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Series: Challenge of the GoBots
Allegiance: Renegades
Year: 1983
Prelude: Okay, a robot that transforms into a jet and serves as second-in-command to the leader of the bad guys? Who else could it be but… Fitor? Fitor, of course! Who else could I be talking about? Fitor, second-in-command of the Evil Renegades, ready to take the fight to Leader-1 and those pesky Guardians in the War for Gobotron. So let’s say go(-bots)!
Robot Mode: Fitor is a typical GoBot in terms of size and stature. Roughly 9cm tall, he is partially made from diecast metal and his articulation is restricted to moving his arms at the shoulders. His look is pretty cool, though. Mostly red and black, he rocks the colors that Armada Starscream would adopt twenty years later.
From the very nicely sculpted face to the detailed chest, he looks really good. Sure, if you turn him around, you basically see his entire jet mode on his back. And he’s got metal wheels as toes and elbows. Still, he looks fabulous. One my favorite GoBots in terms of looks and very much cartoon-accurate, too. No weapons, naturally, as all the GoBots were capable of shooting energy blasts from their fists.
Bottom line: an awesome looking robot mode. Small, naturally, and with the time’s restrictions in terms of articulation, but still: awesome!
Alternate Mode: A very simple transformation turns Fitor from robot to futuristic jet fighter. He basically just lies down on his stomach, slides up the legs and tugs in the arms, done. GoBots were roughly equal to Transformers Minibots in terms of transformation complexity. Still, the resulting jet fighter looks very cool. Just something about that late 70s/early 80s sci-fi aesthetic that really appeals to me, I guess.
There is, of course, an entirely visible robot face on the underside of the jet, but that is pretty common among GoBots (and Transformers Minibots, too) and was actually shown to be TV-accurate in the GoBots cartoon series. Fitor rolls across the floor on four metal wheels. His wings have long, thin guns on the tips and apparently these are very prone to breaking off, but they are intact on my version, thankfully.
Bottom line: a very nice jet mode. Sure, it’s really just the robot lying on his stomach, but it works very well and I love this jet design, too.
Remarks: Fitor served as Cy-Kill’s second in command during the entire length of the cartoon series, oftentimes remaining back on Gobotron to take charge there while Cy-Kill was running his latest zany scheme on Earth. He was fanatically loyal to his leader, or rather the Renegade cause, to the point where he was ready to commit suicide to take out Leader-1.
The toy itself was originally sold as Machine Robo Jet Robo and saw release in North America as Aero Man in the Machine Men line before he was licensed for the GoBots and became part of the first wave there.
Fitor is possibly my all-time favorite GoBot toy. I had him as a kid (which is probably making me less than objective here) and I always loved this sci-fi jet design of his. Thankfully I was able to find a new version of him in good shape, seeing as most of my childhood toys ended up on the flea market (kids, that’s like a real world version of eBay). So bottom line: if you are in any way interested in GoBots, Fitor is definitely a figure you should own.
Rating: A
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