True geeks know that there’s strength in numbers, and no toy illustrates that quite like combiners. First making their debut in Japan in the 1970s, these are giant robots that are made up of other things. Probably the most famous example here in the States is Voltron, which took five dope robotic lions and fused them together to make a sword-swinging space warrior that tore through his foes with ease. As the holiday season is the time for togetherness, we decided to celebrate in the Geek way with a shopping list of some of the coolest combiner toys on the market.
Combiner Wars Devastator
The first combiner toy that really made a splash in the States, Devastator was the Decepticons’ secret weapon in the early days of Transformers. When six neon green construction vehicles unite, they form a gargantuan wrecking machine motivated by one goal: to smash everything in its path. The conflicting personalities of his constituent parts make Devastator’s mind a chaotic mess, but he’s possessed of physical strength that dwarfed anybody on the Autobots’ side when he was introduced. This exceptional reproduction fixes a few of the flaws with the original design while maintaining its iconic look.
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Tamashii Nations Woody Robo Sheriff Star Chogokin
One of the most absurd toys we’ve ever seen, this set from Bandai’s high-end Tamashii Nations line takes a number of the characters from Toy Story and lets them combine together to form a rootin-tootin space sheriff of justice. Cowboy Woody forms the torso and base of the figure, while Slinky Dog and Bullseye make up the arms and Rex and Hamm the legs. The final product is a gleefully weird giant robot that also kicks a bunch of ass. Bandai made a Buzz Lightyear combiner as well if you just can’t get enough.
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Jinbao Predaking
The first few Transformers combiners were a little janky, as designers were still ironing out the quirks of making independent robots with vehicle forms that could also believably make up parts of a bigger humanoid. But by the time Predaking hit store shelves in the States in 1986 they’d really mastered how to do a combiner. Six bestial Decepticons with animal alt modes fuse to create the most cunning combiner in the franchise, a skilled hunter who boasts massive bestial strength. Cool Predaking fact: he’s voiced by WWE wrestler Samoa Joe in recent cartoons.
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Tamashii Nations Gao Gai Gar
Fans know that what came to the States as the Transformers was actually a mash-up of a bunch of robot franchises, mostly produced by Takara. But there were a ton of other transforming and combining robots that didn’t get swept up in the action, and this is one of the swaggest. Gao Gai Gar made its debut in a 1997 anime series, as the final installment in Takara and Sunrise’s Brave universe. An alien child and a human cyborg fuse three vehicles and a robot lion to form a badass bipedal robot with his hallmark Gatling Driver weapon.
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Toynami Voltron Ultimate EX
It would be inconceivable that this list would go by without the inclusion of the grand-daddy of combiners, the five lions that make up the mighty Voltron. Toynami’s top-tier take on the intergalactic warrior stands over a foot tall and boasts tons of really cool details. Each of the five lions completely transforms, boasting more poseability than we’ve seen previously. When assembled, the mighty Voltron wields sword and shield to battle back the Galra Empire.
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Kohsoku Denjin Albegas Figure
Originally under discussion to be the third season of Voltron, U.S. audiences were robbed when 1983 anime series Lightspeed Electroid Albegas failed to make its way to our shores. The combiner gimmick in this one was a little smaller-scale than the previous series, as only three units combined to make the titular mecha. When an evil alien race attacks the Earth, our last line of defense is a trio of robots made by high school engineering prodigies and refitted to combine together by a professor. The gimmick of Albegas was that the robots could stack in multiple different formations for specific situations, and this insanely cool toy lets you do just that.
Get it at Amazon.com
Tamashii Nations Combattler V
One of the most storied giant robots on this list, Toei’s Combattler V blazed the trail for dozens of melding mecha to come. Debuting on Japanese television in 1976, the series starred a team of five pilots, each dressed in their own signature color and controlling a different machine. When faced with threats too big to tackle individually, they’d fuse together to form Combattler V. Fully assembled, this impressive robot toy stands over a foot tall and contains a generous amount of diecast metal, like they used in the old days. It also boasts light-up and sound features to really set the mood.
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Volcanicus Combiner
When the Dinobots were first introduced to Transformers continuity in 1984, we couldn’t think of anything more dope than a quintet of badass robots that transformed into dinosaurs to wreak havoc. Guess what? They managed to pull it off in the Power of the Primes series by giving Grimlock, Slag, Sludge, Snarl and Swoop the new ability to merge together to form the towering Volcanicus, a juggernaut of destruction armed with a massive sword and a bad attitude. This version of the set uses the original G1 colors for maximum coolness.
Get it at Amazon.com
Tamashii Nations Disney Cho Gattai King Robo
Oh, you thought the Toy Story combiner was the most ridiculous thing we’d put on this list? You don’t know us that well, friend. Bandai made an earlier collaboration with Disney for King Robo, which lets you take seven of Walt’s most enduring animated animals – Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald and Daisy Duck, Goofy, Pluto and the steamboat from the mouse’s debut in Steamboat Willie and combine them together to make a massive juggernaut of brightly-colored robotic goodness.
Get it at Amazon.com
Super Heavy God Gravion Figure
Airing in the early 2000s, Gravion was a deliberate throwback to classic 20th century mecha action, featuring a team of young pilots, each of which controls their own vehicle to battle back an alien armada. When things get too hot to handle, they fuse together to make the massive Gravion. Built around the frame of the Gran Kaiser mecha, Gravion is a tour de force of modern design, all sharp angles and well-placed details, and this screen-accurate figure is one of the best we’ve ever seen. Diecast metal, translucent parts, tons of articulation and accessories combine to make this everything you could ask for.
Get it at Amazon.com
Tamashii Nations Dairugger XV
Real heads have a soft spot for “vehicle Voltron,” the less-remembered second series that debuted at the same time as the more famous Lion Force version in many markets and even aired in alternation in some. It took the concept to a mechanically awesome but narratively weird place, as the mighty mech was composed of a flabbergasting fifteen separate vehicles. The original Japanese series was about a team of explorers charting the unknown universe when they’re attacked by an alien empire and have to robot up to defend themselves, and this dope figure breaks apart into the constituent vehicles and reassembles into a trio of combat modes.
Get it at Amazon.com
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