| Challenge Of The Gobots |
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''Challenge of the GoBots'' (also known as ''Mighty Machine Men'') is an American Animated Series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions , based on the Gobots Toy-line released from Tonka . Most of the toys were imported from the Japanese toy line '' Machine Robo ''. The show was first broadcast in Syndication on September 8 1984 . It was later rerun on the USA Cartoon Express . However, it was never seen on the Cartoon Network , and has yet to be shown on Boomerang . SUMMARY The show is similar in theme to , with Crasher and Cop-Tur among their ranks. The characters rarely had guns, instead shooting energy blasts out of their fists. Unlike Transformers, ''GoBots'' had regular female characters. (''Transformers'' didn't introduce female robot characters until its second season, and then only as recurring, not regular characters.) However, the females were built like the males (only Crasher receiving any distinguishable female features). The GoBots' origin as organic beings accounted for the presence of genders among the robots. The series generally focused on the "lead" three robots from each faction (Leader-1, Turbo and Scooter vs. Cy-Kill, Cop-Tur and Crasher), who were virtually ever-present, with other characters seeming to rotate in "guest-star" roles. Unlike in '' The Transformers '', ''GoBots'' had no clear divide between the two factions. The characters (as well as the toys) had no identifying insignias or markings to indicate their allegiance, although it was clearly indicated on the packaging. Likewise, there was no commonality of design within each faction. The only “theme” to a side was that anything that turned into a “monstrous” looking robot or vehicle was a Renegade. Perhaps the most distinguishing trait dividing Guardians from Renegades was the way their voices sounded. The Guardians' voices had an echo, while the Renegades' voices were more computer-like. Clips from the show were used in Errol Morris ' '' Fast, Cheap And Out Of Control ''. CHARACTERS Guardians Renegades Humans
PLOT Thousands of years ago on the planet that came to be known as GoBotron (It is unclear if the planet was originally known as GoBotron or if its name had been changed by the robots that became the dominant lifeform), there lived a race of human-like beings. At some point in time, whether by natural causes or by catastrophe (flashbacks showed an asteroid hitting the planet, giving it its' distinctive applecore shape), this humanoid race was threatened with extinction. One became known as the Last Engineer, the stuff of GoBotian legend. The other is referred to as the Master Renegade. Nothing has been revealed about the humanoid Renegades, why they were referred to as such, or why the Master Renegade was in suspended animation (though a flashback scene in "The GoBotron Saga" would seem to imply he was trying to escape the planet's doomed natives). It is also unclear as to why the criminal faction of the GoBots are named "Renegades". Whether it was a coincidence, a matter of fact, or if they had some knowledge of the humanoid Renegades remains a matter of speculation. The Last Engineer, who had already supplemented his body with mechanical parts, devised the "Gobot form" for the surviving people of the planet, large robot bodies capable of turning into other vehicles. In the last quarter of the 20th Century, the planet Earth became involved in the conflict between Leader-1's Guardians and Cy-Kill's Renegades. During one of the these battles, one of Leader-1's lieutenants, Turbo, became severely damaged. Unwilling to let his friend and teammate die, Leader-1 began his quest to find the legendary Last Engineer. Leader-1 found the person he believed to be the Last Engineer, but Leader-1 had unwittingly released the Master Renegade (though he did repair Turbo to gain the Guardians' trust). The Guardians did later find the true Last Engineer, who was instrumental in frustarating the alliance between Cy-Kill's Renegades and the Master Renegade. The Master Renegade later escaped the custody of the Renegades, and plagued both factions, notably attacking the UniCom colony of New Earth. As to why the Master Renegade was completely forgotten and the Last Engineer became legend is again up to speculation. EPISODE LIST # ''Battle For Gobotron'' # ''Target Earth'' # ''Conquest Of Earth'' # ''Earth Bound'' # ''The Final Conflict'' # ''It's The Thought That Counts'' # ''Renegade Alliance'' # ''Time Wars'' # ''Terror In Atlantis'' # ''Trident's Triple Threat'' # ''Lost On Gobotron'' # ''Cy-Kill's Shrinking Ray'' # ''The Quest For The Rogue-Star'' # ''Ultra Zod'' # ''Sentinel'' # ''Speed Is Of The Essence'' # ''Genius And Son'' # ''Dawn World'' # ''Pacific Overtures'' # ''Forced Alliance'' # ''Invasion From The 21st Level (Part 1)'' # ''Invasion From The 21st Level (Part 2)'' # ''Doppelganger'' # ''Scooter Enhanced'' # ''Tarnished Image'' # ''Cold Spell'' # ''Crime Wave'' # ''Auto-Matic'' # ''Renegade Rampage (Part 1)'' # ''Renegade Rampage (Part 2)'' # ''Search For The Ancient Gobonauts'' # ''Gameworld'' # ''Wolf In The Fold'' # ''Depth Charge'' # ''Transfer Point'' # ''Steamer's Defection'' # ''The GoBot Who Cried Renegade'' # ''The Seer'' # ''Whiz Kid'' # ''Ring Of Fire'' # ''Cy-Kills Escape (Part 1 of 5)'' # ''Quest For The Creator (Part 2 of 5)'' # ''The Fall Of Gobotron (Part 3 of 5)'' # ''Flight To Earth (Part 4 of 5)'' # ''Return To Gobotron (Part 5 of 5)'' # ''Element Of Doom'' # ''Destroy All Guardians'' # ''Escape From Elba'' # ''Fitor To The Finish'' # ''Clutch Of Doom'' # ''The Third Column'' # ''A New Suit For Leader-1'' # ''Renegade Carnival'' # ''The Gift'' # ''Nova Beam'' # ''The Last Magic'' # ''Braxis Gone Bonkers'' # ''Inside Job'' # ''Element Of Danger'' # ''Mission Gobotron'' # ''Et Tu Cy-Kill?'' # ''The GoBots That Time Forgot'' # ''The Secret Of Hailey's Comet '' # ''Guardian Academy'' # ''Quest For New Earth'' # ''Cy-Kill's Cataclysmic Trap'' REFERENCES SEE ALSO
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