro-Wrestling Set".

Another one of the less-expensive sets. This set includes what looks like a cardboard ring
outline. All of the figures (minus the light up cameraman and ring bell) seem to be here; ideal
for collectors who are just after the Wrestlers themselves.

In case you were wondering, each Robodachi figure requires assembly and painting.

Unpainted examples of the Robodachi figures.




A painting guide for the Robodachi figures. Depending on what set you purchased, your
Andre The Giant figure may have instructions to be painted with a darker skin tone; or
your Abdullah The Butcher with a yellow skin tone and a blue top!


Closing thoughts:

The Robodachi Pro-Wrestling line mixed Japan's love of Pro-Wrestling with model kit
making and a healthy dose of robotics for good measure.

In total, there are five Robodachi Pro-Wrestling playsets to choose from. My personal
favourite is the Pro-Wrestling Island playset. Great detail, excellent size, tons of accessories
...and it comes with a Wrestling ring from the red and blue playsets.

Your best chance of tracking any of these sets down is to the use the Japanese keywords
"ロボダッチ プロレス" (Robodachi Pro-Wrestling) on sites like Mercari, Yahoo Auction
Japan or Mandarake. But, good luck finding the Pro-Wrestling Robodachi figures due to
their rarity.

Special thanks to Robodachi Institute  (https://ameblo.jp/smynnn/entry-12625444766.html?frm=
theme) and all of the other Robodachi collectors for the excellent photos and information on
these sets.