RoboCop remains one of the all time bloodiest and violent movies of all time, which my good friend Vincent over at The Robots Pajamas points out makes for an excellent basis for a kid friendly toy line. The RoboCop and the Ultra Police toy line ran in conjunction with a syndicated cartoon series from 1988-89.
The third series of action figures, vehicles and role play items never made it to production; however they did make it to prototype stage and were even featured in trade publications.
Robo Holster — This role playing item was meant to mimic RoboCops’s thigh-holster and came with a cap-firing gun … because everything in the 1980′s fired caps.
Ultra Police Role Playing Gear — This modular playset never made it to production, but the concept was later incorporate into Kenner’s Batman Dark Knight Collection “Crime Control Kit“.
Robo-Tank – This cap-firin’ plastic death machine was featured prominently on the packaging on nearly all of the first series of figures and vehicles.
Robo-Glove — If you stalked the aisles of KB Toys in the early 1990′s surely you saw the knock off versions of this role playing item; but this version had a missile launcher and data spike … because stabbing computers is always the best way to get information.
Robo-Hawk — Much like the Robo Tank, this chubby little VTOL aircraft was featured in promotional material never saw retail.
Vandal-1 — Of all the prototypes the only one that went on to new life was the Vandal-1 Roadster which was repainted as the Mobile Assault Vehicle in Kenner’s Terminator 2 line.
Kenner had a tremendous run and their designers had an incredible knack of re-purposing molds and getting the most bang for their buck. The novelty of the Robocop and the Ultra Police line is intoxicating and it remains a highly collectible and fun line. I happen to own two of the glow in the dark Nightfighter RoboCop action figures and they are prominently featured in my collection.