'Switch on Charger Tron' 'always changing re-arranging' multi-form robot duos from Buddy L.
Before I start, if you've not seen the Charger Tron TV commercial I highly recommend viewing it on YouTube, even if only for the Kraftwerk style song.
Released in 1984 by Buddy L the Charger Tron toys consist of a larger charger robot and a smaller Attacker / Tracker unit. It was never explained whether the Tracker / Attacker unit was a separate robot or an extension drone of the main larger robot. The face sticker closely matches the face of the larger robot and they have no separate names so the latter could be the case.
To use Charger Tron the smaller unit is inserted into the larger robot then you half depress the wide, chromed paddle button. The motor in the robot spins the flywheel in the smaller unit (charging it with kinetic energy) then when the gauge shows red the button can be pressed all the way down to release the Tracker / Attacker. The smaller unit can be set to 'Tracker' or 'Attacker' mode using the black slide switch next to the power gauge on the main robot. In Tracker mode the unit stays in vehicle mode and when set to Attacker it pops up into a wheeled robot form; requires two AA / U12 batteries.
Figure Versions Antagatron was released with either green or gold painted details. As the TV advertisement features the prototype versions for both Antagatron and Protagatron and in that ad the painted sections are green it's likely the green version was the initial release. So far the green version has not been sighted on the second version cardback which may support this theory.
Packaging Versions Two cardback versions were released; one with a metallic design in the yellow toy silhouette and one with a larger version of the silhouette in flat yellow. As what is thought to be the first release of Antagatron (green paint version) appears on the metallic design card and the silver paint second version on the flat yellow card it's reasonable to suggest that the metallic version is the first card released and the flat the second. The metallic silhouette was also poorly designed being completely covered by the toy and was likely redesigned cheaply with the larger, flat yellow silhouette to resolve this issue.
Unlike Antagatron, Protagatron was only released with one paint colour scheme and is found on both cardback versions.
Boxed: Blue and gold Antagatron was sold on a blister card inside a large, window box surround featuring re-worked art of the blue and green Antagatron. This was sold in the UK and possibly other locations along with the red Antagatron with reused art from the standard blister cards. A release of Protagatron seen in a white, shaped plastic tray has also been sighted with unfortunately the surrounding packaging not present. While unconfirmed, it's presumed both toys were released in this format as well.
Region Codes Used: US United States, UK United Kingdom - Location codes only shown where items were known to be released. This list is accurate yet likely to be incomplete. If you are able to confirm release in other regions please get in contact.
Charger Tron US / UK Buddy L (red and silver) 1984
See above text for figure and packaging details.
Prototype One prototype for Protagatron (see below) featured in a number of television and print advertisements sporting angular eyes, early design stickers, a red mode select button and snap in power meter window. The Tracker also featured the same eye design and they were placed in the rear indent vs. the production release where they're in the forward most section. The Attacker carried on the angular eye theme, also showed early design stickers and a silver painted faceplate vs. the chromed production version. The smaller front wheels on the Attacker / Tracker section had the up risen rim detail chromed vs. the production release where they are not painted.
Protagatron Prototype
Charger Tron US / UK Buddy L (blue and green) 1984
Charger Tron US / UK Buddy L (blue and gold) 1984
See above text for figure and packaging details.
Prototype One prototype for Antagatron (see below) featured in a number of television and print advertisements a blue mode select button and snap in power meter window. The Attacker / Tracker's smaller front wheels had the up risen rim detail chromed vs. the production release where they are not painted. The Attacker's eye stickers were two separate pieces separated by a nose section and the chest sticker art was a slightly different, early design.
CREDIT: Window boxed blister card Antagatron packaging example kindly supplied by Ashens youtu.be/SsUw1P27n2w
Antagatron Prototype