[[Image:Actioncards-autobots.jpg|right|200px|thumb|The Autobot package art came on several different background colors...]]
[[Image:Actioncards-decepticons.jpg|right|200px|thumb|...as did the Decepticons.]]
[[Image:Actioncards-screencaps.jpg|right|200px|thumb|If a trading card's gonna move me, it's gotta be ACTION-packed! Yeah!]]
'''Action Cards''' were a series of Transformers trading cards marketed by [[Milton Bradley]] during [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]. They were sold in packs of 8 (plus a bonus sticker) in 1985.

The US "Series 1" contained 192 cards and was the only series produced. Some cards were full-color still frames from various Season 1 [[The Transformers (cartoon)|cartoon episodes]], with a title and description of the action on the back. The remainder featured [[package art]] of the 1984 and 1985 characters against a variety of colored backgrounds on the front, with their [[Tech Spec|tech specs]] and [[bio]] on the back. The deluxe Autobots and deluxe Insecticons were omitted from the set. Rather than the line graph used on toy packaging, the tech specs were shown with simple digits.

* #1 - #41: Autobot tech specs
* #42 - #81: still frames from "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]"
* #82 - #92, #94-95: still frames from "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 2]]"
* #93: a rather inexplicable lone still frame from "[[Countdown to Extinction (episode)|Countdown to Extinction]]"
* #96: checklist #1
* #97 - #122: Decepticon tech specs
* #123 - #127: stills from "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 2]]"
* #128 - #149: stills from "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 3]]"
* #150 - #161: stills from "[[War of the Dinobots]]"
* #162 - #173: stills from "[[Heavy Metal War]]"
* #174 - #191: stills from "[[A Plague of Insecticons]]"
* #192: checklist #2

While there is no "official" list of variant cards, there are notable cards that are commonly accepted as such.
* Most Autobot and Decepticon art cards have different background color variants. (blue, orange, purple, yellow) ***NOTE - Slight color variations of the same card and slight off angle cards have no standard and are open to opinion.

* #14 Wheeljack - Transparent chest
* #40 Hoist - Only Autobot card to have 3 different color backgrounds; Orange, Blue, Purple
* #48 Autobots' Domed Home - Inverted colors (orange sky, blue ground)
* #76 Attack on an Oil Rig - Font size on back title ( Rig is partially cut off as a result )
* #88 Flying High - Starscream is pointed left instead of right
* #103 Ramjet - 2 colors, both with and without tech spec line resulting in 4 different cards
* #105 Buzzsaw - Posed upside down
* #107 Ravage - Head angled, Head parallel to top of card, both colors 4 different cards
* #108 Laserbeak - Posed upside down
* #122 Shockwave - Facing opposite direction, both colors, 4 different cards
* #176 Jetfire, the Protector - Font size on back text ( description text goes off panel )

The "descriptions" on the back of the episode scene cards tend to be rather generic, rather than detailing what's going on in the episode. For example, card #156 is a scene from "[[War of the Dinobots]]", with Slag and Sludge holding Optimus Prime captive after betraying and attacking him; rather than explaining why they're holding up their battered leader, the "description" simply talks about how powerful the Dinobots are (and how they were "once extinct".)

==Australian Action Cards==
"Series 1" cards were also released in Australia but limited to a set of 100. They were not ordered in any logical way and not one number matches in each set. For example card #1 in the Australia set is Twin Twist while in the full US released series he is card #21. No checklist cards were included in this set.
==Japanese Action Cards==
Never one to miss out Japanese fans also had Action cards to collect. Produced by Yamakatsu in 1985 they were released in small envelopes each containing three cards, similar to the MB series the cards displayed the characters' Japanese box art on various backgrounds, while the reverse contained a small textual burb in blue about each transformer. The envelopes were stapled shut and had a picture of Optimus on the front and Megatron on the back. The cards were about half the size of the MB release but double the thickness.
The exact number of cards in the set is currently unknown but 47 cards have been identified so far. This includes the 'Lucky Card', Devastator, whose card art is the same as the standard card but has additional text in red on the reverse.

* Autobots - Optimus, Jazz, Bluestreak, Trailbreaker, Red Alert, Inferno, Smokescreen, Sideswipe, Wheeljack, Prowl, Perceptor, Bumblebee, Grimlock, Swoop, Slag, Snarl, Sludge, Hound and Mirage
* Decepticons - Megatron, Starscream, Skywarp, Thundercracker, Soundwave, Frenzy, Ravage, Laserbeak, Rumble, Kickback, Bombshell, Shrapnel, Devastator, Mixmaster, Scavenger, Bonecrusher, Hook, Scrapper and Reflector
* Mixed - Trailbreaker/Soundwave, Prowl/Frenzy, Perceptor/Laserbeak, Hound/Mixmaster, Hook/Bluestreak, Snarl/Longhaul, Scrapper/Optimus and Blaster/Megatron
* Lucky Card - Devastator

==Notes==
[[Image:Actioncards-back.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Prowl and Jazz are heroic Autobot robots who are heroic! Boy are they heroic! And also, robots!"]]
* Some of the bios were slightly abbreviated and edited. For example, "Optimus Prime... the brain center known as the Commander" became "Optimus, the brain center... has vast strength, laser rifle" for the Action Cards.
* The Action Cards provide proof positive that the three original [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]] jets had their Tech Spec numbers switched up, as the numbers have been corrected for their cards. Starscream has the set of numbers originally given to Skywarp (with intelligence as 9); Thundercracker has the set that originally went out as Starscream's (intelligence as 7).
* The Australian set had no number 68 produced, but two numbered 86 - Shockwave and Mixmaster, so it's assumed one of them was meant to be 68.
* Bios for [[Tap-Out (Universe)|Tap-Out]] and [[Glyph (Universe)|Glyph]] were produced in a replica Action Card format for [[BotCon 2002]].

==External links==
*[http://twitter.com/transformercard?lang=en List of US Series 1 (and Unofficial Series 2-3) Action Cards by @TransformerCard]
*[http://tfwiki.net/~fortmax/artifacts/artifacts.html#stickers List of all US and Australian cards by Raksha]

[[Category:Generation 1 games]]
[[Category:Generation 1 merchandise]]

Action Cards

2017-06-22T05:04:13Z

Primestudio:

[[Image:Actioncards-autobots.jpg|right|200px|thumb|The Autobot package art came on several different background colors...]]
[[Image:Actioncards-decepticons.jpg|right|200px|thumb|...as did the Decepticons.]]
[[Image:Actioncards-screencaps.jpg|right|200px|thumb|If a trading card's gonna move me, it's gotta be ACTION-packed! Yeah!]]
'''Action Cards''' were a series of Transformers trading cards marketed by [[Milton Bradley]] during [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]. They were sold in packs of 8 (plus a bonus sticker) in 1985.

The US "Series 1" contained 192 cards and was the only series produced. Some cards were full-color still frames from various Season 1 [[The Transformers (cartoon)|cartoon episodes]], with a title and description of the action on the back. The remainder featured [[package art]] of the 1984 and 1985 characters against a variety of colored backgrounds on the front, with their [[Tech Spec|tech specs]] and [[bio]] on the back. The deluxe Autobots and deluxe Insecticons were omitted from the set. Rather than the line graph used on toy packaging, the tech specs were shown with simple digits.

* #1 - #41: Autobot tech specs
* #42 - #81: still frames from "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]"
* #82 - #92, #94-95: still frames from "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 2]]"
* #93: a rather inexplicable lone still frame from "[[Countdown to Extinction (episode)|Countdown to Extinction]]"
* #96: checklist #1
* #97 - #122: Decepticon tech specs
* #123 - #127: stills from "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 2]]"
* #128 - #149: stills from "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 3]]"
* #150 - #161: stills from "[[War of the Dinobots]]"
* #162 - #173: stills from "[[Heavy Metal War]]"
* #174 - #191: stills from "[[A Plague of Insecticons]]"
* #192: checklist #2

While there is no "offical" list of variant cards, there are notable cards that are commonly accepted as such.
* Most Autobot and Decepticon art cards have different background color variants. (blue, orange, purple, yellow) ***NOTE - Slight color variations of the same card and slight off angle cards have no standard and are open to opinion.

* #14 Wheeljack - Transparent chest
* #40 Hoist - Only Autobot card to have 3 different color backgrounds; Orange, Blue, Purple
* #48 Autobots' Domed Home - Inverted colors (orange sky, blue ground)
* #76 Attack on an Oil Rig - Font size on back title ( Rig is partially cut off as a result )
* #88 Flying High - Starscream is pointed left instead of right
* #103 Ramjet - 2 colors, both with and without tech spec line resulting in 4 different cards
* #105 Buzzsaw - Posed upside down
* #107 Ravage - Head angled, Head parallel to top of card, both colors 4 different cards
* #108 Laserbeak - Posed upside down
* #122 Shockwave - Facing opposite direction, both colors, 4 different cards
* #176 Jetfire, the Protector - Font size on back text ( description text goes off panel )

The "descriptions" on the back of the episode scene cards tend to be rather generic, rather than detailing what's going on in the episode. For example, card #156 is a scene from "[[War of the Dinobots]]", with Slag and Sludge holding Optimus Prime captive after betraying and attacking him; rather than explaining why they're holding up their battered leader, the "description" simply talks about how powerful the Dinobots are (and how they were "once extinct".)

==Australian Action Cards==
"Series 1" cards were also released in Australia but limited to a set of 100. They were not ordered in any logical way and not one number matches in each set. For example card #1 in the Australia set is Twin Twist while in the full US released series he is card #21. No checklist cards were included in this set.
==Japanese Action Cards==
Never one to miss out Japanese fans also had Action cards to collect. Produced by Yamakatsu in 1985 they were released in small envelopes each containing three cards, similar to the MB series the cards displayed the characters' Japanese box art on various backgrounds, while the reverse contained a small textual burb in blue about each transformer. The envelopes were stapled shut and had a picture of Optimus on the front and Megatron on the back. The cards were about half the size of the MB release but double the thickness.
The exact number of cards in the set is currently unknown but 47 cards have been identified so far. This includes the 'Lucky Card', Devastator, whose card art is the same as the standard card but has additional text in red on the reverse.

* Autobots - Optimus, Jazz, Bluestreak, Trailbreaker, Red Alert, Inferno, Smokescreen, Sideswipe, Wheeljack, Prowl, Perceptor, Bumblebee, Grimlock, Swoop, Slag, Snarl, Sludge, Hound and Mirage
* Decepticons - Megatron, Starscream, Skywarp, Thundercracker, Soundwave, Frenzy, Ravage, Laserbeak, Rumble, Kickback, Bombshell, Shrapnel, Devastator, Mixmaster, Scavenger, Bonecrusher, Hook, Scrapper and Reflector
* Mixed - Trailbreaker/Soundwave, Prowl/Frenzy, Perceptor/Laserbeak, Hound/Mixmaster, Hook/Bluestreak, Snarl/Longhaul, Scrapper/Optimus and Blaster/Megatron
* Lucky Card - Devastator

==Notes==
[[Image:Actioncards-back.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Prowl and Jazz are heroic Autobot robots who are heroic! Boy are they heroic! And also, robots!"]]
* Some of the bios were slightly abbreviated and edited. For example, "Optimus Prime... the brain center known as the Commander" became "Optimus, the brain center... has vast strength, laser rifle" for the Action Cards.
* The Action Cards provide proof positive that the three original [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]] jets had their Tech Spec numbers switched up, as the numbers have been corrected for their cards. Starscream has the set of numbers originally given to Skywarp (with intelligence as 9); Thundercracker has the set that originally went out as Starscream's (intelligence as 7).
* The Australian set had no number 68 produced, but two numbered 86 - Shockwave and Mixmaster, so it's assumed one of them was meant to be 68.
* Bios for [[Tap-Out (Universe)|Tap-Out]] and [[Glyph (Universe)|Glyph]] were produced in a replica Action Card format for [[BotCon 2002]].

==External links==
*[http://twitter.com/transformercard?lang=en List of US Series 1 (and Unofficial Series 2-3) Action Cards by @TransformerCard]
*[http://tfwiki.net/~fortmax/artifacts/artifacts.html#stickers List of all US and Australian cards by Raksha]

[[Category:Generation 1 games]]
[[Category:Generation 1 merchandise]]