'Pull Back Mechanism'
This is not a final page. Due to the quantity of work required, this is a placeholder to at least provide some reference.
Moto-Botz appears to have been one of the very first distributions of these MC Toy transforming robot figures in the United States. They were first wholesaled by Miami (USA) based company ATICO LTD then later in a more complete assortment by East West Distributing.
At time of writing (2025) there appears to be no direct link between ATICO and East West and it's likely they both distributed to different retailers. It's confirmed East West Dist. supplied the figures to US based retailer Walgreens (pharmaceutical stores), however it's possible they were also wholesaled to other outlets. A print ad showed Moto-Botz also sold by the Giant T drug store (part of the Thrifty Chain) in 1984, but details as to whether they were supplied by ATICO or East West are so far unavailable.
Both ATICO and
East West Dist. also distributed the Moto-Btoz line 1983/1984; see separate page this section). Moto-Botz have not yet been confirmed retailed outside of the United States.
While the very first US distribution may have been the Loco Robot and Truck Robot lines (see separate page this section), Moto-Botz was likely next or close to it. They have the same basic cardback design showing instructions for only one figure, no assortment list and some figures still listed as Patent Pending. There's no mention of MC Toy on the cards, only on some figure stamps. Unlike Loco/Truck Robots, card text boasting Motorized Die Cast and ABS Construction / Pull Back Mechanism are more uniform than those previous lines and seems to appear MC Toy tried some options, then settled on how to move forward for Moto-Botz.
Alt/vehicle mode vs. robot mode card blisters? The reason MC Toy did this on a number of lines is unclear. There are however some established motivations for different toy packaging. The more prominent is where the toy will be retailed and in what section of the store. Toys sold in service stations/gas stations are traditionally vehicle focused. In a department store toy section, vehicle toys will be racked in one location while action figures are in another. In the very early days of mode changing robot toys, it's likely alt mode blisters would have seemed the safer option for a distributor with those being something retailers would understand how to sell.
All include die cast metal and plastic components as well as the synonymous pull-back motors
See toy line main index and history section for further details and toy heights.
Region Codes Used: US United States / EU Europe - 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.
ATICO - alt mode cards
Dump Truck MC Toy (blue) 1983
Dump Truck MC Toy (orange) 1983
Jeep MC Toy US (red) 1983
Pick Up MC Toy US (yellow) 1983*
Train MC Toy US 1983
East West Distributing
Jeep MC Toy US (army green) 1984
Jeep MC Toy US (red) 1984
Pick Up MC Toy US (yellow) 1984
Train MC Toy US 1984
The Dump Truck and Jet are also advertised as part of the assortment, however have not yet been sighted on card to confirm released
* the yellow Pick Up has the alternate paint application, 'Keith Black Racing Engines' on the roof and 'CRAGAR TURBO RACE TEAM 4' on the hood
Motors
ATICO - alt mode cards - Jeep (red) NS17 / Pick Up (yellow) NS18
East West Distributing cards - Jeep (army green) DD79 / Jeep (red) DD80 / Train DD81
All other figures not yet sighted
Stamping - see bottom of page for logo guide
ATICO
Jeep (red) - Main toy not stamped and motor stamped Made in Macau
Pick Up (yellow) - Main toy stamped Logo 2, Reg. No. 1018900 and motor stamped Made in Macau
East West Distributing
Jeep (army green) - Main toy stamped Macau and the motor has a vacant, oval stamp area
Jeep (red) - Main toy stamped Macau and the motor has a vacant, oval stamp area
Train - Main toy stamped Logo 2, Macau and the motor has a vacant, oval stamp area
Dump Truck, Jet and Pick Up unsighted for Wave 2 release
All other figures not yet sighted
Below are examples of MC Toy manufacturing stamps reference above
(this will likely be removed once individual figure images are included)
