Machine Robo series (original) missing from DB

[shesmovedon]

Is it just lack of anyone's effort that the original Machine Robo toys from Bandai aren't in the DB? If so, I'd be happy to take a stab at it. I just didn't want to start working at it if there was a good reason for its absence.   

[triKlops]

Sounds like a good deal; lets see what Shmax says. Hopefully its a go!

[shmax]

lets see what Shmax says

Shmax says shmax is only in charge of keeping the lights on these days--the moderators decide which toylines to support. That being said, I can't imagine any of them having any issues with it; probably just a matter of waiting for them to get around to it.

[engledogg]

So...we're looking at something like:

Machine Robo
 > Machine Robo
         - Battle Armor Five
         - Big Machine Robo
         - Devil Invaders
         - Double Machine Robo
         - Machine Puzzler
         - Machine Robo Best 5
         - Machine Robo Series
         - Martial Arts Robo
         - Playsets
         - Scale Robo DX
 > Revenge of Cronos
         - Chara Collection
         - Chara DX Collection
         - Devil Satan Six
         - Double Machine Robo
         - Martial Arts Robo
         - Playsets
         - Rock Monsters
         - Rock Robo
         - Wheelmen

Of course, the above isn't likely a complete list...but it's a good start, I would think.

One thing about all this though, before we go crazy and make a ton of product listings, it would be a good idea to create them slowly, filling them up with contents as we go along...otherwise, we'll end up with a bunch of empty products.

MIKE
engledogg

[shesmovedon]

Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking. I was going to start with what's available here:
http://counter-x.net/gobots/checklist/machine_robo.html

I own some of these sets and I can add great pictures and scans of instructions.

I would be more than happy to also flesh out each product and get the release dates, accessories, etc added in. Also, I would be thrilled to start with just the Machine Robo series and tackle the Cronos era down the road.

I'm happy to help and chip in around here. I'm just not privileged enough to add the top level categories.

Is there a way to add products other than the GUI? Like a CSV or something? That would make it much quicker for me to just fill out a spreadsheet to get the skeleton in place.

[shmax]

Is there a way to add products other than the GUI? Like a CSV or something?

We've had a few people suggest that kind of thing over the years, but I just can't see it as being practical. Many of the data fields on a shmax record are complex (color checklists, multiple part types) or compound values (category tree paths, multiple release rows) and it would be nigh impossible for me to come up with a parser that could make sense of a spreadsheet that wasn't itself computed from our end.

A more reasonable idea might be to come up with some kind of batch UI for uploading multiple records at once, but there are a *lot* of fields to fill in on both product and part records, and it's hard enough keeping it all manageable and coherent for even a single record.

The easiest way to get this done will probably be to take a deep breath, roll up your sleeves, and... get KidTDragon and SoS to do it.

[engledogg]

I think the best way to tackle this is one subcategory at a time - once we get that subcategory completely finished (meaning contents, mold #s assigned, etc.), we'll move on to the next one.  I'd recommend starting with the basic Machine Robo Series subcategory (the one that is the equivalent of our basic Gobots - Scooter, Turbo, Crasher, and friends).

MIKE
engledogg

[shesmovedon]

I figured a CSV would be a big ask

Let me know when I can start building a category and I can get it filled in. The Machine Robo 600 sub-line should be pretty easy since there aren't too many bits and pieces for those toys. A lot of this I can do while I wait on things at work so it shouldn't feel like too much of a drag.

[engledogg]

Just to reiterate (as I recently checked the queue), ideally, I'd like to have the contents of these completed as we go, before we create dozens of empty records.  I approved a few of them...let's fill in those first.

Thanks,
MIKE
engledogg

[engledogg]

Also, before creating figures and accessories (especially those entered with no mold information), it's a good idea to check the existing Gobots counterparts first to obtain the mold numbers for those parts. 

Entering those numbers during your submission for the Machine Robo equivalent part makes the process (and everyone's jobs) much smoother.

MIKE
engledogg

[engledogg]

shesmovedon,

You know what, just create the products...I'll handle the contents.  It's much easier, as a mod, to do a quick clone from the Gobots counterparts rather than go through these individually-submitted parts.

I'll get to your product submissions in the morning as it's almost 1 am here.

Thanks,
MIKE
engledogg

[shesmovedon]

I have a couple of progress bars I was waiting on for work so I added some products. I'll get to the rest of the list in the morning when I'm back at work.

I'm happy to work with whatever is easiest / best for the site, just let me know if I'm doing anything annoying

[shesmovedon]

I think I'm done adding the original 600 series. I'll go back through and add the label sheets and instructions as they get approved.

Is it appropriate to use the figure Comments field to communicate unclear information? For example, MR-10 Fire Robo looks to have had a release with 3 guns and another with just 1 gun, along with slightly different boxes. I'm researching to figure out which was first and why.

Is it valuable to capture the colors differences between the USA and Japan releases?

Is it valuable to note which toys were not released outside of Japan?

Thank you for all your efforts with helping us catalogue our collections! <3

[engledogg]

I think I'm done adding the original 600 series. I'll go back through and add the label sheets and instructions as they get approved.

I can handle the labels and instructions...I just have to clone a certain product's accessories to instantly get those.

Is it appropriate to use the figure Comments field to communicate unclear information? For example, MR-10 Fire Robo looks to have had a release with 3 guns and another with just 1 gun, along with slightly different boxes. I'm researching to figure out which was first and why.

A different box with different contents would warrant a new product record.

Is it valuable to capture the colors differences between the USA and Japan releases?

At this point, probably not, unless there are glaring differences.  However, once we get of photos of everything, those differences will be obvious.

Is it valuable to note which toys were not released outside of Japan?

The release info should take care of that.

Thank you for all your efforts with helping us catalogue our collections! <3

No problem.

MIKE
engledogg

[shesmovedon]

Bear with me on the Best 5 series. I'm trying to work out how giftsets work on Shmax <3

If you want me to stop, just ask.