What: I got these robots from toy vending machines as a kid back in the early '90s, but I had no clue what they were bootlegs of until I became a regular over at the LittleRubberGuys forums a couple years ago. These figures show up in the toy identification threads on the forum very often, and it turns out they're bootleg keshi of a Japanese anime series called Heavy Metal L-Gaim. I haven't seen the anime, but I will say these are nice, hefty mini figures that would hold their own in any micro robot battle. They're made of a firm-but-flexible plastic, and although I believe I only ever had orange and brown ones, I've seen photos of different sculpts and colors beyond the ones listed above. Check out this LRG thread for more.
When: The ones pictured above came from the early 1990s, but it's possible L-Gaim bootlegs were available before or after that as well.
Where: I remember getting these bootlegs out of toy vending machines at my local Toys R Us back then, which would always be full of monster and robot little rubber guys. I remember the display card in one of the machines said "Creatures From the Stars."
Who: N/A
