Transformers Generations (guidebook)

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	Transformers Generations; Transformers Generations Deluxe {{#if: トランスフォーマージェネレーション\| トランスフォーマージェネレーション {{#if: \|; (')}} {{#if:\|; ""}}}}
Publisher	Keibunsha (first printing); Million Publishing (Deluxe); Mediaboy (The Rebirth: 35th Anniversary Commemorative); Takeshobo (Deluxe R)}}
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First published	July 2001 (first printing); March 25, 2004 (Deluxe); December 10 , 2014 (30th Anniversary); March 15, 2019 (The Rebirth: 35th Anniversary Commemorative); August 3, 2023 (Deluxe R)}}
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Written by	Kōji Igarashi (TARKUS)}}
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ISBN	ISBN 4766938003; ISBN 978-4766938005 (first printing); ISBN 4813010946; ISBN 978-4813010944 (Deluxe); ISBN 4863882904; ISBN 978-4863882904 (The Rebirth: 35th Anniversary Commemorative); ISBN 4801936504; ISBN 978-4801936508 (Deluxe R)}}
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Page count	143 (first printing); 159 (Deluxe)/(The Rebirth: 35th Anniversary Commemorative); 160 (Deluxe R)}}
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This article is about . For other uses of "Generations", see Generations (disambiguation)|The name or term "Generations" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Generations (disambiguation).}}

{{#if: TakaraTransformersGenerationsCoverDeluxe.jpg | {{#if: Keibunsha (first printing)
Million Publishing (Deluxe)
Mediaboy (The Rebirth: 35th Anniversary Commemorative)
Takeshobo (Deluxe R) | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: July 2001 (first printing)
March 25, 2004 (Deluxe)
December 10 , 2014 (30th Anniversary)
March 15, 2019 (The Rebirth: 35th Anniversary Commemorative)
August 3, 2023 (Deluxe R) | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: Kōji Igarashi (TARKUS) | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: ISBN 4766938003
ISBN 978-4766938005 (first printing)
ISBN 4813010946
ISBN 978-4813010944 (Deluxe)
ISBN 4863882904
ISBN 978-4863882904 (The Rebirth: 35th Anniversary Commemorative)
ISBN 4801936504
ISBN 978-4801936508 (Deluxe R) | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: 143 (first printing)
159 (Deluxe)/(The Rebirth: 35th Anniversary Commemorative)
160 (Deluxe R) | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: | {{#if: |

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Published in July 2001, Transformers Generations is a Japanese-exclusive book featuring a wealth of information on "Generation 1", Generation 2, and Machine Wars, including product photos of ~~all~~ very nearly all Transformers toys released in Japan, Europe, and the United States during the original releases of these generations.

Content

The main selling point is the book's exhaustive photography of the entire "Generation 1" and Generation 2 toylines. Including not only all American releases (which were mostly all also released in Japan), the guide includes very nearly all Japanese-exclusive toys from Japanese-only lines such as Super-God Masterforce, Victory, and Zone.

In fact, the book is somewhat American-centric, despite being created for the Japanese market. Product lines are listed by year, and present American assortments with Japanese exclusive characters in separate "Japan" sections by year. The only English texts in the book are character names and designated function titles, subtitled below the Japanese heading. European/Australasian-exclusive releases are also featured in similarly separate "EU" sections, by year.

Small sections on additional items are dotted randomly throughout the book, covering oddities, rarities, unreleased items, and unused concepts, such as:

Bumper
"Dropshot"
An unreleased Godbomber prototype
Block Town
The Super High-Breed Models
The unreleased Generation 2 ATB Megatron and Laser Cycles
Promo items like Mini-Spies, Powerdashers, and Decoys
The BotCon exclusives from the period, such as Generation 2 Breakdown and Nightracer

...and lots more. Separating the sections on 1986 and 1987 is a page of unused design concepts, featuring items such as a fire-truck version of Rodimus Prime in the style of Powermaster Optimus Prime, a Scramble City-style dinosaur combiner, and the famous Chromedome-as-Headmaster-Arcee repaint.

Were it not entirely in Japanese, this book would surely be the definitive toy guide to pre-Beast Era toys. Even so, it's a contender, being far more exhaustive (albeit less detail-oriented) than the next best English-language equivalent, Antarctic Press's Cybertronian: The Unofficial Transformers Recognition Guide.

More pics than you can shake an ion blaster at!

After the toy guide section of the book ends, the book includes a gallery of Japanese-market promotional art, including images from sources such as TV Magazine. Following this, the paper stock switches from glossy color-printed to uncoated black and white for the remainder of the book; the black-and-white section begins with a gallery of character model sheets featuring most of the model fronts from the Transformers cartoon, including the Japanese-exclusive anime series Headmasters, Masterforce, Victory, and the Zone OVA. Most of the Studio OX model sheets are also featured, as well as designs for manga such as "The Battlestars".

Finally, the book closes with a selection of primarily-text features (Japanese, of course); features on Beastformers and PDTF Comic, an interview with Masumi Kaneda, an article on the TV Magazine manga, a full listing (with English titles and artist credits) for the American and British Generation 1 and Generation 2 comics, a multi-page table listing the various Japanese ID numbers of all the Generation 1 and Generation 2 toys, and finally, a complete episode listing for all the Generation 1 animated shows (with English titles where appropriate).

Editions

Back cover (of AWESOMENESS) by Hidetsugu Yoshioka

The preceding text refers to the original release of the book. An update, entitled Transformers Generations Deluxe (トランスフォーマージェネレーションデラックス) (pictured at the head of this article), released in March 2004, added an extra eighteen pages to the book, consisting of a massive gallery of design sketches and various unused concepts for the Transformers toyline.

Among the scores of images, some of the most notable include:

A proposed "Vintage Horror Movie Series" of Transformers based on famous movie monsters, such as the Fly, Dracula, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon
A fifteen-figure Micromaster combiner
A figure that worked with an interactive video game, including "Duck Hunt" style light-gun antics
Concepts for Action Master versions of Ultra Magnus, Superion, Predaking, Bruticus, Metroplex, Perceptor, and a tricked-out Galvatron
Designs for Battlestars characters Super Megatron, Ultra Megatron, and Dark Nova (who would have transformed into Star Giant).

There are also numerous unused designs for Titans, Six Changers, and Pretenders.

Both editions are out of print, making them very hard to find. The Deluxe edition is particularly sought after by fans (even by those that owned the original edition) because of the massive amount of additional unused concept designs.

Primus Contest

This is what he looks like if he gets possessed by the God.

Although it's probably unknown to most English-language fans, the first official Primus toy was not the Supreme-class figure that debuted in the Cybertron/Galaxy Force line. It was a gold-chrome vacuum-metallised reissue of the G1 Rodimus Prime mold. Dubbed "Primus", it no doubt was created based on the god's rather Rodimus-esque astral form shown in "Primal Scream". This Lucky Draw figure was a contest prize given away to 100 winners through the Deluxe edition of Generations.

Notes

There were a lot more Generation 1 Transformers than you ever owned as a kid.
There were a lot more Generation 1 Transformers than you even knew existed as a kid.
We say the book depicts "very nearly all" of its targeted-era toys, because it does not include a full set of the six ultra rare white Autobot Master Warriors. So close, and yet, so far....

External links

2023 edition of Transformers Generations at Amazon Japan

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Transformers Generations (guidebook)

Contents

Content

Editions

Primus Contest

Notes

External links

Navigation menu

Transformers Generations (guidebook)

Content

Editions

Primus Contest

Notes

External links

Navigation menu

Search