Drill Robo (MRR)

This article is about the Machine Robo Rescue character. For the character from the 1980s Machine Robo franchises, see Drill Robo.

“	It's party time!	”
—Drill Robo loves going into Hyper Mode

MR-03L Drill Robo (ドリルロボ) is a Machine Robo Leader Robo created for Machine Robo Rescue as part of the Yellow Gears.

He is Leader Robo of the Drill Team and his Robo Master is Daichi Hayami. He can combine with his Bulldozer Robo Supporter Robo to form Hyper Drill Robo. He is the strongest of the MRR Machine Robo and also one of the most amiable - Drill is basically a big, friendly sumo wrestler, and his exuberant personality makes him a good match with the underconfident Daichi.

As a Leader Robo he is capable of summoning a ZONE. In Hyper Mode he can use Finger Flash, Drill Attack (which involves his head spinning around) and Power Finish attacks.

Fiction

Machine Robo Rescue cartoon

Voice actor: Hiroomi Sugino

Drill Robo was one of the first Machine Robo to be activated, and chatted with Jet Robo over what their Robo Masters might be like. When a fire broke out at the Landmark Tower, Jet into flying out, following the boy's hunch that Jun Mizushima was still trapped in the burning building. While Police Robo and Fire Robo reacted with shock Drill Robo was more supportive. Commence the Rescue Combination!! Drill soon became frustrated at his own lack of action after Jet, Fire and Police Robo all got a slice of the action; he also annoyed Yellow Gears instructor Marie Bitou by addressing her as "little sister". Daichi meanwhile was having a crisis of confidence, and was mulling over quitting MRR altogether. With the subtlety of a hand grenade Drill pointed out there was no point in a Robo Master with no confidence. However, when the bulk of the cadets and instructor Musashi Miyajima were trapped in an underwater subway tunnel by a Gura Gorro some gentle encouragement from Sayuri Suizenji and a push from Bone, Daichi volunteered to pilot Drill Robo to the rescue. On arrival, Sasaki ordered Daichi to activate a ZONE. Despite his strength, Drill struggled against the Gura Gorro mainly through his over-enthusiasm. After forming his Hyper Mode, Daichi was able to use his uncanny skill to judge distances to turn the fight in their favour before they saved their friends. It's Party Time! Drill Robo Drill Robo was later dragged into helping the cadets search for Laura, the missing cat of a young boy from Tokyo called Hideki. When a Gura Gorro tried to take advantage of the hunt to blast out a bridge he joined Fire Robo and Drill Robo in using his back to cover the gap for traffic. Emergency! Enter Battalion He later joined the MRR's efforts to deal with the eruption of Kaga Mountain, using his Hyper Mode to help Fire Robo and Police Robo to fell empty buildings in order to contain the lava, using Daichi's precise calculations. Following the successful rescue, Daichi was confirmed as his permanent Robo Master. Aim to be a Robo Master!

Yellow Gears were sent to Egypt after Saki, the daughter of Professor Murayoshi, became trapped in a pyramid in Saqqara. Drill Robo caused consternation among the archaeologists by suggesting that he simply demolish the pyramid; instead Daichi, Shō and Ken went in while Drill waited outside with the Professor, Sayuri and Gear Dump. However, the pyramid soon came under Gura Gorro attack; Drill had to hold it up while the trio of cadets found Saki, even though he was being fired upon. Sayuri bought him some time by ramming the attacker with Gear Dump, allowing him to support the pyramid long enough for Daichi, Shō and Ken to get Saki to the surface safely. Daichi then commanded him into Hyper Mode, and Drill clobbered the Gura Gorro. However, the Drill Team then had to help rebuild the pyramid. Laughter Can Save the World! During mock battles at the MRR open day he defeated by Hyper Jet Robo. And Taiyoh is Fine! After Jay recovered Stealth Robo's K-BOY and reactivated the Tank Robo, Chief Bitou ordered the Drill and Police Teams into action to back up the outmatched Jet Robo. However, having achieved his objective Jay chose to retreat rather than fight for the time being. The Invincible Hyper Stealth Robo! He later arrived in Nanagahake in time to save Ken from a fiery death. The cadet activated his Hyper Mode, and Drill helped Fire Robo drive off Stealth Robo. Ken's Rescue Spirit! Yellow Gears were then called to Marine Park, which was experiencing strange vibrations. With the owner in denial over the danger, Drill was forced to wait outside while Daichi and Sayuri went in to investigate as paying customers. They soon found that the park's supports were being weakened by a Gura Gorro and began rescue efforts. Drill used his strength to support the structure but came under attack himself. Thankfully Jet arrived to drive back the Gura Gorro and Fire Robo took over the support work long enough for Sayuri and Ken to activate Gear Dump Robo, allowing Drill to enter Hyper Mode and dispatch the attacker. Call Out! Gear Dump Robo

When Marie, her father and Professor Tōru Suidōbashi became trapped underwater due to problems with the Cube 1 submersible the Drill Team were sent along to help in Gear Dump. However, as Drill couldn't swim there was little he could do; thankfully Shō was sent down in a second Cube and was able to activate the new Submarine Robo, who was able to rescue the trio. I am Submarine Robo The newcomer was assigned to Yellow Gears but preferred not to join the other Leader Robo in the base's hangar and instead float around at sea. Worried how this would impact on maintenance and team spirit, Daichi asked Drill Robo to talk to Submarine Robo about it. He did, but ended up seeing Submarine Robo's side before taking himself out of action by trying to join his new friend in the sea despite not being waterproof. The Drill Team were sent as backup when Submarine Robo then went off to free a trapped whale from an iceberg, only to get frozen by a Gura Gorro. Drill was able to get Submarine Robo free to fight the attacker, though along the way he once again got himself waterlogged and was chided by Marie during another trip to the repair bay. Do You Like Hangars? After Taiyoh and Jet Robo were knocked out of orbit by Stealth Robo battling near Ikaros 1 in Earth orbit, the Drill Team joined the response. The massed number of MRR Machine Robo were able to persuade Stealth Robo to keep his distance, with Drill charging him into the sea for Submarine Robo to attack, allowing Taiyoh and the Jet Team to be recovered. Good Luck Taiyoh His water-related self-disabling was later chosen as one of the funniest moments honoured by Charmy Sato at the Who's the MVP? award show. MRR 24 Hours The Drill Team were dispatched to deal with a landslide but once it was under control, Daichi realised it was an act of intentional sabotage performed by Colonel Hazard. Enter! BL Machine Robo

Hazard unveiled then his next plan, using his Catfish to cause earthquakes in the South American Republic of Borale. Fire Robo, Drill Robo and Police Robo were loaded onboard the newly completed Machine Commander. Despite the presence of BL Fire Robo they were able to complete the operation successfully. Combine! Machine Commander Robo After a holiday for the cadets on Sayuri's island mansion was accidentally disrupted by a pair of vacationing Gura Gorros, Drill Robo was summoned to reinforce Submarine Robo. First he arrived covered in seagrass, startling the Disasters pair who mistook him for a water demon, and then he didn't ask any questions about Ken's request he loan Submarine Robo the Bulldozer Robo so he could perform an EX Combination and raise a sunken pirate vessel. Summer Holiday! Fear Vacation When Yellow Gears were assigned to help with the filming of the Ninja Mama movie - starring Daichi's mother Saeko Homura - the Drill Team wasted little time in getting involved, with Drill and a trio of his Supporter Robo rapidly cast as various costume-clad giant-size villains. When a Gura Gorro tried to kidnap Saeko as part of Colonel Hazard's plan to recruit the fictional Ninja Mama the Drill Team sprang into action and eventually defeated the attacker. However, in the scuffle the film shot so far was destroyed. Director Hota and producer Anao weren't worried though, considering the day's filming to have been merely a rehearsal - a prospect that terrified the Drill Team and the cadets. I am the Mother of Daichi He joined the other Leader Robo in embarrassing Makoto Aikawa by making a huge banner to wish him luck on his date with Aki Saotome. The Story of Makoto's First Love When the small town of Hinosuke was threatened by a landslide, Drill Robo joined the rescue efforts in Machine Commander, digging channels to divert the water and mud. He later joined in the drills Taiyoh had learnt from Takezo Okano. Proud Fire Brigade! The Drill Team were unable to help the Red Wings team work evacuating plane passengers from the Amazon as they were called to deal with a cave-in in Europe. Survival of the Fittest! Drill Robo visited the Machine AI Laboratory to have maintenance checks carried out, and joining his fellow Leader Robo in bemusement when he found the Professor and the cadets engaged in a bizarre salute initiated by Sayuri. The Mysterious Superhero Captain Miracle

After Jay and the rebuilt V Stealth Robo were accepted into MRR, the Leader Robo pondered which team they would join, with Drill Robo feeling the Yellow Gears could do with a flyer. Jay, Join the MRR! However, they found the rebuilt V Stealth Robo's lack of team spirit off-putting. Along with Police Robo and Jet Robo, he was loaded onboard Machine Commander to investigate a trio of typhoons. However, they had been caused by Hell Island and Machine Commander Robo was blasted when he arrived. Thankfully V Stealth Robo came to help, proving his worth in helping Machine Commander Robo defeat BL Fire Robo. The Strongest Combination! Machine Commander Robo V Despite talking to Daichi when he was considering resigning to take over running Hayami Heavy Industries, Drill Robo was surprised when his Robo Master left. He subsequently joined the callout when their factories came under Gura Gorro attack and went back into action at Daichi's control, with the boy soon rejoining MRR. Daichi's Resolution Drill Robo joined Alice, Sayuri and Lin in representing MRR at the Kansai Disaster Prevention Festival, going through his moves for the crowd. When the trio of cadets found a wounded rogue Gura Gorro on the run from BL Police Robo, Gyro Robo performed an EX Combination with the Bulldozer Robo to get the strength to defeat the Disaster. Salute to the Gura Gorro Along with the other Leader Robo, Drill Robo was disabled by a freak resonance when the liner Poseidon's engine was damaged by a collision with an oil tanker near Rescue Headquarters. The cadets swung into action with just the Supporter Robo while the Professor worked on the problem. Machine Robo Out of Action!

As Kaiser-G's plans reached fruition and he threatened the island of Kanameshima all of MRR were scrambled to try and stop him. However,they were unable to do much against Kaiser-G. Activate, Kaiser-G! Jet and V Stealth continued to attack but were again easily defeated, and knocked into a volcano. The rest of MRR were forced to withdraw and deal with the catastrophes caused by Kaiser-G triggering numerous other volcanos on the Pacific ring of fire. Kaiser-G was able to move on to Tokyo, setting the meteorite Tartarus on a collision course with Earth. A Looming Catastrophe! All of MRR scrambled to fight him but Hyper Drill Robo again found himself unable to combat Kaiser-G, who was eventually defeated by the joint efforts of the cadets Hyper Shuttle Robo, V Stealth Robo and Machine Commander Robo. All Hands on Deck, Save the Planet! The defeat of Kaiser-G and the Disasters didn't end MRR's work, however, and even on the day of their graduation Yellow Gears had to help dispose of an old unexploded bomb - done by the Drill Team in an extremely underwhelming fashion - and recover a large submarine. Fly, MRR!

Following the founding of International Hyper Rescue, Drill Robo remained attached to MRR but worked with Daichi and the Professor at Hayami Heavy Industries, where they worked on the new generation of Machine Robo. However, an ill-timed nap on Drill's part allowed the first of these - Air Leon - to escape and go on a brief caper through Tokyo. Sortie! Air Leon soon found his way to Rescue Headquarters, where a sheepish Drill was reunited with Fire Robo and Submarine Robo while the new arrival was introduced. Machine Robo Rescue Special - New Year's Day!

Toys

Drill Robo and Hyper Drill Robo, with Bulldozer Robo inset

Machine Robo Rescue

Rescue Combination

• Drill Robo (2002)
  • ID number: 03
  • Accessories: none

Drill Robo was released in Bandai's Machine Robo Rescue toyline in December 2002, and converts from robot to drill tank mode. The toy was packed with four near-identical Bulldozer Robo Supporter Robo, which can combine with the robot mode to form Hyper Drill Robo. Only the number on the chest of each Support Robo is different, but they are designed so that either can form an arm or a leg for the Hyper Mode. Due to the line's emphasis on compatibility these can be switched with any other Supporter Robo. Drill Robo has articulation at the shoulders. The set retailed at ¥2500. Drill Robo was later recoloured as BL Drill Robo.

• Like the rest of Machine Robo Rescue, Drill Robo was not released outside of Japan.

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  Set contents

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  Badge

Leader Robo

• Drill Robo (2003)
  • Accessories: none

Also as part of the ground-laying for Mugenbine an unchanged Drill Robo was also sold separately without the Supporter Robo, the Leader Robo plugs being compatible with the ports of Mugenbine sets. The figure retailed at ¥800.

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  Box

Merchandise

Super Performance!

• Drill Team Set (2003)

Two figurines of Drill Robo were included in the Super Performance figure sets - one of the character in robot mode, the other in his drill tank mode. The Drill Team set also included figurines of the four Bulldozer Robo and a Gura Gorro. The set was sold in a round plastic tub styled after the Rescue Headquarters launch tower, and retailed at ¥1200.

DX Machine Robo Rescue

• Drill Robo (2003)

Part of the first series of DX Machine Robo Rescue candy toys, Drill Robo was a non-converting plastic model of the character in Hyper Mode configuration with limited painted details. The arms and legs could be detached and switched with the limbs of any other figure in the range. The figure also came with small unpainted versions of Drill Robo in both his robot and jet modes. It was recoloured for the second series as BL Drill Robo. Each blind-boxed figure retailed at ¥300.

Sortie! Machine Robo Rescue Real Collection

• Drill Robo (2003)

Part of the first series of Sortie! Machine Robo Rescue Real Collection figurines, Drill Robo was a non-converting model of the character in Hyper Mode configuration with painted details. The arms and legs could be detached and switched with the limbs of any other figure in the range. It was recoloured for the second series as BL Drill Robo. Each blind-boxed figure retailed at ¥200.

Notes

• Supplemental material gives Drill Robo's height as 8.5m and weight as 9.4t and Hyper Drill Robo's height as 12.2m and weight as 43t.
• In the cartoon Drill speaks in the Edo dialect, often anime shorthand for blue collar workers and likely a nod to the construction theme of the Yellow Gears.
• Drill Robo's design is an overt reference to the original Machine Robo franchise of the 1980s, with his toy clearly based on the original Drill Robo, albeit with yellow as a major colour. His gregarious personality as a big, friendly oaf is also clearly influenced by Rod Drill of the 1980s Ashi Productions cartoons.