Hi all! I am a true child of the 80s born in 1980. As Christmas time rolls around, I see all kinds of stuff on display, especially all the new electronic toys kids play with.

Anybody remember when electronic toys were exotic? Robotix? I thought those were so cool.

Anyway, I'm trying to find out if anybody remembers a certain toy. I have no idea what it was called, but I really wanted to buy it around 1987-88, but they went off the shelves before I could save up enough for the $110 price tag.

Basically it was a fancy sci-fi electronic thing. It came with two sets of robots, each about six inches tall or so. They had robotic upper bodies and the lower bodies were tank-like with treads, but I think the treads were just decorative and that they were driven by two wheels on the base underneath.

In the set two of the robots were red, and had heads that were slightly dinosaurian in shape. The other two were blue and had sqaure heads. (Sort of like #5 from Short Circuit)
I think it also came with some "drones" that were just rectangular little bases that drove around.

They were all battery powered and controlled by infra red from a large terminal. I think they also came with some plastic hexagon shaped goals and a multi-facetted ball to move around. There was some kind of game involved with scoring points by moving the ball around I think. Also, they may have shot at each other, like laser tag, but I don't think so. I do remember they had LEDs mounted on the shoulders on somewhere else on the frame perhaps.

Originally I don't think it was marketed for kids, since it was pretty complicated and expensive. Kind of a yuppy grown up toy I think. I remember seeing it first at a gadzooks or similar shop around '86. I really grew interested in buying it in the summer of 87-88 when I saw it at a Sears Surplus store on clearance for about 100 bucks.

Does anybody know what this thing is? I remember it, but have no idea what it was called. It's sort of "the one." You know that one toy you really, really wanted above all the others growing up, above all others but never got. Yep, it just up and vanished from existence, and this was long before ebay or anything. I'd like to see if I could find one (be surprised if I could) but I have no idea what it was called.

If anybody knows the name of this toy/game/kit whatever it is, I'd be very obliged if you can tell me.

Thanks in advance!

This probably won't help much, but if you are serious about finding out what the toy is, go to eBay and enter "Sears catalog".  People on there sell old Christmas Wish Books, and I would bet the toy you are looking for might be in there.  I'm sorry I can't help you, I was a teenager in the 80s and I was more into music and girls.  If it's 70s toys, I can maybe help! 8)