Robo Machines (comics) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Robo Machines !
An early advertisement for the comic.
Author(s)	Tom Tully
Current status/schedule	Cancelled
Publisher(s)	Fleetway Publications
Genre(s)	Superhero

The Robo Machines was a British comic story. It appeared in the comic magazine Eagle from November 10, 1984, to July 27, 1985. The comic was named after the Bandai company's "Robo Machine" toy line. However, it mostly used the names of characters from the "GoBots" toys, which were owned by Tonka. Later, these GoBots characters became part of Hasbro's Transformers universe. The characters in the comic had their own unique personalities, and the story was very different from the American Challenge of the GoBots cartoon.

About the Comic

In Europe, the toy company Bandai sold the "Robo Machine" action figures. The Challenge of the GoBots cartoon had not yet arrived in the UK. So, Bandai asked Fleetway Publishing to create a comic. This comic would help promote the toys. Tom Tully, a very experienced writer, wrote the series. He had also written for comics like Roy of the Rovers and The Steel Claw.

The drawings for the comic were first done by Mario Capaldi. Later, Kim Raymond took over the art during the first part of the story. The comic's story was set in a different world than the GoBots cartoon. The characters came from a planet called Robotron. Some character names in the comic were also different, matching the European toy line. For example, a bad guy called Twin Spin in the toys was a good guy named Carry-All in the comic. Also, a bad guy named Vamp was called Casmodon.

The Storyline

First Adventure (November 10, 1984 – March 15, 1985)

The first part of the story begins on Robotron. This planet is in the Proxima System. The people there are very smart and advanced. They have become 99% machine themselves through special science. Robots are used for everything on Robotron. A scientist named Stron-Domez wants more power. He changes two criminal Robo Machines, Cy-Kill and Tank. He makes them able to change into vehicles.

Stron-Domez tries to attack the President of Robotron, but he fails. So, he takes his new robots to Earth. He found out that Earth has many minerals. He wants to use these minerals to build more transforming Robo Machines. The Robotron Security Forces send Ex-El and a group of brave volunteers to chase him. They travel in their ship, the Command Centre. Ex-El has studied Stron-Domez's plans for Tank and Cy-Kill. He plans to change his own volunteers in the same way.

Meanwhile, Stron-Domez sends Cy-Kill, Tank, and a new robot named Fitor to a town in East Anglia, England, called Cholkham. They start to destroy the town. The Security Forces arrive just in time. These are Ex-El's new creations: Leader-One, Hans-Cuff, and Dozer. They manage to make the bad robots leave. But the town has suffered a lot. Many people were hurt, and the parents of a young boy named Charlie Bampton died. Charlie has a special power called ESP. This skill makes him very helpful to the Security Forces. Helping them stop Stron-Domez also gives Charlie a reason to fight back.

After a difficult meeting with the British Army, the Security Forces find Stron-Domez. He is at an electronics factory in Birmingham. Stron-Domez has taken the workers hostage. He is forcing them to build more Robo Machines for him. The Security Force robot Truck and Charlie work together. They are able to free the humans. Then, the Security Forces move in and defeat Stron-Domez's robots. Stron-Domez manages to escape on Cy-Kill when the police arrive. But all his other robots are captured and stopped by the Security Forces.

Second Adventure (March 29, 1985 – July 29, 1985)

Most of Stron-Domez's Robo Machines are now stopped by the Security Forces. So, Stron-Domez experiments on himself. He changes his own body and becomes a giant robot called Zod. This attracts the Security Forces. But Zod is very strong. He attacks the Command Centre and forces it to leave.

However, a Security Forces robot named Carry-All accidentally finds their secret junkyard base. Sadly, Zod badly hurts Carry-All. At the junkyard, Zod and Cy-Kill have found some poor humans. They are forcing them to build more Robo Machines. These new robots are called Devil Invaders. Carry-All's last signals bring the Security Forces to the base. Only one Devil Invader, Casmodon, has been built so far.

The Security Forces leave one of their robots, Scooter, with Charlie on the Command Centre. But Charlie has a feeling that something bad will happen. He convinces Scooter to follow the others. Charlie's feeling is right. The huge Casmodon is incredibly powerful. In a big battle near London, Casmodon easily fights off the Security Forces. It causes many losses to both the robots and the people. Casmodon also captures Charlie. But while inside the robot, Charlie manages to break some important parts. This temporarily stops Casmodon. The Security Forces then go back to the Command Centre. They return to Robotron to plan their next move. Charlie goes with them, as he has no family left on Earth. Cy-Kill promises to build a huge army and invade Robotron himself.

The Ending

The comic story ended sooner than the writer, Tom Tully, probably wanted. The ending is very unusual. Cy-Kill, Casmodon, and Zod are still on Earth, and the Security Forces have left. It seems likely that Zod or Cy-Kill would have built more Devil Machines. Two more, Falgos and Zarios, were even shown in Zod's thoughts in an earlier episode. The Security Forces would probably have returned to Earth with more robots, perhaps based on newer toys.

Characters

Good Guy Robo Machines (Security Force)

• Leader-One – He was the main commander for the Security Forces. He is strong and fast. He can turn into an F15 Eagle fighter jet.
• Dozer – A high-ranking Security Force robot. He fought Stron-Domez's robots in Cholkham. He was hurt in the battle with Casmodon. He turns into a bulldozer.
• Hans-Cuff – He also fought in Cholkham. He became friends with Charlie Bampton, even though Ex-El didn't like it. His wish to protect Charlie led to a difficult meeting with the human army. He turns into a police car.
• Rest-Q – The Security Forces' doctor. He still helped in the attack on Casmodon. He turns into an ambulance.
• Truck – He helped free the workers Stron-Domez had captured in Birmingham. He was probably destroyed fighting Casmodon in London. He turns into a semi-trailer truck.
• Night Ranger – He had special quiet technology. Night Ranger sneaked into Stron-Domez's factory in Birmingham. But he was destroyed in the battle with Casmodon in London. He turns into a Harley Davidson Electra Glide motorcycle.
• Turbo – A brave and loyal Robo Machine. He was in the battle with Casmodon. His hard work helped him save Dozer. He turns into a sports car.
• Scooter – The Security Forces' messenger. Scooter was not very strong but was very brave. He followed Leader-One's forces into battle in London, even though he was told to stay behind with Charlie. He changes into a scooter.
• Carry-All – A skilled fighter. Carry-All was sent with Royal-T to fight Zod when the Command Centre was attacked. He accidentally found Cy-Kill and Zod while trying to get back to the Command Centre. Zod badly wounded him. But he was able to send a signal to the Security Forces before he died. He turns into a CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter.
• Royal-T – He tried to stop Zod over London with Carry-All, but he was shot down. He was badly hurt. Carry-All helped him to safety. He likely died when Carry-All was killed before he could bring more fuel.

Bad Guy Robo Machines (Renegades)

• Zod – He shot down Royal-T and later killed Carry-All. Zod still had the mind of Stron-Domez. He could design the Devil Invaders and watched over the building of the first one, Casmodon. But later, his balance parts were broken after the Security Forces attacked him, and Cy-Kill left him.
• Cy-Kill – A small-time criminal chosen by Stron-Domez for his experiments. Cy-Kill's plans quickly grew bigger. By the end of the second story, he seemed to be working on his own. He chose to help Casmodon fight the Security Forces in London instead of helping the damaged Zod. He was the only one of Stron-Domez's first creations to escape capture at the end of the first story. He turns into a motorcycle.
• Tank – Another small-time criminal who Stron-Domez changed. Tank was not very smart. For example, a human tricked him into fighting Cy-Kill in Cholkham. He was later hurt in a small fight with the Security Forces outside the town. Then he was hurt again at the Birmingham factory by Night Ranger. He was then captured and stopped by the Security Forces. His body is probably still in the Command Centre. He turns into a battle tank.
• Fitor – Created by Stron-Domez on the way to Earth. He helped attack Cholkham. But he was captured and stopped after the battle in Birmingham. His body is probably still in the Command Centre. He turns into a jet fighter.
• Cop-Tur – Created on Earth by Stron-Domez. He helped capture the factory in Birmingham. Soon after, he was captured and stopped by the Security Forces. His body is probably still in the Command Centre. He turns into a helicopter.
• Loco – The only Robo Machine Stron-Domez could build in Birmingham before the Security Forces arrived. Loco lost two fights to Truck in his short life before he was captured and stopped. His body is probably still in the Command Centre. He turns into a steam train.
• Casmodon – The first Devil Invader built by Zod. He was the only one finished. Casmodon was the biggest Robo Machine yet and had a huge amount of power. He fought most of the Security Forces near London. He destroyed Night Ranger and probably Truck. He hurt Dozer and made the Security Forces leave. However, he could not follow them because Charlie had broken some of his circuits. He turns into a flying car.