In 1984 a Japanese company called Masudaya released what many justly consider to be the most accurate and detailed Lost in Space "YM3" Robot toy/model ever produced. Very little is known about the company but it's highly probable they are the same company that produced a wide range of Japanese tin-toys in the 1950s and 1960s.

Exactly why Masudaya called it's Robot "YM3" is still a mystery. Perhaps it merely adopted the name to skirt the issue of licensing. One thing for sure, both the 16 inch, battery operated, talking "YM3" and the 4 inch wind-up "YM3" are unlicensed. The phrase "Lost in Space" appears no where on the packaging or instructions. In 1986, copyright holders put a halt to production of the "YM3" robots. Today, several rumors have circulated about the discovery of pallets of "YM3" Robots in a Japanese warehouse. This news has somewhat dampened the value of these Robots which generally can be acquired for under $150 for the large talking version and under $40 for the small wind-up version.