Diorama Building, Competition and Play Guide
Released by Bandai in 1982 and titled, 'Machine Robo Book' it served as a catalogue, product play and competition guide.
It's currently unclear how this book was distributed. It makes mention of the TV Land magazine that often featured Machine Robo and its related competitions, so it may have been an insert. It also mentions the Machine Robo Club and the competition entries relating to that along with secret information seemingly for club members. This makes it more likely to have been a mailed out item to club members.
As with many of the early Machine Robo marketing images the figures were modified to show more articulation than the toys actually offered. This allowed for photographs of exciting action poses.
Bandai ran a competition to let customers select the vehicle modes to become Machine Robo figures. A large text box under each figure's action photo describes the abilities of the character. Underneath the text box the name and age of the child who suggested it is shown.
The book also contains pages describing:
- a points based battle game
- a suggestion to make a map of your own town to play on
- creating a diorama
- photographing to make the toys appear huge
- painting and modifying your toys with your own designs
- other competition drawing entries
- secret blueprints of upcoming Machine Robo figures!
The action pose photos and dioramas were created by a company called OZ Artwork.
CREDIT Example and scans kindly provided by Preston Lai.
