LEECOTEX
HELP! Who did it?
UPDATE: Mystery Solved! Meeting the Mastermind Behind the Collection
After extensive research into 1980s Taiwanese export records, U.S. Customs documentation, and regional manufacturing structures, the mysterious umbrella identity that united these seven completely unrelated robot lines into a single, cohesive collection has finally been identified. The central director responsible for this unified series is none other than Leecotex Industrial Co., Ltd., based out of Taipei, Taiwan.
To understand how this worked, we have to look at the distinct roles of the four companies that surfaced during the investigation, which perfectly illustrate how the 1980s bootleg toy ecosystem operated:
- The Manufacturing Factories (Taiwan Toy Man & Tzan Hung Toys): These operations were independent, localized tool-and-die factories. Tzan Hung specialized in heavy die-cast molding (such as the Timebot/Lionbot chassis), while Taiwan Toy Man owned the proprietary patents and molds for Thunder Bot and the Climbing Scorpion. As independent facilities, neither shop had the legal or financial right to cross-package each other's distinct molds under a single brand line.
- The U.S. Importer (M & J Merchandises): Listed on U.S. Customs and Border Protection records as holding the intellectual property rights for Tankbot and Fightbot in October 1985, M & J was a domestic novelty distributor. They did not design or manufacture the toys; they merely bought specific container loads of the figures from Taiwan to supply North American mall kiosks and discount stores.
- The Central Coordinator (Leecotex Industrial Co., Ltd.): Operating from Fu-Hsing North Road in Taipei, Leecotex was a powerful Export Trading House. In the 1980s toy boom, trading houses acted as the ultimate directors of the industry. Leecotex did not physically injection-mold plastics. Instead, they went to various independent factories like Tzan Hung and Taiwan Toy Man, bought massive wholesale batches of their loose robot figures, and brought them under one roof.
Leecotex’s in-house graphic design team engineered the evolving backing card artwork (Versions 1, 2, and 3) to market these mixed toys as a single, collectible "master series." They stamped the Timebot release with their official company copyright alongside the catalog designation Item No. L102 (where the "L" directly stands for Leecotex). They then acted as the master exporter, brokering massive distribution deals to ship these newly unified sets to importers across the globe—including M & J Merchandises in the United States and Thinkway Trading Corp. in Canada. Thanks to Leecotex's clever consolidation strategy, a generation of kids got to experience a beautifully connected robot universe born out of completely separate toy lines.
Scroll to the bottom to learn, "Whatever happened to Leecotex?"
Note:
The information below remains preserved for historical context, but has been superseded by the breakthrough discovery detailed in the UPDATE above.
In 1985, an unidentified toy company took a surprising step in the world of Taiwanese transforming robots—by gathering a set of seemingly unrelated knockoff figures and uniting them into a single, cohesive robot collection. This newly assembled lineup features seven distinct robots, all repackaged and rebranded to form a connected series.
The company sourced existing (V1) figures and reissued them in updated (V2) and (V3) packaging designs, complete with exclusive group artwork—the key visual element that ties these seven robots together as one collection. While researching this topic, four possible manufacturer or distributor names have consistently surfaced:
M & J Merchandises, Inc.
TAIWAN TOY MAN MFG. CORP
LEECOTEX IND. CO., LTD
Tzan Hung Toys
Despite these leads, the true identity of the company responsible for combining these figures remains unknown. If you have more information or additional clues that could help solve this mystery, your contributions would be greatly appreciated.
Artwork from the back of the boxes.
Version 1: features (9) figures with wide scenery
Version 2: features (10) figures with narrow but taller scenery
Version 3: features figures 11 & 12 now with wider scenery
Artwork Figure List
1. Convertible Cosmic Fighter (heavy fighter)
2. Convertible Cosmic Fighter (jet helicopter)
3. Thunder Bot
4. Tankbot
5. Convertible Cosmic Fighter (heavy tank)
6. Convertible Cosmic Fighter (heavy offending tank)
7. Fightbot
8.Timebot
9. Motortron (white)
10. Motortron (black)
11. Concord Jet Car
12. Unknown Figure?
CONVERTIBLE
COSMIC FIGHTER
(V1) CONVERTIBLE COSMIC FIGHTER
20 in 1
Battery operated figure
Sold for $22.99
(V2) CONVERTIBLE COSMIC FIGHTER
Box cover with 10 mini pics on the front of the box.
(Back of the box)
Photographs demonstrating how a single toy converts
into 20 different alternative modes
"Made in Taiwan R.O.C."
Foam insert with components to make 20 unique vehicles
Knockoff of Takara's Microman Armored Machine Cosmic Fighter
Similar to Grandstand Convertors Deltrarian Fighter.
TANKBOT
Tankbot with his Tomahawk ax and Arm Gun 
(V1) TANKBOT
Accessories visible via box windows
Knockoff of Takatoku Sankan-OH DX
Also sold as 'Shogun-Robo Voltus DX' by TTW Toys 702.
"Transformer!! Tank - Robot"
(back of the box currently unknown but probably similar to V2)
(V2) & (V3) TANKBOT
(Box Front)
Only the figure is visible now
Diecast Metal
Made in Taiwan
Foam insert with weapons
(V2) TANKBOT
(Box back)
Transformer!! Tank - Robot
(V3) TANKBOT
(back of the box)
U.S. Customs & Border Protection lists both
TANKBOT and FIGHTBOT with CBP Recordation Effective Date: 3 Oct 1985
CBP list the Owner of Intellectual Property Right as:
M & J Merchandises, Inc.
FIGHTBOT(V1) FIGHT BOT (red & black)
14 in 1 Fighters
Taiwanese knockoff of Takara's DIAKRON Multi-force 14 Robot or Diaclone Gats Blocker.
(V2) FIGHT BOT (green & purple)(V2) FIGHTBOT version comes
in Transformers Constructicon colors
"Transform from 14 fighters to robot and back!"
Box front
Example 1: Inside foam insertExample 2: Inside foam insert with alternative driver colors
Example 3: Variant colored drivers with more white parts
Box rear
Made in Taiwan R.O.C.
Collection artwork in top left.
French toy catalog featuring FIGHTBOT
as well as HERGOSS robots Macross & Baxinger.
To learn more about HERGOSS figures (click here)
THUNDER BOT
(V1) Thunder Bot (Box front)
(V1) No window on the front of the box to view Thunder Bot in heli mode.
Copyright information centered on box front.
Robot & Black Thunder Heli
(V2) Thunder Bot (Box front)
1. Copyright information on the left side of the box
2. Cutout see through window on the front in the shape of helicopter.(V1) & (V2) Thunder Bot (Box rear)
(V1) & (V2) Thunder Bot (Box side)
Note: Eyes light up
TAIWAN TOY MAN MFG. CORP
Item No.269 |
| Photo Credit: TelecommanderCorp |
(V3) Thunder Bot
Robot & Black Thunder Heli
(V3) Thunder Bot
Robot & Black Thunder Heli
© COPY RIGHT 1985 U.S.A.
Made in Taiwan
TAIWAN TOY MAN MFG. CORP
Logo forms two 'T's joined by a 'M' together forming a smiley face.
U.S. Customs & Border Protection
Thunder Bot (TOY CONVERTIBLE ROBOT AND HELICOPTER)receives U.S. import clearance on 9 Dec 1985
Lists the 'Owner Name' as:
TAIWAN TOY MAN MANUFACTURING CO.
TAIWAN TOY MAN MFG. also released 'Power Scorpion' in 1986
"The Climbing Scorpion"
'Power Scorpion' in 1986
Released in Italy via Ceppiratti
MOTORTRON (White)
MOTORTRON (White)
"Transform from motorcycle to robot and back!"
Super Road Racer
Knockoff of Wingman Winner II - Dream Soldier Super Road Racer
Motortron (White)
Still 9 figures on the back of the box.
Note: Purple to blue letters similar to FIGHTBOT
Motortron foam insert with:
Robot in motorcycle mode, instructions and white wings.
MOTORTRON (Black) |
| Photo Credit: TeleCommanderCorp |
MOTORTRON (Black)
Super Road Racer
Knockoff of Wingman Winner II - Dream Soldier Super Road Racer
Back of the Motortron box is the only version
with the 7th figure being Black Motortron itself.
Note: Red to black letters
Black Motortron in robot mode
Black Motortron in motorcycle mode
TIMEBOT
TIMEBOT
(Box front)
5 function LCD digital watch as the core
Diecast metal and plastic
TIMEBOT is a mini Voltron watch & combiner robot lion figure
(Box back)
© COPY RIGHT 1985 U.S.A. LEECOTEX IND. CO., LTD
Made in Taiwan R.O.C.
Note: Yellow missiles
LEECOTEX is an exporter from Taiwan on various Italian toy boxes, listed as:
LEECOTEX INDUSTRIAL CO. LTD
6F No.311 Fu-Hsing N. RD Taipei Taiwan
Alternative (Box back) text:
© COPY RIGHT 1985 U.S.A. Item No. L102
Note: Blue missles
Canadian alternative (Box back) text:
Imported and distributed by
© COPY RIGHT 1985 U.S.A. Item No. L102
Imported by: Thinkway Trading Corp.,
160 Don Park Rd., Unit #3,
Markham, Ontario L3R 1C3 Canada.(Bilingual French & English box)
Note: Yellow missiles
SIDE NOTE:
The example shown above is often referred to as the “TIMEBOT” variant—an extremely rare transition piece produced during the shift from the Lionbot branding to the Timebot name. Despite the branding change, this version maintains the same scale and overall design as the standard TIMEBOT release.
According to collector reports, Bandai originally contracted Tzan Hung Toys to manufacture several robot lines, including Lionbot, Voltron, and Golion. However, in 1986 Bandai revoked the licensing agreement. Following this, Tzan Hung Toys rebranded itself under a new name: Diecast Metal Toys.
This transitional TIMEBOT variant represents a unique slice of toy history and is highly sought after by vintage robot and Voltron collectors.
CONCORD
JET CAR
Concord Jet Car
(Box front)
KO of Godaikin Machine Dolphin
This figure has version 3 artwork on the back of the box.
What Ever Happened to Leecotex Industrial Co., Ltd.?
The story of what happened to Leecotex Industrial Co., Ltd. after its mid-1980s robot-brokering heyday is a fascinating window into the evolution of Taiwanese toy tycoons. Far from simply going bankrupt when the transforming robot boom faded, the company’s ownership pivoted, shifted its massive capital into offshore networks, and its founder went on to become one of the most powerful, quiet forces in the modern global toy market. Founded in Taiwan in 1981 by businessman Huang Cheng Li (frequently credited in Western trade circles as H.C. Li), Leecotex spent the early 1980s mastering the logistics of international toy brokering and global distribution channels. When the market for unbranded transforming robot knockoffs dried up around 1986–1987 due to aggressive legal crackdowns, Li utilized the massive wealth and distribution connections he built to pivot away from bargain-bin toys and move directly into high-end international toy conglomerates.
Decades after coordinating lines like Timebot and Fightbot from their Taipei offices, the wealth generated by Leecotex culminated in a massive power move. By 2015, former Leecotex founder Huang Cheng Li had accumulated enough capital to acquire a staggering 49% ownership stake in the Giochi Preziosi Group (GP Group), serving as the Vice President of the conglomerate. Today, Giochi Preziosi stands as Italy’s absolute largest toy company and a multi-billion dollar European empire famous for massive global properties like Gormiti, Miraculous Ladybug, and distributing Disney licenses. While the physical Leecotex offices on Fu-Hsing North Road eventually closed as a public-facing entity—with corporate records showing the name transitioning into offshore holding structures like Leecotex Industrial (BVI) Limited in the British Virgin Islands—the legacy of the company didn't end in a tragic factory closure. Instead, Leecotex served as the ultimate financial stepping stone, launching its Taiwanese founders from the wild world of 1980s bootleg robots straight into the highest echelons of the mainstream global toy industry.
