There is combiner of Millennium Falcon of two characters, Han Solo and Chewbacca and Primus/Unicron-like Death Star that transforms into a giant Darth Vader. Beast Wars: Transformers had to be renamed in some countries, particularly Canada, because of concern over the word "war" in the title. Get our newsletter. Most of the 1994 figures were re-releases or recolors of European G1 releases. This figure transforms into his spaceship (similar to the box packaging of the original Buzz Lightyear toy), with his head transforming into a miniature Buzz Lightyear pilot figure. According to the storyline, Mini-Cons also enhanced the power of other Transformers, giving incentive to collect as many of them as possible. There have also been a number of spin-offs based on the toys including a comic book series, an animated television series, and a feature-length animated movie. Chō Robot Seimeitai Transformer (Fight! In a break from tradition, Energon Optimus Prime's large mode resembled a configuration similar to, Primus, the creator of the Transformers conceived by. Yes, 2020 is over, and a new dawn is upon us. This has led to controversy among fans who consider G1 to be the only "pure" form of Transformers. Shia LaBeouf portrays the lead human character, Sam Witwicky, in the film with Josh Duhamel, Tyrese Gibson, and Megan Fox in supporting roles. Pretenders consisted of a Transformer contained inside an action figure shell who could "pretend" to be either a human or a monster. Most of these were G1 combiner team recolors or recolors of recent figures. Each country produced their own continuity. The box claims the cereal had "more taste than meets the eye" and also had the ability to "transform ordinary milk into chocolate flavored milk". The traditional order (as above) was also abandoned for the Micromaster team specifications. The Transformers Chocolate Flavored Cereal was a chocolate-flavored concoction, not unlike Cocoa Puffs, manufactured by the Ralston Corporation. The premise behind the Transformers toy line is that an individual toy's parts can be shifted about to change it from a vehicle, a device, or an animal, to a robot action figure and back again. This is a new line which features robot versions of various Marvel Comics superheroes (and later more of the Star Wars Transformers figures once it merged with this line). The toy was released on February 26, 2009 following with the Black and White Version a month later on March 26, 2009. Just as Galvatron and Sky Lynx’s roles in Earthrise leveraged their nostalgic “futures” to shape these younger, still developing versions of these iconic characters, now they, in turn, get to shape the world and characters of Beast Wars’ directly, co-existing instead of being long-gone parts of their pasts. There also was a mail-away offer for a Jazz toy. Transformers (2008–2010, Japan), Transformers: Disney Label (2009–2010, Japan), Transformers: Alternity (2009–2011, Japan), Transformers: Chrono Label (was scheduled for a 2009 release, but has been delayed and remains yet-to-be released, Japan), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Transformers: Device Label (2009–2010, Japan), Transformers: Generations (2010–present)/Transformers: United (2010–2012, Japan), Thrilling 30 (2014)/Transformers: legends (2014–Present, Japan), Combiner Wars(2015-2016)/Unite Warriors (2015-2016, Japan), War for Cybertron: Kingdom (2021-present), Transformers: Studio Series (2018–present), Transformers: Studio Series '86 (2021-present), Transformers Generations Selects (2019–present, USA and Japan), Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015) (2015–2018), The Armada line featured the first commercially available figure of. Megatron's voice is provided by Hugo Weaving. Hasbro would go on to buy the entire toy line from Takara, giving them sole ownership of the Transformers toy-line, branding rights, and copyrights, while in exchange, Takara was given the rights to produce the toys and the rights to distribute them in the Japanese market. The lowest priced toys in the Armada line were three-packs of Mini-Cons. The live-action Transformers movie premiered in the U.S. on July 3, 2007, a joint collaboration among DreamWorks SKG, Paramount Pictures and Hasbro, Inc. James is a News Editor at io9. Micromasters teams have teamwork ratings instead of ranks. BigBadToyStore has a massive selection of toys (like action figures, statues, and collectibles) from Marvel, DC Comics, Transformers, Star Wars, Movies, TV Shows, and More This isn’t just changing up what diehard Transformers fans have known about the past continuities for the sake of it, it’s a chance to leverage that past to shine new and interesting lights on the series’ most beloved characters—befitting the legacy of Beast Wars itself, 25 years after the fact. This was due to changes in the movie and television series, which leaped ahead twenty years to the year 2005. The evil is defeated! While no longer the focus of the line, there were several Mini-Con releases in Energon as well. In 2000, Car Robots was released. This line was later revived and merged into the Transformers: Crossovers toy line, many more Transformers included characters from Star Wars: The Clone Wars like Ahsoka Tano who transforms into her Jedi starfighter, and Captain Rex who transforms into an AT-TE.[4]. The characters, however, went on to appear in convention comics and stories beginning in 2008. Originally, Transformers: Animated was to be called "Transformers: Heroes", but its name was changed to avoid confusion with the Transformers live-action film. The companion anime series program was not originally conceived or produced as a continuation of the Armada/Energon storyline, and it was only later that it was retconned to be a continuation. Robots In Disguise was responsible for introducing a lot of concepts that would be re-used often in the next incarnations of Transformers. Energon weapons and chips came in a variety of colors of translucent plastic. Come in to read stories and fanfics that span multiple fandoms in the Transformers universe. Hasbro Europe still will not accept, however, that the range was released in the UK in 1984[citation needed], not even with evidence such as Argos 1984 catalogues containing the range, the UK comic launching in September 1984 or even the 1984 Transformers product catalogue produced by "Hasbro Industries (UK) Ltd, Wokingham". The line was released as "The Transformers" in the United States, Canada and the UK in 1984 (One year after the Gobots) but Takara was still marketing Diaclone at least during 1984. That includes the likes of Blackarachnia, Optimus Primal, and the Predacon Megatron, Beast Wars icons made to celebrate the series’ 25th anniversary. This was shown in the toy's Tech Specs, and in the comic packaged with the basic Optimus Primal/Megatron two-pack. Reactions varied widely: some fans objected strongly to the designs, occasionally going so far as to threaten a boycott if the designs were not changed to be more traditional, while others liked them. The Transformers toy-line is typically divided into two main factions: the heroic Autobots and their opponents, the evil Decepticons (traditionally known in Japan as the Cybertrons and Destrons, respectively, although more recent releases often using the English terms). The 1992 and 1993 European and Canadian releases make up what is often called "Generation 1.5", much to the annoyance of many UK fans. Now its CG animation might look a bit too retro and clunky for its own good, but at the time it was a bold departure from its contemporaries. Unlike the other ratings, teamwork seems to be split along faction lines, with Autobots typically holding higher teamwork ratings than Decepticons. This line features robot versions of various Star Wars characters. Megatron, the Decepticon leader, originally transformed into a realistic Walther P38 pistol with stock and barrel extensions and scope. Also, there was a clamor for a return to the original idea of the Transformers, that of their being protean robots with nearly humanlike artificial intelligences who transformed into vehicles or devices. Besides that? Larger Action Master sets came with transforming vehicles and bases. The few boxes that still exist are collectables,[5] (one of which went for $349 on eBay). It’s just appreciated that instead of simply re-doing The Movie, Earthrise tackles it as a concept that matters to this earlier timeline but isn’t retconned by it—engaging with the past material to fuel these current, differently nuanced takes on these beloved characters. In 2010, a Transformer version of Buzz Lightyear was released to celebrate the release of Toy Story 3. Transformers War for Cybertron Trilogy figures are from the animated series jump straight off the screen and into your collection. The most controversial line of this period was the Pretenders. The original series program was followed by a number of spin-offs and reboots with varying levels of popularity. The Transformers Animated series was broadcast internationally in 2008 except in Japan, where it aired in 2010. The Autobots and Decepticons, while fighting in space for possession of the Allspark, crash-landed onto a futuristic Earth and resume their battle after laying dormant for years. But that means it’s a lot of talking, and not a lot of doing, as groundwork is laid for them both to not just come into their own resolve as the leaders of their respective factions, but for them to eventually, well, rock ‘em and sock ‘em at each other again. Another G1 character to get a new toy for this line was Ultra Magnus, who could combine with Optimus Prime to form Omega Prime. The 1984 and 1985 toy lines contained several figures of note. The toys came in a standard brown mailer box, with items, booklet, and a limited Edition Movie certificate and sticker. The UK and Canada continued with new Action Master figures and introduced the Turbo Masters and Predators. Magazine in Japan, it was a collaboration project between Takara Tomy and the Walt Disney Company. Hulk turns into a tank while Iron Man turns into a jet. Again, many of the same characters were included but with entirely new figures from new molds. Watch Beast Wars Free Online. Megatron's head also resembles a helmet-like shape. Images surfaced, on-line, of some toy prototypes, notably Starscream and a new Decepticon who was to be named Blackout, along with packaged samples of movie preview "Protoform" Optimus Prime and Starscream toys. One of these was Transformers. The line was later commemorated as a sub-series of the Transformers: Universe line, where it had the nickname of "Classics 2.0". Grounded in Transformers: Generation, Robots in Disguise, the "Unicorn Trilogy," Transformers: Animated, Transformers: War for Cybertron Trilogy "Siege" and "Earthrise," and many more, there are simply too many collectibles and playthings to mention. The show itself lays the groundwork earlier too, with Galvatron showing Megatron an image of the Voyager I record that was a major artifact in the original Beast Wars before he’s wrested back into his own time. Greetings Seibertronians! Each figure came with a Cyber Key regardless of size, but there were several Cyber Keys crucial to the plot of the anime series which only came with certain figures. Also, as a new feature, most figures include advanced "automorph technology", which is designed to create quicker and easier conversion, which means moving one part of the vehicle or robot causes other parts to move, creating a final shift to battle mode; this was successful because the transformation was more complex in the movie line than in any other Transformers toy line. Steven Spielberg, who with Jeffrey Katzenberg and David Geffen had established DreamWorks SKG, was the main executive producer of the film, with Lorenzo di Bonaventura, Tom DeSanto and Don Murphy serving as co-executive producers. The mind-blowing ball joints of Cyberjets, the occasional homages like Downshift, re-imagining of Binaltech and now, here we are, with everything we ever wanted. Eventually, the Star Wars Transformers figure joined the line with reissues of previous figures, as well as all new molds. This card has information on the Transformer, and will usually include the character's name, picture, indication of allegiance (Autobot, Decepticon or other), function, a quote, a description of the character, and numerical values of the character's various attributes. The Constructicons were the first "gestalt" team in the Transformers line, but were different from most subsequent gestalt teams in that they consisted of six members instead of five. Hasbro also wanted the "Mutant Heads" found on all of the deluxe sized first year toys as battle helmets, but Mainframe scrapped the idea as it would have required three animation models for each character instead of two. The accompanying television series program was a direct continuation of the events of Transformers: Armada and featured many of the same characters in new forms. A live-action film series directed by Michael Bay has produced five films, with more planned. Many have speculated that this change might have been what signaled the beginning of the end for the Transformers, as part of the novelty of the first lines was the realistic vehicles that turned into robots. Henkei! Initially a line of transforming mecha toys rebranded from Takara's Diaclone and Microman toy lines,[1] it spawned the Transformers media franchise. The year 1990 saw the last American burst with the release of more Micromaster characters and the introduction of the Action Masters, non-transforming action figures who came with Transforming companions. This line was revitalized in 2008 with new molds and the introduction of various sub-series from previous popular Transformers lines like Classics. Beast Wars dwindling, Beast Machines starting to ramp up, Car Robots and Armada putting notions of some golden age of G1 one day with super poseable accuracy. Originally revealed in the November 2008 issue of Figure Oh! Also of note, Megatron's toy was repainted and re-released (retooled to allow 4 new altmodes) under the name Galvatron, beginning a tradition of repaints that would follow through with Armada and subsequent toy lines. This was reflected in the toy line, as characters such as Hot Shot, Jetfire, Optimus Prime and Megatron were all released with entirely new molds. It was a new story, set apart from the previous incarnations of the cartoon(s) and comic(s). The term Generation 1 is a retronym; the series was simply known as "Transformers" until the release of the Generation 2 series. Fittingly, then, the smaller robots were often armed to the hilt with weaponry. He wants pictures. The values started becoming inconsistent and skewed in Generation 2 and Beast Wars, when Hasbro apparently thought no child will ever want a toy that is described as anything less than perfect. What’s most fascinating is thrusting these current War for Cybertron versions of Optimus Prime and Megatron, and their fellow Autobots and Decepticons, into the “contemporary” of Beast Wars. The specifications portion of the tech specs which came with earlier G1 Transformers were obfuscated with interference patterns which made them difficult to read without a decoder which was included in the box for each Transformer. Commemorating the 30th anniversary of the Transformers franchise, the Japanese Legends Series began in 2014 with a small release of a few Maximals (from Transformers: Beast Wars) and since then, has released a number of the most popular/famous Autobots, Decepticons, Comic Book/Anime ‘bots and Maximals across Transformers history. Confirmed figures are Iron Man, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Venom and Hulk. The first Transformers toys were created from two different transforming robot toy lines from Takara, the Car-Robots and Micro Change, from the Diaclone and Microman series, respectively. Joe, you'll find hundreds of Hasbro action figures right here. Similarly, fans found preliminary artwork of multiple characters, although it was not known at the time how close these were to the final designs. Earthrise begins to dive deep into the wider lore of Transformers history, before Optimus and Megatron were playing interstellar rock ‘em sock ‘em robots with each other, while also tightening its focus on those two leaders, their ideals and goals, and how they are contrasted against each other. The robots (stated by Optimus Prime) in the film are actual sentient organisms and not just giant, mindless, and mechanical machines. Some three-pack Mini-Cons combined into other forms or had additional features. The cereal box had Optimus Prime on its cover. Maybe! The line predictably faded and would be the last Transformers output in the US until 1992. Like Energon before it, Cybertron—co-produced between GONZO note , , and Sunwoo Entertainment note , , —was animated with a mixture of hand-drawn animation and CGI. Henkei! What does that change about these factions, and characters like Megatron’s descendant or Primal, and what does it mean for Optimus and Megatron as they continue to wrestle with who they both want to be for their respective comrades? As one of the premier toy makers of all time, Hasbro's toy lines have only gotten better over the years, so if you're looking for Star Wars, Transformers, Power Rangers, Marvel, or G.I. However, the term has become semi-official, as both Hasbro and Takara have referred to this era as "Generation 1". Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Zone, Beast Wars II Super Lifeform Transformers, Super Lifeform Transformers Beast Wars Neo, Takara's official Transformers: Kiss Players website, "The Allspark: Transformers News Movie Comics Animated - HASBRO "ROLLS OUT" TRANSFORMERS HALL OF FAME", - Takara-Tomy's Official Transformers Web Site, Transformers.com - Official Transformers Web Site, Transformers Prime Beast Hunters: Predacons Rising, National Entertainment Collectibles Association, Winston Steinburger and Sir Dudley Ding Dong, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Transformers_(toy_line)&oldid=998597405, CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown, Articles containing Japanese-language text, Articles with unsourced statements from July 2007, Articles with Japanese-language sources (ja), Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Tatakae! Japan continued with the Micromasters concept. Super Robot Lifeform Transformers) (1985–1986, Japan), Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Victory, Fight! The Decepticons were designed instead with alternative "attack modes". Megatron's figure was released later on. Like Beast Wars, the name Transformers was used only as a secondary title. Peter Cullen reprises his role as the voice of Optimus Prime. While there had been Transformers that change into robotic animals, the premise of the new line was that all figures would transform into animals with realistic appearances. | Full season and episodes - free online streaming fast high quality legal movies and TV television shows The issue became a divisive one, as detractors accused supporters of lacking respect for the franchise's history, while supporters accused detractors of being "stuck in the past", and not accepting change. Transformers crossover fanfiction archive. Hasbro acquired the rights to sell them in the United States but, instead of selling them under their original names, they were rebranded as "The Transformers". Classic characters such as Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Prowl, Starscream, Megatron, Jazz and Ultra Magnus appear in this series. As noted previously, Megatron's original alternate mode, or "transformation identity", was a handgun with attachments, but in Generation Two, this was changed to a tank due to safety and security concerns. While Beast Machines was still running in Canada, Japan's Takara made a bid to return to the familiar vehicle-transforming robots concept. Most characters' numbers hardly ever dipped below 8, the Go-Bot version of Optimus Prime was the first character to have all values at 10, a trend that would repeat for most "leader" characters. Initial inaugurees presented at Botcon 2010 ceremonies included Bob Budiansky, Peter Cullen, Hideaki Yoke, Ōno Kōjin, and the characters Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Megatron, Starscream, and Dinobot. The designs were significantly different from those of the Generation 1 characters with the same names. Darth Vader turns into his custom TIE fighter while Luke Skywalker turns into an X-wing. Even though the Transformers were heavily modified for the film for a more alien "feel", they still kept some key features from the G1 look to stay true to the character's origins. Hopefully! Another designed feature for the 1995/1996 toys was carried over from Generation 2, transparent "light pipe" eyes. Transformers Toys - The List of Must-Have Items Is Almost Limitless. Like other features, this was only used in the 1995/1996 Basics and their repaints. Previous examples were the Japanese series programs Masterforce and Car Robots.[3]. Many of the repaints taken from the Armada line had remolded parts retro-fitted to the original designs so their Mini-con features would now use a planet key instead. The earliest toys had some parts made of die-cast metal, which were eventually phased out. The Transformers (トランスフォーマー, Toransufōmā) is a line of mecha toys produced by Japanese company Takara (now known as Takara Tomy) and American toy company Hasbro. For more, make sure you’re following us on our new Instagram @io9dotcom. Pictures of Spider-Man! But its newest chapter lays the foundation for revisiting a bold moment from Transformers history in a new way. A Japanese exclusive, this is a new line of Transformers toys shaped from Disney characters that were first introduced in 2009. However, the cereal was sold only in some parts of the United States and was short lived. New characters are still occasionally added to the line, primarily by E-hobby. The first two years consisted primarily of reusing the Car-Robots/Micro Change molds. For the first time, the Transformers received a new design for their title logo. The toys themselves come packaged with small, scale figurines of the girls who power them. Energon contains perhaps the most homages to Generation 1 Transformers in any subsequent line, with toys featuring similarities to classic figures such as. Mini-Cons could be used to unlock a variety of features on each larger robot, such as firing weapons, electronic lights and sounds, or alternate modes. The comic that accompanied the Kiss Players was an unashamed reflection of this, with several images which were considered by some to be very sexually themed. Within the Dead Universe—the alternate dimension where some of Transformers’ most sinister villains were exiled—Optimus is given a future vision that’s pretty much a trailer for Transformers: The Movie. Everyone’s favorite robots in disguise returned to TV this past weekend with the launch of…. The second NTFA convention with official support from Hasbro Nordic, now renamed "NordCon" (to avoid copyright problems with the name "Mini-Con") was held in Aalborg, Denmark from 19 June to 20 June 2010. 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