Tempe, AZ -- (ReleaseWire) -- 11/13/2007 -- "No," chuckles Rinkya CEO, Heather Russell, "I have no idea what a Dynotherm is. In fact, I think I spent about three years looking for one and never found it. Though I don't think I was alone in the search, in the mid-eighties a lot of us, worldwide were trying to find the keys to the lionbots that turned into Voltron. Japanese toy robots are an enduring international favorite with collectors and kids."

Vintage Japanese toy robots command prices that sometimes range into the thousands of dollars. Early toy robots from Bullmark, Clover and Popy from toy giant Bandai, are often some of the most expensive items acquired through Rinkya. There are numerous reasons to collect toy robots among them specific Japanese toy companies (some of which are no longer in business), Anime series, and movies.

The "kanzen henkei" (perfectly transforming) toy was born in the 1980’s with “Valkyrie,” a fighter vehicle that transformed into a robot from the Japanese Anime series “Macross”. The “Valkyrie” was produced by Takatoku, whose attention to design detail extending to elaborate box presentations complete with stickers and embossed cover art, added the box to the collectible features of the line.

Original Japanese Takara robots marketed as Diaclone and Micro Change are also very popular being the original versions of the Transformer line of robot toys distributed by Hasbro beginning in 1984. “Chogokin” and “Popinika”, now legendary diecast robots produced by Popy, became so popular in Japan that Mattel imported and repackaged them for the American market as “Shogun Warriors”.

Clover Toys produced Gundam robots, from their sponsorship of the original Gundam TV series. They were an initial failure for Clover. It was only after Bandai took over the production of Gundam robots that they became successful. That failure, however has made the original Clover versions highly collectible.

Bullmark, originally known for Godzilla and other vinyl toys, produced the die-cast metal Mekagodzilla and other robots, which like the Clover robots because of the demise of the parent company, sell today for thousands of dollars.

The Super Robot anime and manga creations of master mangaka (artist) Go Nagai, from such anime shows as Grendizer, Mazinger Z, Getter Robo, and Devilman have also become very popular and seen that popularity transferred to an international market with hungry collectors in such countries as France, Italy and the Phillipines snatching up the toy robots spawned by these series.

"There is something about a robot that captures the imagination," says Heather. "Children all around the world love to play with them, and collectors derive deep satisfaction from collections of pristine examples in immaculate packaging. They prove we are all more alike, than we are different."

Rinkya Inc is a leading service provider for Japan auctions, stores, and specialty websites. The company’s U.S.A. headquarters are based in Tempe, Arizona, with offices and warehouses located in Tokyo for customers’ inventory.

For Further Information Visit: http://www.rinkya.com