In Australia, the Machine Robo line was imported as Machine Men, distributed by Bandai Australia. Like the European version, and unlike the American Machine Men line, the toys sold well enough that Bandai opted to keep the Machine Men branding, even after Gobots took off. Indeed, uniquely the cartoon was even retitled Challenge of the Machine Men to fit in with the toys.

To help promote the figures, Bandai Australia did provide catalogues that included short comic strips. Four of these were made, as Jordan Morris tells me. The first was printed in black on yellow paper (and presumably called "Space Wars"), while the following three were all in colour. Thanks to Jordan and Matt Roberts for the scans of the second issue, and to Jhiaxus for scans of the last two issues.

The script is a little bit "look at these toys!", obviously, but the artwork by Richard Rae is actually quite charming. Things to look out for are the only media appearances for Spy-Eye (in prototype colours, no less...), Robot Winch Truck and Robot Helicopter I've seen, an appearance from the Japan/Australia-only Battle Base, Cy-Kill literally stomping Leader One (Robo Machines spelling! Good show!) into the ground, Baron Von Joy in a fetching gold scheme (which was offered as a competition prize in the second issue), Staks and Ace switching sides, the superb lines when the Australian army nuke the city ("Mummy!"), and inarguably the greatest cliff-hanger any comic has ended on...