Creating chaos and designing destruction: James Yuen discusses development of HTI’s Robo Wreckerz

James, it’s great to catch up. This past year saw HTI launch Teamsterz’s new Robo Wreckerz line – for anyone new to this range, how would you pitch it?
The key idea behind Robo Wreckerz is about breaking new ground and creating an entirely new play pattern within the vehicle category. That’s the challenge HTI sets for us every year – to keep innovating while staying true to the Teamsterz DNA of vehicle-based play.

With Robo Wreckerz, we’ve done something that’s never been done before. We’ve created a line of apocalyptic-style robots and robotic beasts that combine awesome vehicle play features with bold, character-driven design. It’s gritty, fun, mechanical chaos in the best possible way – and it still feels unmistakably Teamsterz!

What steered this? Did the mechanisms come first, or the theme?
It was really a bit of both. The Teamsterz category team had a very clear vision of building out Robo Wreckerz as two sub-ranges – one focused on Action-Activation Play, where kids physically trigger the mechanical features, and the other on Motorised Automation, featuring fully animated action sequences. So, while the team had the thematic direction early on, the mechanisms quickly became the heart of how we brought that theme to life. The design and engineering really evolved hand in hand – each inspired the other.

What were the trickiest nuts to crack design-wise across these items? And how did you crack them?
Three big words: aesthetics, functionality and cost!

Aesthetics-wise, we wanted to move away from the “expected look” of our usual Beast Machines vehicles and instead reimagine what a fully functional walking robot character could be. We took inspiration from some cult classic sci-fi films like Mad Max, Hardware, Robot Jox and Akira to develop this post-apocalyptic/cyberpunk, battle-worn look – gritty, mechanical, and full of storytelling potential.

Choosing a robotic gorilla for the Action-Activation range and a dragon for the Motorised Automation range as key characters was a no-brainer for me. I’ve always loved anything and everything to do with gorillas and fire-breathing dragons!

And functionality?
Once we had the rough concepts for both the Gorilla/Rhino Slam and Mega Beast/Rex, we brought in our model developers straight away. The goal was to quickly build proof-of-concept prototypes to test if the mechanisms worked, could be manufactured, and – most importantly – could survive real play!

Beyond that, the design also had to be user-friendly and durable enough for repeated, high-energy play. Kids are naturally curious and hands-on, so we had to ensure that every feature could withstand rough handling, rapid reactivation and enthusiastic slamming – all without compromising performance. The toys also needed to be easy to reset if a mechanism was overstretched or slightly misaligned during play. Achieving that balance between engineering precision and kid-proof resilience was a huge part of making these toys genuinely fun and frustration-free.

Let’s just say there was a fair amount of trial, error, and coffee involved!

Ha, and the dreaded ‘c’ word – cost…
Yes, with so many moving parts and complex features, cost management was a real challenge. We had to work closely with the model shop, HTI’s engineering team and the factory to constantly refine and simplify the internal mechanisms without losing any of the magic in the play.

It became an ongoing balancing act – revising designs, tweaking component functions, reducing unnecessary parts – all while maintaining durability and play value. In the end, it was a true collaboration across design, development, and production to make sure these ambitious toys remained achievable within the target costs.

Both Gorilla and Rhino Slam feature a cool play interaction – slam the robot’s head and both arms flip down to launch die-cast cars. How did you come up with that?
Ha! I’m so glad you asked. I’ve always been a massive fan of Tim Burton’s movies – especially Beetlejuice. Remember the scene where Beetlejuice transforms into this circusmaster with his arms stretching out and turning into mallets, like a carnival high-striker game?

I do!
Well that moment stuck with me for years! I wanted to capture that same sense of humour, surprise and physicality in toyform. The Gorilla and Rhino Slam were the perfect candidates – their proportions and personality made it possible to translate that ‘slam-and-launch’ motion into a really fun, hands-on play feature. It’s simple, satisfying and always gets a smile!

The movement of Mega Rex and Mega Beast also feels very authentic to these kinds of creatures – if that makes sense!
Oh my gosh! Getting those movements right was agony!

Ha! How so?
The automated sequence two took months of back-and-forth with our model shop team to perfect. We wanted the animation to feel natural, cinematic and full of personality. The sequence goes something like this:

– Mega Beast/Rex walks forward.
– It stops.

– The body leans down to ground level.

– The dorsal plates – spiky fins – pop up on its back.

– The jaw opens to launch a car from its mouth — one at a time.

– Lights and roaring sounds build in sequence.

– The body returns to its upright position.

– Then it all repeats!

We studied movement from my all-time favourite Kaiju monster – Godzilla – to capture that sense of weight and anticipation as it moves, crouches, charges and roars.

Mechanically, I always believe in using the simplest solution for the most complex challenge. Half of Mega Beast/Rex’s key movements actually rely on gravity! When the motorised body leans down, the spikes rise, the jaw opens, and cars slide through naturally – all without extra motors. That said, it still took us two solid months – and plenty of late nights, and more coffee, of course – to perfect the timing and engineering using only one single motor. Every tiny adjustment mattered, but the result was worth every bit of sweat and stress!

Last question. What does Robo Wreckerz represent for you and the future of Teamsterz?
For me, Robo Wreckerz represents the spirit of what toy design should always be about – innovation, imagination and pure fun. It’s about finding that balance between strong character design, clever engineering, and a play pattern that instantly clicks with kids. The Teamsterz brand has long been recognised for its vehicle play, but Robo Wreckerz really pushes those boundaries further – blending storytelling, robotics, and mechanical play into something new and unexpected.

What I’m most proud of is how collaborative this process was. Every designer, category manager, engineer, and model maker brought something unique to the table, and you can feel that passion in the final product. It’s proof that even after years in the industry, there are still fresh ways to surprise and delight kids – and grown-ups too!

At the end of the day, if a child picks up one of these toys and instantly wants to make it roar, crash, or battle – then we’ve done our job right.

Absolutely! Thanks James, always great to chat.

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