Transistor Robots: Carry Can

Last time we looked at a toy that was branded Transistor Robots, it was a blatant, but cool, knock-off of the Generation 1 Transformer Bombshell.  This time however we have what appears to be an original toy.  Manufactured by Four Star, this transforming dump truck scales well with Go-Bots and other similar scaled toys.  I found this carded sample online some time ago and was intrigued.  I quickly snapped a few packaged pictures before tearing into it so I could share my thoughts.  Was it worth my purchase?  Let's see.

I remember seeing these toys sold in drug stores back in the day.  I believe the Revco store my parents frequented used to carry these.  Heck, I probably had one or two as a kid.  As you can see, this robot's name is Carry Can and transforms into a green garbage truck.  The font used for the logo strikes a resemblance to Hasbro's Transformers of the time, as does the grid pattern in the background.  What really gets me here is the block of text to the left of the robot.

Hauls for the strike force and marches with the robots.

Now it's a truck...now it's a robot...hours of fun!

Well, I'm not too sure about the hours of fun part!  Interesting toy to say the least.  Let's continue shall we?

All of the Transistor Robot toys I've seen have this Index Card of sorts in the bottom corner of the packaging.  This release comes from the Convertible series.  I'm unclear of what the other series' are in this line.

The back of the packaging shows an additional 4 figures from I presume to be the same series.  The trucks appear to share a similar transformation, while the other two are cars.  Hey, Rat-Race looks awfully familiar.  Haven't we seen him somewhere before?  Oh yes, as Chrysbot from the series Racetron.  Hmm...there appears to be more of a story here.  Let me research that a bit and I'll get back to you.

As you can see, this release hails from 1986 and was made in Taiwan by Four Star.  Or did Four Star rip off this mold from someone else?  I believe we are in some shady territory here.

The included sticker sheet is small.  I wasn't sure how much the stickers would help break up all the green or if they'd even stick to the toy, so I left them unapplied as-is.

Right out of the package and I can tell this toy's plastic is that of the lesser quality.  I won't call it cheap as it does feel solid and sturdy, but it's not on par w/ Go-Bots or Transformers.  The gold chest is die-cast metal, but the rest is strictly plastic.  

  

Nothing really that spectacular about this toy, but yet I like it.  Very little articulation, no paint apps, stupid looking chromed head/face and simplistic transformation.  Someone please explain to me why I'm digging this toy so?

 

In dump truck form the toy is remains solid.  The wheels are fairly large and chunky, but roll with ease...as long as it is on a smooth, flat surface.  It measures about 4 inches long.  I can help but wonder if that design on the truck's drill is supposed to be the Mercedes symbol?  While the truck looks rather plain without any applied stickers or paint apps, it still is pretty cool.  Perhaps you could use him as the 7th member of the Constructicons that just didn't quite make the cut?

Being a garbage truck, the back of the vehicle does lift up to reveal a shallow, but hollow area.  This is also where the "Made in Taiwan" stamp can be found.

My Go-Bots are packed up at the moment so the only thing I had near by at the time I shot the pictures was (surprise!) another Transistor Robot!  I picked up this guy at the same time.  Look for his own review soon.

As a whole Carry Can is pretty cool.  I guess he appeals to me a little more since I like non-Transformers and such.  Since they scale well with Go-Bots, Convertors and other similar toys I'm sure more collectors would enjoy them...if only they knew about them or could find them.  It's toys like these that make me want to blog about them and share them with others.  Thanks for taking the time to stop by today.  More cool stuff soon!