I was a big fan of Voltron in the 1980’s but seriously, 
what kid wasn’t a fan? One of my fondest memories associated with Voltron has to do with my dog. When I was home in the afternoon and Voltron was on television I would sit and watch it with my dog. Though it doesn’t sound so spectacular it was fun. I had wood floors in my apartment and we had a game that I called “Voltron”. I would ask my dog if she wanted to play Voltron and she would run at me from across the room at full force. I would scoop her up and slide her back across the room. She would keep running at me until she decided the game was over…sadly there were days the game went on longer than I wanted. For as long as I had that dog, I couldn’t say “Voltron”. I also couldn’t say ice cream but that is a different story. Needless to say Voltron still holds a special place in my heart.
Personally, I never owned the original Voltron lions that connected to form Voltron; my brother Nick did and he loved them. Now, years later, Playmates has released a set of vintage lions so kids of this decade can know the joy we had (or had vicariously through someone else’s toys). Sadly, I don’t remember my brother’s lions from the 1980’s as well as I should but based on what I am seeing of the new version I can say that they are better made and a bit cooler.
So for those of you who don’t know who Voltron is let us have a quick lesson. Voltron is a bit of alien technology used to fight galactic evil. The 5 lions, black, blue, red, yellow and green would join together to form a giant robot known as Voltron. There was a version at one point that had vehicles instead of lions but that is also another story.
Playmates has produced a line of vintage Voltron toys and as a child of the 1980’s I must say that I am very pleased. This vintage line consists of 5 lions: red, blue, green, yellow and black. These individual lions are used together to form one massive vehicle for your action figures. Collecting all 5 figures really gives child hours of fun ….trust me, because it works for adults too.
Voltron was 122 episodes of a giant robot fighting alien monsters (sounds like the plot of Pacific Rim) and it was addictive to children growing up in the 1980’s. Each of the lions that formed Voltron was piloted by a human. The lions and there corresponding humans were:
• Keith-black lion
• Lance-Red Lion
• Pidge-Green Lion
• Hunk- Yellow Lion
• Princess Allura-Blue Lion
Thanks to Playmates and the release of these vintage Voltron lion vehicles you can dive into your childhood and introduce your children to the toys that made you happy. These updated toys are positively fantastic. The updated lions are lightweight plastic and are durable enough for hours of play.
One of the lions we are taking a look at is the Red Lion. This lion stands approximately 3 inches high and is approximately 9 inches long. According to the box the red lion has 15+ points of articulation. These are:
• Neck
• Knee Joint
• Ankle Joint
• Foot Joint
• “Waist”
• Tail
• Spring Loaded Jaw
The Red Lion makes the right arm for the completed Voltron unit. This lion comes equipped with:
• Missile Launcher (complete with firing action)
• Jaw Blade
• Laser Cannon
• Voltron’s Blazing Sword
Next up is the Blue Lion. Measuring approximately 4 inches tall and 10 inches long. The Blue Lion also boasts 15+ points of articulation. These are:
• Spring Loaded Jaw
• Knee Joint
• Ankle Joint
• Foot Joint
• Neck
• Tail
The Blue Lion is a bit different from the Red Lion because it is supposed to be leg for the completed Voltron unit. Because of the positioning on Voltron the movable parts do not move the same as they would on an arm. The weapons for the Blue Lion are:
• Beam Emitter
• Missile Launcher (Complete with Firing Action)
• Jaw Blade
The lions that form Voltron in this collection are unique because they are both a vehicle and action figure. Until the 5 lions come together they 5 are separate parts with their own movements and personality. I think that looking at the lions from this perspective opens the door to more imaginative play from the child.
I was impressed with the Voltron Lions. These would be a great addition to your or your child’s collection. The Vintage 1984 lions from Playmates are for ages 4 and up. The complete Voltron line is available at your favorite retailer. The lions that make up the 4 limbs of Voltron have a suggested retail price of $19.99 with the torso retailing for $29.99. Each lion comes with instructions on how to form Voltron because the lions are like potato chips, you can’t have just one!
