Review of Robby the Robot

Introduction

Back in the early days of science fiction cinema, we were treated to the classic Forbidden Planet. It's not a particularly unique story, being a futuristic re-telling of Shakespeare's The Tempest, but it was a departure from most 'sci-fi' of the period, lacking in any horrific space beast or green bugged eyed alien.

It also introduced the world to Robby the Robot, a mechanical servant/bodyguard that went on to a career in all sorts of movies and tv shows. Although the poster for the film portrayed Robby in a rather nasty fashion, his role was not as an evil doer. It really wasn't until HAL that cinema delved into the more sinister aspects of A.I., and tapped into our primal fear of our own creations. Robby was also well known to the kids of the 60's thanks to his guest appearances on Lost in Space with another iconic robot, B-9.

We've gotten various incarnations of him over the years, although the releases from Trendmasters back in the day are the best remembered. Walmart is releasing this exclusive version, which is awfully similar to some of the old Trendmaster figures, as an exclusive to their store. He's on the shelves now, and you can expect to pay around $20.

Packaging - ***
The open front box shows off the figure nicely, and you can try out the sound and light feature easily. It employs graphics from the original poster art, and highlights the various aspects of the figure.  However, on the back it claims there's a 'disrupter pistol', and I'm not seeing one. I suspect they used artwork from the old toy line, without making any updates.

Sculpting - ****
The sculpt isn't particularly detailed, but the original robot had a lot of smooth surfaces.

What sets this guy apart is all the individual pieces that went into making him, particularly inside and attached to the dome. Check out the levers and doo-dads which would spin and turn and clack along as he spoke and moved, demonstrating the very analog way we looked at robots back then. You could almost see the zeroes and ones flitting through his mechanical brain. Of course none of the interior dome pieces on this figure move, but the detail work is quite impressive for this price point.

The body recreates the original look quite well, although the proportions are a smidge off. Still, at a solid 14" tall, he's about the right height and scale to fit in great with other sixth scale figures, including the old Lost In Space characters.

Paint - ***
There's not a ton of paint work here, with most pieces merely cast in their color. Still, it all looks clean, and the black surface is largely consistent and even in finish.

The best pieces are the clear plastic bits, and their lack of paint - or any surface imperfection - is critical to creating the overall look.

The one annoyance here is the large printed legal statement on the back of his right foot. I was hoping it was a sticker I could peel off - it's not. I'm betting you can remove it with a little acetone, but be very, very careful you don't damage the surface of the plastic.

Articulation - ***1/2
While this isn't a highly articulated figure, it does deserve some kudos for a couple points.

The arms are nicely done, with a ball joint at the body and a cut joint at the wrists.  The arms can pose wide out or close in, with the hands turned up or out, as you wish. You can carry a damsel in distress if you'd like, just like the poster, or perhaps someone just looking to hitch an old school Uber ride.

There are other areas that allow for mechanical movement, but which you can't manual adjust. The head turns side to side at the neck, the torso turns, and the hips move forward and back.  The ankles are designed to bend in concert with the hips, allowing him to walk without toppling over.

Accessories - N/A
The box says there's a disrupter pistol, but I think this was simply a mistake.  There's none in my package, and I checked out a couple more at the store to be sure I wasn't merely getting shorted. I have seen a few people selling versions in scale with this figure on ebay.

Sound Feature - ****
This figure features sounds, lights, and movement!  There's a switch on the back, easy to reach, that allows you to go between just sounds and lights, or all three together.  There are two battery compartments in the feet, each holding two AA batteries.

Press the button on the front, and you'll get one of three sounds:

"Welcome to Altair IV, Gentleman. I am to transport you to the residence."
"For your convenience, I am monitored to respond to the name Robby."
And a series of creepy, 1950's style sci-fi noises right from the movie.

The lines are all original, and all very clear and sharp. The speaker on the center of his back is perfectly positioned to get the clearest sound, and the overall quality of the feature was quite impressive.

Light Feature - ****
To go along with those sounds, you'll get a series of lights. The buttons on the front flash back and forth, the top of the dome glows steadily, and a bright light blinks behind the levers in the center of the 'face'. Most impressive however is the mouth, which doesn't merely light up brightly, but actually keeps time with the words being played, brightening and dimming as he speaks.

Walking Feature - ***1/2
As I said, if you flip the switch to the other position, along with the sounds and lights you'll get a walking movement. There are small wheels on the bottom of each foot which turn freely, and help propel him along. The articulated ankles move in time with the hips, a nice bit of engineering that works quite well. As the legs piston back and forth, both the torso and head turn in opposite directions, to create the full effect.

Fun Factor - ****
I don't care what age you are, this is a great, fun robot. He's the sort of thing a collector will take down off the shelf and show off to his friends, and kids will use with their other sixth scale figures. You are buying your kids sixth scale figures, right?

Value - ****
We don't see too many great deals these days. This is a great deal. Twenty bucks? I'd have paid double without even blinking an eye. Something this large with this many parts and features going for the price of a 6" Star Wars figure? Can I have some more?

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. My dogs were totally freaked out by this thing walking around the house - good times!

Overall - ****
When I heard this guy was hitting Walmarts, I was on him like hair on a bear. He is one of my personal all time favorite robot designs, and brings back a ton of terrific childhood memories. Maybe I need to do a top 10 robot action figures...

The fact that they also nailed it with the sounds, movement, and lights is all icing on the nostalgia cake.  And for twenty bucks? TWENTY BUCKS?!?!? Yea, you can't go wrong.

Now please, please, please make my life complete and do a B-9 in this scale and style. Did I say please?

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ****
Paint - ***
Articulation - ***1/2
Accessories - N/A
Sound Feature - ****
Light Feature - ****
Fun Factor - ****
Value - ****
Overall - ****

Where to Buy 
This is available only through Walmart, where you'll pay $20. No Walmart by you? You can always search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
This is my first Robby collectible review, but you can check out some other robots, like the I-Robot DVD case head, the Bad Robot statue, Robot Chicken, Robot Santa, the Robot Devil, and the FOX Sports Robot. And don't forget Bender!

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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