Before Transformers or Voltron, there was Voltes V—the first toy I’d ever seen where vehicles combined and transformed into a giant robot warrior.
My introduction to giant robots came by way of Godzilla.
One of the only Godzilla toys available in 1970s Ohio was the magnificent 24″ beast released as part of Mattel’s Shogun Warriors line.
Dragoon. Mazinga. Raydeen. I collected them all to battle Godzilla, even though I didn’t know anything about the anime characters they were based on. (The only Japanese cartoon I had seen as a husky young Buckeye was Battle of the Planets, the US adaptation of Japan’s awesomely titled Science Ninja Team Gatchaman.)
I got into giant robots simply because they were cool.
So, when I walked into a toy store in L.A.’s Little Tokyo in 1982 and saw a metal Voltes V toy on the counter, I was mesmerized.
Based on an anime that aired in Japan from 1977–1978, this Voltes V mech stands 13″ tall and weighs a couple of pounds.
The toy originally came with a chrome-plated sword that attached to the red, M-shaped cross guard that snaps into the front of its chest. I’ve lost the sword and the left fist, but I still have that egg beater thing that launches out of his left wrist.
But what made this toy incredibly awesome to me was that it could transform from a giant mech into a tank and also separate into five different vehicles. It was like getting seven different toys for the price of one!
At least, that’s how I justified the price tag.
This amazing toy, originally released in Japan by POPY in 1978 and in the USA by Bandai in 1982, was going for a hunnerd bucks.
That’s almost $270 in today’s dollars. Man, I was a spoiled brat.
But look! You get all this!
V-1: The Volt Cruiser
When not forming the head and jet pack of the giant robot, the Volt Cruiser turns into a fighter jet with opening cockpit, rolling wheels on retractable landing gears, and missile launchers. I can’t find the missiles, unfortunately.
V-2: The Volt Bomber
The arms and shoulders of the giant robot turn into this vehicle that reminds me of a Y-wing bomber from Star Wars. It originally came with rear fins, like a plane’s tail, which I’ve misplaced.
V-3: The Volt Panzer
Is this a tank or a crab? The Volt Panzer has two articulated claws on top and missile launchers where a crab’s eyes would be. The red half of the cockpit swings up to reveal the opening where it latches on to the waist of the giant robot—like a crab’s mandibles—and the extendable treads swing back when in robot mode.
V-4: The Volt Frigate
This battleship, which form the legs of the robot, have missile launchers on folding yellow fins as well as in the two red and white towers on top. I’ve lost those missiles, as well as the chrome-plated antennae that plug into the tops of the towers.
As packed with action features as this was, the Frigate was my least favorite part of the set because I could never see it as anything other than a pair of legs.
V-5: The Volt Lander
Look and behold the glory of the 1970s.
A pair of red-and-white roller skates that transforms into a now-retro-but-then-futuristic lunar lander/battle tank.
The two feet connect at the cockpit and have missile launchers in the chrome-plated engines and under the black flaps on the front. The front of the feet have retractable magnets that I didn’t know the purpose of, but I would use them to scoop paper clips off of tabletops.
There used to be two chrome-plated antennae that plugged into the red domes on the top of the cockpit.
The Voltank
Not only could you combine all five vehicles into the Voltes V mech, you could turn it into the mighty Voltank!
Keep in mind that this toy was released a couple of years before Transformers toys and Voltron came out. The concept of vehicles combining and/or transforming into robots just blew my mind.
And apparently, it impressed my parents enough for them to blow a hundred bucks on it in 1982. It wasn’t even my birthday.
Yeah, I was spoiled.
This is still an impressive toy, nearly 40 years later. It’s heavy. It’s sturdy. The plastic parts haven’t turned brittle like many of my GI Joe and Star Wars toys have. The missile launchers still work. The pieces still latch together and unlatch with ease. Some of the stickers have peeled at the corners, but the adhesive still holds strong.
They don’t make ’em like this anymore.
Were you familiar with Voltes V? Did you ever watch the cartoon? Will you watch the 2020 live action remake? Comment below!
