1986 Tonka Catalog

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Tonka Catalogs
TonkaCat86-00.jpg
1986 Catalog
Publisher Tonka
First published 1985
Page count 108

The 1986 Catalog for Tonka Toys, sometimes known as Tonka's World of Entertainment from the blurb on the cover, was a dealer catalogue produced by the company in 1985. It was not intended for public consumption, but as promotion for the company's toys to retailers and the like. As such it contains considerable interesting information on the GoBots toyline if you're into geeky stuff like that. And if you've made it this far you probably are.

Despite 1986 being its' final year, GoBots still headlined, and filled 24 pages, backed with 8 focusing on spin-off Rock Lords, though as the pictures show the line was still in the early stages of development. As well as Trucks and Pound Puppies (which would take over from GoBots as Tonka's biggest seller) the catalogue also included new lines Steel Monsters (a sort of non-converting M.A.S.K.) and quasi-construction series Legions of Power.

Ironically in the final year the toys would be sold Tonka started using Guardian and Renegade.

GoBots[edit | edit source]

Pages 2-3 - GoBot Magic[edit | edit source]

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Introductory pitch. You'd look that pleased with yourself if you had a GoBotron Fortress.

Pages 4-5 - Friendly Assortment[edit | edit source]

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The third series GoBots Guardian Assortment. Treds is the darker prototype version, while Bullseye is using different stickers (and is badly mistransformed... though it might just be the figure had already worn out...).

Pages 6-7 - Enemy Assortment[edit | edit source]

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The third series GoBots Renegade Assortment. Sky-Jack is an unpainted prototype.

Pages 8-9 - Hot Shot Assortment[edit | edit source]

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The third series GoBots Hot Shot Assortment (a mix of Guardian and Renegade figures). Bolt is a prototype with an orange nose and darker green; Ace is straight-up not painted at all.

Pages 10-11 - Gift Packs and Boomer Vehicles[edit | edit source]

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The Gift Packs were not released.

Pages 12-13 - Accessories[edit | edit source]

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Space Hawk, Staks Transport, Scales, Zod and the GoBots Collector's Case.

Pages 14-15 - Power Suits[edit | edit source]

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Courageous and the unreleased Nemesis.

Pages 16-17 - Monsterous and Puzzlers[edit | edit source]

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Puzzler and Monsterous, plus their individual members. Monsterous himself is a prototype with some different paint applications (as seen on the figure's card and box art); while the picture of the individual Puzzlers has been updated the combined Puzzler still uses the early versions of Rube and Zig Zag seen in the 1985 Tonka Catalog.

Pages 18-19 - Playsets[edit | edit source]

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The Command Center and Thruster

Pages 20-21 - Playset[edit | edit source]

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The cancelled GoBotron Fortress. While it might be the lighting, the Treds seen in the base is closer to the production version than that seen on page 5. Bullseye meanwhile is missing his stickers.

Pages 22-23 - Super GoBots[edit | edit source]

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Featuring prototype versions of Night Fright, Clutch and Raizor.

Pages 24-25 - Secret Riders and Dread Launchers[edit | edit source]

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All bar Tork are represented by prototypes with various changes.

Pages 26-27 - GyroBots and Power Stalker[edit | edit source]

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The GyroBots would be cancelled while the Power Stalker would become one of the two Power Marchers.

Rock Lords[edit | edit source]

Pages 28-29 - Rock Lords Superstars[edit | edit source]

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Introductory blurb. While most of the toys are in more detail on the following pages, this one features a 'second' prototype of Boulder, using his eventual colours but the 'first' prototype casting. The text overtly refers to the line being "co-developed" with Bandai.

Pages 30-31 - Hero and Enemy Assortments[edit | edit source]

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Every single toy on the page is a prototype, and only Nuggit would come out actually looking much like this. Boulder (back in his 'film' colours), Brimstone, Marbles (named as Granite here) and Slimestone would all have tooling changes before release, while Crackpot and Pulver-Eyes would have major colour scheme overhauls. Also the text seems to refer to the Rock Lords as hailing from "Rockworld" rather than Cordax/Quartex.

Pages 32-33 - Animals[edit | edit source]

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While the toys are a lot closer to the released version Spike Stone is named "Terror Rock" in the picture and "Rockosaur" in the text, while Terra-Roc is named "Rockosaur" in the picture and "Terror Rock" in the text, while the assortment is also called "Rockosaur Asst.".

Pages 34-35 - Playset and Vehicle[edit | edit source]

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In a double-whammy with the GoBotron Fortress, that's the unreleased Stonehead playset. The Rock Pot meanwhile is a prototype; the finished version would be a silvery-grey rather than pink, sadly. No mention of the Stone Wing, which seems to have been put out to make up for the bad guys losing Stonehead.