Skyline Robo MR-42 / MRB-3
This model was originally designed in Japan by Bandai and released for their Machine Robo Series line as Skyline Robo. By this time Tonka's successful rebranding to 'Gobots' and US distribution saw the now more established name 'Tail Pipe' applied for the US and Canadian release.
Tail Pipe was not released for the European Robo Machine or Australian Machine Men assortments.
Personal speculation is that following suit with previous regional releases (Australia and Europe receiving one colour scheme and the US another) the black Tail Pipe was possibly intended the US Gobots and the red for Robo Machine and Machine Men distribution. Bandai were moving toward winding down design of new Machine Robo 600 Series models however as Tonka were desperate for more figures the entire stock may have been dispatched to the US for Gobots distribution. The Gobots card art depicts the black version as well as the black figure sporting 'Tailpipe' stickers down the side. Had the red version been sold in Europe and Australia the extra sticker sheet would have accompanied it making it identical to the Japanese release. Many of the Series 3 Gobots after Tail Pipe were unused Machine Robo Series prototypes never intended for production and released purely to keep up with demand from the West for more Gobots, Robo Machine and Machine Men figures. Keeping Tonka stocked while new models were manufactured from the prototypes may have been more important than adding one extra toy to Bandai's own distributions in Europe and Australia; also negating the need to create card art and marketing material while still selling the same number of units. Again this is pure speculation.
Further details are below, on the Series 1 Index and for more in-depth reading see the Toy Line History page.
Region Codes Used: JP Japan / US United States / CA Canada
NOTE: Region codes only shown where items were known to be released. This list is accurate yet possibly incomplete.
Gobots 57 Series 3 US/CA Tonka [Red] 1986 (RS-TURBO' stickers) (no front & rear lights or '4 Valve DOHC' stickers)
Gobots 57 Series 3 US/CA Tonka [Black] 1986 ('TAILPIPE' stickers) (no front & rear lights or '4 Valve DOHC' stickers)
Machine Robo Series MR-42 JP Bandai [Red] 1985 ('RS-TURBO', '4 Valve DOHC', head & brake light stickers)
Machine Robo Revenge of Cronos MRB-3 JP [Red] 1986 ('RS-TURBO', '4 Valve DOHC', head & brake light stickers)
VARIANT Manufacture: Red MR-42 was released with both wide and narrow ended wheel pins; narrow shown in both examples right. Tyre rubber also varied from flat sided to a double ribbed edge. Limited version checking suggests the Machine Robo release have narrow pins with a mix of tyre versions while Gobots have wide pins and only flat tyres. This may not been completely accurate and is only sourced from examined items and online image comparison.
The diecast leg section on what is presumed to be an amended second release includes a 'knee' block that prevents the lower legs from travelling too far forward. The black Tail Pipe example below includes this feature.
NOTE: MR-42 is shown in much of the earlier Bandai marketing material as having black and white (silver?) striped upper arm stickers which cover the shoulder pins. When the toy was released these were not included on the model or on the sticker sheet. The later packaging images show MR-42 without the stickers.
Tonka released the same red MR-42 as Tailpipe with a reduced sticker set. At the same time they also released a black version with an updated paint scheme, red windows and the RS-TURBO door sticker replaced with TAILPIPE. It's reported the black version was only released in Canada, however there's conflicting views on the subject.
Prototype / Test Cast - Photos kindly shared by Pil Grim below show a version that most significantly has a rough cast, die cast metal section vs. the production release; most obvious from the underside view. The wheel pins have also not been seated and the front and rear bumpers as well as the small, rear windows aren't painted. While impossible to confirm, it's quite likely a test cast prototype not far from a completed version made for final consideration.
