Bandai

Bandai (株式会社バンダイ, Kabushiki-gaisha Bandai) is a Japanese toy company that produced the original toyline for the Voltron franchise including die-cast toys and model kits.

Popy

未来獣合体 ゴライオンCM

1981 DX Golion commercial

Popy (ポピー) was a subsidiary of Bandai from the 1970s to early 1980s that created toys licensed from various anime and tokusatsu series. It launched the Chogokin toy line that focused on robots made out of die-cast metal starting with Go Nagai's Mazinger Z where the term originates from.

Among the line were a number of toys licensed from various Toei series including all four anime series that were originally planned to be made into Voltron. The Chogokin line had standard versions, marked with ST, that were more show-accurate but were smaller and simplified where as the deluxe versions, marked with DX, were almost twice as large and were typically engineered to transform and/or combine.

DX機甲合体 ダイラガーXV(2期版)

1982 DX Dairugger XV commercial

Before the partnership between Toei and World Events Productions in 1983 to create Voltron, Golion and Daltanious were exported to the United States under Bandai America's Godaikin toyline with their original names intact. Godaikin was an attempt to aim at adult toy collectors by importing Popy's ten most popular toys under English packaging. Because they were aimed at adults, choking hazards like missiles were kept intact. However, because there was no form of advertising the robots such as comics or cartoons the line ended soon.

After the conception of the Voltron franchise, WEP would inherit Bandai as a partner and have their toys imported through Matchbox with certain parts removed or changed to meet safety standards. Due to the high demand of the toys, Bandai would outsource production to Taiwan where traces of lead were found in the paint ultimately ending their business relationship with WEP for more than 30 years.

Banpresto

Banpresto (株式会社バンプレスト, Kabushiki gaisha Banpuresuto) is a subsidiary owned by Bandai Namco Holdings that developed the Super Robot Wars video game franchise. In 2007, it developed the Japan-exclusive crossover video game, Super Robot Wars W which Golion debuted in.

Current relationship to the Voltron franchise

In the early 2010s when Toynami lost the Voltron license, Bandai attempted to gain the license only to be outbid by Mattel. Bandai had early plans to include Golion in its critically acclaimed Soul of Chogokin (超合金魂, Chōgōkin Damashii) toyline. After Mattel discontinued its partnership with World Events Productions and dropped the plans to make a toyline for Voltron Force, Toynami regained the license.

In 2016, it was announced that Bandai gained the license to create the GX-71 Golion for the Soul of Chogokin line. Currently, it does not have the license for the Voltron: Legendary Defender franchise that's produced by Dreamworks.