Following the success of the Scale Robo DX range, in 1985 Bandai further expanded on the Machine Robo range with the Big Machine Robo series. The first two were scaled-up versions of existing smaller Machine Robo, while the other three took vehicle modes from the range as a starting point, but using new transformations.

One of these was the Big Jet-Heli Robo, nominally based on the Apache Robo (MR-41, released as the Guardian Wrong Way). This was released as a Gobots toy later in 1985, becoming the Renegade Warpath (presumably, either Tonka thought the link with Wrong Way was too tenuous, or wanted to balance out the Super Gobot factions a little).

The European version had an exclusive green colour scheme, but retained the translated, American sticker-sheet. The character didn't appear in the cartoon series, probably to avoid confusion with Wrong Way. Or because Hanna-Barbera forgot. One of the two.

Warpath's vehicle mode is an AH-64 Apache gunship. This isn't one of my favourite helicopters, to be honest, but it's adequately rendered well here.

There are some faults - it might just be me, but the cockpit seems a little wide, while the clip on the front also ruins the look a little. The black colour scheme works rather well (one of the big advantages of the US variant is that it looks a little different from Wrong Way) and the red stickers offset it nicely.

However, it's a bit much that he not only has his name written on him, but in five different places - it goes beyond fun and into overkill. The rocket stickers look a bit weird, too. The helicopter is sturdy (especially the nice, thick blades), while the diecast underside and retractable undercarriage add a touch of class.

Switching Warpath to robot mode is reminiscent of the Deluxe Autobot Whirl from the Transformers line, with the underside of the fuselage forming the legs, the cockpit the chest, the tail folding down onto the back, and the engine pods forming the arms.

Like Whirl, the resulting robot is a bit thin. This aside it's not too bad, though the arms leave a little to desire - the forearms being very thin, while the fists are the same size as the upper arms, which looks a little comical. The head design isn't bad, though, and he looks respectable.

Contrary to what this review had said until fairly recently, he can store his blades nicely in robot mode, a major advantage compared to the small version - they slot into the back of the cockpit section, are neatly clipped between this and the tail, and then fan out nicely. It really does add a certain something to the robot mode, making it a little less generic-looking.