Voltron: You Need To Own This 30th Anniversary Toy, Like Right Now
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This new, 30th anniversary Voltron toy—I can’t believe it’s been that long—is going to make some of you very, very nostalgic, or at least just looking at it makes me think quite wistfully about my wayward youth.
The house I grew up in is at the bottom of a large hill. Until I was 17, you had to walk down 350 feet of winding dirt path and 40 odd stairs, which made for some soggy times on January mornings in the Pacific Northwest. To this day, my girlfriend still refuses to drive down the drive driveway that eventually went in (I was sad, but my parents simply got too old to make that trek multiple times a day, and I don’t live there anymore, so I don’t really have a say in the matter).
The point of all this is, that my childhood home was so sunken into the earth that most TV signals (you couldn’t even get cable there until after I moved out) simply passed right over the top of us. My town was home to the main antenna for the local Fox affiliate, but because of our location, I was never able to watch The Simpsons until I moved out. Aside from the big three networks—ABC, NBC, and CBS—and PBS, the only other channel we got, and this was only occasionally, was a weird UHF station. (In my mind it’s a bit like the one Weird Al manages in UHF).
For the most part, there was nothing of value on this particular frequency, but they did show Voltron. They were the only ones around broadcasting the Japanese import, and as such, had a huge impact on me during my formative years. I was never that big into Saturday morning cartoons, but I set my clock by Voltron. I knew when it aired during the week, I knew when it aired on the weekends, and I scoured the TV listing in the local paper just to make sure I didn’t miss anything if they happened to sneak in an extra episode somewhere. You had to be on top of it, because they would try to get something past me on the regular.
One Christmas, I even got a toy that looks very much like this one. It was made out of die-cast metal, had all the various lions that come together to make the massive, sword-wielding robot, and was the kind of plaything they don’t make anymore, because there were rampant choking hazards. Not to mention, each individual piece shot multiple rockets, and all of their heads also launched with more force than really seemed safe, even when I was young enough not to care about such things. Between this, bb guns, and my knife collection, I’m frequently amazed that I made it this far with both of my eyes.
At $224.99, this one is way out of my current price range, but if you have the means, you should definitely think about picking this up. It will make a fine addition to any collection. Here are the product specifications if you’re interested, and it’s even fancier than the one I had, complete with mechanical lion roars:
Ages 14 and Up
30th anniversary collector’s set
Set of five lions which combine to form an 11″ tall, die-cast metal Voltron with light-up eyes!
Voltron’s eyes light up as long as his face is displayed (note: you will have to remove a plastic tab before first use)Black Lion Key activates the lion’s roar sound on display base
Display base holds Blazing Sword, Spinning Laser Blades, and all 5 Lion-specific Weapons
Officially-licensed Voltron collectible
Die-Cast Note: The main bodies of each lion are made from die-cast metal. The rest of the figure is plasticIncludes: All 5 Lions, 5 Lion-specific Weapons, Blazing Sword, Spinned Laser Blades, Black Lion Key, display stand, instructions/info booklet
Batteries: 2 x AG3/LR41 (for head – included) – 3 x AA for base (not included)
