Transformers (film) toy line

The Transformers movie toys were released in conjunction with the 2007 Transformers film, comics and video games, and expanded on the characters and story in them. They were manufactured and sold by Hasbro worldwide, except in Japan by Takara Tomy.

It was expected that the release of a new movie would involve the production and release of associated toys from Hasbro and Takara Tomy. Images surfaced, online, 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. Similarly, fans found preliminary artwork of multiple characters, although it was not known at the time how close these were to the final designs. The designs were significantly different from those of the Generation 1 characters with the same names. 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 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. Fans of the franchise have affectionately nicknamed the designs "Bayformers" due to director Michael Bay's influence.

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.

In 2008, the Deluxe Class line was awarded "Boy Toy of the Year" at the 8th Annual Toy of the Year Awards, which is held at the American International Toy Fair in New York City.[1]

Automorph Technology

The special feature of movie figures is "automorph technology". Moving one piece of the robot in the transformation sequence makes another piece move automatically. Most of the figures in this toy line have this feature. This is a debatable feature because some fans of the new toys tend to dislike the automorph, as it can have unwanted effects while transforming the figure.

Scout Class

Scout Class figures in this line are Target store exclusives and redecos of toys from the Energon and Cybertron line.

Deluxe Class

Movie Deluxe Class Bumblebee (Camaro Concept)

Deluxe Class figures comprise the bulk of the movie toy line. Many figures feature Automorph Technology. The bi-lingual English/French cards featured an error, in that all the Deluxe figures were put on cards with Decepticon logos, no matter their faction. Release dates vary, as some waves were seen before others, or released alongside another wave. These are seen sorted into waves designated by Hasbro, and their official Transformers website.

Allspark Power

Screen Battles

Each Screen Battles package consists of one Deluxe Class figure and accessories to form a mini-diorama.

Voyager Class

Voyager Class figures are one of the largest figures compared to Deluxe and Leader Class figures. Many figures in this line feature Automorph Technology.

Some confusion results in Optimus Prime and Megatron's wave placements. In one source, Megatron is part of Wave 3 and Optimus is part of Wave 3.5. Other sources declare Megatron a revision of Wave 2, and Optimus part of Wave 3.

Allspark Power

Ultra Class

The only Ultra Class figures in the movie line are redecos of Cybertron figures and are Toys "R" Us exclusives.

Multi-Packs

Store-exclusive multi-packs include one Voyager Class figure and one Deluxe Class figure.

Leader Class

The largest size class with more than one figure. They feature Advanced Automorph Technology and electronic gimmicks, and are the only mainline figures with a "Try Me" feature on the packaging.

Allspark Power

Ultimate

Overall, the largest size class - and effectively, the most expensive - in the toy line. The only figure offered in this line is Bumblebee (Camaro Concept), which features working lights and sound effects. In addition, Ultimate Bumblebee is animatronic, with his head and arms moving mechanically. Ultimate Bumblebee speaks numerous pre-recorded phrases and plays samples of songs such as the Transformers theme and Devo's "Whip It".

Trans-Scanning

The Trans-Scanning line consists of Deluxe-sized figures sold only in Japan and Asian markets by Takara Tomy. Each package consists of a highly-poseable skeletal frame called a Core Body, along with parts to assemble the Core Body to either a Protoform mode or robot mode. In Protoform, the figure can transform into an atmospheric Entry Mode. The figure with robot parts is able to fully transform into vehicle mode.[3]

Cyber-Slammers

Cyber-Slammers are toy cars marketed to younger children, with pull back motors and one step transformations.

Fast Action Battlers

Fast Action Battlers are Deluxe-sized figures with simple transformation for younger children.

Movie Legends

A line of Micro class transformable toys was released for the 2007 Transformers movie. It included individually packaged toys as well as a Target exclusive package with Megatrons and Optimus Primes from the movie and Cybertron lines.

Japan Exclusives

Allspark Power

Released as Allspark Battle two-packs, these were released in 2008.

Robot Replicas

A line of 4", non-transforming, poseable figures were released recently and included the following figures:

Wal-Mart Exclusive Megatron vs. Optimus Prime battle damage 2 pack

Fun4All KeyChains

A wave of Movie Transformers keychains release as smaller version of the Robot Replicas:

Real Gear

A line of movie toys made up entirely of original characters who transform from Scout Class robots into non-functional, actual-size (or near actual size in a few cases), gadgets, possibly inspired by the ability of the Allspark in the movie to bring electronic items to life.

Oddly, the Real Gear toy line lacks any mention of Paramount and the official Transformers film logo on the boxes, making them a bit separate from the rest of the line. It has been revealed that at least some of the molds were originally designed to be in the Cybertron line, as Autobots hiding on Earth.

Reception

GamesAxis Unwired Magazine said Read Gear Robots would make Soundwave turn over in his plastic grave.[4]

Other toys

Drought

Many fans were disappointed at the drought of many of the mainline figures when the first waves flew off the shelves in July 2007. Retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target, Toys 'R' Us, etc., underestimated the popularity of the movie and supporting toyline, and did not place enough orders to meet the demand. With several action-themed toylines in the same summer (Spider-Man 3, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and Transformers), they were conservative with their estimates for Transformers, the only relatively new franchise in the mix. Especially with Spider-Man 3 toys underperforming, retailers did not consider ordering more Transformers toys until it was too late to meet demand on time. By August 2007, most Deluxe and larger toys had sold out of nearly all retail outlets - with only the Cyber Slammers and Real Gear toys remaining.

A shipping backlog in China further exacerbated this problem and has led to an unusually long drought. The demand has led to many "scalpers" buying many duplicates of figures to sell on eBay - particularly Deluxe Class Bumblebee (Camaro Concept edition), which fetched high two-digit numbers online during the film's run.

Hasbro has been the target of many fans' anger over this situation, despite the fact that the company does not determine order sizes or distribution. They promoted the movie toyline as best they could, but inventories are not produced unless orders are received for them. Ultimately, retailers simply did not order enough from Hasbro.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Per-Lee, Myra. "The 11 Best Toys of 2008". InventorSpot. Retrieved 2011-02-15.
  2. ↑ BotCon 2008 - Hasbro Designers Panel Report - Transformers Toys, News & Reviews - TFormers.com
  3. ↑ Takara Tomy - Trans-Scanning TS-02 Bumblebee
  4. ↑ Ismet Bachtiar (July 2007). "Action Stations: Transformers Prime Time". GamesAxis Unwired 1 (46): 110–111.
  5. ↑ Gizmodo.com - Optimus Prime Voice Changer Helmet - Transformer Fantasies Just got a Bit Easier
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