Transformers: Rescue Bots (toyline)
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The Transformers: Rescue Bots toyline is released under Hasbro's Playskool Heroes brand, the latest of many Transformers lines to be aimed at the preschool demographic.
Beginning in late 2011, the Rescue Bots toyline's initial offerings are noticeably divergent from the cartoon that they inspired, featuring different robot stylings and a mostly different human cast. By year two (the line's Energize refresh), the line began to line up more stylistically with the cartoon, eventually adding toys based directly on in-show characters.
The line was later succeeded by a direct sequel, Transformers: Rescue Bots Academy, and two spiritual successors, the Dinobot Adventures and the Classic Heroes Team toylines.
Standard retail toys
[edit]Rescue Bots
[edit]- Released from 2011–2013, 2018.
The original Rescue Bots assortment consists of autotransforming figures, which can hold Rescue Gear in robot mode. These figures are larger than the later "mainline" toys. For the Energize subline imprint, the original toys were partially redecoed in clear blue plastic, and retooled to include new rescue tools and additional 5mm ports to hold them in vehicle mode.
In 2018, long after being replaced by smaller "Rescan" figures (see below), this pricepoint made a limited comeback (under the same Hasbro assortment number, no less), with the four core characters being re-released in new, more cartoon-inspired decoes. These releases retained the new accessories and other tooling from the Energize versions, and, curiously, the same individual product numbers too. Oddly, the back of their packaging has the copyright year as 2015.
| Wave 1 | Wave 2 | Wave 3 | Wave 4 |  | ||||
| Wave 5 | Wave 6 (Energize) | Wave 7 (Energize) | Wave 8 |
Rescan Series
[edit]Premiering in 2014, the smaller Rescan figures replaced the Rescue Bot assortment as the core product for the line. The assortment's name derives from the fact that the 2014 line-up gave the Rescue Bots cast new alternate modes for the first time, although new figures of their original forms were eventually introduced over the years.
Wave 1 (2014)
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Wave 2
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Wave 3
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Wave 4 |  | ||||
Wave 5 (2015)
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Wave 6 | Wave 7
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Wave 8 | |||||
| Wave 9 (2016) | Wave 11 | Wave 12 | Wave 14 (2017) | |||||
Wave 15
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Wave 16
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Wave 17
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Wave 18 (2018)
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Wave 19
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Wave 20
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Wave 21 | Wave 22
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| Wave 23 (2019) |
Rescue Rigs (2016)
- These sets combine a Rescan bot toy with a towable trailer, which itself converts into a role-play gauntlet toy with action features for kids to wear.
Superchargers (2016)
- These barely-larger-than-Rescan toys of special guest bots have pull-back motor action, launching them forward.
Griffin Rock Rescue Team (2016)
- A four-pack of the main four Rescue Bots in their Rescan-scale show-forms, all nice and neat.
Rescue Teams (2017)
- These multi-packs include one Rescan-sized Rescue Bot, a human partner, and rescue gear which can combine and form robots.
- Bumblebee Rock Rescue Team (with Cody Burns, Talon the Eagle-Bot and Hunter the Lion-Bot)
Figure Packs
[edit]- Figures w/ Rescue Gear
In the first year of the line (2011), the Figures assortment consisted of individual soft-plastic human figures with basic articulation, and a piece of Rescue Gear each.
| Wave 1 | Wave 2 |  |
- Figure 2-Packs
Figure 2-Packs include a PVC Rescue Bot with basic articulation and a static human partner figure. Unlike previous merchandise, the robots and humans are based on the models of the Rescue Bots cartoon.
| Wave 1 (2013) | Wave 2 | Wave 3 (2014)
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Wave 4
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| Wave 5 |
- Singles Packs
Released in 2013, Singles Packs are the same Rescue Bot figures from the 2-Pack assortment, only without their human partner and in small plastic baggies with a nice big window showing who's inside.
- Featured Bots
Similar in style to the Figure 2-Pack toys, Featured Bots are non-transforming figures with a rescue tool action feature on one arm. They were released in 2015.
| Wave 1 | Wave 2 |  |
- Mini Scene Packs
These 2015 sets pack in Figure 2-pack bots and humans along with a larger vehicle with gear-driven action gimmicks.
- Shark Sub Capture (with Dr. Morocco and Blades the Flight-Bot)
- Tunnel Rescue Drill Capture (with Graham Burns and MorBot)
Mini Dinos & Mini-Cons
[edit]Mini Dinos (2014)
The tiny Mini Dino toys, released in 2014, are small autotransforming figures of the main four Rescue Bots with dinosaur alternate modes.
| Wave 1 | Wave 2 |  |
Mini-Cons (2016 onwards)
This assortment initially consisted entirely of animal-bots with 5mm rescue tool alternate modes, although would loosen up over time with the use of molds originating in other assortments, including the predecessor Mini Dino range.
Wave 1 (2016)
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Wave 2 | Wave 3 | Wave 4 (2017) |  | ||||
| Wave 5 | Wave 6 (2018) | Wave 7 | Wave 8 (cancelled) |
Playsets
[edit]
Available at a number of pricepoints, playsets typically include at least one human figure or smaller version of a bot.
- 2011
- Bumblebee Rescue Garage (with Bumblebee and Axel Frazier)
- Electronic Fire Station Prime (with Heatwave and Cody Burns)
- 2012
- Bots & Robbers Police Headquarters (with Chase and crook)
- 2013
- Optimus Prime Rescue Trailer (with large, transforming Optimus Prime)
- Bumblebee Rescue Repair Station 3D Pop-Up Playset (with unchanged Singles/2-Pack Bumblebee)
- 2015
- High Tide Rescue Rig (includes rig, Rescan-size High Tide, and cardboard standees of Cody Burns and Servo)
- 2016
- Optimus Prime Racing Trailer (with Blurr)
- Optimus Prime Rescue Trailer (redeco of 2013 release without Energize patterns)
Large figures
[edit]A variety of large figures serve as flagship pieces, many of which are non-transforming, and/or feature lights and sounds. While the first year's assortment included a human partner figure, later waves dropped them.
| 2012 | 2013 | 2014
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2017
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2018
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Flip Changers
[edit]
Released in 2013, Flip Changers are larger semi-motorized figures, sporting a gimmick whereby pulling a lever causes the toy to roll forward briefly before flipping over into robot mode.
Megabots
[edit]Though the pricepoint was introduced in 2015, it didn't become an ongoing assortment until 2016. These massive bots, while roughly the same size as the Epic Figures (see below), are fully transformable toys. There was a 2-year gap between waves 3 and 4.
| 2015 | Wave 1 (2016) | Wave 2 | Wave 3 |  | ||||
| Wave 4 (2018) |
Epic Figures
[edit]The Epic Figure assortment consists of 12-inch tall non-transforming figures with basic articulation. Their chests open up to fit a 2-Pack human figure, and they feature 5mm ports to interact with Energize rescue tools or similar accessories.
| Wave 1 (2014) | Wave 2 (2015) | Wave 3 (2016) | Wave 4 (2017) |  | ||||
| Wave 5 (2018) | 22-inch assortment (2014) |
Flip Racers
[edit]
Flip Racers are simplified Bot Shot-scale figures with automatic gravity-powered transformations activated by flipping the figure up or down. Figures were available individually, in packs of 3, and were included with larger playsets.
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Beam Box Game System
[edit]Released in 2013, the Beam Box Game System is a basic video games console, inspired by the popular [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Skylanders|{{#if:||Skylanders}}]] model. The player places a static Rescue Bots figure into the eponymous "Box" and pushes a button, "transporting" the character into the video game. The "Expandable Starter Pack" includes the Optimus Prime figure.
- Individual Figures
| Wave 1 | Wave 2 | Unreleased figures |  |
Mixable, Mashable Heroes!
[edit]Branded as Rescue Bots, presumably due to the Playskool connection, this line of Transformers-themed [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Mr. Potato Head|{{#if:||Mr. Potato Head}}]] toys is entirely unrelated to the rest of the line. Lotsa figures of Mr. Potato Head in different scales, dressing up as... Generation 1 characters, with Rescue Bots characters finally getting into the mix late into the line (and barely hitting US retail).
- Single Figures
| 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |  |
- Figure 2-Packs
"2-Packs" in this context means that Mr. Potato Head has two different costumes to put on: a robot-mode outfit and a vehicle-mode one!
- Multi-Packs
Double your potatoes, double your fun! One small tater, one huge!
Exclusives
[edit]| Amazon.com | Target (Canada)
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Walmart
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Post-Rescue Bots releases
[edit]| Legacy | Age of the Primes |  |