Apparently all it takes is five mechanical lions to protect the universe. “Voltron” or “Beast King Go Lion” in Japan is a classic anime franchise from the ’80s that has undergone many variations over the last 30+ years. Originally debuted in 1984, “Voltron” centers around a team of five pilots that use a giant space robot known as Voltron to protect the universe from evil. Each pilot mans a (borderline self-aware) mechanical lion – Red Lion, Green Lion, Blue Lion, etc. and in times of need (aka at the end of every episode) they combine to form Voltron!
If you’ve watched cartoons as a kid, or subscribe to Netflix as an adult then you’re probably well aware of Voltron’s existence (Netflix loves to realllly let you know there’s a new season of Voltron available lol). What you might not know is that since ’84 more than a few versions of Voltron have come and gone. Because of… you know… money… various manufactures have picked up the toy rights to Voltron with dreams of milking the brand for every last possible dollar. Panosh Place, Hasbro, Mattel, Matchbox and others have all owned Volton’s toy distribution rights at various points in time. We thought it would be fun to take a look back at each iteration of Voltron toys from 1984 to now. Peep the line-up below and let us know if you’re a fan of Voltron! We’re focusing on the type of Voltron sets that combine to actually form the Defender of the Universe; don’t nooo one care about the type of toys that come preassembled.
1984 Voltron by Panosh Place
1985 Voltron I by Matchbox Toys
1986 Voltron II by Matchbox Toys
1998 Voltron The Third Dimension by World Event Productions
2016 Voltron by Dream Works
