Excalibur MK-VI

ExoSquad/Robotech

ExoSquad Robotech Line, 1995

　

The Excalibur, known as the Tomahawk (or the Archer for the Battletech fans out there), is a little-seen non-transformable mecha in the Robotech franchise. While it saw very little attention from the Robotech toyline in the mid-80s, it was resurrected when Playmates optioned the designs to expand their Exo-Squad line.

Background

Within Robotech, the Excalibur is part of a mecha series known as the Destroids. They’re giant mecha with tremendous firepower, but without the ability to transform like their more famous and more recognizable brethren, the Veritech fighters. Destroids play a pretty small role n the Robotech animated series, usually making only token appearances that last for a few seconds at best. Nevertheless, their fandom grew by leaps and bounds with the release of the Robotech RPG by Palladium books. Since then, many an anime and mecha fan have wanted to have more than just the flimsy imported Japanese models to play with.

It’s not entirely clear how or why Robotech and Exo-Squad crossed paths. As none of the Destroids (or anything involving Robotech) appear in the Exo-Squad show, there’s no narrative explanation for how they are related. Going off of the general premises, the two stories take place in different universes with different timelines and different technologies. The only real explanation of how the Robotech toys ended up being produced with the Exo-Squad logo is, quite simply, Playmates wanted to release more figures. The fans are generally pretty okay with this because the end result was that we got some cool Destroids to play with.

　

Appearance – 2 out of 5

The Excalibur, like the other Destroids in the collection, is pretty unremarkable. A total of four colors was used to paint the figure and in places were great detail was required, the paintjob falls a bit short upon inspection. There isn’t a whole lot of texture to the figure, but there’s enough to do the job. Where the figure does stand out is that this is a picture-perfect representation of the mecha shown in the show, the RPG, and in the occasional comic book.

Construction – 2 out of 5

The Excalibur is just this shy of being cheap. The plastic is relatively sturdy, but not too weighty. The joints are very simple, while rivets and seams in the plastic are quite obvious if you look. The joints do not have uniform strength, which is frustrating because that means one arm may stay in position while the other will fall unless held up.

Movement – 3 out of 5

It’s a little tricky to score this figure’s movement. On the one hand, the joints have pretty simple and limited ranges of motion. On the other hand, so did the mecha that the figure represents. With the exception of the missing knee joints, this toy is capable of no movement that the inspiration itself was not. And while the lack of knee joints would be a big deal, the inclusion of toe joints pretty much off-sets it.

Extras – 1 out of 5

There is nothing extra to this toy. No guns light up, no missiles fire, nothing. The closest thing to an extra is the missile pods that open to reveal tooth-like missiles that cannot fire or be removed (these opening missile pods are a feature shared with only one other Destroid figure in the line). This is incredibly disappointing because the Robotech universe is replete with little additions that could be thrown in. The usual things like missiles and light-up guns aside, there’s always miniature vehicles like planes or tanks. While it might be somewhat sacrilegious to some to suggest crossing over into the realm of Battletech (which "borrowed" many mecha designs from Robotech), an option might be to have interchangeable weaponry and armaments.

Packaging – 2 out of 5

The packaging for this toy was absolutely nothing remarkable. The figure was covered with plastic and that’s it. The backboard of the packaging was not unique to each figure and offered only the most basic of explanation of the story of Robotech, Exo-Squad, or how they were connected. The only thing that saved the packaging from being completely uninspired was the color scheme (unique to toy packaging at the time) and the fact that the figure was protected from damage.

　

Overall – 2 out of 5

It seems a shame to give this toy such a low grade because it is a lot of fun to play with. Part of that may be the Robotech fan in me talking, but part of it is the simple pleasure of having an honest-to-goodness mecha toy released to US audiences. This isn’t a vehicle for a figure to ride in, it isn’t a sentient robot character, it’s a mech. And part of me is overjoyed just to see that kind of presence on the toy shelves. But at the end of the day, the Excalibur property is simply too rich to deserve such a second-rate figure. There’s too much that could have been done with this figure that wasn’t. Which is a real shame.

Alex DeLeon and Wraith E-Frame

ExoSquad: Mecha’s Unsung Hero

Playmates ExoSquad Series One, 1993

In a genre overrun with the newest Transformers, Robotech, and Gundam series, it’s easy to overlook some of the less-successful franchises that still managed to produce some beautiful work. One such example is the ExoSquad series which delivered some truly fantastic toys to go along with their excellent, though sadly often forgotten, animated series.

Background

The ExoSquad Franchise has generally been little more than a footnote in the annals of animation and mecha history. The story is about a war between planets and between humans and their artificially-created offshoot, the Neo-Sapiens. The story is set in the future when Venus and Mars have been colonized with the help of powered suits called E-Frames.

The story of ExoSquad drew heavily from classic sci-fi, including the works Issac Asmov, Ray Bradbury, and Robert Heinlein. While it certainly had its share of stylistic and near-superheroic qualities, this series was far more rooted in real and believable science than many other shows on at this time. Sadly, ExoSquad didn’t survive past two seasons and has more or less disappeared from the collective consciousness. All that remains is the first season available on DVD and a few very fine toys that managed to do just about everything right.

Appearance – 3 out of 5

The E-Frames and the figures they came packaged with were pretty standard fare for toys of the day. The 3" figures were about as mobile as the ubiquitous 3.5" GI Joe figures they were clearly patterned after, but they were just a little less detailed and more stylized (read: cartoony). The E-Frames themselves were colorful and had some noteworthy detail, but nothing to truly distinguish them when standing next to another toy robot.

Construction – 2 out of 5

Like their appearance, the E-Frames and their figures were just on this side of cheaply made. The plastic didn’t look as sturdy as it turned out to be and the figures’ paintjobs often left something to be desired. Bolts, screws, and seams were quite visible on all the toys.

It’s worth noting that the E-Frames had handles that were absent from the show (as the vehicles were completely enclosed in the show). Getting the character to hold these handles is quite a chore and is one of the major drawbacks of their design.

Movement – 3 out of 5

While the human characters were fairly mobile and flexible, the E-Frames were a little on the stiff side. This would be more of a problem except that the figures could easily fit into the E-Frames and its mobility was completely unaffected. The E-Frames, rather than have strictly linear joints for the shoulders, actually have ball joints, allowing them a greater level of flexibility. This trait really makes them stand out against many of their peers.

Extras – 4 out of 5

The ExoSquad toys really are remarkable because of what they came with. Rather than just a figure or a vehicle, you got both, as well as two weapons (a pistol-sized weapon and a rifle-sized weapon), along with the assorted missiles for the mech. This really was a fantastic deal because you were for all intents and purposes getting an entire playset with each figure. On top of that, most figures had one or more little features (Alec DeLeon's Wraith E-Frame had a rotating communication disc, a detachable data terminal, and ammo belt). All these little extras added up quickly to make these some engaging toys.

Packaging – 4 out of 5

The packaging for the ExoSquad toys were unique to each figure (making finding in the toy store which figures were available all the easier), with not only the individual’s face and E-Frame on the front, but also a character bio and mecha statistics on the back, as well as an overview of the story. Inside, you had a bio card, stickers, and a guide to the toy. The package itself was also a solid rectangle with a lifting flap that revealed the figure inside. This really was some of the best toy packaging that’s been produced.

Overall – 3 out of 5

If the packaging had just come with some kind of diorama, or if they’d used just a bit sturdier of plastic in the construction, this toy would have ranked noticeably higher. As is, it sets atop the middle ranks, just barely missing out on the next step to greatness. These toys were really fantastic and they set a good bar for future toys to live up to (which few did). So until the action-figure-packaged-with-a-mech industry picks up the clues, we’ll have to just remember fondly of the days when these toys graced the shelves.