Challenge of the GoBots @ The Cartoon Scrapbook

Prod. Notes:

September 1984 - 1986, syndicated

Hanna-Barbera

Cast:

Leader-1 ................................................................................... Lou Richards

Turbo ............................................................................... Arthur Burghardt

Scooter ................................................................................... Frank Welker

Rest-Q ..................................................................................... Frank Welker

Cy-Kill .................................................................................. Bernard Erhard

Crasher .......................................................................... Marilyn Lightstone

Cop-Tur ............................................................................................. Bob Holt

Pincher ....................................................................................... Peter Cullen

Spoiler ........................................................................................ Peter Cullen

Tank ............................................................................................ Peter Cullen

Matt Hunter ............................................................................. Morgan Paul

Dr. Braxis ....................................................................... Rene Auberjonois

Smallfoot ....................................................................................... B.J. Ward

A.J. ........................................................................................ Leslie Speights

Nick Burns .......................................................................... Sparky Marcus

General Newcastle ............................................................... Brock Peters

Synopsis:

Racing into the marketplace at nearly the same time as Hasbro’s Transformers, Tonka launched its own “Mighty Robots, Mighty Vehicles,” the GoBots. The transforming robots - robot to plane, car, helicopter, motorcycle, etc., and back - had been a major craze on the Japanese toy scene for years, and the U.S. versions were just as successful. The toys caught on like wildfire, and both Tonka and Hasbro fed the flames with syndicated cartoon versions of their mechanical warlords.

Challenge of the GoBots began on the planet Gobotron, where a group of robots called Guardians were created as planetary protectors. But good robots can go bad, and under the command of motorcycle/robot Cy-Kill, the Guardians raged against the machine, becoming a band of insurrectionists known as the Renegades. And so, it was up to jet/robot Leader-1 and his team of loyal Guardians to keep Gobotron from destruction.

Fighting on the side of good were Scooter, Smallfoot, Turbo, Rest-Q and others. Cy-Kill’s evil henchmen included Crasher, Cop-Tur, Loco, Fitor and Pincher. In the pilot episode, the war moved to earth, where the good Guardians were befriended by heroic human Matt Hunter and youngsters Nick and A.J.

The battle continued for 65 episodes and led to an animated feature, GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords, but Leader-1 and the gang never managed to hit the same level of popularity as their Hasbro rivals.

Episodes:

Battle for Gobotron

Target Earth

Conquest of Earth

Earthbound

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 of the Twenty-first Level, Part 1

Invasion of the Twenty-first Level, Part 2

Doppleganger

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

Transfort Point

Steamer's Defectio

The Go-bot who Cried Renegade

The Seer

Whiz Kid

Ring of Fire

Cy-Kill's Escape

Quest for the Creator

The Fall of Gobotron

Flight to Earth

Return to Gobotron

Element of Doom

Destroy all the Guardians

Escape from Elba

Fitor to the Finish

Clutch of Doom

The third Column

A New Suit for Leader-One

Renegade Carnival

The Gift

Nova Beam

The Last Magic Man

Braxis goes Bonkers

Inside Job

Element of Danger

Mission Gobotron

El Tu Cy-Kill

The Gobots that Time Forgot

The Secret of Haley's Comet

Guardian Academy

Quest for New Earth