Transistor Robots / Four Star
Checklist - Archive photos - Visual guide
NOTE: This is a work in progress. We are aware of many other figures which are coming soon! Enjoy!
Four Star International Co., LTD
Four Star International Trading Company
四星國際股份有限公司
Four Star International was founded by Jeffery Schwartz in 1975. For much of the 1980s Four Star was a robot based toy company located in Taiwan.
In the 2000s Four Star changed it's name to 'Fourstar Group' and appears to have divested itself from toys and moved on to other household goods. Today the Fourstar Group is based out of Shenzhen, Republic of China.
During the 1980s Four Star released a long list of knockoff and original robot figures.
These robots were sold under a variety of generic and private label names like:
'Convertible Series Robot'
'die-cast metal CONVERTIBLE ROBOTS'
'Machine Robo Series C-11 to C-15'
'Jet Robots'
'Trans Mobots'
'Robots'
'Transistor Robots' and more.
This post will focus primarily on the 'Transistor Robots' line by Four Star which was released to market between 1985-1988.
Package & Logo Design
In the following examples, you can see Four Star testing different package designs before settling in on the final trademarked Transistor Robots style.
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| Pinball and cash register robots |
Before Transistor Robots, Four Star released a line called 'Gamebots'
and then the same figures as 'Play Robots'
Noteworthy design features from the blister cards above:
1. The distinct blue to yellow grid pattern on the cardback.
2. The sunset/sunrise on the Gamebots cardback at the horizon line.
3. The bulky chrome 'Robots' lettering on Play Robots card.
Each of these design features will later be used
to form the Transistor Robots packaging.
Four Star trademarked their globe with 4 stars logo.Taiwan Trademark "Four Star" 四星
first applied for Oct 1st 1984
Logo and Four Star information as found on the back
of Transistor Robots packaging.
©1985 Four Star
Made in Taiwan R.O.C. (Republic of China)Taiwan Trademark "Transistor" & "Transistor Robots"
package design applied for Sept 1st 1985
Note: Blue to yellow grid pattern, sunset and bulky chrome lettering.
Four Star files a US Trademark "Transistor Robots" on April 22nd 1985
of the only known pictures of a carded Yellow Flip-Flop.
Dec12, 1985 Newspaper advertisement
Yellow & Blue Flip-Flop shown!
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| Photo Credit: 葉柏宏 |
Flip-Flop figures repurposed in alternative non-Four Star packaging.
Mr. Hard Hat - Hard Hat SeriesTransistor RobotsConstruction vehicle combiner setFor more information (click here)Whoever actually manufactured Mr. Hard Hat for Four Star appears to have outsourced their services to produce at least two other combiner sets.
A. Mr. Hard Hat (distributed by Four Star 1985)
B. Racetron (distributed by Upright Manufacturers Inc.1985)
C. Sagitta (distributed by Lon Far 1985)
Sagitta picture credit: Spark TFW2005
Newspaper print ad from Payless July 1988
Featuring individual Mr. Hard Hat series figures:
Steam Shovel (bottom right)
Excuvator-Man (Top right)
along with Insect Robot (left)  |
| Photo Credit: Shane Sallee Collection |
Dinosaur I RobotTransistor RobotsSludge Dinobot bootlegMade by Glacier Enterprise for Four StarFor more information (click here)
Dinosaur I Robot with battle axe.
Dinosaur II RobotTransistor Robots Slag Dinobot bootlegMade by Glacier Enterprise for Four StarFor more information (click here)
Dinosaur II Robot - Dino mode!CY-ROBOTSTransistor Robots5 Action motorcycles converts into giant robot
G.A.T. (Group Attack Team)
Galactic Gale Baxinger KO
CY-ROBOTS |
| Photo Credit: Wheel Jack's Lab |
1985
Decept-a-bots
Super Diecast Metal Transistor Robots
Decpt I & Decept II
(Blue & Red figures)
Distributed by the Kmart Corporation $9.97
(Red & Yellow Decept-a-bots)
Bandai Godaikin Gardian KO
 |
| Photo Credit: Jim Settnek |
(Red & Yellow Decept-a-bots) |
| Photo Credit: Transformerland.com |
Deluxe Decept-a-bots
Transistor Robots 4 stacking robots
4 stacking robots and weapons
"Protectors of all that is good" 
A.T. Vehicle Robot-Car (red)Robot converts to A.T.V. and back!Transistor Robots - Four StarTaiwan
Eckerd store advertisement featuring:
Transistor Robots
A.T. Vehicle Robot Car (mislabeled as Space Vehicle) $9.88
Flip-Flops $3.97
Insect Robot (Kickback bootleg) $1.97
Hard Hat Series $2.97 |
| Photo Credit: The Retro Retail |
Battery-Operated
Space Vehicle Robot-Car
Robot converts to space vehicle and back!
Transistor Robots - Four Star, Taiwan
Made by Tai Fong for Four Star.
Same mold as Tai Fong's Traxtor
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| Photo Credit: TheVintageToyRecycler |
The Royal Robot Strike Force of the Universe
Gift Set
Also sold individually in single blister cards.
Figures do not merge into a large robot*
Rat-Race, Carry Can, Gas Tanker, Fast-Back, Every-Man & Rescue Squad
*Shane Sallee: "The
Royal Robot Strike Force didn't assemble into a robot BUT half of them
did help form Sagitta and the other half were part of Racetron."
 |
| Photo Credit: Roboplastic Apocolypse |
December 8th 1985
TG&Y store advertisement for:
The Royal Robot Strike Force of the Universe
for $7.99
"Robot Strike Force" phrase comes from the Trans Mobots packaging.
Newspaper print advertisement from Payless 29 November 1987
Featuring 'Rescue Squad' & 'Rat Race' from
The Royal Robot Strike Force
Newspaper ad from Payless Sept 1988
Featuring line art for 'Rat Race'. Side Note:
Though not part of the Transistor Robots line, we wanted to highlight this
incredibly rare figure. Currently, this is the only known example of
Robot Pistol that was released by Four Star. Four Star version = Transformable Robot PistolTai Fong version = Transformable TG-117 Robot PistolThe Four Star box reads: "1984 © Four Star International Trading Company Made in Taiwan R.O.C." Four Star logo bottom right corner
There are many more variants and figures still to go and coming soon!
