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Donny Finkleberg

2025-08-10T16:45:04Z

Thunder Clash 2: Removed some humor

{{factions|{{factions/icons|custom=RobotMasterInsignia.png|cLink=Donny Finkleberg}}}}
{{disambig3|Robot Master}}
:''Donny Finkleberg, aka '''Robot-Master''', is a [[human]] from the [[Marvel Comics continuity|Marvel portion]] of the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:Donnyfinklebergsmoking.jpg|thumb|Any resemblance to Woody Allen is incidental. We swear.]]
'''Donny Finkleberg''' is an on-the-outs comic book writer. Although he claims he can "sell any story," most of his titles have flopped, and he sees a grim financial future for himself. To stave this off, Finkleberg will do pretty much anything for a buck. His strong sense of financial self-preservation wars with what small sense of morality he has. Finkleberg sees himself as a good guy and wants to ''be'' a good guy, but $50,000 checks from the government don't bounce. [[Ballobot|Nor does he bounce, at least not well]], according to [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]].

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics====
{{noteukonly}}
[[File:Donnyfinklebergwriter.jpg|left|thumb|To his credit, not responsible whatsoever for Heroes Reborn.]]
Finkleberg was originally a writer for a "[[Marvel Comics|famous comic book publishing company]]" in New York. His [[Robot-Master (comic)|''Robot-Master'' comic book series]] had been canceled, and his idea for a ''Potato-Salad Man'' graphic novel titled ''This Man, This Mayonnaise'' did not fetch interest from his superiors, so Finkleberg was turned away.

It was at this low point point in his career that he was approached by the United States government. [[Intelligence and Information Institute|III]] needed a cover story to explain the presence of the Transformers on Earth to panicked American citizens. The idea that a human terrorist controlled the Transformers was decided to be less frightening than the truth, so Finkleberg was paid 50 thousand dollars to dress as Robot-Master and appear in public broadcasts.

[[File:Robotmaster.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Rejected from Stan Lee's ''Who Wants to Be a Superhero?'']]
When [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] had ceased movement at the bottom of a [[Wyoming base|strip mine]] due to lack of fuel, III used this opportunity to claim ownership of the immobile Decepticon leader. Unfortunately, both the Autobots and Decepticons arrived, though the Autobots were forced away by human firepower. After Megatron was refueled by [[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]], he declared his intention to crush Finkleberg for his effrontery. Finkleberg pleaded with Megatron, suggesting that he continue masquerading as their commander, for the purpose of convincing the public that the Autobots were also their enemies. Megatron agreed, since he saw the value in the plan, which was just about enough to overcome his distaste for humans, even though Finkleberg had repeatedly struck matches on Megatron to light his cigarettes. {{storylink|I, Robot-Master!}}

The Decepticons set up camp at the bottom of the strip mine, where Finkleberg ''and a camera crew'' remained as their prisoner under careful watch of [[Ravage (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ravage]]. ''Finkleberg overheard a conversation between Soundwave and Megatron, discussing the unlikelihood of a [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|mere fleshling]] possessing knowledge of the next generation of Transformers. When he interrupted them to note that humans weren't as worthless as either of the Decepticons thought, Megatron reminded him that every time the former comic book writer spoke, he re-evaluated whether he should let Finkleberg live.''

''Soon [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] caught wind of Megatron's return, and the two battled at the bottom of the mine. Finkleberg, in his Robot-Master persona, emceed the fight for Decepticon supremacy in front of the camera crew. As Finkleberg rooted for Shockwave, Soundwave wondered whether he should intervene for their own good. Finkleberg laughed, figuring Soundwave had a death wish, and promptly got himself spit on.'' {{storylink|Second Generation!}}

[[File:Puttup.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|Soundwave has only spit once, and it was ''totally'' worth it.]]

Refusing still to cower before his captors, Finkleberg mouthed off to Megatron when he was brought nothing but candy bars for nourishment. Megatron threatened his human "ally" once more, but his spiel was interrupted by the arrival of Shockwave. During the conversation that followed, Finkleberg made up his mind that it was in his best interest to escape and help the Autobots. {{storylink|The Bridge to Nowhere!}} He determined that the best time to make his escape was during a sudden Autobot attack on the Decepticon strip mine base, though after the confusion subsided, Ravage noticed he was missing and pursued his scent. {{storylink|Command Performances!}} As Finkleberg fled across Wyoming, he decided that running around in his Robot-Master costume was not only ridiculous but terribly conspicuous, and so he buried his costume and took clothes from a vacant campsite. (In an odd show of conscience, he left some money in exchange.) Continuing on his way, he bemoaned his inability to locate either Autobots or tuna salad sandwiches, finding only an overturned, abandoned car.

After Donny made it to a small town, he overheard [[Jake Dalrymple|a]] [[Frannie|couple]] talking about a "living car" in a [[Rainbow Diner|local diner]]. Acting on this clue, he found the same car he had passed by earlier talking to a human. Realizing that it had actually been an Autobot all along, he confronted [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] and his companion, [[Charlene (cowgirl)|Charlene]]. Charlene played dumb, but Finkleberg wouldn't have any of it, demanding that Skids reveal himself as a Transformer and take him to the Autobots so that he could deliver important information. Before Skids could be outed, suddenly Ravage attacked, having found Finkleberg. As it fired on them, Finkleberg and Charlene jumped into Skids, who drove away. Charlene suggested they hide in an abandoned gold mining town so that they could remove their skirmish from civilization. Once they arrived, Skids asked them to jump out and hide so that he could fight Ravage, to which Finkleberg did not complain. Adding to their problems, some guy named [[Jake Dalrymple]] with a vendetta against Skids leapt out from behind a fence and smashed in Skids' window, knocking the Autobot unconscious...right as Ravage arrived. Thankfully for all concerned, Skids came to just in time to trick Ravage into falling into a deep mine shaft. Though Skids had hoped to stay away from the Autobot/Decepticon war indefinitely, he decided in the end that he couldn't shirk his duties, and he returned to the Autobots with Finkleberg on board. {{storylink|Showdown!}}

''Meanwhile, other parties continued to question the "Robot-Master" charade, chief among them the news reporter [[Joy Meadows]]. Having met the Dinobot [[Sludge (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Sludge]], she knew that Robot Master's claims were a bunch of hooey, and announced that should would prove as much on television. The Decepticon forces went after her, both to prevent their cover story from being ruined, and in the hopes that Finkleberg was somehow in contact with her. Though Megatron failed to locate Finkleberg, he did intimidate the news reporter into remaining silent.'' {{storylink|In the National Interest}}

[[File:HeavyTraffic-Finklebergisajerk.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Look, we know Skids was [[shortpacking|shortpacked]], but $50,000 for one is a little ridiculous.]]
While Finkleberg was a captive of the Decepticons, he had learned that seven Autobots had arrived on Earth over the [[space bridge]], and informed Optimus as much. Jetfire accompanied Finkleberg to the arrival zone of these seven Autobots, but they were nowhere to be found. The only clue to their whereabouts was a fuel trail left behind. {{storylink|Aerialbots over America!}} Holding for ransom Finkleberg's cashier's check from III, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] ordered Finkleberg and Skids to follow the trail and find the missing Autobots.

Grumbling all the way, Finkleberg hit the road with Skids, their journey briefly interrupted so the Autobot could play the hero and save a women from some downed power lines. This breach of cover drew the attention of the Decepticons, who sent the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] after the duo. Unable to flee due to being stuck in traffic, Skids was forced to call for help when the Stunticons attacked, and the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] swiftly arrived to join the battle. As the machines clashed, Finkleberg met [[Circuit Breaker (G1)|Circuit Breaker]], a robot-hating fanatic working for his old Triple-I boss, [[Walter Barnett (G1)|Walter Barnett]], also on the scene. Finkleberg tried to convince the other two that some of the robots were benevolent, but the Decepticons made his words hard to believe, as they actively smeared the Autobots during the battle. [[File:DecepticonGraffiti dissected skids.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|[[Bob Budiansky]] named the organization "[[Rapid Anti-robot Assault Team|RAAT]]" just so he could put it on Donny's t-shirt, didn't he?]] When an opening presented itself, Donny and Skids fled, though at this time the former had given up hope that their original mission had any chance of succeeding. So Finkleberg shut down Skids and sold him to Triple-I. {{storylink|Heavy Traffic!}}

[[Rapid Anti-robot Assault Team|RAAT]] (a military subdivision of III), in league with Circuit Breaker, had captured not only the seven missing Autobots, but also the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]], and now added Skids to their number. Meanwhile, the [[Battlecharger]]s had also arrived on Earth and were defacing public property across the United States. With the Autobots' ranks depleted, Finkleberg realized it was his fault there was no one available to stop the Decepticons' graffiti. He convinced Circuit Breaker to control [[Circuit Breaker's Autobot suit|a robot built from the bodies of the captured Autobots]] to defeat the Battlechargers in exchange for the Autobots' freedom. Although they defeated the two Decepticons, they were not able to stop them in time from writing "HUMANS ARE WIMPS" on the Statue of Liberty.

In a last-minute change of conscience, Finkleberg donated the 50 thousand dollars he'd earned for his treachery towards the clean-up efforts. {{storylink|Decepticon Graffiti!}}

''According to [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]], Donny eventually got a job packaging at [[Hasbro]] after the Statue of Liberty incident.''<ref>[[Source:Darn 'n' Blast#Issue 308|Darn 'n' Blast, issue 308]]</ref>
{{--}}

====''Classics''====
{{noteclassics}}
[[File:Cameos Invasion.jpg|thumb|The alternate reality where [[Spider-Man]] joined Alpha Flight instead of the [[Avengers]].]]
When [[Ultra Magnus (SG)|an alternate Ultra Magnus]] threatened to destroy Earth with the power of his [[Terminus Blade]], Robot-Master was saved from a collapsing building in [[Canada]] by [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]]. {{storylink|Invasion (issue)|Invasion}}

===''Kre-O'' comic===
[[File:EarthsMostWanted-Nightbirdstotheshadows.jpg|thumb|left|This Man, This Army Of Nightbirds]]
According to [[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]], Robot Master was in the top five of Earth's Most Wanted criminals. He and the other most wanted, [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Autobot Spike]], [[Doctor Arkeville|Dr. Arkeville]], [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]], and a whole army of [[Nightbird (G1)|Nightbirds]] descended upon [[Metroplex (G1)|Autobot City]] in an attempt to copy and steal Metroplex's mind on a floppy disk. Their plot was foiled when [[G.B. Blackrock]]'s gas pump transformed into the [[Circuit Smasher (Kre-O)|Circuit Smasher]] and turned the tide of battle. Robot Master ordered the Nightbirds to retreat and they all fled. {{storylink|The Brick List: Earth's Most Wanted}}
{{--}}

===2005 IDW continuity===
Donald Finkleberg was the leader of the clandestine spy organization [[Intelligence and Information Institute|Triple-I]]. Along with [[Peter Anthony Morris]], he was apprehended by the undercover MI6 agent [[Terrence Salmons]]. {{storylink|Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook issue 3|Terrence Salmons's profile}}

==Toys==
===''Kre-O''===
[[File:KreOtoy-RobotMaster.jpg|thumb|So, when does IDW release the version with pink lips?]]
*'''Earth's Most Wanted''' ([[BotCon 2015]] souvenir set)
:The Robot Master Kreon came with four other Kreons: Nightbird, Autobot Spike, Dr. Arkeville, and [[Sentinel Prime (Kre-O)|Sentinel Prime]] with Headmaster. In addition to his fabric cape, Robot Master comes with a flat Kre-O stand and an alternate head for his unmasked civilian identity. A mini-comic, "[[The Brick List: Earth's Most Wanted]]," was included.
{{--}}

==Notes==
[[File:DannyFingeroth.jpg|upright=0.6|thumb|The likeness is frightening.]]
*Donny Finkleberg is based on Marvel Comics writer and editor {{w|Danny Fingeroth}}. What a dubious honor.
*Due to Finkleberg's smoking habit, the company he keeps, and the young readership demographic, a surprising number of Decepticons have let him know that smoking is dumb and bad for him. Aw, they care!
*Donny Finkleberg's life is a series of wardrobe malfunctions, from the questionable things he actually chooses to wear, to his so-does-not-fit-him supervillain costume, to the "RAAT" t-shirt he's given and wears with the tag flipped out.
[[File:TFClassics2-pinklips.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|He answers the door for the Avon lady. Every time.]]
*For the [[2011]] publication [[The Transformers Classics, Vol. 2|''The Transformers Classics'', Vol. 2]], the new colorists opted to give Donny [[War Dawn (episode)|the most ''luscious'' lips you have ''ever'' seen]].
*This article was TFWiki's first proper page. Yes, this one.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Donny Finkleberg''' (ドニー・フィンクルバーグ ''Donī Finkurubāgu''), '''Robot-Master''' (ロボットマスター''Robotto Masutā'')

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finkleberg, Donny}}
[[Category:Action Man characters]]
[[Category:Classics humans]]
[[Category:Comic-only humans]]
[[Category:Entertainers]]
[[Category:IDW (2005) humans]]
[[Category:Kreons]]
[[Category:Kre-O humans]]
[[Category:Marvel Generation 1 humans]]
[[Category:Supervillains]]

User:Thunder Clash 2

2025-07-01T15:56:52Z

Thunder Clash 2: Created page with "Welcome to my page! What brings you here?"

Welcome to my page! What brings you here?

The Transformers (toyline)

2024-06-02T08:10:14Z

Thunder Clash 2: /* Hasbro (and others) Transformers European line */

{{disambig3.5|the original 1980s toyline|the 2010-2011 toyline simply known as ''Transformers''|Transformers (2010 toyline)|Transformers}}
{{Nav-G1}}
[[File:G1FortressMaximus toy.jpg|thumb|250px|Fortress Maximus, the biggest toy made in the original toyline.]]
'''''The Transformers''''' (also now known as "'''Generation 1'''" or "'''G1'''" for short, though the line was never branded as such) started as a joint venture between [[Hasbro]] of America and [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] of [[Japan]]. After an idea to rebrand and sell Takara's ''[[Diaclone]]'' and ''[[Micro Change]]'' [[Toy|robot toys]] as a whole new line with a new concept behind it (developed by Hasbro's partners at [[Marvel Comics]]), Hasbro ultimately created what would be one of the longest-running and most popular [[franchises]] for both companies. Starting in [[1984]], the line ran for seven years in America and eight in Europe and Japan (though Takara would break the line up into multiple sub-franchises).

{{TOC|limit=3}}

==Overview==
Having run for seven years, the line changed dramatically over its lifetime, going from pre-made items to all-new designs and greater focus on [[gimmick]]s beyond simply transforming. Thus, the more descriptive bits will be tackled year-by-year... but there's still plenty to talk about in the big picture.

===Then Vs. Now===
[[File:Seekers ad.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Page from the 1984 JC Penney annual catalog. A book hundreds of pages thick, which could devote an entire page or two to a single toy line. 80s kids ''craved'' these books. And yes, JC Penney used to carry toys.]]

The original ''Transformers'' came out in a ''very'' different toy environment than what exists today, and at a time when the market was venturing out from the slow-paced 1970s into undiscovered country.

First of all, the market itself was simply broader. There were a ''lot'' more retailers out there, both national and regional, muscling for market share, and virtually all had a sizable toy department. Sears and [[Kmart]] were the biggest retailers in the United States; [[Walmart]] and [[Target]] were just regional players poised to go nationwide. There were multiple large-scale toys-only chains, not just [[Toys"R"Us]] (now RIP in the US). Even grocery stores and drug stores devoted a significant amount of space to toys year-round, and not just the cheap stuff! The idea that you could buy ''anything'' via computer, much less toys, was a novelty at best. No, you had to get out there and shop - or use a big printed mail-order catalog like the old Sears "Wish Book".

On top of that, there were far more toy companies scrabbling for shelf space. [[Mattel]] was still an action-figure heavyweight thanks to ''Masters of the Universe'', which led the boom of cartoon-advertised toy lines (more on that in a bit) throwing out weird concepts in the hope of creating the next big thing. ''Transformers'' wasn't even the first shape-changing robot toy to US shelves, having been beat to the punch by then-competitor [[Tonka]], who brought over [[Bandai]]'s ''Machine Robo'' toys as ''[[GoBots]]'' six months prior, plus Takara's own prior attempts to market their toys in the US as ''[[Diakron]]'' and ''[[Kronoform]]''. Also, in more global terms, Hasbro's ''Transformers'' was originally just one of several international outlets for Takara's ''[[Diaclone]]'' and ''[[Micro Change]]'' figures, initially coexisting with [[Joustra]]'s own version of ''Diaclone'' in Central Europe, [[GiG]]'s ''[[Trasformer]]'' {{sic}} line in Italy, and Takara themselves were releasing ''Diaclone'' in Finland. And then there were all the major sorta-likes, such as [[Kenner]]'s ''[[M.A.S.K.]]'' with its transforming vehicles, [[TakaraTomy|Tomy]]'s ''[[Starriors]]'' reconfigurable robots (a ''[[Zoids]]'' offshoot), and approximately eleventy-billion also-rans and cheap knockoffs from a host of now-defunct companies. (And yes, most of the previously-mentioned companies now fall under the Hasbro/TakaraTomy umbrella.)

While most modern toys have a shelf-life of ''maybe'' six months, in the 80s a single toy could ship steadily for two years, more if the line was particularly successful. The original [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#Generation 1|Bumblebee]] and [[Starscream (G1)/toys#Generation 1|Starscream]] toys shipped for three, and some of the [[Mini-Cassette]]s for ''four''. (Though the king of long-run shipping is surely [[Kenner]]'s original ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]]'' line: the single [[Darth Vader]] figure shipped for ''seven years''.)

Not only did the toys ship longer, but the look of ''Transformers''<nowiki>'</nowiki> packaging did not change significantly for five years, only changing the logo and overall design in [[#1989: Pretenders and Micromasters|1989]] as part of a revitalization attempt. Today, even when a single line lasts more than a year, the packaging changes considerably at least every year.

Though even with all that, seven years ''was'' a long time for a toy franchise to run. Most of the bigger lines only managed about three years, and that third was typically a final flailing-for-its-life year as kids had moved on. That ''Transformers'' made as big a splash as it did and lasted so long ''before'' the revivals and reboots is remarkable. How'd it do that? Well...

===Refining the Formula===

To be honest, ''Transformers'' didn't do much that was really "new" outside of its central transformation [[gimmick]], and that was one it shared with multiple competitors. However, what put ''Transformers'' above the others, both its domestic rivals and the other international licensees, was simply doing a great many things ''better'' than its competitors. At the time, Hasbro truly benefited from having already tried out several successful ideas with the 1982 revival of its ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' brand as ''G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero''. Those tried and tested tactics were then subsequently employed for the ''Transformers'' line as well.

Many early articles on the "transforming robot toyline wars" opined that ''GoBots'' would win due to its reliance on a large number of small, inexpensive items easy for kids to pick up. (After all, that formula worked wonders for ''Star Wars''.) And while ''Transformers'' did have a number of small, inexpensive "entry point" items, its larger figures—one of the elements shared with the aforementioned 1982 ''G.I. Joe'' relaunch—would turn out to be a ''huge'' draw, a kind of playground status symbol. The boxed figures featured multiple accessories and add-on [[sticker]]s for an extra level of interaction with the toy, giving them an extra air of quality. Sure you could get a GoBot or a [[Mini Vehicle]] just about any time, but the larger ''Transformers'' were something big and special for birthdays or saved-up allowances.

[[File:Trailbreaker Bio&TechSpec.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Lotta reading going on in the toy aisles in the 80s.]]

The packaging, too, was a step beyond what other lines were doing. Every packaging back had a hefty [[bio]] of the character, penned by Marvel author [[Bob Budiansky]]. Most lines gave their toys only a cursory sentence or two about the toy's imaginary powers (if at all, ''GoBots'' didn't), but the ''Transformers'' bios truly "humanized" the alien robots, giving each one a distinct personality complete with motto, on top of a much more full description of the imaginary powers that character possessed. This, too, was carried over from ''G.I. Joe'', where [[Larry Hama]] had written background file cards for each character. Attached was the "[[Tech Spec]]s", numeric rankings of the character's stats. This information was (mostly) obscured and (sort of) unreadable without a red plastic "Tech Spec decoder" inside the boxed toys early on (though the red lens of a pair of 3D glasses would work too, and who didn't have at ''least'' one of those lying around in the 80s?), but eventually would move to easily-readable bars.

[[File:PackIn Reinforcements Inside.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Kids had a lot of these. The flyers, we mean, not the toys themselves.]]

While [[Pack-in material#Mail-order flyers|mail-away offers]] were an ''extremely'' common practice at the time, Hasbro smartly spruced this process up. Most every toy (and cereal) mail-away offer asked you to clip out the UPC bar-codes as "proof of purchase" when sending away, but ''Transformers'' instead asked for the "[[Robot Point]]s" (mirroring the ''G.I. Joe'' line's "Flag Points") clipped from the packaging back. Bigger toys had more Points, again adding to the idea that the larger toys were a step above the smaller ones. (The Points were, of course, actually worthless, since you also sent in a check for roughly what the toys would normally cost anyway.) While many other lines' mail-aways tended to be just toys that weren't out in stores yet, ''Transformers'' from the outset offered toys that they would ''never'' sell at normal retail, like the [[Omnibot (G1)|Omnibot]]s. Talk about playground bragging rights!

While not ''directly'' part of the toyline, the way ''Transformers'' was advertised has ''got'' to be mentioned when talking about its success. [[Ronald Reagan|President Reagan]]'s then recent deregulation policies allowed for the line between "advertisement" and "entertainment" on television to blur heavily, and toy companies were still exploring how to properly exploit this new "advertainment" method of pushing plastic to preteens. ''He-Man and the Masters of the Universe'' was the first of these toyline-based cartoons, and it rocketed that toyline to success. And let's be honest here: that show was ''garbage'', but kids ate it up. Hasbro upped the ante by teaming up with comic book publisher [[Marvel Comics]], its animation arm [[Marvel Productions]], advertising agency [[Griffin Bacal]] and its subsidiary [[Sunbow Productions]], having them produce both a comic book series and a cartoon series for television, starting again with ''G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'', and then followed by [[The Transformers (cartoon)|''The Transformers'' cartoon]], giving it a more serious story and higher-quality animation (both low hurdles compared to ''He-Man'' but let's not rag on that ''too'' much, they ''were'' testing the early limits of the medium under the furious eye of scary-loud and panicky parental watchdog/religious groups who were riding the "{{w|Satanic Panic}}" for everything they could)... and thanks to the fact that the characters were robots, more violence. You can't shoot a human with a laser-blaster, but a robot who could be rebuilt? Oh yeah! This was ultimately also the reason why the aforementioned Italian Takara licensee GiG acquired an additional license from Hasbro to release ''Transformers'' toys proper: It gave them access to the best form of advertisement for the toys they could possibly get, a dubbed version of the ''Transformers'' cartoon!

The basic upshot... Hasbro simply marketed the line better in virtually every regard, and sold kids on the idea that these weren't ''just'' robot toys, they were characters... that these plastic doodads were, well, more than meets the eye.

==Hasbro ''The Transformers'' US toyline==
===1984===
[[File:G1 1984 backofboxbattle.jpg|right|250px|thumb]]

The first year of ''Transformers'' changed very little from the original Japanese ''[[Diaclone]]'' and ''[[Microman]]'' releases. The bulk of the changes were to the [[sticker]]s (mainly adding new [[insignia|faction symbols]], but also removing "Diaclone" texts and potentially-legally-contentious brandings) and some light [[retool]]ing, including the removal/weakening of springs inside the [[missile]] launchers [[for safety reasons]]. Most of the toys' base color schemes came from the original lines, with a few exceptions: [[Ironhide (G1)/toys#Toys|Ironhide]], [[Sunstreaker (G1)/toys#Toys|Sunstreaker]], [[Skywarp (G1)/toys#Toys|Skywarp]], and [[Buzzsaw (G1)#Toys|Buzzsaw]] were new decos created whole-cloth by Hasbro.

One particularly helpful bit of marketing for this year is the clean division of good-guy/bad-guy [[alternate mode]]s. The Heroic Autobots were the cars and trucks, and the Evil Decepticons were... everything else.

[[File:G1 OptimusPrime toy.jpg|left|250px|thumb|Autobot Commander Optimus Prime]]
In contrast to the nigh-solid plastic toys of today, [[die-cast]] metal played a large role in these toys' construction. This was actually a ''cost-saving'' measure; a lingering effect from the petroleum price crises from the '70s made it a bit cheaper overall to make sizable chunks of toys out of metal instead of plastic! The larger cars (and some of the [[Mini Vehicle|Mini Cars]]) also featured rubber tires, and most every toy had ''some'' piece on them that was [[Vacuum metallizing|chromed]].

Unfortunately, these materials issues mean that these toys rarely age well, especially given the rigors of playground life. Paint chips off metal, rubber dries out and splits, chrome fades and rubs off, and the combination of metal-and-plastic on hinged parts leads to easier breakage. Many of these toys have outright ''notorious'' damage issues, and loose undamaged toys are a bit hard to come by.

[[Articulation]] was also a tertiary-at-best concern in the overall design scheme. It was rare for a toy to have moving parts that weren't directly tied to its [[transformation]] sequence beyond a simple rotating shoulder/elbow joint. These toys being "[[brick (term)|brick]]s", mixed with the aforementioned degradation/breakage issues, have largely relegated them to being display pieces for older collectors.

{{-}}
====General retail====
{| style="margin-left:1em;" width="100%"
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Autobot [[Mini Vehicle|Mini-Cars]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Brawn (G1)/toys#Toys|Brawn]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#Toys|Bumblebee]] (available in yellow and red)}}
{{Bp-a1|"''[[Bumper (G1)#Toys|Bumper]]''"<ref group="A" name="bumper">This figure, originating from Takara's ''Micro Change'' line just like the rest of the Mini-Cars, was sold on Cliffjumper cards. After being referred to by nicknames such as "Bumblejumper" and "Bumper" among fan circles for over a decade, [[Dreamwave Productions]] finally established him as an actual character with the official name "Bumper" in 2004.</ref>}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Cliffjumper (G1)/toys#Toys|Cliffjumper]] (available in red and yellow)}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Gears (G1)#Toys|Gears]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Huffer (G1)#Toys|Huffer]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Windcharger (G1)#Toys|Windcharger]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Decepticon [[Decepticon Mini-Cassette|Cassettes]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Frenzy (G1)/toys#Toys|Frenzy]] / [[Laserbeak (G1)/toys#Toys|Laserbeak]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Rumble (G1)/toys#Toys|Rumble]] / [[Ravage (G1)/toys#Toys|Ravage]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Autobot Cars]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Bluestreak (G1)/toys#Toys|Bluestreak]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Hound (G1)/toys#Toys|Hound]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Ironhide (G1)/toys#Toys|Ironhide]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Jazz (G1)/toys#Toys|Jazz]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Mirage (G1)/toys#The Transformers|Mirage]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Prowl (G1)/toys#Toys|Prowl]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"| 
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Ratchet (G1)/toys#Toys|Ratchet]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Sideswipe (G1)/toys#Toys|Sideswipe]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Sunstreaker (G1)/toys#Toys|Sunstreaker]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Trailbreaker (G1)/toys#Toys|Trailbreaker]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Wheeljack (G1)/toys#Toys|Wheeljack]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top" rowspan=3|[[File:G1-toy Sunstreaker.jpg|200px|thumb|Autobot Car Sunstreaker]]
[[File:G1Starscream toy.jpg|200px|thumb|Decepticon Plane Starscream]]
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Decepticon Planes]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Skywarp (G1)/toys#Toys|Skywarp]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Starscream (G1)/toys#The Transformers|Starscream]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Thundercracker (G1)/toys#Toys|Thundercracker]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Decepticon Communications'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Soundwave (G1)/toys#Toys|Soundwave]] and Condor Cassette: [[Buzzsaw (G1)/toys#Toys|Buzzsaw]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Decepticon Leader'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Megatron (G1)/toys#The Transformers|Megatron]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Autobot Commander'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#The Transformers|Optimus Prime]] (w/ [[Roller (G1)#Toys|Roller]] & [[Combat Deck (G1)#Toys|Combat Deck]])}}
</ul>
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''''[[Kronoform]]'''''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Autoceptor#Toys|Autoceptor]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Deceptor#Toys|Deceptor]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Kaltor#Toys|Kaltor]]}}
</ul>
|}
{{-}}

====Mail-aways and promos====

*"[[Reinforcements from Cybertron!]]"
{| style="margin-left:1em;" width="100%"
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Powerdasher]]s'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|"[[Zetar (G1)#Toys|Drill Type]]"}}
{{Bp-a1|"[[Aragon#Toys|F-1 Type]]"}}
{{Bp-a1|"[[Cromar#Toys|Jet Type]]"}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Omnibot (G1)|Omnibots]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Camshaft (G1)#Toys|Camshaft]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Downshift (G1)#Toys|Downshift]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Overdrive#Toys|Overdrive]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Others'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Time Warrior (G1)#Toys|Time Warrior]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|[[File:Camshaft-G1toy.jpg|200px|thumb|Omnibot Camshaft]]
|}

====Notes====
<references group="A" />

{{-}}

===1985===
[[File:1985catalogue-diorama.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|The 80s! When toy companies actively encouraged you to play with fire!]]

1984 was a roaring, out-of-the-gate success for ''Transformers'', so 1985's offerings upped the ante, both in numbers and in variety of form.

''Diaclone'' and ''Micro Change'' were mined for as many viable toys as possible. The remaining unused "Car Robot" models were brought over, as were several [[redeco]]/[[retool]]s of first-year Cars. The [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]]s, six small-scale construction vehicles that could combine into the mighty super-robot [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]], were a huge hit. Robotic beasts made a splash with the [[Dinobot (G1)#Toys|Dinobots]] and [[Insecticon (G1)#Toys|Insecticons]]. The two predecessor lines also had some in-development concepts that were pushed into ''Transformers'', and while some would not be ready until next year, Hasbro/Takara were able to get out a set of new Mini Vehicles, and new versions of the large jet mold with all-new wings and weapons.

But all this wasn't enough to meet expected demand, so Hasbro looked elsewhere for future Transformers. They struck a deal with [[Bandai]] for molds from a variety of Japanese toylines. As Bandai was (and is) a direct competitor to Takara, none of these toys were put into the cartoon, which was being ported to Japan. (There was a [[Jetfire (G1)#Why "Skyfire"?|whole big thing with Jetfire/Skyfire in the cartoon]], follow the link for more on that.) Other toys were also licensed from other companies, but didn't have the major-rival-baggage of Bandai's toys, so they could at least be in the show, if not in [[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (toyline)|Takara's version of the toyline]].

All in all, 1985's output was roughly ''double'' that of 1984's. And with a new slew of imitators popping up, Hasbro pushed a new little bit of status-symbol into the line, giving every toy released in '85 —including the re-released '84 toys— a heat-sensitive [[rubsign]]. This brand was the mark of a "true" Transformer, and they even spent the money to make a [[commercial]] ''just to say so''. The rubsigns were also key to another bit of promotion, the mystery-allegiance [[Mini-spy|Mini-Spies]] that came with the Mini Vehicles this year as bonuses.

This year also marks the debut of ''Transformers'' internationally, being released in [[The Transformers (European toyline)|multiple European countries]], [[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (toyline)|Japan]], [[IGA|Mexico]], [[Estrela|Brazil]], and [[Antex|Argentina]]... all with various changes from the US line, some minor, some... well, "major" might be an understatement for some.

{{-}}
====General retail====
{| style="margin-left:1em;" width="100%"
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Autobot [[Mini Vehicle|Mini-Cars]] w/ [[Mini-spy|Motorized Transformer]]<ref group="B" name="mini-spies">There were four types of "Motorized Transformers" (called "Mini-spies" in the television commercial for the figures and "Koma cars" on Hasbro's shipping cases): "4WD Type" (or "Jeep Type"), "Buggy Type", "FX-1 Type" and "Porsche Type". Each was available alternatively in white, yellow or blue, with the color supposedly depending on which figure they were packaged with.</ref>'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Brawn (G1)/toys#Toys|Brawn]] (w/ yellow Motorized Transformer)}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#Toys|Bumblebee]] (yellow or red, w/ white Motorized Transformer)}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Cliffjumper (G1)/toys#Toys|Cliffjumper]] (red or yellow, w/ white Motorized Transformer)}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"| 
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Gears (G1)#Toys|Gears]] (w/ yellow Motorized Transformer)}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Huffer (G1)#Toys|Huffer]] (w/ blue Motorized Transformer)}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Windcharger (G1)#Toys|Windcharger]] (w/ blue Motorized Transformer)}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Autobot [[Mini Vehicle]]s'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Beachcomber (G1)#Toys|Beachcomber]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Cosmos (G1)#Toys|Cosmos]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Powerglide (G1)#Toys|Powerglide]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Seaspray (G1)#Toys|Seaspray]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Warpath (G1)#Toys|Warpath]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Bonecrusher (G1)/toys#Toys|Bonecrusher]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Hook (G1)/toys#Toys|Hook]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Long Haul (G1)/toys#Toys|Long Haul]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Mixmaster (G1)/toys#Toys|Mixmaster]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Scavenger (G1)/toys#Toys|Scavenger]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Scrapper (G1)/toys#Toys|Scrapper]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Devastator (G1)/toys#Toys|Devastator]] (gift set of all six Constructicons)}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top" rowspan=5|[[File:G1 barrage toy.jpg|200px|thumb|Deluxe Insecticon Barrage]][[File:Blitzwingg1toy.jpg|200px|thumb|Triple Changer Blitzwing]][[File:G1 Blaster toy.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Blaster]]
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Jumpstarter]]s'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Topspin (G1)#Toys|Topspin]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Twin Twist (G1)#Toys|Twin Twist]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Bombshell (G1)#Toys|Bombshell]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Kickback (G1)#Toys|Kickback]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Shrapnel (G1)#Toys|Shrapnel]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Autobot Cars]]'''<ref group="B" name="1985cars">The 1985 "Autobot Cars" price point was given a somewhat odd treatment with two separate assortments, each of which contained re-releases of six of the 1984 figures (packaged one per case in a case of 12) and three of the new 1985 figures (each packaged two per case). The only exception to this was Skids, who was actually released at least as early as December 1984, in 1984 packaging along with the other '84 Autobot Cars, in which he took the place of an extra Mirage that had previously been used to bring the number of figures contained in those cases up to twelve. Due to this, he was packed in the 1985 assortments like the '84 toys, at only one Skids per case.</ref>
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Grapple (G1)#Toys|Grapple]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Hoist (G1)/toys#Toys|Hoist]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Inferno (G1)/toys#Toys|Inferno]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Red Alert (G1)/toys#Toys|Red Alert]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"| 
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Skids (G1)#Toys|Skids]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Smokescreen (G1)/toys#Toys|Smokescreen]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Tracks (G1)/toys#Toys|Tracks]]}}
</ul>
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Triple Changer]]s'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Astrotrain (G1)/toys#Toys|Astrotrain]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Blitzwing (G1)/toys#Toys|Blitzwing]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Grimlock (G1)/toys#The Transformers|Grimlock]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Slag (G1)/toys#Toys|Slag]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Sludge (G1)#Toys|Sludge]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Snarl (G1)#Toys|Snarl]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Swoop (G1)/toys#Toys|Swoop]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Deluxe Insecticons'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Barrage (Insecticon)#Toys|Barrage]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Chop Shop (G1)#Toys|Chop Shop]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Ransack (G1)#Toys|Ransack]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Venom (G1)#Toys|Venom]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Autobot [[Deluxe Vehicle]]s'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Roadbuster (G1)#Toys|Roadbuster]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Whirl (G1)#Toys|Whirl]]}}
</ul>
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Decepticon Planes]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Dirge (G1)/toys#Toys|Dirge]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Ramjet (G1)/toys#Toys|Ramjet]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Thrust (G1)/toys#Toys|Thrust]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Autobot Scientist'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Perceptor (G1)/toys#Toys|Perceptor]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Autobot Communicator'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Blaster (G1)/toys#Toys|Blaster]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Decepticon Military Operations Commander'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Shockwave (G1)/toys#Toys|Shockwave]]}}
</ul>
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Autobot Air Guardian'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Jetfire (G1)/toys#Toys|Jetfire]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Autobot Motorized Defense Base'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Omega Supreme (G1)#Toys|Omega Supreme]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Tyco]] Licensed Playsets'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1d1|Electric Racing Set (w/ "[[Natron#Toys|Natron]]" & "[[Freezon#Toys|Freezon]]")}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Electric Train and Battle Set]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Others'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Tech Specometer Eleven]]}}
|}

{{-}}
[[File:G1-toy OptimusPepsi.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Pepsi mail-away Optimus Prime]]

====Mail-aways and promos====

<ul class="iconlist">
:{{Bp-a1|Cookie Crisp [[Jazz (G1)/toys#CookieCrisp|Jazz]]}}
:{{Bp-a1|[[Pepsi]] [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#PepsiPrime|Optimus Prime]]}}
:* "[[Earthlings: THE S.T.A.R.S. need your help now!]]"
:* "[[Have the Decepticons defeated us once and for all?]]"
</ul>
{{--}}
====Notes====
<references group="B" />

{{-}}

===1986: "The Movie"===
[[File:Scramble city packaging mural.jpg|right|thumb|250px|That's a ''lot'' of explosions with no evidence of anything actually being exploded.]]

1986 presented a major change in the franchise on several levels. The first being that ''Diaclone'' and ''Micro Change'' were pretty much depleted of viable toys, so it was time for all-new toolings to get made.

The past lines still had a role to play in this, though. The Mini Vehicles were refreshed by taking the 1984 assortment and extensively [[retool]]ing them into all-new characters. Takara had been designing a different sort of [[combiner|combining robot team]] for ''Diaclone'', where the limb-bots were wholly interchangeable. These plans would come to life in ''Transformers'' as the "[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (toyline)#1986 (Scramble City and 2010)|Scramble City]]" style combiners (though that branding was only used in Takara's line; Hasbro called them the "[[Special Teams]]" in Europe, and... nothing special in the US). The combiners were actually advertised in the 1985 season of [[The Transformers (cartoon)|the cartoon]] (one team, the Aerialbots, were released in time for Christmas in 1985) in a bit of bleed-over as Hasbro prepared for the ''really'' big change... ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.

[[File:G1Metroplex toy.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Metroplex]]
This media event ''really'' shook things (and kids) up. The [[The Transformers (cartoon)/cast#Season 1|older cast]] of not-shipping-any-more-1984-toys was shuffled out, with many characters openly and brutally ''killed'' in the film, to make way for all-new toy-characters who would take the forefront, including new faction leaders. These bots were developed for animation first then had toys developed based around those designs, a ''very'' rare move at the time (and still uncommon today, mostly only the [[live-action film series]] works this way). These new designs were very Cybertronian/futuristic in design, as the Movie was set in the far-flung future of ''[[2005]] ooooooohhhhh''. This more sci-fi look would stick with the line for a little while.

Another subtle but important change was that the two factions began to share [[subgroup]]s, with the Autobots gaining their own [[Mini-Cassette]]s and [[Triple Changer]]s, plus both sides had "Scramble City" style combiners. These groups shipped in mixed-allegiance assortments, which would become more and more common going forward.

This was also the year [[die-cast|die-cast metal]] started being phased out of the toys' construction. With petroleum prices lowering, plastics became the less-expensive alternative. Many of this year's toys shipped initially with painted die-cast bits, but were later replaced with plastic-parts [[variant]]s.

{{-}}
====General retail====
{| style="margin-left:1em;" width="100%"
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Autobot [[Mini Vehicle|Mini-Vehicles]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Hubcap (G1)#Toys|Hubcap]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Outback (G1)#Toys|Outback]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Pipes (G1)#Toys|Pipes]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Swerve (G1)#Toys|Swerve]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Tailgate (G1)#Toys|Tailgate]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Wheelie (G1)#Toys|Wheelie]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Mini-Cassette]]s'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Ramhorn (G1)#Toys|Ramhorn]] / [[Eject (G1)#Toys|Eject]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Ratbat (G1)/toys#Toys|Ratbat]] / [[Frenzy (G1)/toys#Toys|Frenzy]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Rewind (G1)#Toys|Rewind]] / [[Steeljaw (G1)#Toys|Steeljaw]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Air Raid (G1)/toys#Toys|Air Raid]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Fireflight (G1)/toys#Toys|Fireflight]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Silverbolt (G1)/toys#Toys|Silverbolt]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Skydive (G1 Aerialbot)/toys#Toys|Skydive]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Slingshot (G1)/toys#Toys|Slingshot]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Superion (G1)#Toys|Superion]] (giftset)}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Breakdown (G1)#Toys|Breakdown]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Dead End (G1)#Toys|Dead End]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Drag Strip (G1)#Toys|Drag Strip]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Motormaster (G1)#Toys|Motormaster]] (w/ [[Roller car]])}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Wildrider (G1)#Toys|Wildrider]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Menasor (G1)#Toys|Menasor]] (giftset)}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top" rowspan=2|[[File:G1menasor toy.jpg|200px|thumb|Menasor, the Stunticon combiner]]
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Blades (G1)#Toys|Blades]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[First Aid (G1)#Toys|First Aid]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Groove (G1)#Toys|Groove]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Hot Spot (G1)#Toys|Hot Spot]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Streetwise (G1)#Toys|Streetwise]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Defensor (G1)#Toys|Defensor]] (giftset)}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Blast Off (G1)/toys#Toys|Blast Off]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Brawl (G1)/toys#Toys|Brawl]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Onslaught (G1)/toys#Toys|Onslaught]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Swindle (G1)#Toys|Swindle]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Vortex (G1)/toys#Toys|Vortex]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Battlecharger]]s'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Runabout (G1)#Toys|Runabout]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Runamuck (G1)#Toys|Runamuck]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Triple Changer]]s'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Broadside (G1)#Toys|Broadside]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Octane#Toys|Octane]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Sandstorm (G1)#Toys|Sandstorm]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Springer (G1)/toys#Toys|Springer]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Autobot Cars]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Blurr (G1)/toys#Toys|Blurr]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Hot Rod (G1)/toys#The Transformers|Hot Rod]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Kup (G1)/toys#Toys|Kup]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Heroes'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Hot Rod (G1)/toys#G1RodimusPrime|Rodimus Prime]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Wreck-Gar (G1)#Toys|Wreck-Gar]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Divebomb (G1)#Toys|Divebomb]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Headstrong (G1)#Toys|Headstrong]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Rampage (G1)#Toys|Rampage]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Razorclaw (G1)#Toys|Razorclaw]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Tantrum (G1)#Toys|Tantrum]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticons]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Gnaw (G1)#Toys|Gnaw]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top" rowspan=2|[[File:G1toy hot rod.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Autobot Car Hot Rod]]
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Decepticon Planes'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Cyclonus (G1)/toys#Toys|Cyclonus]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Scourge (G1)/toys#Toys|Scourge]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[City Commander]]s'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Galvatron (G1)/toys#Toys|Galvatron]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/toys#Toys|Ultra Magnus]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Motorized Autobot Space Shuttle'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Sky Lynx (G1)#Toys|Sky Lynx]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Titan (group)|Cities]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Metroplex (G1)#Toys|Metroplex]] (w/ [[Six-Gun#Toys|Six-Gun]], [[Slammer#Toys|Slammer]], and [[Scamper#Toys|Scamper]])}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Trypticon (G1)#Toys|Trypticon]] (w/ [[Brunt (G1)#Toys|Brunt]] & [[Full-Tilt (G1)#Toys|Full-Tilt]])}}
</ul>
|}

{{-}}
====Mail-aways and promos====
[[File:G1-toy Reflector.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Reflector]]

:*"[[The Autobots Have a Special Mission for:]]"
<ul class="itemlist">
::{{Bp-d1|[[Reflector (G1)#Toys|Reflector]] ([[Spectro#Toys|Spectro]], [[Spyglass#Toys|Spyglass]], [[Viewfinder#Toys|Viewfinder]])}}
</ul>
:*"[[You Have Been Chosen.]]"
:*"[[Decipher the Decepticon]]" contest
:*"[[Prizes in Disguise]]" contest

{{-}}

===1987: Headmasters and Targetmasters===
[[File:G1-toy Pointblank.jpg|250px|thumb|Autobot Targetmaster Pointblank]]
This year was almost completely dominated by "sci-fi" vehicle modes, following up on ''The Movie'' styling. On top of that, extra [[gimmick]]s beyond transformation began to play into the subgroups, with the [[Throttlebot]]s' [[pull-back motor]]s and the [[Sparking gimmick|spark-firing]] [[Monsterbot (G1)|Monsterbot]]s.

More importantly, this was the first year Hasbro would push a primary over-arching [[gimmick]] as a large percentage of the line: the [[Nebulan]] "Master" partners. Where previous years tended to be a bit scattered with its transformation types, the [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]]s and [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmaster]]s presented a more unified theme across both factions and multiple price-points. This culminated in the mighty [[Fortress Maximus (G1)#Toys|Fortress Maximus]], a towering two-foot-tall Headmaster city-bot, with a hefty $100 price-tag (in 1987 dollars, which is about the same as a $260 Transformer today). For sheer size and mass, Fortress Maximus remained the largest Transformer produced for over 25 years... and something of a "bragging rights" move on Hasbro's part, showing that they ''could'' demand that kind of shelf space from retailers. (They did the same thing with ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' and the massive [[USS Flagg]] playset.)

However, this high point also marked the start of the franchise's waning. The [[The Transformers (cartoon)|cartoon]] was ended with a truncated [[The Rebirth|three-part special]], with reruns continuing on in syndication. Mail-away offers were also slowing down, with no new product available from this year on, only older items no longer in stores. Smaller figures were packaged with small soft-rubber [[Decoy]]s of older characters as an extra incentive, but they weren't a [[Mini-spy|fully transformable mini-Transformer]].

{{-}}
====General retail====
{| style="margin-left:1em;" width="100%"
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Throttlebot]]s'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Chase (G1)#Toys|Chase]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Freeway (G1)#Toys|Freeway]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#Goldbug|Goldbug]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Rollbar (G1)#Toys|Rollbar]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Searchlight (G1)#Toys|Searchlight]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Wideload (G1)#Toys|Wideload]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Afterburner (G1)#Toys|Afterburner]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Lightspeed (G1 Technobot)#Toys|Lightspeed]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Nosecone (G1)#Toys|Nosecone]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Scattershot (G1)#Toys|Scattershot]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Strafe (G1)#Toys|Strafe]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Computron (G1)#Toys|Computron]] (giftset)}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcons]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Blot (G1)#Toys|Blot]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Cutthroat (G1)#Toys|Cutthroat]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Hun-Gurrr (G1)#Toys|Hun-Gurrr]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Rippersnapper (G1)#Toys|Rippersnapper]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Sinnertwin (G1)#Toys|Sinnertwin]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Mini-Cassette]]s'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Slugfest (G1)#Toys|Slugfest]] / [[Overkill (G1)#Toys|Overkill]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top" rowspan=4|[[File:Technobots-specialteams.jpg|200px|thumb|Computron, the Technobot combiner]][[File:G1-toy Brainstorm.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Headmaster Brainstorm (with Arcana)]]
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Duocon]]s'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Battletrap (G1)#Toys|Battletrap]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Flywheels#Toys|Flywheels]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Clone (subgroup)|Clones]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Fastlane#Toys|Fastlane]] / [[Cloudraker (G1)#Toys|Cloudraker]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Pounce#Toys|Pounce]] / [[Wingspan#Toys|Wingspan]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[:Category:Spies|Double Spy]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Punch (G1)#Toys|Punch-Counterpunch]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Monsterbot (G1)|Monsterbots]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Doublecross#Toys|Doublecross]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Grotusque#Toys|Grotusque]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Repugnus (G1)#Toys|Repugnus]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Brainstorm (G1)#Toys|Brainstorm]] (w/ [[Arcana#Toys|Arcana]])}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Chromedome (G1)#Toys|Chromedome]] (w/ [[Stylor#Toys|Stylor]])}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Hardhead (G1)#Toys|Hardhead]] (w/ [[Duros#Toys|Duros]])}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Highbrow (G1)#Toys|Highbrow]] (w/ [[Gort#Toys|Gort]])}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Mindwipe (G1)#Toys|Mindwipe]] (w/ [[Vorath#Toys|Vorath]])}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Skullcruncher (G1)#Toys|Skullcruncher]] (w/ [[Grax#Toys|Grax]])}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Weirdwolf (G1)#Toys|Weirdwolf]] (w/ [[Monzo#Toys|Monzo]])}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Headmaster [[Horrorcon (G1)|Horrorcons]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Apeface#Toys|Apeface]] (w/ [[Spasma#Toys|Spasma]])}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Snapdragon (G1)#Toys|Snapdragon]] (w/ [[Krunk#Toys|Krunk]])}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmasters]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Blurr (G1)/toys#Targetmaster|Blurr]] (w/ [[Haywire (Targetmaster)#Toys|Haywire]])}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Crosshairs (G1)#Toys|Crosshairs]] (w/ [[Pinpointer (G1)#Toys|Pinpointer]])}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Cyclonus (G1)/toys#Targetmaster|Cyclonus]] (w/ [[Nightstick (G1)#Toys|Nightstick]])}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Hot Rod (G1)/toys#Targetmaster|Hot Rod]] (w/ [[Firebolt (G1)#Toys|Firebolt]])}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Kup (G1)/toys#Targetmaster|Kup]] (w/ [[Recoil (G1)#Toys|Recoil]])}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Misfire (G1)#Toys|Misfire]] (w/ [[Aimless#Toys|Aimless]])}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"| 
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Pointblank#Toys|Pointblank]] (w/ [[Peacemaker#Toys|Peacemaker]])}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Scourge (G1)/toys#Targetmaster|Scourge]] (w/ [[Fracas#Toys|Fracas]])}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Slugslinger (G1)#Toys|Slugslinger]] (w/ [[Caliburst (G1)#Toys|Caliburst]])}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Sureshot (G1)#Toys|Sureshot]] (w/ [[Spoilsport#Toys|Spoilsport]])}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Triggerhappy (G1)#Toys|Triggerhappy]] (w/ [[Blowpipe (G1)#Toys|Blowpipe]])}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Decepticon [[Six Changer]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Sixshot (G1)#Toys|Sixshot]]}}
</ul>
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Headmaster [[Titan (group)|Bases]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Fortress Maximus (G1)/toys#Toys|Fortress Maximus]] (w/ [[Cerebros (G1)#Toys|Cerebros]], [[Spike Witwicky (G1)#Toys|Spike]], [[Cog (G1)#Toys|Cog]])}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Scorponok (G1)/toys#Toys|Scorponok]] (w/ [[Zarak (G1)#Toys|Zarak]] & [[Fasttrack (G1)#Toys|Fasttrack]])}}
</ul>
|}
{{-}}
====Mail-aways and promos====
:* "[[Start Your Own Decoy Collection]]" ([[Decoy]]s packed in with carded figures)
:* "[[Rodimus Prime remembers the Transformers greatest battle on Earth.]]"

{{-}}

===1988: Powermasters and Pretenders===
[[File:Skullgrin-packageart.jpg|250px|thumb|Decepticon Pretender Skullgrin]]
After four years and slowly-declining sales, the push to make ''Transformers'' live up to its new tagline ("More... Much More Than Meets the Eye!") was in full effect. Even toys in old subgroups gained new gimmicks: the new [[Mini-Cassette]]s were combiners, the [[Seacon (G1)|Seacon]] combiner team's limb-bots each had a cannon mode the super-robot could use as a handgun, and the [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmasters]] each had ''two'' [[Nebulan]]s who could also combine into a super-gun.

The big noise this year was the [[Pretender]]s, Transformers that wear outer shells in the guise of armored warriors, monsters, and more, effectively giving you two warriors in one purchase. However, the line didn't exactly excite kids, as most of the inner robots' vehicle modes could be generously described as "vague at best" due to the necessity of fitting inside their shells. And while the shells' minimal articulation (having only stiff shoulder swivels) would be fine for much younger children, the inner robots and number of small parts definitely put them outside of that age group.

The other big move was the return of [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#PMOP|Optimus Prime]] as one of the [[Powermaster]]s, robots whose Nebulan partners unlocked the vehicle-to-robot conversion as engine-shaped "keys". Though the previous year saw [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#Goldbug|Bumblebee return as "Goldbug"]], this large-scale toy of a returning character heralded a shift in Hasbro's strategy, which would get even stronger next year.

However, the decline that begun the year prior was made worse by a sudden splash in the action figure world: the arrival of the ''[[Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles]]''. Kids flocked to this strange new line and its weird new cartoon, leaving ''Transformers''... sorry, there's no helping this... shell-shocked.

Sorry.

====General retail====
{| style="margin-left:1em;" width="100%"
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Mini-Cassette|Cassettes]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Grand Slam (G1)#Toys|Grand Slam]] / [[Raindance#Toys|Raindance]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Squawktalk (G1)#Toys|Squawktalk]] / [[Beastbox (G1)#Toys|Beastbox]]}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Sparkabot]]s / [[Firecon]]s'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Cindersaur (G1)#Toys|Cindersaur]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Fizzle#Toys|Fizzle]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Flamefeather (G1)#Toys|Flamefeather]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Guzzle (G1)#Toys|Guzzle]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Sizzle (G1)#Toys|Sizzle]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Sparkstalker#Toys|Sparkstalker]]}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Triggerbot]]s / [[Triggercon]]s'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Backstreet (G1)#Toys|Backstreet]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Crankcase (G1)#Toys|Crankcase]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Dogfight (G1)#Toys|Dogfight]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Override (G1)#Toys|Override]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Ruckus (G1)#Toys|Ruckus]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Windsweeper#Toys|Windsweeper]]}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Seacon (G1)|Seacons]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Nautilator#Toys|Nautilator]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Overbite (G1)#Toys|Overbite]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Seawing (G1)#Toys|Seawing]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Skalor#Toys|Skalor]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Snaptrap (G1)#Toys|Snaptrap]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Tentakil (G1)#Toys|Tentakil]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Piranacon (G1)#Toys|Piranacon]] (giftset)}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top" rowspan=4|[[File:G1-toy Sparkstalker.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Firecon Sparkstalker]][[File:PowermasterOptimusPrime toy.jpg|200px|thumb|Powermaster Optimus Prime]][[File:G1Bomb-Burst toy.jpg|200px|thumb|Pretender Bomb-Burst]]
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmaster]]s'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Landfill (G1)#Toys|Landfill]] (w/ [[Flintlock#Toys|Flintlock]] & [[Silencer (G1)#Toys|Silencer]])}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Needlenose (G1)#Toys|Needlenose]] (w/ [[Sunbeam (G1)#Toys|Sunbeam]] & [[Zigzag#Toys|Zigzag]])}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Quake (G1)#Toys|Quake]] (w/ [[Tiptop#Toys|Tiptop]] & [[Heater#Toys|Heater]])}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Quickmix (G1)#Toys|Quickmix]] (w/ [[Boomer#Toys|Boomer]] & [[Ricochet (G1)#Toys|Ricochet]])}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Scoop (G1)#Toys|Scoop]] (w/ [[Holepunch (G1)#Toys|Holepunch]] & [[Tracer (Targetmaster)#Toys|Tracer]])}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Spinister (G1)#Toys|Spinister]] (w/ [[Hairsplitter#Toys|Hairsplitter]] & [[Singe#Toys|Singe]])}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]]s'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Fangry (G1)#Toys|Fangry]] (w/ [[Brisko#Toys|Brisko]])}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Horri-Bull#Toys|Horri-Bull]] (w/ [[Kreb#Toys|Kreb]])}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Hosehead (G1)#Toys|Hosehead]] (w/ [[Lug (G1)#Toys|Lug]])}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Nightbeat (G1)#Toys|Nightbeat]] (w/ [[Muzzle#Toys|Muzzle]])}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Siren (G1)#Toys|Siren]] (w/ [[Quig#Toys|Quig]])}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Squeezeplay (G1)#Toys|Squeezeplay]] (w/ [[Lokos#Toys|Lokos]])}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Powermaster]]s'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Darkwing (G1)#Toys|Darkwing]] (w/ [[Throttle (G1)#Toys|Throttle]])}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Dreadwind (G1)#Toys|Dreadwind]] (w/ [[Hi-Test (G1)#Toys|Hi-Test]])}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Doubledealer#Toys|Doubledealer]] (w/ [[Knok#Toys|Knok]] & [[Skar (G1)#Toys|Skar]])}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Getaway#Toys|Getaway]] (w/ [[Rev#Toys|Rev]])}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Joyride (G1)#Toys|Joyride]] (w/ [[Hotwire (G1)#Toys|Hotwire]])}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Slapdash (G1)#Toys|Slapdash]] (w/ [[Lube#Toys|Lube]])}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Powermaster Autobot Leader'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#PMOP|Optimus Prime]] (w/ [[Hi-Q#Toys|Hi-Q]])}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Pretender]]s Assortment 1'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Bomb-Burst (G1)#Toys|Bomb-Burst]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Cloudburst#Toys|Cloudburst]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Landmine (G1)#Toys|Landmine]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Skullgrin#Toys|Skullgrin]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Submarauder (G1)#Toys|Submarauder]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Waverider#Toys|Waverider]]}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Pretenders Assortment 2'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Bugly (G1)#Toys|Bugly]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Finback#Toys|Finback]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Groundbreaker#Toys|Groundbreaker]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Iguanus (G1)#Toys|Iguanus]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Sky High (Pretender)#Toys|Sky High]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Splashdown#Toys|Splashdown]]}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Pretender Beast]]s'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Carnivac (G1)#Toys|Carnivac]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Catilla (G1)#Toys|Catilla]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Chainclaw (G1)#Toys|Chainclaw]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Snarler#Toys|Snarler]]}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Pretender Vehicle]]s'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Gunrunner (G1)#Toys|Gunrunner]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Roadgrabber#Toys|Roadgrabber]]}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Autobot [[Six Changer]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Quickswitch#Toys|Quickswitch]]}}
|}
{{-}}
====Mail-aways and promos====

:*"[[The Autobots Are Under Attack!]]"

{{-}}
===1989: Pretenders and Micromasters===
[[File:G1-toy ConstructionStation.jpg|250px|thumb|Construction Station]]
Facing stiff competition, Hasbro attempted to unify and re-brand ''Transformers'' with a new focus and a new look.

First, they eliminated the miscellaneous subgroups of the past, rolling ''everything'' under two over-arching gimmicks: expansions of the [[Pretender]] concept, and the new 1-inch-tall [[Micromaster]]s, the latter being a response to the steadily-growing popularity of then-competitor [[Galoob]]'s ''Micro Machines'' micro-play vehicle line. Kids would buy packs of four Micromasters together, or would get a single Micromaster with a transforming vehicle or playset, with the larger vehicles themselves transforming into base-mode playsets that could interconnect with included ramps (again a response to ''Micro Machines''<nowiki>'</nowiki> heavy use of playsets).

The nostalgia-grab got larger, with new toys based on some of the most popular characters from the early years, now back as "[[Classic Pretender]]s". This year even saw the first store-[[exclusive]] Transformers, as those same four bots were sold without their Pretender shells as "[[Legends (G1)|Legends]]", available only at [[Kmart]] (which wasn't the decrepit shell of a retailer it is now).

On top of this, the packaging changed ''dramatically'', with a new look and logo design, although this change was gradual. The first three Micromaster patrols released in late 1988 (the Air Strike Patrol, the Off Road Patrol and the Race Car Patrol) still came on old-style cards and featured a unique "Micro Transformers" logo; the Legends kept the overall packaging design but changed the "Transformers" logo to the all-new overall brand logo introduced this year, and changed the on-package [[Tech Spec]]s to an easier-to-read bar graph; and all other releases, including the remaining Micromaster Patrols, completely ditched the color-coded distinguation between Autobot/Decepticon (other than the aforementioned new "Transformers" logo itself), instead opting for a gimmick-specific color-coding with gold-carded and -boxed Pretenders, and silver-carded and-boxed Micromasters. Hasbro hoped that this would prove stronger from a marketing standpoint than the Autobot/Decepticon distinction from previous years, plus look new and fresh, rather than just another iteration of a now-six-year-old toyline.

You can kind of guess how well that worked.

{{-}}
====General retail====
{| style="margin-left:1em;" width="100%"
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Pretender Monster]]s'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Birdbrain#Toys|Birdbrain]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Bristleback#Toys|Bristleback]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Icepick (G1)#Toys|Icepick]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Scowl (G1)#Toys|Scowl]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Slog (G1)#Toys|Slog]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Wildfly#Toys|Wildfly]]}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Pretender]]s'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Bludgeon (G1)#Toys|Bludgeon]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Doubleheader#Toys|Doubleheader]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Longtooth#Toys|Longtooth]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Octopunch (G1)#Toys|Octopunch]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Pincher (G1)#Toys|Pincher]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Stranglehold#Toys|Stranglehold]]}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Classic Pretender]]s'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#Pretender|Bumblebee]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Grimlock (G1)/toys#Pretender|Grimlock]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Jazz (G1)/toys#Pretender|Jazz]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Starscream (G1)/toys#Pretender|Starscream]]}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Mega Pretender]]s'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Crossblades (G1)#Toys|Crossblades]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Thunderwing (G1)#Toys|Thunderwing]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Vroom (G1)#Toys|Vroom]]}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top" rowspan=3|[[File:G1Thunderwing toy.jpg|200px|thumb|Mega Pretender Thunderwing]][[File:Micromaster-sportscarpatrol-toys.jpg|200px|thumb|Sports Car Patrol]]
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Ultra Pretender]]s'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Roadblock (G1)#Toys|Roadblock]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Skyhammer (G1)#Toys|Skyhammer]]}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Micromaster]] Patrols Assortment 1'''<ref group="C" name="microtrans">Micromaster Patrol Assortment 1 began shipping in late 1988, and sported packaging that looked drastically different from the "proper" 1989 Micromaster output. Instead of the redesigned silver packaging with the all-new "Transformers" logo, they came on cards that pretty much still resembled the packaging style that had been used up to that point, and sported a unique "Micro Transformers" logo.</ref>
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Air Strike Patrol#Toys|Air Strike Patrol]] ([[Nightflight (G1)#Toys|Nightflight]], [[Storm Cloud (G1)#Toys|Storm Cloud]], [[Tailwind (G1)#Toys|Tailwind]], [[Whisper (G1)#Toys|Whisper]])}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Off Road Patrol#Toys|Off Road Patrol]] ([[Highjump (G1)#Toys|Highjump]], [[Mudslinger (G1)#Toys|Mudslinger]], [[Powertrain#Toys|Powertrain]], [[Tote#Toys|Tote]])}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Race Car Patrol#Toys|Race Car Patrol]] ([[Free Wheeler#Toys|Free Wheeler]], [[Roadhandler (G1)#Toys|Roadhandler]], [[Swindler#Toys|Swindler]], [[Tailspin#Toys|Tailspin]])}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Micromaster Patrols Assortment 2'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Battle Patrol#Toys|Battle Patrol]] ([[Big Shot#Toys|Big Shot]], [[Flak (G1)#Toys|Flak]], [[Sidetrack (G1)#Toys|Sidetrack]], [[Sunrunner (G1)#Toys|Sunrunner]])}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Rescue Patrol (G1)#Toys|Rescue Patrol]] ([[Fixit (G1)#Toys|Fixit]], [[Red Hot#Toys|Red Hot]], [[Seawatch#Toys|Seawatch]], [[Stakeout (G1)#Toys|Stakeout]])}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Sports Car Patrol#Toys|Sports Car Patrol]] ([[Blackjack (G1)#Toys|Blackjack]], [[Detour (G1)#Toys|Detour]], [[Hyperdrive (Micromaster)#Toys|Hyperdrive]], [[Road Hugger (G1)#Toys|Road Hugger]])}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Micromaster Transport]]s'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Erector (G1)#Toys|Erector]] (w/ [[Crane#Toys|Crane]])}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Flattop (G1)#Toys|Flattop]] (w/ [[Platonix#Toys|Aircraft carrier]])}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Overload (G1)#Toys|Overload]] (w/ [[Car carrier trailer#Toys|Car carrier trailer]])}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Roughstuff#Toys|Roughstuff]] (w/ [[Military transport#Toys|Military transport]])}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top" rowspan=2|
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Micromaster Stations'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Airwave (Micromaster)#Toys|Airwave]] (w/ [[Airwave (facility)#Toys|Airport]])}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Greasepit (Micromaster)#Toys|Greasepit]] (w/ [[Greasepit (facility)#Toys|Gas station]])}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Hot House (Micromaster)#Toys|Hot House]] (w/ [[Hot House (facility)#Toys|Fire station]])}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Ironworks (Micromaster)#Toys|Ironworks]] (w/ [[Ironworks (facility)#Toys|Construction station]])}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Micromaster Bases'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Groundshaker (G1)#Toys|Groundshaker]] (w/ [[ATV#Toys|ATV]])}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Skyhopper#Toys|Skyhopper]] (w/ [[Helicopter#Toys|Helicopter]])}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Micromaster Jet Command Center'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Skystalker (G1)#Toys|Skystalker]] (w/ [[Thunder Arrow#Toys|Interstellar shuttle]])}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Micromaster Rocket Base'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Countdown (G1)#Toys|Countdown]] (w/ [[Rocket Base#Toys|Rocket base]])}}
|}
{{-}}
====Exclusives====
:'''[[Kmart]]'''
<ul class="iconlist">
:{{Bp-a1|[[Legends (G1)|Legends]] [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#G1Legend|Bumblebee]]}}
:{{Bp-a1|Legends [[Grimlock (G1)/toys#G1Legend|Grimlock]]}}
:{{Bp-a1|Legends [[Jazz (G1)/toys#G1Legend|Jazz]]}}
:{{Bp-d1|Legends [[Starscream (G1)/toys#G1Legend|Starscream]]}}
</ul>
{{--}}
====Notes====
<references group="C" />

{{-}}

===1990: Micromasters and Action Masters===
[[File:G1-toy Jazz AM.jpg|upright=1|thumb|Action Master Jazz, reintroducing a character from the line's early years.]]

By this time, ''Transformers'' was in serious trouble. ''Ninja Turtles'' was still dominating the toy aisle and TV ratings, and was even putting out a live-action movie that year. (Bet Hasbro wished they had a cartoon on the air ''then'', huh?) Home video games were getting even hotter and luring more kids away from toys altogether, especially with the release of the hugely-anticipated Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

Hasbro tried to rally with something that was very rare for its time: a large-scale appeal to nostalgia. While Micromasters continued on, the rest of the series was taken up by [[Action Master]]s, non-transforming ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]''-scale action figures of ''Transformers'' characters, with a half-and-half mix of "classic" characters and all-new bots. As with the Micromasters, the focus was mainly on the low-price items, with the carded individual Action Masters getting the largest amount of product. Larger offerings included vehicles that transformed into battle stations or "attack modes" for the Action Masters to pilot.

Unfortunately, it simply wasn't enough, and ''Transformers'' was canceled in the US. While the [[The Transformers (European toyline)|European version of the line]] would continue on with both new product and a glut of "[[Classics (Europe)|Classics]]" re-releases, it would be two years before ''Transformers'' would come back to US toy shelves, as ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]''.

{{-}}
====Retail releases====
{| style="margin-left:1em;" width="100%"
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Micromaster]] Patrols Assortment 3'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Air Patrol#Toys|Air Patrol]] ([[Blaze Master#Toys|Blaze Master]], [[Eagle Eye (G1)#Toys|Eagle Eye]], [[Sky High (Micromaster)#Toys|Sky High]], [[Tread Bolt#Toys|Tread Bolt]])}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Construction Patrol#Toys|Construction Patrol]] ([[Crumble#Toys|Crumble]], [[Groundpounder (G1)#Toys|Groundpounder]], [[Neutro#Toys|Neutro]], [[Takedown#Toys|Takedown]])}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Race Track Patrol#Toys|Race Track Patrol]] ([[Barricade (G1)#Toys|Barricade]], [[Ground Hog#Toys|Ground Hog]], [[Motorhead (G1)#Toys|Motorhead]], [[Roller Force#Toys|Roller Force]])}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Micromaster Patrols Assortment 4'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Hot Rod Patrol#Toys|Hot Rod Patrol]] ([[Big Daddy (G1)#Toys|Big Daddy]], [[Greaser#Toys|Greaser]], [[Hubs#Toys|Hubs]], [[Trip-Up#Toys|Trip-Up]])}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Military Patrol#Toys|Military Patrol]] ([[Bombshock (G1)#Toys|Bombshock]], [[Dropshot (G1)#Toys|Dropshot]], [[Growl (G1)#Toys|Growl]], [[Tracer (Micromaster)#Toys|Tracer]])}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Monster Trucks Patrol#Toys|Monster Trucks Patrol]] ([[Big Hauler#Toys|Big Hauler]], [[Heavy Tread#Toys|Heavy Tread]], [[Hydraulic#Toys|Hydraulic]], [[Slow Poke#Toys|Slow Poke]])}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Micromaster Combiner]] Squads'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Astro Squad#Toys|Astro Squad]] ([[Phaser (G1)#Toys|Phaser]], [[Blast Master#Toys|Blast Master]], [[Moonrock#Toys|Moonrock]], [[Missile Master#Toys|Missile Master]], [[Barrage (Micromaster)#Toys|Barrage]] & [[Heave#Toys|Heave]])}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Battle Squad#Toys|Battle Squad]] ([[Meltdown (G1)#Toys|Meltdown]], [[Half-Track (G1)#Toys|Half-Track]], [[Direct-Hit#Toys|Direct-Hit]], [[Power Punch#Toys|Power Punch]], [[Fireshot#Toys|Fireshot]] & [[Vanquish#Toys|Vanquish]])}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"| 
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Constructor Squad#Toys|Constructor Squad]] ([[Stonecruncher (G1)#Toys|Stonecruncher]], [[Excavator (G1)#Toys|Excavator]], [[Sledge (G1)#Toys|Sledge]], [[Hammer (G1)#Toys|Hammer]], [[Grit#Toys|Grit]] & [[Knockout (G1)#Toys|Knockout]])}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Metro Squad#Toys|Metro Squad]] ([[Wheel Blaze#Toys|Wheel Blaze]], [[Roadburner#Toys|Roadburner]], [[Oiler#Toys|Oiler]], [[Slide#Toys|Slide]], [[Power Run#Toys|Power Run]] & [[Strikedown#Toys|Strikedown]])}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top" rowspan=4|[[File:G1-ROC-toy Sledge.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Constructor Squad [[Sledge (G1)#Toys|Sledge]] (with [[Hammer (G1)#Toys|Hammer]])]][[File:G1-toy TankerTruck.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Micromaster Combiner Tanker Truck (with Pipeline & Gusher)]][[File:G1Gutcruncher toy.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Action Master Gutcruncher with his Stratotronic Jet]]
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Micromaster Combiner Transport]]s'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Cannon Transport#Toys|Cannon Transport]] (w/ [[Terror-Tread#Toys|Terror-Tread]] & [[Cement-Head#Toys|Cement-Head]])}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Missile Launcher#Toys|Missile Launcher]] (w/ [[Retro#Toys|Retro]] & [[Surge (G1)#Toys|Surge]])}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Tanker Truck#Toys|Tanker Truck]] (w/ [[Pipeline#Toys|Pipeline]] & [[Gusher#Toys|Gusher]])}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Micromaster Combiner Anti-Aircraft Base'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Anti-Aircraft Base#Toys|Anti-Aircraft Base]] w/ ([[Blackout (G1)#Toys|Blackout]] & [[Spaceshot#Toys|Spaceshot]])}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Micromaster Combiner Battlefield Headquarters'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Battlefield Headquarters#Toys|Battlefield Headquarters]] (w/ [[Full-Barrel#Toys|Full-Barrel]] & [[Overflow#Toys|Overflow]])}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''[[Action Master]]s Assortment 1'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Grimlock (G1)/toys#ActionMaster|Grimlock]] with [[Anti-tank cannon#Toys|Anti-tank cannon]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Jazz (G1)/toys#ActionMaster|Jazz]] with [[Turbo Board#Toys|Turbo Board]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Rad (G1)#Toys|Rad]] with [[Lionizer (G1)#Toys|Lionizer]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Rollout (G1)#Toys|Rollout]] with [[Glitch (G1)#Toys|Glitch]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Soundwave (G1)/toys#ActionMaster|Soundwave]] with [[Wingthing (G1)#Toys|Wingthing]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Treadshot (G1)#Toys|Treadshot]] with [[Catgut#Toys|Catgut]]}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Action Masters Assortment 2'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#ActionMaster|Bumblebee]] with [[Heli-pack#Toys|Heli-pack]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Blaster (G1)/toys#ActionMaster|Blaster]] with [[Flight-Pack#Toys|Flight-Pack]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Devastator (G1)/toys#ActionMaster|Devastator]] with [[Scorpulator#Toys|Scorpulator]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Jackpot (G1)#Toys|Jackpot]] with [[Sights (G1)#Toys|Sights]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Krok (G1)#Toys|Krok]] with [[Gatoraider#Toys|Gatoraider]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Mainframe (G1)#Toys|Mainframe]] with [[Push-Button#Toys|Push-Button]]}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Action Masters Assortment 3'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Banzai-Tron (G1)#Toys|Banzai-Tron]] with [[Razor-Sharp#Toys|Razor-Sharp]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Inferno (G1)/toys#ActionMaster|Inferno]] with [[Hydro-Pack#Toys|Hydro-Pack]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Kick-Off (G1)#Toys|Kick-Off]] with [[Turbo-Pack#Toys|Turbo-Pack]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Shockwave (G1)/toys#ActionMaster|Shockwave]] with [[Fistfight (G1)#Toys|Fistfight]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Skyfall (G1)#Toys|Skyfall]] with [[Top-Heavy#Toys|Top-Heavy]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Snarl (G1)#AM|Snarl]] with [[Tyrannitron#Toys|Tyrannitron]]}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Action Master Action Blasters'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Attack Copter#Toys|Attack Copter]] with [[Over-Run (G1)#Toys|Over-Run]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Off-Road Cycle#Toys|Off-Road Cycle]] with [[Axer (G1)#Toys|Axer]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Turbo Cycle (G1)#Toys|Turbo Cycle]] with [[Prowl (G1)/toys#ActionMaster|Prowl]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Turbo Jet#Toys|Turbo Jet]] with [[Starscream (G1)/toys#ActionMaster|Starscream]]}}
|-
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Action Master Autobot Vehicles'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Attack Cruiser#Toys|Attack Cruiser]] with [[Sprocket (G1)#Toys|Sprocket]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Turbo Racer#Toys|Turbo Racer]] with [[Wheeljack (G1)/toys#ActionMaster|Wheeljack]]}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Action Master Decepticon Attack Vehicles'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-d1|[[Stratotronic Jet#Toys|Stratotronic Jet]] with [[Gutcruncher (G1)#Toys|Gutcruncher]]}}
{{Bp-d1|[[Neutro-Fusion Tank#Toys|Neutro-Fusion Tank]] with [[Megatron (G1)/toys#ActionMaster|Megatron]]}}
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|'''Action Master Autobot Armored Convoy'''
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Armored Convoy#Toys|Armored Convoy]] with [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#AM|Optimus Prime]]}}
</ul>
|}

==Hasbro (and others) ''Transformers'' European line==
{{Main|The Transformers (European toyline)}}

The history of the European-market releases of ''The Transformers'' is simultaneously complicated and kind of boring, as while various countries got different amounts of product, sometimes released by Hasbro subsidiaries or non-Hasbro partner companies (like [[Milton Bradley]] and [[GiG]]), the actual ''toys'' were largely identical to the US releases for the overwhelming majority of the line. There are certainly a number of notable early variants, such as the [[Tracks (G1)#Toys|red Tracks]], as well as the occasional release of toys otherwise exclusive to Japan, such as GiG's [[Bruticus (G1)#Generation 1|Bruticus]] and [[Abominus (G1)#Generation 1|Abominus]] [[giftset]]s or the legendary [[Galaxy Shuttle#Generation 1|Galaxy Shuttle]], but their scarcity has relegated them to "only for the completist with ample funds" category.

[[File:G1-toy OmegaSpreem.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Action Master Elite Omega Supreme.]]

Things wouldn't really get significantly different until the 1990s. While the American toyline was shutting down, ''Transformers'' in Europe kept on chugging along.

[[1991]] was an odd hodge-podge of a line, starting with a short burst of exclusive [[Action Master]]s (including some that [[Action Master Elite|actually did transform!]]), then introducing several [[redeco]]ed previously-[[TakaraTomy|Takara]]-exclusive molds, mainly from the [[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (toyline)#1989 (Victory)|1989 ("''Victory''") line-up]]. Several of the toys released this year weren't given individual names, including the re-released [[Constructicon (G1)#|Constructicons]] (who had also lost the parts needed to combine into [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]], oddly enough).

Speaking of re-released old toys, 1990 saw the [[Classics (Europe)|''Classics'' subline]] debut, the return of numerous toys from the 1984 through 1987 lines. Several of these releases had minor changes from the originals, mainly the removal of [[rubsign]] indents. The line would continue through [[1991]], and a few extra pieces would see release only in [[Australia]].

[[File:G1-toy ThunderClash.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Turbomaster Thunder Clash, the new Autobot leader of 1992.]]

In [[1992]], the line got much more cohesive, moving back to much more "traditional" Transformers, changing from pseudo-realistic vehicles to robots, with [[gimmick]]s that were by and large not super-obtrusive. The Autobots and Decepticons got some physical distinction in their designs in [[1992]]: the Autobots got hot-pink transparent plastic parts, primarily their [[Sensor#Optical sensors|optics]] and windows, while the Decepticons got a bright toxic clear-green transparent parts as well as less-human, more angular faces. Yes, hot pink and toxic green: the 90s was ''also'' the time that the color schemes for new toys overall got brighter and more reliant on pastels (and in some cases, [[Thundercracker (G1)/toys#ActionMaster|straight-up gloriously awful]]). In [[1993]], Hasbro changed the traditional [[insignia|faction symbols]] to the types used in the ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (franchise)|Generation 2]]'' series, as the US line was changing over that year. The European line would follow suit in [[1993]], ending the original "Generation 1" series in European markets ''without'' the line being canceled, the only major market to ''not'' have a gap between Generations 1 and 2. Neat!
{{--}}

==Takara ''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' line==
[[File:Transformers JG1 Logo.png|right|250px]]

{{Main|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (toyline)}}

[[TakaraTomy|Takara]] took [[Hasbro]]'s lead and brought the new universe of living robots to Japan in [[1985]], where it was a massive success. Despite many/most of the toys having been available just a couple years prior, the new story and cartoon propelled ''Transformers'' sales far beyond those of the lines that the toys originally came from. ''[[Diaclone]]'' and ''[[Micro Change]]'' were quickly discarded in favor of the new hotness as kids ate up this new take on the giant robot genre, one that was a fresh change from the sheer amount of competing "piloted mecha" robot toylines/cartoons in existence.

The line started very parallel with Hasbro's offerings, but over time the two companies pursued some pretty different visions for the brand. Takara gave the accompanying advertising media different sub-franchise titles for each year, a long-running tradition in kids' media/toylines in Japan (which would eventually end up making its way Stateside), although the toyline itself would not gain over-arching secondary titles until 1991, instead only featuring gimmick-specific brandings for relevant toys, some of which just happened to mirror the accompanying media's title. They would also create a variety of all-new toys unique to their version of ''Transformers'' (although some of them also saw release in Europe), most of them highly sought-after by collectors. By the end of the series, Takara would go back to following Hasbro's lead for the bulk of the line, with new molds being relegated to a small handful of large pieces. ''Transformers'' finally ended in 1992, as Takara's concurrently-running (and TV-cartoon-backed) non-''Transformers'' "''[[Brave (franchise)|Brave]]''" giant robot lines gained more popularity.

''Transformers'' would not be back on Japanese toy shelves until [[1995]], when the short-lived ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (toyline)#Takara G-2 line|G-2]]'' toyline would hit.

==Mexican & South American ''Transformers''==
If you want strange variants of Generation 1 toys, then the short-lived toylines south of the border are the mother lode. But many of these items are not cheap on the secondary market due to their scarcity.

;Mexico
[[File:Prowl-Mexico.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1|Mexican Prowl, with extra black bits.]]
::''Main article: [[IGA]]''

:''Transformers'' was released by [[IGA]] in Mexico in 1985. For the most part, the toys are similar to their Hasbro counterparts, though with plenty of minor coloring and materials differences... which apparently includes ''lead paint''. Oops.

:The line did not do well, and 1986's releases were little more than [[Metroplex (G1)#Toys|Metroplex]] and a handful of first-year [[Mini Vehicle]]s recolored roughly like their [[#1986|third-year retool]]s. The line was fully canceled shortly after.

: A number of these toys somehow ended up in European markets years after the line was over, which is when that whole "lead paint" thing was discovered. Oops.

{{-}}
;Brazil
[[File:Camaro-Purple.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.67|Malignus Camaro. Gorgeous. And expensive.]]
::''Main article: [[Estrela]]''

:Easily the most well-known of the Southern-Hemisphere ''Transformers'' releases, [[Estrela]]'s batch of six Mini-Vehicle molds were the bulk of the toys released by the company, put out in a variety of colors. Notably, the mysterious "[[Bumper (G1)#Toys|Bumper]]" mold was part of this assortment, under the name "[[Sedan (Robocar)|Sedan]]", complete with packaging art and a [[bio]], leading fans to wonder if this bio came from scrapped plans for the toy in the original [[Hasbro]] line.

:The line was filled out with redecoed [[Jumpstarter]]s called "Salt-Man" ("''salto''" meaning "jump" in Spanish and Portuguese), and non-Takara molds like the [[Eletrix]] and [[Bat-Robô]].

:Most coveted among the Estrela toys is the second round of Mini Vehicles, the "[[Optimus (faction)|Optimus]] vs [[Malignus (G1)|Malignus]]" series, which split the toys into brand-new good & evil (respectively) factions. These twelve toys —particularly the more radically-changed Malignus— are very expensive on the secondary market, easily earning triple-digit sums for even loose samples. Still-carded toys are exceptionally rare.

{{-}}
;Argentina
[[File:G1-toy SaltManX Antex.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.67|Salt-Man X]]
::''Main article: [[Antex]]''

: A bit of an odd case, it appears that Argentinean company [[Antex]] got its ''Transformers'' license from Estrela, rather than Hasbro, which is kind of dubious on the "did Estrela actually have the authority to do that" mark. Antex would then release its own batch of Mini Vehicle redecoes.

: In the early 2010s, a large number of on-card/boxed Antex toys hit the secondary market, apparently due to an old warehouse find. Many of these items were sold cheaper than ''domestic'' packaged original toys in the US... but still make a neat curiosity for a collector.

: One more odd Argentinean release is the [[Radio AM Robot]], an original mold by [[Comando Toys]]. Your guess is as good as ours.

{{-}}
;Peru

::''Main article: [[Lynsa]]''

: There is a bit of confusion as to the short-lived Peruvian ''Transformers'' line as it appears that two different companies obtained the license and took two different approaches to it, though both mainly stuck to -once again- the Mini Vehicle range.

:BASA (which would later change its name to HUDE, which doesn't help in the confusion department) simply imported Hasbro product and applied a company sticker to the packaging.

:[[Lynsa]], however, made their own cheaper-to-produce versions of the original [[Mini Vehicle]] range, often with less-to-no paint applications, decals or chrome, as well as multiple different color variants for each mold. There are supposedly upwards of ''three dozen'' different mold/color combinations altogether, many of them unique to the Peruvian line, but the ravages of time have made samples stunningly rare and reliable information scarce.

{{-}}
;Venezuela

::''Main article: [[Rubiplas]]''

: The tiny [[Rubiplas]] line is very similar to the Peruvian Lynsa line in construction, being low-cost, minimal-deco versions of the incomplete Mini Vehicles range. Most are similar in color to their Hasbro releases, save their very weirdly-colored [[Huffer (G1)#Rubiplas|Huffer]].

{{-}}

==Chinese ''The Transformers'' toyline==
:'' Main article: [[The Transformers (Chinese toyline)]]''

Several factors kept ''The Transformers'' out of mainland China for years, including government-based resistance to the line's [[The Transformers (cartoon)|primary "advertainment" vehicle]]. But in August 1989, [[Hasbro International]] started cranking out classic ''Transformers'' at Chinese factories, which were shipped throughout China, as well as Taiwan and South Korea (with additional stickers applied to the packaging for those markets). The line ran through [[1995]] (!), ending with several previously-Japanese-exclusive ''Victory'' toys.

For the most part, the toys are identical to their previous releases, only with slight changes to the manufacturing stamps, and the occasional minor deco alteration (primarily painted details on the [[Mini-Cassette]]s, and some [[rubsign]] changes). They came in the same packaging as their American (or European) counterparts, only with small stickers in the corner giving the characters' Chinese names. Japanese-original toys were altered slightly more, changing the ''Transformers'' logo to a Chinese-language version. The copyright and manufacturing information on the back of the packaging was also shortened to remove the no-longer-true statements "Made in Japan", "Made in Taiwan", etc., and omit references to [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]. The manufacturing information was instead applied as a sticker in Chinese on the back of the box. By [[1994]], when the [[Power Master]]-era toys were released, "Made in China" was added to the box.

Despite running for nigh six years, the Chinese Generation 1 line released only about 100 toys all told.

This late entry into China actually goes a long way towards explaining the country's current ''Transformers'' mania, and its ever-increasing amount of toys made specifically for that market. Those who grew up with the line as kids were hitting adulthood just as the Chinese middle class was booming, which meant disposable income. And with the ''huge'' success of the [[Movie (franchise)|live-action movie]] spurring things on further right in the middle of that economic boon, China has since become a major part of the franchise's current global success.

{{note|It's quite likely that the Chinese line is also the source of the [[Classics (Europe)|European "Classics" reissues]] that were released in 1990. The toys share the same altered copyright and Chinese manufacturing stamps... plus some Classics toys have surfaced with Chinese name stickers on them.}}

:* ''[http://highendtfs.com/?q=node/15 Chinese G1 Reissue ID Guide]''
:* ''[http://www.allspark.com/content/view/1743/37/ The Little Sticker in the Corner: The Truth about Early-1990's Chinese G1 Transformers Toys]''
:* ''[http://www.danwei.org/tv/fighting_transformer_fever.php Fighting "Transformer Fever"]''

==Post-''Transformers'' releases==
[[File:Classics Dirge Toy.jpg|thumb|200px|BotCon 2007 Dirge RIP [[BotCon]] (1994-2016). We'll always love you.]]
Hahahahahahahhahahah haaaaaa hahahahahhahahaha hahaahahaaaaaaaahahahaaaaa. Hoo. Hooooh boy.

Okay, but seriously.

Despite having set the stage for everything that would follow, and in sharp contrast to the nostalgia-sodden market of today, "Generation 1" actually took some time to get back into being a sizable portion of the "modern" toyline following the original's end. The ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (franchise)|Generation 2]]'' revival failed to revive, and its ''vastly'' more successful replacement ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' was such a radical shift from everything before that going back to the '80s trappings was seen as risky. Thus the original series was mostly relegated to scattered [[homage]]s for the better part of a decade.

By the turn of the century (ugh), the older-nostalgic market was picking up strength. More children of the '80s were out of school and getting jobs and disposable income (yes, that kind of thing used to actually happen) and were looking to reclaim bits of their childhoods. And the market responded... timidly at first, as the markets do, but over time, more and more of the classic series was brought back in one form or another.

===Reissue lines===
: ''Main article: [[Generation 1 reissues|Reissue]]''
Before the re-creation boom, there was the re-release boom. Many vintage toy molds were pulled out, refurbished and put back into service to let fans fill holes in their classic collections.

====Takara====
[[File:TF Collection 3 Skids.jpg|thumb|200px|''The Transformers Collection'' Skids]]
Takara was the first to get the reissue ball rolling, and generally took the lead in re-releasing classic "Generation 1" molds over the course of several years. Re-issues began sporadically at first in [[2000]], mainly major characters (particularly [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#2000rerelease|Optimus Prime]], [[Megatron (G1)/toys#2001reissue|Megatron]], [[Hot Rod (G1)/toys#2000rerelease|Rodimus]] and [[Starscream (G1)/toys#Reissue|Starscream]]) in recreations of the original packaging, with a few special editions. But it didn't take long for this to expand into larger, more organized lines:

*'''''[[The Transformers Collection]]''''' (2002)
:This series is also known as the "bookbox" series, as each toy came in a large box with a multi-page, full-color booklet attached to the inner front cover of the box, full of bio information, toy trivia, cartoon summaries and more. In some respects this series was a bit of an "ultimate G1" line, as a great many toys were modified from their original releases. Tooling issues were fixed for extra durability, [[sticker]]s were altered or even replaced with more durable factory-applied [[tampograph]]s, accessories were added that had either not been released in Japan (like [[Targetmaster (technology)#Toys|Targetmaster]] partners) or wholly-new items altogether.

:This series would be further filled out with all-new characters set in the classic universe, with [[redeco]]s of the mold reissues in new color schemes (often -but not always- replicating ''[[Diaclone]]'' variants the original ''Transformers'' line passed on) through outlets like [[e-HOBBY]].

*'''''[[Transformers Encore]]''''' (2007)
:Riding the surge of popularity that had been building (and exploding with the live-action film), ''Encore'' brought more "enhanced" classic toys out, though this time in more classic-style packaging. The line also put a much heavier focus on the larger pieces in the original line, including the likes of [[Metroplex (G1)#Toys|Metroplex]] and even [[Fortress Maximus (G1)#Toys|Fortress Maximus]], as well as toys the original Japanese line had skipped, like [[Sky Lynx (G1)#Toys|Sky Lynx]].
{{-}}

====Hasbro====
[[File:CommemorativeSeriesIIIStock.jpg|thumb|300px|''Commemorative Series'' Thundercracker, "Silverstreak" and Jazz. (''No, the real Silverstreak did not have the black hood/top.'')]]
Hasbro generally seemed less keen on remaking the past, focusing their efforts on new lines, but saw the value in trying to get the reissues into fans' hands... even if there had to be compromises [[for safety reasons]].

*'''''[[The Transformers: Generation One Commemorative Series|Generation One Commemorative Series]]''''' (2002)
:Sold [[exclusive]]ly through [[Toys"R"Us]] (though overstock would later filter into closeout outlets), the ''Commemorative Series'' mostly picked up what Takara was already putting out and swung them onto US and European shelves. This series proved less popular with fans, thanks to the changes that had to be done to make the functional spring-launched missiles pass safety standards, plus a rather high price tag (a Toys"R"Us staple for its exclusives) that generally left net-savvy fans deciding to just import Takara's offerings for just a little bit more.

*'''''[[Vintage|Vintage G1]]''''' (2018)
:A series of [[Generation 1 reissues|reissue]]s from [[Hasbro]] which began in 2018. Packaged in Generation 1-styled boxes complete with fonts, classic [[package art|box art]] and [[Tech Spec]], the figures invoke the look and feel of the original toyline, from the era of the franchise's nascent emergence as a cultural phenomenon. All the figures thus far have been exclusive to [[Walmart]] in the United States and Canada, but have also been released at general retail in Asia, and the first wave of the "Legion Class" assortment has been available in Australia, exclusive to clothing chain CottonOn. (Singapore got most toys at general retail, except for the "Legion Class" figures, which were available from the Singaporean branch of CottonOn… although the Bumblebee reissue was ''also'' offered as a "Combo" freebie at Golden Village movie theaters.) The toys themselves hew closely to the original releases, mostly using ''[[The Transformers Collection]]'' variants, incorporating subtle differences [[for safety reasons|for safety]] or other reasons. Like their original releases, many include [[sticker|sticker-sheets]] for the customer to apply, enhancing the <s>[[Metroplex (G1)#Generations|maddening, hair-pulling]]</s> warm nostalgic experience.
{{-}}

===New "Generation 1"-based lines===
If you think we're gonna list every individual new toy based on a Generation 1 character here, you're insane. And not the fun kind. Instead, enjoy this series of links to the ''numerous'' toylines that call back to the originals. Many of these lines are ''technically'' multi-franchise ensembles, but the majority of their output is of updated Generation 1 bots.

*'''''[[Machine Wars: Transformers|Machine Wars]]''''' (1997)
[[File:MW-toy Hoist.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|''Machine Wars'' Hoist]]
:A strange, slapdash and ''very'' short line released in the middle of ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (toyline)|Beast Wars]]'', ''Machine Wars'' was sold [[exclusive]]ly at [[KB Toys]] stores. It's a mix of small toys originally developed for ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' and some larger [[retool]]ed [[the Transformers (European toyline)|European-market]] items from a few years prior, all mostly as old characters, and mostly in color schemes that don't match the characters they're supposed to be. On the other hand, this was the first chance many American fans had to acquire some of those larger foreign molds, and at KB's (in)famous pre-discounted prices to boot.
{{-}}

*'''''[[Robotmasters (franchise)|Robotmasters]]''''' (2004)
[[File:RobotMastersStarscream toy.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|''Robotmasters'' Starscream]]
:A short line in Japan during the middle of the "[[Unicron Trilogy continuity family|Unicron Trilogy]]" series, ''Robotmasters'' is set in the nebulous time between the second season of [[The Transformers (cartoon)|the original cartoon]] and ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''... but with the intrusion of time-traveling characters from ''Beast Wars'' (and more). Sticking mainly to smaller items, the series is mostly recycled "Basic" figures and sub-Deluxe items, most as new characters. Many came with extra weapons too, most of which were recycled from a canceled ''[[Microman]]'' series.

:However, there were a series of all-new molds, based on the leader characters of the past. The brand-new [[Starscream (G1)/toys#Robotmasters|Starscream]] was easily the most popular, being a classic-designed toy with some actual posability, with a new smaller [[Optimus Primal (BW)/toys#Robotmasters|Optimus Primal]] being close behind.

:Though the new molds were highly sought after at the time, they'd become very obsolete in fairly short order...
{{-}}

*'''''[[Transformers: Alternators|Alternators]]''''' (2003) / '''''[[Transformers: Alternity|Alternity]]''''' (2009) / '''''[[Transformers GT: Mission GT-R (franchise)|GT: Mission GT-R]]''''' (2013)
[[File:Binaltech Smokescreen Toy.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Two of the numerous Japanese variants of ''Alternators'' Smokescreen.]]
:The first focused Generation 1 "revival" series, ''Alternators'' was aimed ''squarely'' at the older collector. Every toy in the line (save one odd addition) is a Generation 1 character reimagined as a 1:24-scale recreation of a real, fully-licensed vehicle, complete with opening doors, an actual open driver/passenger compartment complete with dashboard, opening hoods/trunks and more. This led to many of these toys being ''very'' complicated to transform. The Japanese ''Binaltech'' line took the collector-aim even further by using copious amounts of painted [[die-cast]] metal for the vehicle shells. A line of ''very'' slow and staggered releases, it would continue on for several years in the US. Japan would keep the line alive even longer (and with a ''lot'' of variants), up through 2008, including a few small sub-lines like ''Binaltech Asterisk'' (which included [[human]] mini-figures to drive the vehicle modes) and the controversial ''[[Transformers: Kiss Players (toyline)|Kiss Players]]''.

:Despite ''heavy'' interest early on from the older fandom, ''Alternators'' has basically been left behind in favor of the later "normal" Generation 1 remakes that would follow a few years later.

:TakaraTomy would take another crack at the style later with ''Alternity'', which is generally the same thing, only at 1:32 scale, putting the toys at roughly "Deluxe" size. Several years later it would dust off the ''Alternity'' [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#Alternity|Convoy]] mold for ''GT: Mission GT-R'', a racing-themed mini-series which added "[[GT Sister]]" ''[[Microman]]'' figures to each toy.
{{-}}

*'''''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]''''' (2003)
[[File:MP-10 toy photo.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|MP-10 Convoy, the second ''Masterpiece'' Optimus Prime mold.]]
:A line that started as a one-shot, anniversary-celebratory deal, that slowly over time grew to become basically the "ultimate" collector's Generation 1 toyline. Takara has taken the lead here, putting out much of the product at general retail, where Hasbro picks and chooses molds to bring out as store [[exclusive]]s from time to time.

:Starting with [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#20th Anniversary/Masterpiece|Optimus Prime]] (of course), the line features larger-scale, very complex, highly-detailed, and (generally) [[show-accuracy|animation-accurate]] renditions of classic characters. Originally a slow-release line, in 2011 it moved to a smaller scale (with a [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#mp10|redone Optimus]], of course), focused on filling out much of the 1984/1985 cast, and started putting out toys at a fairly regular clip, several a year. The line is still going today, and has expanded its scope, recently adding ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' characters to the roster.

:Hasbro would occasionally release their own versions of ''Masterpiece'' toys, exclusive to various stores. Due to the brand unification, these were stopped in favor of simply importing the toys.
{{-}}

*'''''[[Transformers Timelines (toyline)|Timelines]]''''' (2005)
:The ''Timelines'' series is also a multi-franchise ensemble line, but naturally, the majority of the product is Generation-1-based, and sold by Hasbro licensee [[Fun Publications]] via [[BotCon]]s and the [[Transformers Collectors' Club]]. This series features a lot of toys based on more obscure characters and decos.

*'''''[[Transformers: Classics|Classics]]''''' (2006)
[[File:Bumblebeeclassicstoy.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|''Classics'' Bumblebee]]
:Originally intended to just be a short gap-filler line between ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' and the upcoming [[Transformers (2007 toyline)|live-action film toyline]], ''Classics'' more or less set the gold standard for today's Generation 1-based toy: modern-tech recreations of classic characters in updated forms highly evocative of their original incarnations, in the "focused-around-deluxe-scale" play size.

:Hasbro originally had no plans to put out more than the original line in this format (leading to some kerfuffle when several "missing" classic characters ended up as [[BotCon 2007]] exclusives). But a combination of solid sales, heavy demand, and —most importantly— a gargantuan influx of income thanks to that whole [[Michael Bay]] movie deal meant that ''Classics''-style toys could continue on in successive lines (see below).
{{-}}

*'''''[[Titanium Series]]''''' (2006)
[[File:Jetfiretitaniumwarwithin.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|''Titanium Series'' Jetfire]]
:Originally a subline of Hasbro's ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]]'' product line, ''Titanium Series'' put the focus on [[die-cast]] metal, split between 2-inch-tall non-transforming mini-figurines, and the transforming 6-inch "Cybertron Heroes". The latter were... let's politely say "not very well-received".

:These toys were developed completely in-house at Hasbro, with no Takara engineering, by a team who had never worked on ''Transformers'' to boot. The results often resulted in ill-proportioned messes with odd joint tolerances and questionable articulation that couldn't really handle the weight distribution. The toys based on designs from the popular "[[Transformers: The War Within|The War Within]]" comics from then-licensee [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]] generally fared better, and would garner some demand, particularly [[The Fallen/toys#Titanium Series|The Fallen]]. It's a real grab-bag of a line, both in character and quality.
{{-}}

*'''''[[Transformers: Universe (2008 toyline)|Universe]]''''' (2008) / '''''[[Transformers: Generations (toyline)|Generations]]''''' (2010) / '''''[[Transformers (2010 toyline)|Transformers]]''''' (2010)
[[File:Sunstreakeruniverse2008toy.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|''Universe'' Sunstreaker]]
:After the [[Transformers (2007 toyline)|live-action movie]] made Hasbro and Takara approximately eleven bazillion dollars, they had the funds to put out more traditionally "risky" product like older-nostalgic-aimed toys. From this point on, they would devote a major portion of each year's product to making modern toys of Generation 1 characters.

:Hasbro's 2008 ''Universe'' line was the start, with everything from small [[Legends Class (2005)|Legends Class]] items to huge electronic Ultra Class toys.

:The line eventually turned into ''Generations'', but the overall focus was more or less the same. ''Generations'' is still running as of this writing, though at this point "''Generations''" has kind of become more a ''descriptor'' than an actual line: generally used as an umbrella branding for the more collector-oriented product, which includes not just multiple themed lines of "Generation 1"-based toys (expanding to other eras for the nostalgic fan as well), but more elaborate live-action movie product.

:2010's ''Transformers'' line was actually a movie-based "general" line. But the back end of the line had several toys in multiple price-points based directly on Generation 1 characters that seemed like they were right out of ''Generations'', confusing fans a bit.
{{-}}

*'''''[[Henkei! Henkei! Transformers (toyline)|Henkei! Henkei!]]''''' (2008) / '''''[[Transformers United|United]]''''' (2010) / '''''[[Transformers Chronicle (toyline)|Chronicle]]''''' (2011) / '''''[[Transformers: Generations (toyline)|Generations]]''''' (2012) / '''''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]''''' (2014) / '''''[[Transformers Unite Warriors|Unite Warriors]]''''' (2015)
[[File:Henkeitoy megatron.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|''Henkei! Henkei!'' Megatron, a redeco of ''Classics'' Megatron.]]
:Takara's string of Generation-1-based modern toys is a little more fragmented, changing names with regularity. Largely following Hasbro's lead, these toys are typically more extensively painted (owing to Japan's retailers not having the vise-like grip on item prices that major American retailers have), with a much heavier focus on [[show-accuracy|replicating animation decos]], even when the molds are not terribly suited for animation-based deco.

:Complicating things a bit more is ''Adventure'', Takara's version of the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 toyline)|2015 ''Robots in Disguise'' line]]. That line was initially filled out with a large number of ''Generations'' molds, colored and named blatantly as Generation 1 characters... but as part of the "[[Aligned continuity family|Aligned]]" universe. While we list these characters as the alternate-universe takes they're presented as, they are definitely worth mentioning here for fans who don't care about dividing by universe and just want a modern [[Override (RID)|Override]] that blends in perfectly with their modern Generation 1 collection.

:Starting with 2018's ''Power of the Primes'', the brand unification meant ''Generations'' toys would not end up in diverging toylines between Hasbro and TakaraTomy. While each company would have their exclusives, they would often be imported over by the other company.

:TakaraTomy also created various smaller toylines, such as ''[[Smallest Transforming Transformers]]'' and ''[[The Transformers Golden Lagoon|Golden Lagoon]]'', based on Generation 1 characters and designs, though focusing on a certain gimmick or idea.
{{--}}

==Notes==
* The term "Generation 1" is a piece of ascended [[fandom|fan-terminology]]. When ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (franchise)|Generation 2]]'' hit, the early online fandom quickly took to calling its predecessor "Generation 1". It became such a ubiquitous term it made its way into official terminology pretty quickly.
* ''The Transformers'' isn't the first time ''[[Diaclone]]'' molds were sold in the US. In [[1983]], Takara released "''[[Diakron]]''" in the US, straight-importing six ''Diaclone'' molds in new packaging. It didn't do too well. These releases ''are'' interesting curiosities for the serious collector, though.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Transformers (toyline), The}}
[[Category:Generation 1 toylines| Transformers (toyline)]]

MediaWiki talk:Community Portal

2024-04-07T16:08:35Z

Thunder Clash 2:

__NEWSECTIONLINK__

This is the place for discussion of topics that affect the entire wiki. For less wide-reaching subjects, either use articles' individual talk pages or [https://discord.gg/tfwiki our Discord server].

Some topics that would ordinarily be here have merited their own pages:

{{chapters|title=Specific Discussion Subjects|align=left|content=
<div class="list-header">'''Moving From Wikia:'''</div>
* [[Transformers Wiki talk:Community Portal/Arriving|Arriving]]
* [[Transformers Wiki talk:Community Portal/Leaving|Leaving]]
* [[Transformers Wiki:Community Portal/Complaints|Complaints]]
 <div class="list-header">'''New Ad Policy:'''</div>
* [[Transformers Wiki:Ads|Ads]]
 <div class="list-header">'''Bookworm Database-Crash:'''</div>
* [[Transformers Wiki talk:Community Portal/Damage Control Central|Damage Control Central]]
* [[Project:Bookworm Crash]]
* [[Transformers Wiki talk:Community Portal/Leaving2|Leaving Take 2]]
 <div class="list-header">'''Server Move:'''</div>
* [[Transformers Wiki talk:Community Portal/Arriving2|Arriving Take 2]]
 <div class="list-header">'''Relicensing:'''</div>
* [[Transformers Wiki talk:Community Portal/Relicensing|Relicensing]]
 <div class="list-header">'''Dealing With Vandalism:'''</div>
* [[Transformers Wiki talk:Community Portal/Vandalism|Vandalism]]
 <div class="list-header">'''GoBots Sister Wiki:'''</div> how to add thr image here?
* [[Transformers Wiki talk:Community Portal/GoBots|Discussion on the place of GoBots in this wiki]]
 <div class="list-header">'''Wiki Technical Information:'''</div>
* [[Transformers Wiki:Tech|A Not So Brief Summary of the Horrible Things That McFly and Co. Have Done To Keep This Wiki From Melting Down]]
}} 

{{:{{FULLPAGENAMEE}}/Archive}}


== Press release or logo for 30,000 articles? ==
Is it worth putting something together as we get very very close? Maybe something like:
* 3 from Thrilling 30 logo
* 0 from the 40th logo
* 0 from the Vector Sigma "Featured" logo
* 0 from the cosmic-streaking O in the TFTM opener
* 0 from GO!

Just a suggestion.... --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 13:45, 10 November 2023 (EST)
:If we wanted to go down that route, maybe tie into some of the contemporary material? Say, the "O"s from [[Energon Universe]] or [[Transformers: Legacy#Legacy: Evolution|Evolution]]? (Though the latter isn't exactly straight-on...) --[[User:Broadside|Broadside]] ([[User talk:Broadside|talk]]) 14:38, 10 November 2023 (EST)
::Sure! I lean towards the Energon Universe choice. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 15:48, 10 November 2023 (EST)
:Apologies, I've corrected the count on the main page as it was inaccurate, so we're not as close as it looked like we were. --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 16:20, 10 November 2023 (EST)
::That just means we have more time to decide and, if so, pull things together. :) -- [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] ([[User talk:Cyberlink420|talk]]) 16:51, 10 November 2023 (EST)
:::Feels like we just leapt up 40 new articles in the last 2-3 days. Is it worth putting a graphic together? --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 22:47, 18 January 2024 (EST)

=="Multi-pack" vs "gift set" and suchlike==
Incoming semantics, but... as I've been going through the toy entries, been trying to standardize/streamline a lot of stuff, and I think maybe a set of consistent terms/definitions for "a bunch of separate toys packed together" is in order. So lemme throw this out here for discussion/future reference...
*'''Multi-pack''' — A pack of toys where the contents (or at least most/some/any of them) are exclusive to this release, not sold in other packaging. Most multi-toy releases nowadays would fall under this umbrella by default.
*'''Gift set''' — A pack of toys where all of the contents are/were concurrently (or close enough) sold individually as well, without changes, in the same market. Like all the various G1 combiner sets.
The latter brings up the question of if we want to label all the Takara "VS" packs and the various UT-era "VALUE PACK!" sets under that umbrella, which I'm ambivalent-to-marginally-in-favor-of over. Especially as Takara's been putting out new "VS" packs where the toys are new decos not available elsewhere... also we kinda made up the "VS pack" term anyway, as memory serves, so. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 20:15, 8 January 2024 (EST)
:Hasbro has used the word "[[Giftset]]" to refer to unique variants not available separately. I'm inclined to think we shouldn't directly contradict that. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 21:21, 8 January 2024 (EST)
::and damn but does that article need updating. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] ([[User talk:Thylacine 2000|talk]]) 21:22, 8 January 2024 (EST)
:::I'm inclined to think that Hasbro uses lots of terms in ways that are not exactly conducive to organizing a wiki. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 21:29, 8 January 2024 (EST)

==More bullet point insignia?==
Okay so... I recall there were some other possible faction symbol bullet points we could maybe use. I ran across a few with this batch of toy pics we might consider adding. I'll list them here, see if people can think of more. I feel like there might be a couple more two-faction matchups out there.
* Rescue Bots
* The various BotBots squads
* My First Transformers

I'm not un-convinced that we should have the bespoke insignia for stuff like the Disney Label, since they do use them on the packaging. So uh... there. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 01:51, 13 January 2024 (EST)
:Also, while looking at the list of all the bullets on the template page... maybe we should see if we can split the list up a smidge? Like, put all the mutli-faction icons in one section, a section just for BotBots since there's gonna be quite a few of them? Alphabetizing them might also be in order. (I have exactly zero idea how those templates are coded, so uh, lemme know if that's doable.) --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 04:42, 13 January 2024 (EST)
::There's also the [[Star Wars Transformers]]... though I'm not sure if using ''Star Wars'' insignia falls too much out of this wiki's scope, although we do use at least use them on the actual characters' pages (see [[Darth Vader]]). [[User:Turborun|Turborun]] ([[User talk:Turborun|talk]]) 10:34, 13 January 2024 (EST)
:::I don't think we'd use SW insignia because, near as I can tell, the toy packaging doesn't mark the toys that way. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 05:27, 14 January 2024 (EST)

== Idea for reducing the size of toy sections by compacting unchanged toy entries ==

I've come up with an idea that I think would make toy sections on character pages a little better and more intuitive. Instead of having a long list of entries for multiple releases of the exact same toy completely unchanged, we could just compact them all in a single entry, describing how the toy was available both individually and unchanged in a bunch of multipacks. This could be especially helpful with toy sections that are way too long, such as both the Movie Optimus Prime and Bumblebee toy pages that have been subject to a lot of discussion already.

[[User:Fritz/Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys|I used the 2007 Legends Class section of the Movie Optimus Prime toy page to make a quick example out of it.]] The entries would be reduced from four to two toys, since 3/4 of them are the same toy anyway, and a lot of white space would be removed. As for the images of the multipacks, I don't think we would be losing much in removing them since the wiki has never prioritized images of packagings for anything really and, as I know is written somewhere in the "rules", the wiki isn't supposed to be used as an image hosting website in the first place.

So, any thoughts? --[[User:Fritz|Fritz]] ([[User talk:Fritz|talk]]) 20:18, 20 January 2024 (EST)
: We used to do this and it was actually kind of worse. There's also complications when unchanged toys end up being sold under different franchise headers, and when you add in all the other bullet point data a toy/set might have, you could end up with a lonnnnng list of bullet points before you get to the actual writeup, plus describing the multi-packs' contents... you're not really saving space while also kinda hurting the demi-chronological flow of the information. And deleting the multi-pack package imagery feels very wrong. It's one of those cases where there's no real ideal situation, but there's a least-bad one.
:That said, it probably wouldn't be a bad idea to make sure the first entry mentions these "repacks" alongside the redecoes and links to the relevant items. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 21:34, 21 January 2024 (EST)
::Good points, as usual. Now that you mentioned it, I think I do have a vague memory of this being done in the past. I was going to suggest the repacks from different toylines should remain separate, though. My mentality was that maybe we could have a way to highlight the "main" releases (original and redecoes/retools) from the "minor" ones (unchanged repacks) to make it easier to identify in a glance how many actually-different toys were released within a toyline, but I wouldn't want it to cause ''more'' confusion than ''less''. Anyway thanks for taking the time to evaluate the idea. --[[User:Fritz|Fritz]] ([[User talk:Fritz|talk]]) 05:54, 22 January 2024 (EST)

==Repurposings, continuity transplants, and using Template:Main/Template:See to improve navigability==
I've gone back to the drawing board to come up with a way to signal to readers where closely-related pages exist, as I don't think [[Help:Disambiguation|disambiguation]] pages are enough and have found [[Template:OtherVersions]] to be unideal. [[Transformers Wiki talk:Community Portal/Archive70#Proposal re: G1 pages|Previously]], I'd suggested merging a bunch of pages for so-called "[[Continuity family|continuity]] transplants", but other users convinced me this would be a poor solution. One alternative suggestion, from [[User:Broadside]], was to use [[Template:Main]] to put key links to a character's appearances in other continuity families directly in the fiction section—[[Transformers Wiki talk:Community Portal/Archive70#Handling of "former GoBots" and "former Diaclone" characters on the wiki|reactions at the time]] were neutral-positive. You can see mockups for [[User:Broadside/Sandbox:Cy-Kill|Cy-Kill]] and [[User:Broadside/Sandbox:Bug Bite|Bug Bite]]. This strikes me as the best of both worlds, because it keeps the consistent schema (which helps for page length and organisation) but also puts a link to the information in the place where your typical reader is expecting to find it (on the page for the highest-profile first incarnation of the character).

With the same philosophy in mind, I've also designed two new templates. The first, [[Template:Toyappeared]], is intended for use in toy write-ups as a way of linking to fiction write-ups and character pages. It covers [[repurposing]]s, "continuity transplants", notable instances of [[Show-accuracy|toy-accuracy]], in-fiction [[Reformatting|powerups]], [[Redeco#"Virtual" redecos|"virtual" redecos]], you name it. Toy write-ups are increasingly being duplicated across multiple character pages, which creates maintenance overhead, as both instances must be manually kept in sync. My suggestion is to use [[Template:See]] to link to the full information regarding a toy on the original page, with the repurposed instance giving only brief information of what the toy is and ''why'' it was repurposed or whatever. The second of my new templates has a much more specific intended use case: [[Template:Bwucharacter]] provides an easy way of explaining how/why a character was reinterpreted for their ''Uprising'' appearance, as ''Uprising'' accounts for most of the situations I view as being problematic.

I realise I'm proposing like five things at once here, so [[User:The Wadapan/sandbox/repurposing|my sandbox]] has [[User:The Wadapan/sandbox/repurposing#Full example|a full example]] demonstrating how it all works together, along with tons of individual examples of the templates' usage and a more thorough explanation of what I'm trying to address with them. Take a look, and let me know which aspects you like, which parts you don't like, or any ideas you have to add! —[[User:The Wadapan|The Wadapan]] ([[User talk:The Wadapan|talk]]) 06:24, 12 February 2024 (EST)
:I can vouch for these templates! [[User:ShootingStar7X|ShootingStar7X]] ([[User talk:ShootingStar7X|talk]]) 15:38, 26 February 2024 (EST)
: I'm seeing a lot of problems with the implementation of some of this, and a lot of future headaches. The ones rolled out put what look like stub headers in a fiction section with just a small normal missable note up top; and in Override's case in specific, multiple stubs with completely redundant information. What this is ''going'' to do is get new people thinking that these are missing information that needs to be filled, then we gotta revert it and tell them no all that goes elsewhere, which is utterly unintuitive and will just lead to arguments and headaches all around.
: As for toys, in the instances of BWU-type stuff where it's a one-toy Mini-Con or whatever, I feel like NOT having the actual toy info for them on the BWU page, as with the Mini-Con Snow Cat toy currently, is not doing the reader any favors. Quite the opposite. Why are we making them jump to a different page for information that has no reason to not be right there? I don't like making readers jump through hoops needlessly, and that's all this feels like. And it's not like the toy sections of most of these are gonna see major changes, so lack of cross-updating is very, very, very unlikely to be an issue.
: I really don't think these require new templates and a bunch of new-editor landmines. At most, there's a decent argument to be made for re-positioning the "you look familiar" template that already exists, maybe below the main character writeup (above feels like a bad layout choice, pushing all kinds of stuff down.) --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] ([[User talk:M Sipher|talk]]) 02:11, 28 February 2024 (EST)

== Listings and accessories ==

When I was making the description for cannonball based on the Walmart listing, there was mention of a Gatling gun and hammer not shown in the stock images,and left them out.

If I run into this type of situation again, what do I do?[[User:Poliwag06|Poliwag06]] ([[User talk:Poliwag06|talk]]) 10:56, 7 March 2024 (EST)

== A few suggestions ==

Gallery pages should only include images that aren't easily accessed by going to the main page, to avoid cluttering. I guess this is not an issue now since the current gallery pages are fairly short.

There should be more dedication in listing alt-modes of characters. Maybe there should be a header or something. For example, if the Dreamwave version of [[Sunstorm (G1)#Dreamwave Generation One continuity|Sunstorm]] transforms into an F-16 jet, it should be listed in the beginning with a header for the sake of easy access to the said information.--[[User:Primestar3|Primestar3]] ([[User talk:Primestar3|talk]]) 13:59, 17 March 2024 (EDT)

User talk:Thunder Clash 2

2024-03-10T08:04:01Z

Thunder Clash 2: Replaced content with "I am from Russia"

I am from Russia

Springer (G1)

2024-03-03T07:03:36Z

Thunder Clash 2: /* Transformers: Earth Wars */

{{factions|autobot|wreckers|autobotg2}}
{{disambig3|Springer}}
{{suite}}
:''Springer is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:Springer-decipherthedecepticon.jpg|upright=2.2|thumb|You're all clear kid, now let's blow this thing and go home!]]
'''Springer''' is the archetypal action hero: great in a fight, unselfconsciously brave, confident, and always ready with a dead-pan sarcastic quip to lighten the moment. Someone you can depend on to ride in, save the day and be smug about it.

Though his easy self-confidence is one of his most notable features, actually being responsible for others weighs heavily upon his otherwise jocular personality. Nonetheless, Springer ascended to lead the [[Wreckers]]. He has twice been named as [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]]'s successor to take the [[Matrix of Leadership]] and lead the Autobots, though neither one actually came to pass.

Springer combines the thrusting power of his legs with his retro thrusters to move rapidly through the battlefield, leaping tall structures in a single bound. Although he is quite speedy, he is not faster than [[Superman|a speeding bullet]].

{{quote|I've got better things to do tonight than die.|Springer in the defense of [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]]|''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''}}

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[Neil Ross]] (English), [[Kenyū Horiuchi]] (Japanese)|[[Li Danqing]] (Chinese), [[Willi Röbke]] (German, "Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1 – 4" and "Nightmare Planet"), [[Peter Musäus]] (German), [[Ulrich Bernsdorff]] (German, "Webworld"), [[Bernd Simon]] (German, "Fight or Flee" & "Ghost in the Machine"), [[Frank Muth]] (German, "The Movie" TV dub), [[Pierre Hatet]] (French, "The Movie"), [[Michel Barbey]] (European French, "Five Faces of Darkness" episodes), [[Georges Atlas]] (European French, "Dark Awakening"), [[François Leccia]] (European French, "Webworld"), [[Philippe Roullier]] (European French, "The Dweller in the Depths"), [[Éric Peter]] (European French, "Only Human"), [[Pep Ribas]] (Spain-Spanish, "The Movie"), [[Óscar Redondo]] (Spain-Spanish, season 3), [[Roberto Alexander]] (Latin-American Spanish), [[János Bácskai]] (Hungarian, second "The Movie" dub), [[Mário Jorge Andrade]] (Portuguese, "The Movie" TV & VHS dubs), [[Marcelo Pissardini]] (Portuguese, "The Movie" Fox Kids dub), [[Hélio Ribeiro]] (Portuguese, most of season 3), [[Older Cazarré]] (Portuguese, "Dark Awakening"), [[André Filho]] (Portuguese, "Ghost in the Machine"), [[Carlos Seidl]] (Portuguese, "Fight or Flee" & "The Dweller in the Depths"), [[Gyula Szersén]] (Hungarian, "The Movie" 1st dub (some lines)), [[Zoltán F. Nagy]] (Hungarian, "The Movie" 2nd dub (some lines))}}

[[File:Springerandarcee.jpg|thumb|Look, I ain't in this for your revolution, and I'm not in it for you, Princess. I expect to be well paid. I'm in it for the money.]]
Springer was among the first Autobots to leap into the [[Battle of Autobot City]] in 2005. He helped [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] transform the city into its heavily armed, armored fortress configuration, and later used an oversized piece of artillery to bombard [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]].

When [[Unicron]] made his existence known to the Autobots by destroying two of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s moons, Springer was among those who left Earth aboard a shuttle to stop the Chaos-Bringer somehow. The ship Springer was aboard crashlanded on the planet [[Junkion (planet)|Junk]], where a battle erupted between the Autobots and the native [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]], during which Springer dueled with the Junkion chieftain, [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]].

After arriving at Cybertron, Springer and the other Autobots wound up inside Unicron himself, where they desperately fought off Unicron's internal defenses. Luckily, just as one of the defensive claws was about to crush him, [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]] opened the Matrix of Leadership, destroying Unicron and becoming Rodimus Prime. Springer and the rest escaped the monster by driving out through its eye and into space. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
{{note|Springer’s involvement in these events, or events mostly similar, were also chronicled in the comic mini-series "[[Transformers: The Animated Movie]]," the storybook "[[Transformers the Movie (Ladybird adaptation)|Transformers the Movie]]" and the "Special Edition The Transformers: The Movie extra page" of "[[Transformers: The Ultimate Pop-Up Universe]]."}}

[[File:Springerfivefacescopter.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|left|The physics of this makes no sense.]]
A year later, Springer attended the first [[Galactic Olympics]] alongside his fellow Autobots. Unfortunately, the festivities were interrupted by an [[Skuxxoid|alien mercenary]] who turned the Olympic torch into a giant flash/smoke grenade, and then a battalion of [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticons]] attacked. Springer was able to douse the torch from the air, but by then, the attackers had already fled, having captured [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]], [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]] and [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]]. Springer immediately volunteered to track the escaped alien saboteur, and was joined by Arcee. They followed their quarry to his strange base ship, an asteroid-like spacecraft referred to as a "[[Rockeroid]]". The mercenary fled after misleading his pursuers into believing that the Decepticons were behind the attack, and Springer was fortunately able to pilot his ship (barely). {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1}}

Springer flew the Rockeroid to the distant planet [[Chaar]], where he arrived just in time to save Rodimus Prime and [[Grimlock (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Grimlock]] from being beaten to scrap by a mob of Decepticons. Later, a badly-damaged Rodimus prepared to pass the Matrix on to Springer in anticipation of his imminent demise. Fortunately, the Autobot leader did not die, but rather experienced the Cybertronian equivalent of a near-death experience, wherein his [[Spark|"life force"]] left his body to embark on a very trippy (and poorly animated) journey into the Matrix itself. Immediately afterwards, Springer participated in a daring rescue mission to save Ultra Magnus and the others from the [[Quintesson]]s, only for the [[Broadside (G1)|group's ship]] to get caught in the explosion of [[Quintessa (planet)|Quintessa]]. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2}}

Before long, they all wound up on [[Goo Number 8739-B]], where Springer was disassembled by the planet's mobile garbage disposal unit. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3}} Fortunately, he was rebuilt and restored to life by the Junkions. As Rodimus contemplated the mysteries of the Quintessons, Springer advised the others to leave him alone, give him some room to think, and trust him not to do anything rash. When he found that Rodimus had scrambled his own circuitry to enter the Matrix, Springer expressed his disapproval to his commanding officer in a calm and respectful manner. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4}}

{{quote|Are you CRAZY?! Why'd you short-circuit yourself?! Get up, you... you moron!|Springer}}

Springer and the others returned to Cybertron in time to defend against a major Decepticon offensive. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5}}

[[File:DarkAwakening-Springer.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a blaster by your-''WHERE'S MY BLASTER?!'']]
Sometime later, Springer, [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], Grimlock and [[Skydive (G1 Aerialbot)|Skydive]] were on-hand when [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] miraculously returned from the dead, telling tales of how Rodimus, Arcee and an Autobot shuttle crew gave their lives against the Quintessons so that he could escape, and return to Cybertron. Springer eagerly jumped on the bandwagon to follow Optimus and the entire Autobot fleet to hunt down the Quintessons and avenge Arcee and his friends. ''Especially'' Arcee. He was on board the flagship when Rodimus and the others, alive and well, intercepted the fleet and stopped the Quintesson trap from being sprung. {{storylink|Dark Awakening (episode)|Dark Awakening}}

When a strange unidentified ship entered Cybertronian air space, Rodimus Prime sent [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] and Springer out to rescue the occupant before he crash-landed. Inside, they found the long-lost Autobot Triple Changer known as [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]], who now lived on a peaceful planet called [[Paradron]] which had just been invaded by the Decepticons. As the Autobots returned to Paradron to overthrow the Decepticon oppressors, Springer teamed up with Rodimus and Sandstorm to free the captive Paradronians. {{storylink|Fight or Flee (episode)|Fight or Flee}}

[[File:NightmarePlanetSteed.jpg|thumb|left|For Narnia!]]
Springer and Ultra Magnus picked up an electromagnetic disturbance in a remote region of Cybertron, and drove out with Rodimus Prime to investigate. They were ambushed by a [[Predacon (G1)|Predacon]] assassination squad, but ''all'' the Transformers were ambushed again by the Quintessons' latest toy: a device which turned the nightmarish dreams of [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] into physical reality. Springer and the Predacon commander [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] were kidnapped by a massive [[dragon]] and flown off to an isolated castle. Tossed into the dungeon, Springer and Razorclaw met a [[Fairy-tale princess|princess]] being held captive by the dragon. Going with the flow, Springer took up her quest to defeat the dragon and return the princess to her father. Knight Springer and his faithful steed Razorclaw, whom the princess had promised [[gold]] as reward, escaped the dungeon and took up the search for the "magic [[lance]]" necessary to kill the dragon. Riding into battle atop the Predacon's back, Springer plunged the lance into the dragon's chest and then followed the yellow brick road back to his friends. {{storylink|Nightmare Planet}}

While on monitor duty on Cybertron, Springer and Blurr caught sight of [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] on what appeared to be an attack vector. After the [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]] shot him down, the Autobots learned his "assault" was just the latest in a series of recent events involving [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] and [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream's ghost]], who had stolen the eyes of [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] and [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] for Unicron. Springer joined Ultra Magnus and the Protectobots on a spy mission to Unicron's head in order to investigate further, but they were violently repulsed by the Planet-Eater's internal defenses. Things got even more complicated once Scourge turned on his "partners" and reported to the Autobots that Unicron planned to use Trypticon's transforming cog to connect himself to Cybertron, and convert the entire planet into his new body. Luckily, Springer and the others were able to <s>casually chuck</s> plant energon explosives at the base of Unicron's head as he touched down, blasting him back out into space before he could connect with the planet. {{storylink|Ghost in the Machine (G1)|Ghost in the Machine}}

On a geological survey to uncover [[isidrite]] for their weaponry, Springer and the Autobots were attacked by [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]'s forces, seeking the mineral for their own purposes. Luckily, Galvatron beat up most of his own troops for them, giving the Autobots a chance to depart. {{storylink|Webworld}}

[[File:VampireDepth.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Coooookiiiieeees.]]
When Perceptor finished construction of a new experimental power core for Cybertron, Springer used his helicopter mode to lower the core into place. Naturally, the Decepticons attempted to acquire the power core for themselves, but were led astray by their Quintesson "allies" who instead directed them towards the [[Hibernation Chamber]] of the [[Trans-Organic]]s. Springer and the other Autobots caught up with the 'Cons just in time to find them in pitched battle with the unleashed Trans-Organics, including the massive and monstrous power-sapping [[Dweller (G1)|Dweller]]. The Dweller drained the energy from its victims on contact, then placed them inside incubation tubes on its back. [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] and three [[Sweep (G1)|Sweeps]] were among its first victims. Springer valiantly scaled the creature and tore open its rear casing to free his friend and renew his series for another season. No good deed goes unpunished, though, for the creature had transformed Wreck-Gar into a [[Energy vampire|vampiric]] extension of itself, an undead robot who drained energy from others to feed it back into the Dweller itself. Springer became a victim of the very robot he tried to save. Luckily, Perceptor was able to concoct a method of correcting their power imbalance, restoring Springer, Wreck-Gar and the other victims to normal. The Dweller was launched into space once it latched onto the power core, thanks to Perceptor's bizarre security measures which allowed him to jettison the entire unit with the pull of a lever. {{storylink|The Dweller in the Depths}}

[[File:SpringerOnlyHuman.jpg|upright=0.9|thumb|left|Surprise, he's the green one!]]
Somewhere on Earth (it doesn't really matter where) a crime spree was raging, and the Autobots were called in to help. Springer lent his helicopter mode to rescue civilians trapped in burning buildings during a series of bombings. Springer, Arcee, Ultra Magnus and Rodimus Prime were called in by an anonymous tip that would be their "big break in the case". Springer laughed off the police chief when he suggested it might be a dangerous trap, but he stopped laughing when [[Victor Drath]] and "[[Cobra Commander|Old Snake]]" captured the Autobots inside of a minute. Not one to waste resources, Drath eliminated his enemies and developed powerful new weapons at the same time by converting the four Autobots' mental essence into synthetic organic forms. He ordered the organic material destroyed but, surprisingly, it seemed to form itself into four genuinely human bodies for the Autobots. Springer and the "Autobots" escaped Drath's thugs in the scrapyard where they were being disposed of, and sought cover in a nearby shed. In the sort of plot contrivance not revived until ''Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers'' years later, the Autobots found four matching jumpsuits inside, each perfectly replicating their individual color schemes. As a human, Springer faced some tough lessons, like shaving and dealing with sidewalk preachers.

[[File:Only-human-springer-helicoptermode.jpg||thumb|Ultra-Titan-Masterpiece Springer - it's ''bigger'' than the real thing.]]
After finding Drath's men test-driving the Autobots' now-inanimate bodies in the city, Springer ingratiated himself with the gang due to his ability to "pilot" the Autobot like a pro. The gang was set to infiltrate Autobot City inside their robot drones and then detonate Metroplex from the inside-out. After learning the plan, Springer carjacked himself (rescuing the captured Ultra Magnus in the process) and then flew to intercept the other Autobots before they reached Autobot City. Desperate to keep the Autobots from innocently letting their "friends" inside, Springer opened fire on Autobot City himself in order to force the Autobots to raise their defenses before the explosive-laden vehicles got too close. He succeeded in getting himself shot out of the sky, but at least Metroplex was put on alert and the bombing of Autobot City was stopped. Perceptor whipped up a reversal-transference doodad, and Springer and the others were returned to their rightful bodies. {{storylink|Only Human}}

After Galvatron's goons sabotaged the master power generator on Cybertron with [[anti-electron]]s, the Autobots began experiencing system irregularities. In Springer's case, he was attempted to fly [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] to the repair bay when he transformed in mid-air and crashed instead. The problem was eventually corrected, but surely Springer missed out on a good opportunity to tease Sky Lynx about tarnishing his "oh so perfect" flight record. {{storylink|Grimlock's New Brain}}

[[File:CotP-BlasterEject.jpg|left|thumb|left|Blaster, please, now isn't the time for this!]]
On a barren planetoid, Springer was fighting alongside Rodimus Prime, Ultra Magnus and [[Blaster (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Blaster]] against the Decepticons. They were pinned down in the trenches, waiting for "[[Sky Lynx (G1)|Commander Modesty]]" to arrive and lend some air support. Once he arrived, though, Sky Lynx and the other "[[primitive]]s" on both sides were called into space by a signal only they could hear. Before either side could fully comprehend what had happened, a massive energy creature known as [[Tornedron]] arrived, draining them dry of their energy. Luckily, Grimlock and the primitives eventually managed to save the universe and undo the power loss suffered by Springer and the others. {{storylink|Call of the Primitives}}

During a skirmish in [[Japan]], Springer was present when Rodimus temporarily reverted to Hot Rod. He and the other Autobots held off an attack by the Decepticons when Scourge briefly took control of them and the Matrix of Leadership. {{storylink|The Burden Hardest to Bear}}

When the Quintesson scientist was describing the consequences of leaving the [[Time Window|time window]] open, the scene showing temporal loops included a race, in which Springer was a participant. {{storylink|Forever Is a Long Time Coming (episode)|Forever Is a Long Time Coming}}
{{--}}

====Japanese cartoon continuity====
=====''Legends'' comic (1)=====
In the [[Legends World]], upon recognizing [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] and [[Tigatron]] recalled the scene where she fought [[Unicron]]'s inner defenses alongside Springer and Kup. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 10|Bonus Edition Vol. 10}}

In [[2004]], Springer founded the new Autobot unit known as the [[Wreckers]] {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 7|Bonus Edition Vol. 7}} simply because he'd learned the name from [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] and [[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]] and thought it sounded cool. Their mission statement was "doing cool stuff", and when Optimus Prime disagreed and changed it to "cleaning up around [[Mount St. Hilary]]", Springer got so upset he transferred to [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]] instead. {{storylink|Jumpstarter Chapter}}

=====Rodimus Wars=====
Springer fought against [[Shockwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Shockwave]]'s army of evil Autobot clones on one of Cybertron's moons. When Hot Rod and [[Dark Hot Rod]] went out to destroy the Decepticons' cloning facility, he didn't have much faith in them. {{storylink|Rodimus Wars}}

=====''The Headmasters'' cartoon=====
[[File:Hm4 Autobot Triple Changers.jpg|200px|thumb]]
Alongside [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] and [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]], Springer was sent from [[Athenia]] to Cybertron in order to defend against a major Decepticon assault. {{storylink|Four Warriors Come out of the Sky}} The Triple Changers then travelled to Earth, where they helped [[Blaster (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Twincast]] sneak into [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] by keeping their Decepticon counterparts busy with a dogfight. {{storylink|The Great Cassette Operation}}

=====''Legends'' comic (2)=====
After his separation from Arcee, Springer began to eat his feelings and, by the [[2030]]s, his Wrecker teammates began to show concern for his increased girth. Embarrassed, Springer vowed to turn his life around. When [[Whirl (G1)#Legends comic|Whirl]] and [[Roadbuster (G1)#Legends comic|Roadbuster]] told him of their homeplace of the [[Legends World]] and that he could get a new body there, Springer contacted [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] there, who created a portal for them to pass over. There, Springer got a new, sleek body from [[Rhinox (BW)#Legends comic|Rhinox]], and he immediately got a cadre of admirers. {{storylink|LG19 Sprung Prologue}} This drove [[Tigatron]] to jealously, and he stole Alpha Trion's [[10.2 ultra-drill|ultra-drill]] to bring in women from across the [[multiverse]] to adore the tiger. They all ultimately turned their attentions to Springer. Eventually, Springer came across the Legends World's [[Arcee (G1)#Legends comic|Arcee]], whom he confused as [[Arcee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|his Arcee]]. After being corrected, Springer asked her out, but was immediately turned down. In shame, Springer fled back to his home dimension. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 19|Bonus Edition Vol. 19}}

On Springer's return, the other Wreckers pushed him into confessing his love to his own Arcee, though how she responded is unknown. When the Wreckers learned that the Legends World was under attack by [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]], they all agreed they had to help and traveled over there, {{storylink|Jumpstarter Chapter}} where Springer ended up held back by Windblade's [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmasters]] while [[Twin Twist]] battled her. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 65|Bonus Edition Vol. 65}} Once Windblade was defeated, Springer considered the case closed, though Twin Twist and [[Topspin (G1)|Topspin]] weren't so sure. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 66|Bonus Edition Vol. 66}}

Springer reunited with Arcee and the "2010 Team" on Legends World, fighting against the evil [[Majin Zarak]]. The plasma bombs activated by Majin Zarak's creator, [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], forced the Transformers to evacuate the Legends World's population to safety. {{storylink|Targetmaster Chapter Finale: Legends World in Imminent Danger! Part Two|Legends World in Imminent Danger! Part Two}} Back in 2038 of the G1 World, Springer appeared on Cybertron as the former denizens of Legends World attempted to recruit the [[Powered Master]]s' aid in restoring their home. {{storylink|The Road to Legends' Revival Chapter 2}}

=====''Generations Selects Special Comic''=====
In [[2050]], Megatron supported the uprising of a race of human-engineered robots named [[Selector]]s, who felt they were treated as slaves. Springer was among the Autobots assembled at first by Optimus Prime to oppose the revolution, but the Autobots quickly realized Megatron and the Selectors were correct. {{storylink|Volcanicus comic 1}} Unfortunately, the Quintessons entered the fray on the side of Earth, unleashing their [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcon]]s to feed on the [[Angolmois Energy]] that powered the Selectors. The Terrorcons released a metal-eating gas based on anti-electrons, and Springer was one of the many victims of the effect. {{storylink|Abominus comic 1}}

====''TV Magazine'' comic continuity====
=====''The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms''=====
Responding to an SOS from deep space, a team of Autobots including Springer helped rescue a human spacecraft from the jaws of a spaceship-eating Decepticon vessel. {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 1|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers #1}}

When the Autobots were attacked by the [[Megatron Corps]], Springer speculated that perhaps the Quintesson were behind this new threat. The Megatrons proved to be tough opponents, and Springer and the other Autobots encouraged Rodimus to get away to safety while they held the Megatrons back, but the Autobot leader refused. Soon, it was discovered that one of the Megatrons was Galvatron in disguise, who was remote-controlling the duplicate Megatrons himself. Rodimus dispatched Galvatron, and the Megatrons lost power, allowing Springer and [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]] to make short work of them. {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 2|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers #2}}

Springer was part of the Autobot team who traveled to the planet [[Feminia]] to defend its [[Prime Energy Tower]] against a Decepticon attack. Though things looked grim when [[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]] joined the fight, the Autobots wound up winning the day when the [[Omnibot (G1)|Omnibot]]s showed up and toppled the Decepticon into its fellow combiners [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]], [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]], and [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]. {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 5|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers #5}}

=====''The Great Transformer War''=====
After the resurrection of Optimus Prime, Springer battled [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] and the other Decepticons in deep space. {{storylink|The Great Transformer War issue 3|The Great Transformer War #3}}

====Madman ''The Transformers'' comic====
Springer aided in the Autobots' exodus of Cybertron when, in the year 2001, the Decepticons had managed to conquer the entire planet. He helped a wounded Wheeljack get aboard a spaceship as Optimus Prime covered their escape. {{storylink|The Transformers (Madman)|The Transformers}}

====''Wings Universe''====
{{Wingsnote}}
At the dawn of the [[Machine Wars (event)|Machine Wars]], Springer was granted full access to a "confiscated weapons" hold to better equip himself against [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] and his clone army. After arming himself to the teeth, he followed [[Strika (BM)|Strika]] and [[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] into battle against the invaders. {{storylink|Termination}}

====Ask Vector Prime====
In a universe where [[Sideways (AVP)|Sideways]] and [[Gong (GoBots)|Gong]] had mixed [[GoBot]]s into the [[Unicron War]], Springer helped fight off [[Cy-Kill (GoBots)|Cy-Kill]]'s ambush on Autobot City. He fired on [[Water Walk]] and teamed up with [[Arcee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Arcee]] to help shift the fortress into its defensive configuration.

Then the universes twisted around each other, creating a timeline where the [[Guardian (GoBots)|Guardian]]s were besieged by Decepticons—a timeline where Springer never existed—and then a new timeline where members of all four factions were running around. After the death of [[Leader-1 (GoBots)|Leader-1]] and the advance of Unicron, Springer was forced to flee Earth with [[Major Mo]], Arcee, [[Nick Burns|Nick]], and [[A.J. Foster|A.J.]] when Galvatron and his new minions [[Fracture (Movie)|Fracture]] and [[Deadlift]] attacked.

Springer's ship was shot down over [[Quartex (planet)|Quartex]], where they encountered [[Magmar]]'s evil [[Rock Lord]]s. When Kup and Hot Rod arrived from [[Antares 3|Antares III]], the re-united forces forged an alliance with [[Boulder (GoBots)|Boulder]]'s heroic Rock Lords and drove off the villains. The Autobots, Guardians, [[RoGun]]s, and Rock Lords made their way to Cybertron, where they battled Unicron. Unbeknownst to any, [[Vector Prime]] had fixed the crumbling reality from behind the scenes, and restored the Matrix to its normal state, allowing for Hot Rod to become Rodimus Prime and save the day. {{storylink|Echoes and Fragments}}

====''Deviations''====
In a world where Optimus survived the Battle of Autobot City, Springer was aboard Ultra Magnus's shuttle; on Optimus's orders, they planned to return to Cybertron and finish the Decepticons before they could regroup.

On the way back to Cybertron, the Autobot convoy was attacked by "Megascream" – the new leader of the Decepticons, a reformatted Starscream now in service of Unicron. Hot Rod impulsively decided to reverse the engines, and his maneuver warped the ship to the [[Tyrolian Quadrant]], above the planet Junkion. With the shuttle now critically damaged, Springer yelled at Hot Rod for his recklessness; although Hot Rod and Daniel ejected aboard an escape pod, the other members of the ship died when the shuttle exploded over Junkion. {{storylink|Transformers: Deviations|Deviations}}

===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics====
{{noteukexclusive|Springer}}
[[File:Triplechangerstarget2006.jpg|left|upright=1.4|thumb|This trinity's going to war!]]
Springer was a member of the Wreckers commando squad, originally meant (with the other Triple Changers) to substitute for [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ultra Magnus]] in [[Operation: Volcano]] to fend off the [[Decepticon]] reinforcements while the other Wreckers dealt with Cybertron's deadliest. [[Emirate]] [[Xaaron]] decided to the best way to convince [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] that Springer, [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]], and [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] were up to replace Magnus was by having them pretend to be Decepticons and beating the [[Slag (slang)|slag]] out of him. So that's more or less what they did. Except they had to gang up against him. While he was unarmed. And with an [[inhibitor claw]] on his back. Nonetheless, they did impress the Wreckers leader, and quickly begun training in [[Debris]]. But even as Volcano began, there were still worries that the three newcomers might not be enough to replace Magnus. Ultimately, Volcano did not take place, instead being replaced by Impactor having half his head blown off by a [[Macabre|nobody Decepticon]]. After blowing Macabre away, Springer and the Wreckers watched Impactor's life pass away. Evidently particularly impressed by Springer, Impactor chose him as his replacement to lead his motley crew. {{storylink|Target: 2006}}

[[File:Magnus springer under fire.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|"Springer, I swear this is just pollen."]]
Despite Springer being placed in this position of authority, he continued to unquestioningly take orders from Ultra Magnus. Under his command, they tracked down what Magnus thought was a Decepticon spy disguised as Optimus Prime, shackled him with [[energy restraints]], and prepared to gun him down. Unbeknownst to them, the Autobot commander was the genuine article. The execution was interrupted by Outback, who distracted Springer and his Wreckers with a [[gas particle bomb]] in order to allow Prime to escape. Springer was unperturbed by this turn of events, and assured Ultra Magnus that his troops would catch up to the escapees in a few breems. Magnus requested instead that he be allowed to chase down the "spy" himself, borrowing a trio of [[Guardian (Marvel)|Guardian]] units to do so. {{storylink|Under Fire!}} Doubt began to creep into Magnus's mind as he pursued his quarry, however. Springer and the other Wreckers joined in chasing the "spy" while [[Xaaron|Emirate Xaaron]] was called in to voice his opinion on the situation. Springer, Whirl, Broadside and Sandstorm were the ones who located the target first, but Xaaron arrived in time to recognize that Optimus truly was who he purported to be, and Optimus was welcomed back into the fold. {{storylink|Distant Thunder!}} Afterwards Prime rallied the Autobot forces on Cybertron, leading Springer and the other Wreckers on raids to secure Decepticon-held ressources. The last of these raids launched without Optimus present however, as it served as a distraction, allowing him to face off against Megatron while Springer and the others kept the Decepticon rank-and-file occupied. {{storylink|Resurrection!}}

After the super-Decepticon [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] wound up trapped in the hardened lava-flow of [[Mount Verona]] on Earth, Springer sent three of his soldier, [[Sizzle (G1)|Sizzle]], [[Guzzle (G1)|Guzzle]], and [[Fizzle]], to keep tabs on him. But when their first report came in, they had shocking news: not only had Galvatron broken free from his prison, but the trio had lost track of him after he had made his way to the Ocean floor off the coast of Florida. Springer was at a loss on what to do next, considering that Galvatron had proved near-invincible in the past. {{storylink|Enemy Action!}}

[[File:Generic autobots marvel uk 166.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.3|Being nuked is no excuse for lack of proper hallway etiquette, Springer.]]
Springer felt unworthy of his role as leader, and suffered from worries that he couldn't handle it, worries made worse when he proved unprepared as [[Kalis]] was overrun by the undead. Upon facing Impactor's [[zombie]], Springer mentally crumbled, rendering him completely ineffective against the shambling horde. The Wreckers were captured by the zombies' master, the mad scientist [[Flame (Marvel)|Flame]], and the lot of them were put in a cell guarded by the undead Impactor. As they were all fitted with [[inhibitor band]]s, preventing them from transforming, Springer's leaping abilities presented the Wrecker's with only one means of escape; the tormented Triple Changer would have to overcome his self-doubt, and jump through a ceiling grate to reach the surface. Xaaron convinced Springer to once more believe in himself, but as he made the jump, Impactor grabbed a hold of Springer, and both burst into the ventilation ducting above. By imploring him to fight Flame's control, Springer succeeded in getting Impactor's mind to resurface, allowing him to carry on to meet up with Ultra Magnus's team. {{storylink|Legion of the Lost!}} After informing Magnus's team of had been going on, Springer doubled back to put an end to the crazed scientist's schemes. As they walked, Springer learned that Magnus had also recently made a questionable decision as leader of his unit; letting his Decepticon captive, [[Flywheels]], go in order to secure reinforcements. Springer sympathized with his fellow commander, as they both were forced to make impossible decisions and live with the consequences.

[[File:Springer sparkabots magnus meltdown.jpg|thumb|upright=1.95]]
By the time Springer's group made it back to the Wreckers' cell, the prisoners had already freed themselves and made short work of another legion of zombies. Both groups merged, only to find their path blocked by a massive blast door. Taking [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]] with him, Springer headed for the surface once more, this time to grab some heavy armament and blast through this newest obstacle. They didn't get far before coming upon [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]! But the massive Decepticon was on their side; Flywheels had come through with reinforcements after all. With the behemoth's help, the Autobots breached Flame's inner sanctum, though a little too late. The planetary engines were already destabilizing, and the only way to shut them down was to go into a control room already bathed in deadly radiation. Springer volunteered to lay down his life for the mission, but Xaaron insisted on doing it himself. Cutting through the remnants of Flame's zombie army, Springer made it back to the surface... and was soon joined by Xaaron after all! It turned out, the undead Impactor had once more sacrificed himself to save his homeworld. Springer and the Autobots stood in solemn silence, paying homage to their fallen comrade for his heroism. {{storylink|Meltdown!}}

[[File:Nightstickwreckinghavoc.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.6]]
That done, it was time for the main mission: Take the Wreckers to Earth to face [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]. Springer helped prepare for the journey while Ultra Magnus and the Sparkler Mini-bots found themselves getting roped into another mission on Cybertron. {{storylink|Deadly Games!}} Unfortunately, Springer's team found themselves sent by the [[space bridge]] to a human city, as Galvatron was meeting with two other time-displaced Decepticons, [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] and [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]]. Though this threatened to compromise the mission immediately, the Wreckers nonetheless threw themselves at their foe. As Springer had predicted, the fight against Galvatron began causing major destruction and endangerment of human life, so he decided to lure Cyclonus and Scourge away, pretending he'd captured Galvatron's time-jump device. The rest of his team quickly followed, saving Springer from getting killed by the two Decepticon stooges, but allowing Galvatron to escape in the process. The mission a failure, Springer led the Wreckers back to Cybertron with the intent of returning for Galvatron later. {{storylink|Wrecking Havoc}}

[[File:Uk203 cover detail.jpg|thumb|"See Springer, that's the difference between you and I. Organization. Careful thinking. Forward
planning. And that is why I sleep in the arms of a beautiful woman and you spend your evenings alone in your bedsit. With ''cheap porn''."]]
On their homeworld, Springer managed to form a tenuous alliance with [[Carnivac (G1)|Carnivac]]'s [[Mayhem Attack Squad]]; a time storm resulting from the super-Decepticon's prolonged stay in the past had formed, threatening all of reality and convincing the Decepticons to aid in the Wreckers' mission to return him to his proper era. Unfortunately, by the time the Autobots' [[Advance Surveillance Unit]] located Galvatron once more, he had formed an alliance with "[[Straxus (G1)|Megatron]]." Even with the support of the Decepticons, the Wreckers were massacred, with Springer's order to retreat and fight a running battle doing nothing to stop the slaughter. He did manage to speak with Scourge during the battle though, convincing him to help in mending the [[time rift]] by fetching Cyclonus's body. Furthermore, Springer's heroism impressed Mayhem leader [[Carnivac (G1)|Carnivac]] so much he disobeyed his orders to kill the surviving Autobots; the two also saved each other's life during the battle. {{storylink|Time Wars}}

[[File:Survivors marvel uk 222.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.7]]
In the battle's aftermath, Springer and his remaining teammates were left stranded on Earth, with their compatriots on Cybertron telling them they were unable to send over a new ship. Growing frustrated and paranoid, the Wreckers began to believe that the other Autobots were embarrassed by their task force, and were purposely ignoring them. They were approached by Carnivac and Catilla, who felt equally abandoned by their own faction. With them was another Decepticon [[Pretender]], [[Snarler]], who still felt that allying with the Autobots constituted treason. Himself hesitant to join forces, Springer was relieved when Inferno reported on a procession of emergency vehicles passing by, and used this development to postpone the conversation. Springer, Inferno, and Broadside investigated while the Decepticons hung back.

The Autobots found [[Skids (G1)|Skids]], recently released from [[Limbo]], threatening to explode the [[Hudden Nuclear Power Plant]] in order to eradicate several monsters that had spawned from his dreams in the nether-dimension. Springer and the others managed to talk him down from triggering a nuclear meltdown, but hesitated in killing the monsters, fearing that their destruction would lead to Skids's death. The odds stacked against them, Springer called upon the Decepticons they had met earlier for aid. Snarler and Catilla arrived in time to turn the tide of battle and all of the monsters were killed. Better yet, it turned out that Skids could survive independently from the monsters after all! Fighting alongside Carnivac once more put to rest any doubts Springer had; he readily accepted the Decepticon's offer to band together. Their group branded themselves the "[[Survivors]]," with Springer becoming their leader. {{storylink|Survivors!}}

[[File:Springer broadside inferno skids survival run.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|That WAS a unicorn, I swear it!]]
Carnivac eventually chafed under his leadership, and whacked Springer one, while ranting that he had grown tired of rescuing humans all the time. Though Catilla tried to convince Springer to have patience with the Decepticon, Carnivac's outburst convinced Springer that they would never see eye-to-eye. Unfortunately for Carnivac, he left Springer's group right when a new Mayhem Attacked Squad arrived to kill him! {{storylink|Way of the Warrior}} When he learned of Carnivac's plight, Springer decided that their teammate had forfeited his membership to the Survivors already, and thus was on his own to deal with his attackers. Catilla was outraged by this verdict, and left to help out his fellow ex-Decepticon. Springer turned to his fellow Autobots, looking for approval for his decision, only to be met with glares and scowls. {{storylink|Survival Run}} He was convinced by the others to go to Carnivac's aid, but while Carnivac was saved, [[Catilla (G1)|Catilla]] was killed. {{storylink|A Savage Place!}}
{{-}}

=====Earthforce=====
{{earthforcefiction}}
[[File:Wolf in the Fold Springer.jpg|left|upright=0.85|thumb|Grrrrr. >:(]]
Springer wanted to wait for the Mayhem Attack Squad to make the first mistake before seeking vengeance for Catilla, but Carnivac couldn't wait. He set off on his own to enact his revenge. Without time to formulate a decent plan, Springer realized the Survivors would need raw numbers to defeat the Mayhems, and that meant dealing with [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] and [[Earthforce]]. Asking for help to save a Decepticon... Springer ruminated that Grimlock was likely to declare them all traitors on the spot. {{storylink|Wolf in the Fold!}} Still, they went to Earthforce, pledging the Survivors' allegiance in return for them helping rescue Carnivac. Upon storming the beach where the Mayhems were holed up however, Springer learned from Bludgeon that they were apparently too late; according to him, Carnivac was already dead! However, it turned out that Carnivac had only faked his death by allowing the destruction of his Pretender shell. He turned up just as Springer was about to execute Bludgeon in revenge, staying the Autobot's hand in order to deny Bludgeon a warrior's death. The remaining Mayhems were taken into Autobot custody, Snarler, Needlenose, and Spinister having already met their end at Carnivac's hands. {{storylink|Where Wolf?}}

[[File:Starscream survivors divide and conquer.jpg|thumb|]]
Soon thereafter, the Earth-based Decepticons under [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]] and [[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] attempted to divide the Autobots' attention, staging a full-scale assault on [[Earthbase]] while Starscream secured a [[Oil tanker|tanker full of fuel]] in the meantime. While the main Earthforce defended their base, however, Springer led the Survivors in fighting back against Starscream's energy-stealing attempt. {{storylink|Divide and Conquer!}} When [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] came under the mental thrall of one of [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]]'s cerebro shells, Springer accompanied Grimlock and [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] in their attempts to stop the rampaging combiner. Superion proved to be too powerful to stop with brute force, and so the Autobots coerced [[Irwin Spoon]] into infiltrating Superion's infra-structure, and removing the cerebro shell manually. Irwin succeeded in the nick of time, stopping Superion just before Springer and the others were forced to open fire on him to prevent a township from being crushed. {{storylink|Inside Story!}}
{{-}}

=====Marvel UK future timelines=====
{{note|The movie adaptation, originally published by Marvel US, is in italics}}
''At some point, earlier in their careers, Springer and Ultra Magnus managed to evade Megatron's forces by triggering a domino-effect within an asteroid field near the planet [[Beta 4|Beta Four]]. They caused the space rocks to collide into one another until the debris made it impossible for the Decepticons to track them.'' {{storylink|Judgment Day!}}

[[File:Springer arcee the planet eater.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2]]
''In [[2005]], Springer was stationed at [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]] when it came under a major offensive from Megatron and his Decepticons. He and Arcee transformed the outpost into its defensive configuration, but the enemy nevertheless managed to breach its walls. The Decepticons were eventually driven off, but at a steep price; in the battle's aftermath, Optimus lay mortally wounded. Afterwards, Springer witnessed Optimus pass on the Matrix of Leadership over to Ultra Magnus before expiring on his deathbed.'' {{storylink|The Planet-Eater!}}

''The Autobots were only given a brief respite before more bad news reached them: a "monster planet," [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]], was encroaching on Cybertron, and devouring its moons! The Autobots quickly prepared to head to Cybertron aboard two shuttles, only to be attacked by Decepticon forces led by [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]], the upgraded form of Megatron. In a last-ditch effort to lose the Decepticons, Ultra Magnus ordered an emergency separation of his group's shuttle. After Galvatron destroyed the jettisoned portion of the vessel (and declared the Matrix destroyed), Springer and his crewmates landed their craft on the [[Junkion (planet)|Planet of Junk]] for repairs.'' {{storylink|Judgment Day!}}

[[File:Springer wreck gar the final battle.jpg|thumb|upright=1]]
''Though the young boy [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel]] insisted he wanted to help out, Springer dismissed him, advising the human to stay inside and "play with crayons or something." He showed a more supportive side, however, after Arcee provided Daniel with an [[exosuit]], allowing him to match the Autobots' resilience. But the Autobots barely got any work done before the Decepticons tracked them down once more. Ultra Magnus was drawn in quarters, and Galvatron took off with the Matrix in hand. Worse yet, the hostile [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]] next moved in for an attack. Thankfully, Another group, comprising Kup, Hot Rod, and others, then arrived and made peace-talk with the Junkions. All those on Junk then readied for a confrontation against Unicron. This engagement saw the Autobots' ship crash through the titan's eye, and Springer's group found Bumblebee, Jazz, and Spike inside Unicron. Also within Unicron, Hot Rod retrieved the Matrix, which both upgraded him into Rodimus Prime and began a chain reaction, culminating in Unicron's destruction! With the threat now dealt with, the Autobots gathered around Rodimus Prime, who announced that this day would mark a new chapter in Cybertronian history, one that would hopefully contain much peace and happiness.'' {{storylink|The Final Battle!}}

[[File:Peace Rodimus Springer.jpg|thumb|left|Springimus Prime?]]
In [[2008]], Springer was briefly seen among a massive melee between the Autobots and Decepticons on Cybertron. {{storylink|The Legacy of Unicron!}} Later that year, he was stationed in Autobot City on Earth as it came under siege from Quintesson invaders. All Autobots within the outpost were off-lined and strung up to its outer walls by the aggressors. They were eventually rescued after Hot Rod managed to activate [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] and drove the Quintessons off. {{storylink|Space Pirates!}}

In one future, set in the year [[2510]], the war with the Decepticons finally came to a conclusion. Springer led his Wreckers into battle in Cybertron's northern hemisphere, wiping out the last of the remaining Decepticon warriors. When [[Hot Rod (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Rodimus Prime]] officially declared the war over, he decided to nominate Springer to carry on the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] for him. Tragically, however, things wouldn't be that simple. A deep-cover Decepticon named [[Triton]] stirred up trouble at the meeting by declaring Ultra Magnus a better choice for the new Autobot leader. His antics led to a brawl between Springer's Wreckers and the [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]], who favored Ultra Magnus. Although Triton was killed in the fight, it was too late: the war began again, this time with Autobot vs. Autobot. {{storylink|Peace}}

=====Another Time & Place=====
[[File:Another Time Place Fangry.jpg|thumb]]
Grimlock and the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] rushed off half-cocked searching for a cure for [[Nucleon (substance)|Nucleon]] on [[Hydrus Four]], and it was up to the Autobots to bail them out of trouble when they were caught by the Decepticons. Working with a small group (including [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]], [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] and [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]]), Springer caught the Decepticon [[Fangry (G1)|Fangry]] alone and pulled him into the sea. Before he could fight back, Springer used a [[Thermal weaponry|thermal knife]] to amputate both of his arms, leaving the [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]] helpless against his Autobot attackers. Cold, Springer. Awesome, but cold.

The Autobots then sprung a surprise attack on the remaining Decepticons, ending in a total victory for Springer and his teammates. With [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]]'s defeat, and [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]]'s revival aborted, the war finally came to an end. {{storylink|Another Time & Place}}

====Marvel ''Generation 2'' comic====
[[File:Springerg2.jpg|thumb|left|Hey, Marvel US, it's me!]]
When the [[Cybertronian (faction)|Cybertronians]] ambushed the [[Autobot]]s on the planet [[Ethos]], Springer was in charge of a squad consisting of [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] and [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]], Inferno's buddy [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]], and [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]]. Although Springer warned his squad to stay close together, Smokescreen broke formation, resulting in his death and the injuring of Ironhide. Smokescreen's death caused Inferno to lose his temper, and he subsequently also died despite Springer's warnings. {{storylink|Escalation!}}

Springer later helped lay [[Sky Sniper]] mines on Earth, in preparation for a final stand against the coming of the [[Swarm (G2)|Swarm]]. {{storylink|A Rage in Heaven!}}
{{--}}

====''Classics''====
{{noteclassics}}
[[File:Classics Ultramagnus Springer Grimlock comic.jpg|thumb|Springer's the one who doesn't know how binoculars work. Well, one of them, anyway.]]
Springer mainly worked alone against the Decepticons until after [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]]'s defeat on [[Klo]]. Fearing the end of the conflict that was so important to him, he was eager to sign on with Grimlock's crew. {{storylink|Games of Deception|''Classics'' Springer's ''Timelines'' profile}}

Fifteen years after the Autobot/Decepticon war ended on Klo, Springer was head of security under Substitute Commander Ultra Magnus aboard the ''[[Graviton (Classics)|Graviton]]'' as it tracked [[Bug Bite (GoBots)|Bug Bite]] to Earth. Springer was looking forward to seeing Grimlock again. Once on Earth, Springer and Ultra Magnus were spying on a meeting between the Decepticons that had followed Bludgeon and those that had thrown their lot in with Starscream. After observing Mirage get captured and Bug Bite using modified [[cerebro-shell]]s to control some of the assembled Decepticons, they withdrew. Later using modified cerebro-shell jammers, Springer was part of the Autobot force that disrupted Bug Bite's meeting with [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]]. The disrupted meeting led to Decepticon firing on Decepticon and in the chaos that followed, Springer disabled the Decepticon computers, allowing the raiding party to withdraw with a rescued Mirage. {{storylink|Games of Deception}}

Later, [[Acid Storm (G1)|Acid Storm]], [[Drag Strip (G1)|Drag Strip]], and [[Overkill (G1)|Overkill]] were waiting on a dusty planet when Springer's rogue team of Autobots attempted to hunt them down. {{storylink|At Fight's End}} After the destruction of [[Primax 207.0 Epsilon|his universe]], Springer and his comrades ended up at [[Axiom Nexus]]. {{storylink|Epilogue}}
{{--}}

====''Regeneration One''====
{{NoteRG1}}
[[File:Wreckers loose ends.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|left|Alright you lazy bums, it's time to make 'em sorry for leaving us outta the first eighty issues!]]
Springer interrupted [[Kup (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Kup]]'s [[solid light simulation|holographic training session]] (just before Kup would have been defeated by [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]]) to tell him that the [[Skyscorcher]]s were holed up in the [[Pax Cybertronia Decommissioning Depot]], where they feared they would detonate [[Warbird (weapon)|cobalt-60 warheads]]. Though disapproved by [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]], Springer and the [[Wreckers]] invaded the facility and captured the Deluxe [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]]s, saving countless lives. The Wreckers joined Kup in his quest to help the other planets affected by the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]], and travelled to [[Earth]], hitching a ride aboard the [[Cosmic Carnival]]. Unfortunately they learned the entire planet had been devastated, and were summarily blown out of the sky by nuclear missiles, launched by Megatron. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 1}}

[[File:Springer ratbat loose ends.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2| Let me tell you, getting BOFFed is no laughing matter.]]
Using escape pods, they crash-landed on Earth. To send a message of their findings to Cybertron, Springer and the Wreckers targeted the [[Deep Space Network]]. While [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]], [[Leadfoot (G2)|Leadfoot]] and [[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]] drew off most of the pursuing zombie-cons, Kup, [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] and Springer made for the dish. When more pursuers appeared, Kup peeled off to deal with them, urging Springer and Whirl to get the message through. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 2}} After [[Rack'n'Ruin (G1)|Rack'n'Ruin]] discovered and was attacked by [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Circuit Smasher]], Springer and the other Wreckers quickly surrounded the super-human until a truce was reached. Circuit Smasher, a.k.a. Spike Witwicky took the Wreckers to [[Argus Base]] where they met with [[G.B. Blackrock]]. As they all discussed the fate of Earth and of Spike, they received a broadcast from Megatron holding Kup hostage—an obvious trap, but one that gave Springer an idea. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 3}}

Springer took fellow helicopters Sandstorm and Whirl to engage Megatron's forces—knowing it was likely a suicide mission—to give the other Wreckers and Spike's team a chance to storm the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]]. After Springer was brought down by [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]], Megatron told him that though killing had lost its appeal, he occasionally would do so to set an example to those who would oppose him. Before Megatron could follow through, Optimus Prime and his team arrived. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 4}}

Prime commanded Megatron to let Springer go, but the Decepticon leader coldly executed him, sending Prime into a furious attack. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 5}} Kup was very upset over Springer's death, and blamed his death on Optimus's inaction. {{storylink|Natural Selection, Part One}}

Another version of Springer was killed in a parallel future, and his corpse was briefly seen by Hot Rod as he passed through on a journey from Primus. {{storylink|Less Than Zero}}

====''Transformers '84''====
Springer, [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]], [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]], and [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] followed [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ultra Magnus]] into battle against Decepticon forces led by [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]] as they besieged a fort in the [[Border Regions]]. Following their intervention, Straxus ordered his troops to retreat but to gather as many prisoners as they could as they did so. {{storylink|Secrets & Lies issue 2|Secrets & Lies #2}}
{{--}}

===Marvel coloring books===
Millions of years ago, before the Ark first left for the Earth, Springer loaded a particularly large shipment of Energon onto the Ark. It would later become lost when the Ark crashed into Mt. St. Hillary. {{storylink|The Lost Treasure of Cybertron}}

{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|The Invasion of the Decepticon Camp}}}}

Springer was returning from a road trip with Daniel, Hound and Hot Rod, Bumblebee, Blurr, Wheelie, Kup and Sunstreaker when the group paused to eat at a rest stop. As the Autobots ingested Energon Cubes, Hot Rod asked Kup to tell a story. Kup told the others the story of the loss of the large shipment of Energon, and how it remained lost to the day. Enthralled by Kup's story, the rest of the group were all eager to go looking for this lost treasure. Then Sunstreaker and Springer noticed Laserbeak taking off from their location. The two Autobots realized that Laserbeak had been spying on them the whole time, and would soon inform Galvatron about the lost Energon shipment. Springer and Sunstreaker attempted to shoot down Laserbeak to no avail. Springer and the others rushed back to Metroplex to inform Ultra Magnus on the situation. After a brief conference, Ultra Magnus led his troops to the Ark's crash site. Finding the Decepticons there already, the two factions began to fight. The stash of Energon was uncovered when Rumble used his earthquake-inducing abilities. Springer snatched the box up immediately, and attempted to keep it away from the Decepticons by tossing it to Brawn, who in turn tossed it to Grimlock. The box of energon was torn open and was completely gobbled up by Starscream, who proclaimed himself the most powerful Decepticon. With nothing left to fight over, Springer and the Autobots left Galvatron and Starscream to their squabble. {{storylink|The Lost Treasure of Cybertron}}

{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Hot Rod's Escape}}}}

===Sticker Adventures===
[[File:Springer botjp.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|In the Special Edition, Wreck-Gar shoots first.]]
Springer was one of four Autobots working on mapping the universe when their shuttle is hit by a meteor. Forced into an emergency landing on the [[Junkion (planet)|Junk Planet]], they were attacked by [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]] until Hot Rod & Kup arrived to save their skidplates. {{storylink|Battle on the Junk Planet}}
{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Galvatron Attacks}}}}

===Toy pack-in material===
Springer teamed up with [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] and [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] during a tumultuous battle on a moonbase, in an attempt to slay [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]. Springer managed to sock Galvatron good, sending the tyrant hurling away. {{storylink|Decipher the Decepticon}}

When the Decepticons stole the Creation Matrix, Springer was called upon by Ultra Magnus to help retrieve it. Thanks to an army of [[decoy]]s, the Autobots were successful in retrieving their sacred relic. {{storylink|Start Your Own Decoy Collection}}

===Find Your Fate Junior===
{{notemultipath}}
====Autobot Alert!====
Alongside Beachcomber and Blurr, Springer was assigned a secret mission; to uncover the location of a sphere of cybertite, containing an ancient Autobot formula. Partway through the mission, Decepticon storm troopers blasted their way into the Autobots’ research centre, stole a secret message Springer had coded for Kup's eyes only, and short-circuited him.

In one possible scenario, a squad of Autobots reached the Autobots’ desert research centre, and Sringer was fixed up by Ratchet. Fully operational once more, he explained that the cybertite sphere crashed down in a nearby crater centuries ago, but was found by humans during the 16th century who subsequently moved it. If the Decepticons had decoded Springer's message, they would be searching off the coast of California, where the ship containing the sphere had sunk. If they hadn't decoded the message, the Decepticons would still be digging in the nearby crater. Springer was for heading towards the crater first.

If Ultra Magnus decided to head for the California coast right away, he split up his forces to more efficiently handle the situation. Springer was part of the main Autobot forces that were led towards the coast by Ultra Magnus. Arriving at the scene, Ultra Magnus's troops were informed by Powerglide (who had flown ahead of the land-bound group) that he had discovered the location of the sunken ship containing the cybertite sphere. Simultaneously, Blurr caught up with the group to inform them that the Decepticons were quickly approaching. The Autobots then needed to decide whether they would raise the ship themselves, or try and ambush the Decepticons after they had done so.

If Ultra Magnus decided to have his Autobots hide while the Decepticons raised the ship, Springer found himself in a cave with Seaspray and Topspin. The three Autobots spied Devastator retrieving the sunken ship from the water, and decided that the three of them would snatch the sphere away from the Decepticons.

If Springer Seaspray and Topspin executed their plan before any of the other Autobots, Springer instructed the two seaworthy Autobots to head out a few miles, and then return to create a distraction while he retrieved the sphere. The plan went off without a hitch, and Springer used his powerful leg mechanisms to leap his way back to Metroplex. {{storylink|Autobot Alert!}}
{{-}}

====The Invisibility Factor====
In one possible scenario, the Autobots were informed by Kup and Hot Rod that the Decepticons had taken possession of an [[Invisibility Device]], created by the human [[Sarah Sanders]], and taken it into space to study it. Ultra Magnus put together a team of Autobots and took off in one of their shuttles to pursue them. Springer was the shuttle's pilot. Once in space, however, the Autobots had difficulty pinpointing the Decepticons’ location. The ship's crew had to decided where to look next for the Decepticons. Springer grimly considered that the Decepticons might be anywhere, as they had already figured out the workings of the Invisibility Device.

If the Autobots decided to investigate the dark side of the moon, they found themselves unable to see anything on the satellite's shadowy surface. Springer waited silently as Ultra Magnus, Jazz and Hot Rod discussed possible plans of action.

If Ultra Magnus decided to go through with Hot Rod's plan of shooting down to trick the Decepticons into revealing themselves, the Autobots succeeded only in making themselves an easy target for their enemies. The Decepticons blasted their shuttle to bits. Springer and his friends were reduced to space junk.

If Ultra Magnus listened to Jazz's plan, he ordered his Autobots to remain silent, and to shut off all of the shuttle's lights and mechanisms. Launching a probe as a decoy, the Autobots successfully tricked the Decepticons into revealing their position when they mistook the probe as their shuttle and opened fire upon it. Firing back, the Autobots began crippling the Decepticons’ ship, until a lucky shot rocked their own shuttle. Though the Decepticons attempted to escape while the Autobots were off-balance, Springer took careful aim and delivered the finishing blow, ending the Decepticons’ menace as the evil robots' ship exploded.

In an alternate scenario wherein the Autobots listened to Prowl's suggested and searched the Asteroid Belt beyond Mars, they soon found themselves struggling to get through the maze of floating rocks. Though they began receiving damage as they travelled deeper into the asteroid field, Springer wanted to continue exploring it, stating that if the Decepticons could do it, so could he. Hot Rod pointed out that they did not even know for sure if the Decepticons had headed into the belt in the first place.

If the Autobots pushed on their search in the Asteroid Belt, they soon found themselves on a collision course with two enormous asteroids. If despite his best efforts, Springer only managed to blast one of asteroids, the Autobots were forced to retreat back to Earth after their shuttle took substantial damage. If Springer managed to blast neither of the Asteroids, they were all crushed between the giant pieces of space debris.

If they managed to blast away both asteroids, they reached a vast, empty expanse of space within the asteroid belt. Springer and the others were not given much time to regain their bearings, as the Decepticons, now invisible, began firing upon their shuttle. The Autobots considered retreating, but Kup reminded them that Sarah Sanders had not perfected her device yet, and the Decepticons’ invisibility may yet wear off.

If the Autobots attempted to flee from the Decepticons’ attack, they found themselves at too much of a disadvantage to successfully make it out of the Asteroid Belt. They were blown into space junk before they could reach Earth.

If the Autobots held their ground, they were instructed by Ultra Magnus not to open fire upon the Decepticons until ordered to do so. Though things were tense as the Autobots were hit over and over again by their invisible opponents, soon the enemy ship came into view, just as Kup had predicted. The Autobots opened fire on the flimsier vessel, blowing it and the Decepticons within to smithereens.

If the Autobots did retreat out of the Asteroid Belt, they convinced one another that the Decepticons most likely perished within it. Then, a few days later, when the invisible Decepticons attacked Metroplex city, Springer and the rest of the Autobots were reduced to scrap metal, unable to fight the unseen enemy.

In a completely different possible scenario, Springer was sent out with Jazz, Prowl and Sunstreaker to accompany Kup and Hot Rod when the latter two reported having seen the mysterious ship land in the middle of the desert.

If the Autobots gave up searching for the ship, Ultra Magnus and the rest of the Autobots within Metroplex were caught by surprise by a fleet of identical ships swooping down upon them. The Autobots were all destroyed as Galvatron gloated of his victory.

If Hot Rod and Kup convinced the other Autobots to keep on looking, Hot Rod eventually found trail marks, indicating that a heavy object the size of their spacecraft had indeed landed and had been dragged away. Springer and the others followed the trail to a more rocky terrain, where tracking the ship would become more difficult. The trail seemingly lost, the Autobots then heard someone incoming, and took cover. From their hiding places, they saw the Decepticons Scavenger, a human captive within the grasp of his steam-shovel.

If the Autobots decided to rescue Sarah immediately, Scavenger dropped the woman, and cried for help while attempting to flee.

If the Autobots pursued Scavenger, they found him rejoining a whole squadron of Decepticons.

If the Autobots pursued Scavenger, they found him rejoining a whole squadron of Decepticons. Fighting the Decepticons immediately would cost them their lives. Otherwise, if the Autobots decided on a retreat when faced by the whole squadron of Decepticons, they managed to do so by blinding their enemies by their high beams and then splitting off into different direction. They later regrouped and found Sarah Sanders wandering in the desert.

If the Autobots asked Sarah to build them their own Invisibility Device, Sarah refused, stating she would not build weapons for war. Running away from the group Sarah was almost killed when Dirge passed overhead and dropped a missile on her position. After rescuing her from the Decepticon attack, Springer and the others brought Sarah to safety within Metroplex. Grateful for the rescue, Sarah showed the Autobots how to create an [[Invisibility Scrambler]] to counteract the Decepticons’ Invisibility Device. Anticipating the Decepticons’ attack, the Autobots successfully defeated the evil robots when they came.

If instead of asking Sarah to build them an Invisibility Device, Springer and the others attempted once more to retrieve her ship, the whole group snuck over to where the Decepticons were stationed. Once there, Hot Rod and Prowl argued over which plan of action would be the smartest to undertake next.

If the Autobots agreed with Hot Rod to try and take the Decepticons by surprise with a head-on attack, the Autobots manage to stun the Decepticons by dazzling them with their headlights. springer provided Hot Rod some cover fire while the young Autobot raced down and snatched the Invisibility Device from the Decepticons. The Autobots then successfully peeled back, congratulating one another on a job well done.

If the Autobots agreed with Prowl to take a moment to come up with a more detailed plan, Prowl instructed Hot Rod to taunt the Decepticons into following him. The plan worked, and the bulk of the Decepticons took off after the young Autobot. With only Scavenger, Shockwave and Galvatron left behind, Springer and the others easily defeated the Decepticons still guarding the spaceship, and forced Galvatron to retreat. In one possible scenario that followed, Springer helped destroy a hidden Decepticon base that Hot Rod found while the Decepticons gave him chase. In another, Springer watched on as Sarah left in her spaceship in order to destroy it, vowing it would never be used to bring destruction.

In an alternate scenario where the Autobots silently trailed Scavenger while the Decepticon held Sarah Sanders captive, Springer and the others followed him all the way to the Decepticons’ secret desert base. Inside, they spied upon Galvatron telling Sarah Sanders that the Decepticons would use Cerebro-Shells to control her mind, so that she would reveal to them to secret of invisibility. At this point, the Autobots decided to step in. A direct attack would only end in the Autobots’ defeat.

In order to rescue Sarah, the Autobots would need to employ trickery. Using Jazz's special abilities, the Autobots could do just that. In this scenario, the Autobots grabbed Sarah while the Decepticons were too dazzled by the illusions that Jazz projected. Sarah directed the Autobots towards where the Decepticons had stored her ship. Upon following her directions, Springer and the others came upon two doors, unable to tell behind which one they would find their means of escape.

If the Autobots happened upon Sarah's ship as they were, they would be destroyed by the droids guarding it. However, if the Autobots first opened the door which lead to a closet filled with Decepticon spare parts, they found a pile of spare Decepticon emblems. Donning them, Springer and the rest of his team were able to fool the Decepticon Droids guarding Sarah's ship. Escaping in the ship, despite the Decepticons best efforts to stop them, the Autobots returned to Metroplex. Sarah then gave the Autobots the secret to her Invisibility Device, ensuring the Autobots their victory in their war against the Decepticons. {{storylink|The Invisibility Factor}}
{{-}}

===St. Michael ''The Transformers'' Sticker Book===
{{notemultipath}}
Springer served on an alien spacecraft with the Autobots [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]], and [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] under the command of Ultra Magnus. While fighting Decepticons, their spaceship took heavy damage and crash-landed on the planet [[Barrenikon]]. There, he met [[you]], having just emerged from the Vortex, a portal through space and time contained within the planet. Together, you went on an adventure, fighting Decepticons, braving Barrenikon's barren desert or its putrid swamp, and trying to find a way to get the Autobots space-bound once more. {{storylink|The Transformers Sticker Book (St. Michael)|The Transformers Sticker Book}}
{{-}}

===3H comics===
Not long after the signing of the [[Pax Cybertronia]], the Wrecker Springer attempted (fruitlessly) to cheer up [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]], who had become severely depressed following the death of her surrogate son and Headmaster companion [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]]. Afterward, he and Hot Rod, now called simply "Rodimus", both checked out and later underwent the [[Great Upgrade|Maximal Upgrade]]. {{storylink|Departure}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
[[File:TWW Escalation Springer.jpg|thumb|left|Spring-heeled jerk.]]
Shortly after [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] rose to become leader of the Autobots, the [[Forum of Enlightenment]] was destroyed by [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] in a spectacular explosion. Springer investigated its ruins afterwards from the air. {{storylink|The War Within issue 2|The War Within #2}}

After Optimus disappeared along with Megatron into prototype [[space bridge]], Springer broke off from the Autobot army and formed the Wreckers. Springer was leading the Wreckers into an investigation of the [[Tagan Heights]] Industrial Quadrant East, but they were discovered by [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]], who unleashed [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] upon them. Springer, alongside his fellow Wreckers, attacked the Ultracon Combiner but he ended up tangled in cabling. This gave Ratbat the chance to gloat at Springer. Once news of Devastator aligning with the [[Ultracon]]s reached [[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]] and the [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]], they moved in to aid the Wreckers, combining into [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]] and battling Devastator. {{storylink|Escalation}}

Freed in the confusion, Springer leaped at Ratbat, screaming at the Ultracon leader for violating the [[Crisis Intervention Accord]]. Ratbat mocked Springer's newfound concern for treaties, pointing out how the Wreckers themselves only abided by them whenever it suited their needs. Changing tactics, Springer approached Defensor, trying to talk him down after Devastator seemed defeated. Unfortunately, Devastator wasn't quite down for the count, and when he began swatting at Springer, the Autobot suddenly found that Defensor was nowhere to be seen. But the individual Protectobots hadn't abandoned Springer after disengaging from their combined modes; they simply had decided to fight smarter. Plugging Devastator into the Tagan Heights' power grid, they managed to overload and defeat the brute. Though Springer was electrocuted as well, First Aid tended to his injuries, and assured him he would make a full recovery. {{storylink|Devastation (issue)|Devastation}}

{{Unreleased WW comic}}
After Megatron took over Cybertron, Springer was enslaved and put to work in a labor camp. While working, fellow prisoner Ultra Magnus revealed to Springer that he planned to destroy Cybertron's core if no other means presented itself to keep it out of Megatron's hands. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath Pt.4}} It didn't come to this as Grimlock, recently returned from the dead, was able to distract Megatron long enough for Blaster to free Springer and the other enslaved Autobots. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath Pt.5}}

[[File:DW Countdown to Extinction Springer.jpg|thumb|]]
Millions of years later, after the [[Great Shutdown]], [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] had managed to "unite" Cybertron uner his totalitarian rule. Springer became part of an underground resistance, waging a guerilla war against Shockwave's government. Together with Hot Rod and Blurr, Springer spotted a Decepticon shuttle emerging from [[unspace|transwarp]] over the [[Wastelands]] of Cybertron. Unknown to the trio, the shuttle actually contained allies in the fight against Shockwave; the Dinobots! {{storylink|Cold War (issue)|Cold War}} These new arrivals sowed so much destruction in their wake that Shockwave was forced to activate the [[Guardian robot]]s to stop them. Upon learning this, Springer reported back to his resistance cell, recently joined by Optimus Prime, that the situation in [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] had become worse, with martial law having been imposed. {{storylink|Passive Aggression}} The rebels were thus forced to make their final stand against Shockwave immediately. Springer joined Ironhide and Hot Rod on the front lines during the advance, providing Optimus with the cover he needed to breach Shockwave's inner sanctum. Whilst fighting the Guardian robots outside of Shockwave's fortress, Springer saw the Matrix fire a beam of light towards an [[Unicron|unknown entity]]. {{storylink|countdown to Extinction (issue)|Countdown to Extinction}}

Afterwards, Springer was part of the Autobot council that reestablished a connection to their forces on Earth. {{storylink|Generation 1 issue 0|Generation 1 #0}}

Later still, whilst Hot Rod and Kup were training, Springer took the opportunity to hang out with Arcee on Landing Platform A as they observed Prowl and his group of Autobots heading back to Earth. {{storylink|Lost and Found (issue)|Lost and Found}} He attended Ultra Magnus's mission assignment meeting later at Autobase, with Arcee still at his side. This, and the fact that Springer was assigned his own team, served to remind Hot Rod just how much standing he had lost since Shockwave's reign had been overthrown. {{storylink|The Route of All Evil}}

{{Unreleased DW G1 comic}}
After an amusing conversation took place between Kup and [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]], the two of them, along with Arcee, Snarl, and Slag, joined Springer, Grimlock, and Swoop on their shuttle's bridge. Together, they all saw an approaching Quintesson ship. {{storylink|Unreleased Dreamwave issues#Issue 11|Generation 1 #11}}
{{--}}

===The Beast Within===
Springer sustained heavy damage during a savage battle against the Decepticons. Though he pleaded Grimlock to come to his aid, Megatron got to him first, and unceremoniously crushed Springer's head underfoot. {{storylink|The Beast Within}}

Then his head became un-crushed somehow, and Springer became un-killed. Springer's wounded body lay safely inside Jetfire's passenger compartment as the latter managed to rescue the few remaining Autobot troops. {{storylink|The Beast Within Part 2, Consequences}}

===''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers''===
[[File:ArtofWar3 Sandstorm Springer.jpg|left|thumb|Get to the Choppah!]]
Springer accompanied [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] in searching for a missing team of Autobots and [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joes]]. However, their radars were jammed by [[Serpentor|Serpent O.R.]], so their search was fruitless. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 3|The Art of War #3}}
{{--}}

===2005 IDW continuity===
{{main|Springer (G1)/2005 IDW continuity}}
[[File:LastStandoftheWreckers1 Springer introduction.jpg|thumb|upright=1.33]]

Created as '''Ostaros''', an experiment in making an artificial Cybertronian indistinguishable from the genuine article, by the scientist [[Tarantulas (BW)|Mesothulas]]; Mesothulas's partner [[Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Prowl]] had a crisis of conscience as their collaborative efforts grew increasingly depraved, together with [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]], killed Mesothulas and recruited Ostaros into the Autobots as "Springer", giving him to [[Kup (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Kup]] to train.

Later joining the [[Wreckers]] under Impactor, he would turn on his mentor after the latter slaughtered the helpless [[Squadron X]], handing him in to the [[Autobot High Command]], and would be made their leader by a team fearful of being held accountable for their own crimes. Later, he would take a leave of absence to rescue Kup from [[Tsiehshi]], although many Autobots would be killed in the process–the old Autobot driven insane by the [[Ore-8]] on the planet. He would later be overjoyed by Kup's apparent recovery, and would briefly fall under his leadership after the [[Surge (event)|Surge]].

Eventually, in an attempt by the Wreckers to recover the [[Aequitas]] trial data from the Decepticon-held [[Garrus-9]], he would be reunited with a barely-repentant Impactor before almost being killed by [[Overlord (G1)|Overlord]]. After a long time in recovery, he would awake mysteriously after Mesothulas–now calling himself [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]]–captured Prowl. After the resulting mission, he effectively quit the Autobots, living on Earth with [[Verity Carlo]], but a final encounter with Tarantulas and Overlord led to him travelling back in time, attempting to end the War before it began by nudging history in a better direction, one Cybertronian at a time.
{{--}}

===''Transformers vs. G.I. Joe''===
When Megatron initiated Primus's transformation to robot mode, Springer dropped down a safety line for [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] and [[Duke (G.I. Joe)|Duke]] to take hold off and escape the shifting pieces of Cybertron's underground. {{storylink|Escape from Primus}} When Primus began consuming Earth's sun, Springer took part in the battle to recover the [[Matrix of Leadership]], bearing witness to Ultra Magnus and Optimus Prime's dramatic entrance onto the battlefield. {{storylink|The War Never Ends}}

===2006 IDW ''Beast Wars'' continuity===
Springer was a participant in the Great War up until its very end in [[2035]]. After both [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] fell in battle, the [[Primal Council]] had Springer marshal their forces in anticipation for the Decepticons' next attack. {{storylink|Dawn of the Predacus}}

===''War for Cybertron Trilogy'' marketing material===
[[File:Siege-Springer-art.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6]]
Springer was an [[Cybertronian military insignia|Air Command Special Ops Sergeant]], whose function was aerial defense. {{storylink|War for Cybertron: Siege|''Siege'' webpage}}<ref>[https://transformers.hasbro.com/en-us/brands/siege ''Siege'' website]</ref> During the war for Cybertron, Springer was dispatched to allocate maximum combat resources at [[Nova Cronum]], as it was a key target for Decepticon air strikes with numerous entry points to [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]]. {{storylink|Source:Teletraan-1 Data Files|''Siege'' Teletraan-1 Data Files}}

=== 2019 IDW continuity===
{{first|[[The Change In Your Nature Part One|''Transformers'' #13]]}}
[[File:TheChangeInYourNaturePartOne SideswipeSpringer.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]
A member of [[Crystal City]] security, {{storylink|The Change In Your Nature Part Two}} Springer was drafted into working with [[Security Operations]] when [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] cracked down on [[the Rise]], Springer was sent to patrol the region around Crystal City with [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]]. When an alarm came in from a nearby [[energon]] sub-station, Springer took off in helicopter mode to catch the suspects in the act. Though he got a few good licks in, Springer was overpowered in short order while the thieves made their escape. Found by Sideswipe, Springer called in reinforcements. The duo tracked the Risers to a dormant [[Titan (group)|Titan]] but found themselves pinned down by the terrorists' weaponry. {{storylink|The Change In Your Nature Part One}}

Coordinating with [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]], Springer tried to remotely negotiate with the terrorists only for the drones to be continuously destroyed before Senator [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] arrived and went within the Titan to personally negotiate. As Springer griped about that, Senator [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] made a dramatic entrance. Soon after Soundwave returned, the Titan's corpse exploded into a colossal fireball. {{storylink|The Change In Your Nature Part Two}}

[[File:RiseOfTheDecepticonsAllFallDown SureshotSpringer.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.85]]
The fall of the [[Tether]] changed the rules, and Sentinel Prime ordered [[Colonial Security]] commanders in charge of Sec-Ops activities. [[Firestar (G1)|Novastar]] recruited Springer for a six-bot recon & rapid response unit. With the others functioning as ground and air recon, Springer was teamed with the sniper [[Sureshot (G1)|Sureshot]] as a strike duo for long- and short-range impact measures. {{storylink|Rise of the Decepticons: All Fall Down|All Fall Down}} They saw action when a geology unit spotted a SecOps target, [[Quake (G1)|Quake]], out in the open. Springer's unit intercepted several Risers and engaged them in a firefight. {{storylink|Rise of the Decepticons: Tremors|Tremors}} The Rise lieutenant [[Sixshot (G1)|Sixshot]] arrived and nearly turned the tide against Security, but Quake was ultimately captured and the rest fled. Quake was paraded through the streets of Iacon afterwards, but Springer wasn't present as he was watching over their injured. {{storylink|Rise of the Decepticons: Prisoners|Prisoners}}

[[File:Moon SpringerVShadowStriker.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|"Why am I only paired off with people who have "double-S" aliteration?"]]
After the Senate fell, the Rise struck at the [[Winged Moon]] to claim its energon. Novastar led Springer and her team up to orbit in order to stop them. Springer engaged [[Shadow Striker (G1)|Shadow Striker]] in combat, but both sides ended up losing as the engineers on the moon destroyed the energon reserves to keep them out of Rise hands. {{storylink|War World: Moon|Moon}}

Remembering him to be brave and loyal, [[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]] considered Springer as a potential recruit for the [[Wreckers]]. {{storylink|Tread & Circuits Part 4}}

[[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] descended into a war zone and those loyal to the old government united under the Autobot banner as they fled to Crystal City, Springer's old home. When word reached them that [[Termagax]] had the [[Enigma of Combination]] in her possession, Springer and a troop of Autobots flew out to prevent the Decepticons from claiming it first. {{storylink|Lord of Misrule: Sea of Rust I|Sea of Rust I}} They destroyed the initial swarm of [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]]s attacking Termagax's [[House (building)|home]], then built a trench to prepare for a siege by the Decepticons. Springer fought hard in the battle that followed, first dogfighting with Seekers in the air, {{storylink|Lord of Misrule: Sea of Rust II|Sea of Rust II}} before grounding [[Red Wing]] and skirmishing with [[Flamefeather (G1)|Flamefeather]] on land. In the end, however, the Enigma was lost in the [[Rust Sea|Sea of Rust]]. {{storylink|Lord of Misrule: Enigmatic|Enigmatic}}

On their next mission, Springer and Novastar's unit were assigned to deal with the growing [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]] swarm. {{storylink|Radical Time}} Springer, Blades, and Windblade ran interference with the clones outside [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]]'s lair while the others infiltrated the hive and delivered a data bomb that reprogrammed the Insecticlones to attack the rust worms infesting Cybertron. {{storylink|End of Time}}

==Commercial appearances==
[[File:SpringerWreckGarCommercial1.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
*Springer's shuttle was shot down by the [[Revenge (G1)|Revenge]] over the planet [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]], where he was forced to do battle with an aggressive [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] and another [[Junkion (species)|Junkion]]. Prime described Springer as "the toughest of the Autobot [[Triple Changer]]s". {{storylink|Commercial/Generation 1#Springer and Wreck-Gar|Springer and Wreck-Gar commercial}}
*Springer grappled with [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] during a vicious battle between Autobots and Decepticons on Cybertron. While some fought, others left Cybertron behind to expand the Transformers' war to the planet [[Nebulos]]. {{storylink|Commercial/Generation 1#Headmaster comic book|Headmaster comic book commercial}}
*Springer was part of a massive battle between Kreons. He managed to knock over [[Ripclaw]] with his sword, taunting that he would "catch her on the flip-side." He continued to make good work of his swordsmanship skills against the Decepticons until [[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]] and [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]] joined the fight, forcing the Autobots to flee. Ripclaw got her revenge later, using her fire-breath to torch Springer's behind. {{storylink|Commercial#Kre-O|KRE-O Transformers Micro Changers and Combiners Construction Sets commercial}}

{{--}}

==Games==
===The Transformers (PS2)===
{{voiceactor|[[Jon Umaki]]? (English)}}
When [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] threatened the universe using [[Zel Quartz]] in 2010, Springer was one of the Autobots warriors who travelled back in time to 2003 to prevent Zel Quartz from ever being cultivated for use by Cybertronians. Separated from the rest of his team in the crash, he rejoined the present and future Autobots in their campaign after the first false lead for the quartz on [[Zel Samine]]. {{storylink|The Transformers (PS2)|The Transformers}}

===''Transformers Legends''===
As Wreckers, Springer and [[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]] were sent to prevent [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] and [[Darkwing (G1)|Darkwing]] from reviving [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]]. They failed, and were forced to help the two Decepticons defeat Thunderwing. {{storylink|Stormbringer (Legends)|Stormbringer}}

When [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], [[Kup (G1)|Kup]], and [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] were abducted by [[Skuxxoid]]s during the [[Galactic Olympics|Galactic Games]], [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] and Springer gave chase. Instead of finding the Skuxxoids, they caught up with [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]], just as their leader was having a vision that the [[Quintesson]]s were behind the kidnapping. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness: Part 1}} Arcee, Rodimus, Ultra Magnus and Springer were trapped in human bodies by [[Victor Drath]] and [[Cobra Commander|Old Snake]], but still managed to foil the pair's plan to destroy Autobot City. They were later successfully returned to their robot bodies. {{storylink|Only Human (Legends)|Only Human}}

===''Transformers: Battle Tactics''===
[[File:BattleTacticsSpringer.jpg|thumb|right|400px|I've got better things to do tonight than being easily defeated!]]
[[File:Battle-Tactics-Springer-(Gen).jpg|thumb|right|400px|And all the Triple Changer Springers were thrown away. Especially if you had ten of him.]]
Springer participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He appeared in two different bodies:
*''Springer'' — This Super Rare character could be recruited by collecting 275 units of Cybermetal, 85 units of Transmetal, 55 hunter cores, and 5 cores of this character.
*''Springer (Gen)'' — This Epic character was available as a reward to 100 leagues in the "Transform and Roll Out!" event.
{{storylink|Transformers: Battle Tactics}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Frontiers''===
{{charstubgame|{{storylink|Transformers: Frontiers}}}}

===''Transformers: Earth Wars''===
[[File:SpringerEarthWars.jpg|thumb|upright=1.75| ]]

*'''Class''': Triple Changer
*'''Lowest Star Rating:''' 2 star
*Abilities: Being a triple changer, Springer has two abilities available to him:
**'''Defensive Perimeter''': Bombard all nearby targets with 8 missiles that deal 27 damage. Also puts up a defensive shield that attracts defensives!
**'''Aerial Support''': Rush to a friendly bot healing heath in a wide area when landing.
[http://wiki.transformersearthwars.com/character:springer Springer at Transformers: Earth Wars Wiki]
{{-}}

===''Transformers Roleplaying Game''===
Springer was a well-respected soldier, but his confidence in his own abilities made him smug and unpleasant. {{storylink|Transformers Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook|Roleplaying Game Core Rulebook}}

==Toys==
{{main|Springer (G1)/toys}}

==Notes==
* Like all of the new characters created for ''The Transformers: The Movie'', Springer has an earlier, alternate [[character model]] that served as the basis for his toy, and which was used for his appearances in the Marvel comic. In terms of animation, Springer's early design appears in "[[Only Human]]", used for the duration of the episode.
* Springer's name comes from his ability to jump well. As you'd expect from someone who has a flying altmode, it's not an ability he uses much.
* The Italian names for Springer and Sandstorm were subject to a massive mix-up of "[[FIRRIB]]" or "[[Back#Notes|Back/Forth]]" dimensions. While [[GiG]]'s toy packaging, including the [[bio]]s/[[Tech Spec]]s, consistently called Springer by the name "Ghibli" and Sandstorm by the name "Bora", the [[instructions]] had their names switched. Advertising for the toys used the names featured in the instructions, as did the Italian dub of the cartoon. As a result, Italian fans generally consider the names on the toys' packaging an "error", but unless internal documentation is discovered, it's virtually impossible to tell what GiG's original intention was. Anyway, given that the dubbing agency got their directions directly from GiG, it is fairly logical to assume that GiG had established the Springer/Bora and Sandstorm/Ghibli adaptation, while the boxing process switched the names and the bios (in fact "Ghibli" is described as having the ability to perform amazing jumps).
* Springer had the Generation 1 function "Aerial Defense", rendered on his Takara packaging as 空中防衛戦士 (''Kūchū Bōei Senshi'', "Aerial Defense Warrior"). For the 20th anniversary franchise ''[[Transformers: Energon (franchise)|Transformers: Energon]]'', the homage character [[Bulkhead (Energon)|Bulkhead]] would recycle Springer's Japanese name "Sprung" and have the function 空中防衛官 (''Kūchū Bōeikan'', "Aerial Defense Officer"). Interestingly, however, it would be the redeco toy [[Quickstrike (Energon)|Quickstrike]] which would have the Bulkhead/Sprung's kanji function written on the helicopter tail despite the Quickstrike toy not being released in Japan.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Sprang''' or '''Sprung''' (スプラング ''Supurangu''), '''Springer''' (スプリンガー ''Supringā'')
*''Mandarin:'' '''Tán Huáng''' (China 弹簧 "Springs"), '''Bǎi Zhàng Tiào''' (China 百丈跳 "Thousand-feet jump")
*''French:'' '''Ricochet''' (Canada)
*''Hungarian:'' '''Szökkenő''' ("Springer")
*''Italian:'' '''Bora''' (toy instructions, advertising and cartoon), '''Ghibli''' (toy packaging)
*''Russian:'' '''Cпринтер''' ("Sprinter")
*''Ukrainian:'' '''Стрибун''' ("Jumper")

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Beast Machines Autobots]]
[[Category:Classics Autobots]]
[[Category:Defense specialists]]
[[Category:Dreamwave Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Energon Universe Autobots]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Generation 1 cartoon Autobots]]
[[Category:Generation 2 Autobots]]
[[Category:Generations Selects Autobots]]
[[Category:IDW (2019) Autobots]]
[[Category:Kre-O Autobots]]
[[Category:Kreons]]
[[Category:Legends Autobots]]
[[Category:Marvel Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Regeneration One Autobots]]
[[Category:Second Cybertron Alliance]]
[[Category:Security officers]]
[[Category:The Headmasters Autobots]]
[[Category:Triple Changers]]
[[Category:Universe Transformers]]
[[Category:Wings Universe Autobots]]
[[Category:Wreckers]]

File:Kabaya hotspot robot&altmode.jpg

2024-03-03T07:01:47Z

Thunder Clash 2:

[[Kabaya]] [[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]] in robot mode and vehicle mode.

[[Category: Generation 1 toy images]]
[[Category: Candy toy images]]

Talk:Peritus Maximus

2024-02-11T15:29:20Z

Thunder Clash 2:

Vote for deletion. He's already on the "Arrogant Autobot Officer" page, and we sure as hell shouldn't be giving fanon names to articles, especially joke fanon names. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] 10:45, 25 May 2007 (UTC)
:[[Big Red|Well...]] --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 14:56, 25 May 2007 (UTC)
"It is possible he could use the Matrix Cannon"? Why is that more noteworthy for this "character" than anybody else with hands? --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] 12:14, 25 May 2007 (UTC)
: Because the Matrix Cannon isn't a physical object. It's a power given by the Mini-Con race as a collective... according to the Matrix Cannon's FP bio. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] 12:17, 25 May 2007 (UTC)
:: But how is it actually relevant to this character? --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] 12:21, 25 May 2007 (UTC)
:::He's the one using it in the MC's bio image. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] 12:32, 25 May 2007 (UTC)
::::Oh. Cool. --[[User:Thylacine 2000|Thylacine 2000]] 12:51, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

If not obvious- I'm against deletion. I think is connection to the Matrix cannon makes him more prominent than the Arrogant Autobot Officer (who should be called Platoon Commander BTW- Side Swipe confirmed that was his rank.) -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 20:10, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

Jingle bells!

Talk:Optimash Prime

2024-02-11T15:22:33Z

Thunder Clash 2:

Does this really deserve its own page? Apart from the dodgy puns its still just another Optimus Prime toy so shouldn't it be merged into the [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys]] page (where it is already mentioned)? As far as I know Optimash has no fiction appearances so what makes him more worthy of a page than say Softimus Prime? - [[User:Omnisvalidus|Omnisvalidus]] 11:54, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

:I vote keeping him on his own page- he has his own name and these weird Autotots jokes. It is possible that somewhere out in the multiverse, Transformer life evolved utilizing the naturally-occurring electrical properties of the potato.
:I also think the article should have a <tt><nowiki>{{see|Optimus Prime (G1)}}</nowiki></tt> at the end. -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 13:12, 29 August 2007 (UTC)

::I agree with Derik. Optimash Prime has his own backstory which is distinct from that of any known Optimus Prime, if only because of the punnishly slightly different names. And he's only arguably an Optimus Prime toy. Actually, the package depicts him and a normal Mr. Potato Head as being the same entity, so unless we're planning to add "Also, he is Mr. Potato Head. Seriously!" to the top of Prime's page...

::His ''toy truck'', on the other hand, is undeniably an Optimus Prime toy. --[[User:Andrusi|Andrusi]] 18:00, 12 October 2007 (UTC)

== Three spud articles ==

[[Optimash Prime]], [[Bumble Spud]], and [[Taterbot]] have weak linkages, and I suspect that there will be another such toy around the time of Transformers 3. Should these toys have stronger linkages, or possibly all be merged? {{unsigned|4.254.80.115}}

I want a page for Softimus Prime

Swindle (Armada)

2024-02-11T15:04:38Z

Thunder Clash 2: /* Built to Rule! */

{{factions|minicon|decepticon}}
{{disambigm|Swindle (disambiguation)|Spark Grid}}
{{picsneeded}}
:''Swindle is a [[Decepticon]]-allied [[Mini-Con]] from the [[Transformers: Armada (franchise)|Armada]] portion of the [[Unicron Trilogy continuity family]].''

[[Image:Swindle-AR-model.gif|right|250px|thumb|Even the Mini-Cons have abandoned me.]]
'''Swindle''' is a sneak who is mainly concerned for himself. He's a smooth talker with a gift of gab and bluff who can wheedle people into seeing his way...at least, long enough to get what he wants. He actually gets along very well with his [[Decepticon]] "partner" [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]], but how much of that is a ploy to catch the Decepticon unawares has yet to be seen. Swindle lacks the strength of character to be a good guy, but suffers too many pangs of conscience to be a bad guy, try as he might. Swindle is also the cousin of [[Zapmaster (Armada)|Zapmaster]], whatever that actually means.

{{bigquote|Deals are made to be broken.|Swindle's [[bio]] quote.}}

==Fiction==
===Toy pack-in comics===
Swindle accompanied [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]] when he and the Destruction Mini-Con Team were sent to destroy a satellite dish that could have helped detect [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]]. While they succeeded at destroying the dish, Starscream, with Swindle [[Powerlinx]]ed to him, was plowed off to sea by [[Scavenger (Armada)|Scavenger]]. {{Storylink|Armada Volume 2}}

===Cartoon continuity===
====''Armada'' cartoon====
[[File:Jungle-Swindle Powerlinx.jpg|thumb|200px|left]]
[[File:Mini-Cons Puppet.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Swindle was discovered in a forest as the Autobots and Decepticons fought over possession of his storage panel. It was ultimately Starscream who claimed Swindle as his partner, causing the Mini-Con to imprint on the evil Decepticon. Starscream used Swindle's power to prove the strength of his [[Powerlinx]]-activated [[Null-ray|Null Laser Cannons]]. Delirious with power, Starscream continued to use Swindle's enhancement whenever he got the chance, even against holographic battle drones back on the moon. {{storylink|Jungle}} Swindle's partner loved him so much, he even gave him a nickname..."Grid". Surely its a Cybertronian term of endearment of some kind. {{storylink|Carnival}}

During a Mini-Con search in the cramped confines of a city subway system, Swindle and the other Decepticon Mini-Cons were dispatched to comb the catacombs more quickly than their bulk counterparts could manage. {{storylink|Underground (episode)|Underground}} Swindle also aided Starscream on a volcano mission, firing their null beam cannons on the Autobot position. {{storylink|Prehistory}}

When Starscream powerlinxed with the [[Star Saber (Armada)|Star Saber]], he used it to capture a large number of Mini-Cons for the Decepticons. Swindle was seen standing among Starscream's prized catches. {{storylink|Conspiracy}}

The Mini-Con [[Downshift (Armada)|Downshift]] surprisingly self-activated on Earth, and the Decepticons were forced to chase him down. Swindle used his race car mode to speed after the similarly moded Downshift, but they ended up racing straight into the Autobots. [[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] managed to grab Swindle, but his loyal partner Starscream helped free the Mini-Con from Red Alert's grasp. {{storylink|Reinforcement}} In the next battle, Swindle and Starscream powerlinxed again to unleash their supercharged null beam cannons. {{storylink|Decisive Battle}}

When Starscream briefly joined the Autobots after a falling out with Megatron, Swindle came with him. After failing to destroy Megatron when he had the opportunity, Starscream was furious and lashed out violently at the rock croppings around the Autobot base. Swindle and the [[Air Defense Mini-Con Team (Armada)|Air Defense Team]] tried to calm him down, but Starscream's wounded pride would not let his anger cool. {{storylink|Mars (episode)|Mars}}

[[File:Cramp-Swindleejects.jpg|thumb|left|200px]]
[[File:Swindle-Cramp.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Swindle later used his inherent Mini-Con powers to upgrade both himself and Starscream after the latter had been severely damaged by [[Nemesis Prime (Armada)|Nemesis Prime]]. He appeared amidst a collection of Mini-Cons who struck down Nemesis Prime with a bolt of energy before transferring some of their power to their partners. Starscream was reborn thanks to Swindle, in a new body resembling [[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]]. {{storylink|Puppet}}

Their partnership ended in tragedy on Cybertron. In his final stand, Starscream powerlinxed with Swindle and shot a futile blast at [[Unicron]]. Just before being torn apart by Unicron's energy bolts, Starscream broke the link with Swindle, sending him to safety. Swindle lamented his partner's death, while [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] assured him that Starscream's long battle was finally over. {{storylink|Cramp}}
{{-}}

====''Cloud''====
{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Hammer (Cloud)|Hammer}}}}

===Dreamwave ''Armada'' comic===
Swindle was a resident of [[Mini-Con Sector|Mini-Con village C52]]. He was part of the mass effort erecting an [[Energon]] Dome to protect their village before the Decepticons attacked. When Cyclonus burrowed under their defenses and brought down the dome, Swindle was captured and sent to a Decepticon chop shop for mecha-sectioning and re-wiring. {{storylink|Dreamwave Armada issue 1|Armada #1}} It was Swindle's bad luck the next day when Starscream chose ''him'' for the attack on [[Cyber City]]. While the Mini-Cons left at the base staged a mass breakout, Swindle was left with the Decepticons for a million long, long years... {{storylink|Dreamwave Armada issue 2|Armada #2}}

When the Mini-Con reactivation signal brought the Decepticons to Earth, Swindle was brought with them, and he powerlinxed to [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] during a battle with the Autobots. {{storylink|Dreamwave Armada issue 5|Armada #5}} Some time later, he pretended to have escaped from Starscream in order to gain the trust of humans [[Carlos Lopez|Carlos]] and [[Rad White|Rad]]. They promised to bring him to the Autobots for protection, and they successfully evaded a Decepticon attack, but Swindle betrayed them to the Decepticons. Megatron intended to merge humans with Cybertronian technology and create a power source, much as he had the Mini-Cons. Rad was outraged, as they had ''escaped'', but after a million years of slavery, Swindle believed his freedom was the Decepticons' to give. When Megatron subsequently refused to free him as promised, Swindle liberated a group of captured Autobots, who drove the Decepticons off. Swindle briefly believed he had won the freedom he had tried to buy, but Starscream activated a retrieval device, yanking him back into custody. {{storylink|Armada Free Comic Book Day}}

Swindle later escaped the Decepticons again, when he and all other Earthbound Mini-Cons were summoned to a [[Mini-Con Ark|starship]] which took them to the [[Moon (moon)|Moon]]. {{storylink|Dreamwave Armada issue 8|Armada #8}} Upon arrival at a [[Mini-Con Moonbase|fortress]], they found that they had been brought there by [[Dualor (Armada)|Dualor]]. {{storylink|Dreamwave Armada issue 9|Armada #9}} It's not too clear, but Swindle appeared to be among the Mini-Cons who didn't mind this at all. {{storylink|Dreamwave Armada issue 10|Armada #10}} Regardless of what he thought, the fortress was destroyed by the Decepticons, and Swindle had to return to Earth in an escape pod. {{storylink|Dreamwave Armada issue 11|Armada #11}}

After getting recaptured by the Decepticons at some point, Swindle was allowed to rejoin his fellow Mini-Cons for the joint battle against [[Unicron]]. He took part in the ceremony at the [[Loop]] which badly damaged the Chaos Bringer. {{storylink|The End (Armada)|The End}}

===Panini ''Armada'' comic===
Despite being augmented by Swindle, Starscream was shot out of the sky by [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] during a battle on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. To punish him for his failure, [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] ripped Swindle off of him and threatened to use the Mini-Con for himself. {{storylink|First Encounter!}}

Many years later, Swindle was brought with the Decepticons to [[Earth]], and was placed in their [[Silver Ridge]] base when he wasn't in use. One day the Autobot-allied Mini-Cons came to save him and the other Mini-Cons held in the base, but they didn't ''want'' to be rescued, and tried to capture their rescuers for the Decepticons instead. Swindle and [[Crumplezone (Armada)|Crumplezone]] ended up being zapped by [[Jolt (Armada)|Jolt]], and the Autobot Mini-Cons got away. {{storylink|Panini Armada issue 4|Into the Lions' Den!}} He was later seen standing around with [[Leader-1 (Armada)|Leader-1]] and [[Blackout (Armada)|Blackout]] on the Decepticons' new base on the [[Moon (moon)|moon]]. {{storylink|Panini Armada issue 9|Dawn of Destruction!}}

===''Kre-O'' online manga===
[[File:Swindle_Mini-con_Kre-O_Character_Image.jpg|upright=0.6|thumb|If you found him in the [[Enter the New Emperor of Destruction!? Stop Galvatron's Rampage!|comic]], you've earned a [[The Transformers Chocolate Flavored Cereal|bowl of cereal]].]]
Spark Grid was seen flying away off [[Starscream (Armada)#Kre-O online comic|Starscream]]'s back when [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] destroyed the Starscream statue in one mighty blast. {{storylink|Enter the New Emperor of Destruction!? Stop Galvatron's Rampage!}}

===Legends World===
The "Powerlinx" Swindle of the [[Legends World]] lived under the clever disguise of a toy, much like the rest of his brethren, and ended up being gifted to [[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] by an unwitting, toy-collecting [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]]. When Swindle overheard from [[Windblade (G1)#Legends comic|Windblade]] that Megatron's obsession was threatening to destroy the universe, he revealed himself to be a living being and imbued Starscream with the power of the Mini-Cons, granting him a super mode strong enough to take on Megatron. {{storylink|LG-18 Armada Starscream Super Mode Prologue}}
{{--}}

==Toys==
===''Armada''===
[[Image:Arm-toy Swindle.jpg|right|upright=1.66|thumb]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-d1|'''Starscream with Swindle''' (Max-Con Class, 2002)}}</ul>
:*''Takara ID Number'': '''MD-02'''
:*''Takara release date'': [[December 26]], 2002
{{toydesigner|[[Aaron Archer]] (Hasbro)|[[Shogo Hasui]] (Takara), [[Marcelo Matere]] (packaging artist)}}

: ''[[Transformers: Armada (toyline)|Armada]]'' Swindle was available only with the larger Decepticon [[Starscream (Armada)/toys#Armada|Starscream]], transforming into an Indy-style race car. As a Mini-Con, he has a "[[Powerlinx]]" socket on his vehicle-mode underside (which ends up on his robot-mode back) which allows him to attach to any toy with a "Powerlinx" style [[5 mm post]]; some toys have special Powerlinx posts that activate/unlock gimmicks when a Mini-Con is attached.

: He is designed to fit between Starscream's Null Laser Cannons to activate their flip-out action. He can also be clipped on the underside of Starscream's jet-mode cockpit, and deployed by pressing down on Starscream's canopy.

: The [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] ''Legends of the Microns'' version of "Grid" has merely the tiniest of tone changes to its color, being a smidge more vibrant.

: This mold was [[redeco]]ed to become [[Zapmaster (Armada)#Toys|Zapmaster]] and shares engineering with the mold used by [[Mirage (Armada)#Toys|Mirage]] and [[Top Gear#Toys|Top Gear]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2002/Mini-Con/Swindle/swindle.htm More information on Swindle at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|Zapmaster}}
[[Image:Armada-toy_Zapmaster.JPG|upright=1.6|thumb|(''Hasbro Zapmaster shown for now'')]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-d1|'''Starscream Super Mode with Spark Grid''' (Max-Con, [[2003]])}}</ul>
:*''ID number:'' '''MD-09'''
:*''Release date'': September ??, 2003

: In the Takara ''Legends of the Microns'' line, just as the Hasbro [[Thundercracker (Armada)#Toys|Thundercracker]] deco (with slight alterations) was released as Starscream's powered-up form, so too was the Hasbro [[Zapmaster (Armada)#Toys|Zapmaster]] deco (with slight alterations) released as Swindle's powered-up form, as seen in the ''Armada'' cartoon. "Spark Grid" uses more vivid blue plastics, but is otherwise identical to Zapmaster.

: You can, of course, use your ''Armada'' Zapmaster toy as "Powerlinx Swindle" if you want. Nobody can stop you.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2003/Mini-Con/Zapmaster/zapmaster.htm More information on Spark Grid (actually Zapmaster) at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===''Built to Rule!''===
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-d1|'''Starscream with Swindle''' (Brick set, 2003)}}</ul>

: For the Hasbro ''[[Built to Rule!]]'' building block system, Starscream came with a small, building-block-based version of Swindle. This version can be rebuilt from robot mode into something kind of vaguely resembling a race car.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2003/Mini-Con/BTRSwindle/swindle.htm More information on ''Built to Rule!'' Swindle at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===''Mega Super Collection Figure''===
[[Image:Swindle-MSCF.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Micro-Mini-Con]]
*'''Starscream''' (MSCF, 2003)

: In Japan, a tiny PVC micro-figurine of Swindle based on his animation model was released with the ''[[Heroes of Cybertron (toyline)|Mega Super Collection Figure]]'' version of ''Armada'' Starscream.

: Like the other Mini-Con PVC micro-figurines in the series, the soft-plastic pegs that keep his arms in place were painted over, and as such are susceptible to snapping off if you try to move the arms, his only points of articulation. Extra-special caution should be taken with these parts.
{{--}}

==Notes==
* The feature where ''Armada'' [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]] deploys Swindle from his nosecone was directly inspired by the God Phoenix aircraft from the anime ''{{w|Science Ninja Team Gatchaman}}'', which similarly can [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WAqrt9iR1G0&t=93s deploy an F1 racecar].<ref>{{citesocial|quote=So no under the nose cone, which is, you know—not even gonna lie—a direct kind of honorific to ''Gatchaman'', you know, where the race car dropped out of the bottom of the Phoenix. So for you old '70s Japanese anime fans out there [...] that is an echo to my childhood love there!|link=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fW7bBZgluQQ&t=3058s|name=Aaron Archer|site=''The Toy Armada''|title=Toy Armada Friday night LIVE: ARMADA STARSCREAM|year=2023|month=06|day=02}}</ref>
*Kreon Swindle is in the gray-and-blue colors of the "Powered-up" version of his original counterpart (which incidentally are the colors of mold-mate [[Zapmaster (Armada)|Zapmaster]]).
*It is unknown if Kreon Swindle is merely a one-piece accessory or a proper being to his own right (not helped by [[Makoto Wakabayashi]]'s occasionally stylized nature).

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Grid''' (グリッド ''Guriddo''), '''Spark Grid''' ("Powerlinx", スパークグリッド ''Supāku Guriddo'')
*''Korean:'' '''Grid''' (그리드 ''Geurideu'')
*''Polish:'' '''Kanciarz''' ("Racketeer")
*''Ukrainian:'' '''Heshevtnyk''' (Гешевтник, "Businessman", from the German word ''Geschäft'')

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Armada Mini-Cons]]
[[Category:Built to Rule!]]
[[Category:Cloud characters]]
[[Category:Kre-O Decepticons]]
[[Category:Kreons]]
[[Category:Legends Mini-Cons]]

Talk:Sparking gimmick

2024-02-09T19:06:24Z

Thunder Clash 2: /* Repair/replacement? */

I would like to see a picture of the damage this gimmick causes to toys. A firecon, by preference. -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 19:14, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

:Oogh. I'd love to oblige, but I don't own any of these...I have seen this damage on non-TF sparking toys, but that doesn't exactly help, I guess. --[[User:Autobus Prime|Autobus Prime]] 19:16, 2 March 2007 (UTC)

::Let us not forget that it only managed to set the child's hair on fire in combination with frikkin' ''hairspray'', which makes it equivalent to inspecting vats of gasoline while smoking a cigarette. [[User:Takeshi357|Takeshi357]] 16:12, 19 May 2013 (EDT)

It is dangerous

==Barbie Link==
i can't get the barbie link to work and tried a search to find a replacement but am unsure what exactly i am looking for, can someone please update it. [[Special:Contributions/86.31.37.127|86.31.37.127]] 04:47, 16 June 2009 (EDT)

:Done. -[[User:Mazenoise|Mazenoise]] 05:12, 16 June 2009 (EDT)

==Dino Sparkers==
Do the AOE Dino Sparkers have such a gimmick? What with not having one (plus having no interest in getting any), and the whole Barbie underwear fire thing, I'm utterly confused either way. [[User:Pirateblue|Pirateblue]] ([[User talk:Pirateblue|talk]]) 10:44, 21 May 2014 (EDT)