Special Teams - Revision history

Nevermore: /* Use of the term */

2026-01-03T19:18:47Z

Use of the term

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:18, 3 January 2026
Line 22:		Line 22:
	[[File:G1 Special Team Mini Vehicles shipping box.jpg\|\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|Apparently the Terrorcons were vehicles as well.]]		[[File:G1 Special Team Mini Vehicles shipping box.jpg\|\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|Apparently the Terrorcons were vehicles as well.]]
	[[File:Technobots-specialteams.jpg\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|This puts an entirely new spin on the phrase "There's no 'I' in 'Team'".]]		[[File:Technobots-specialteams.jpg\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|This puts an entirely new spin on the phrase "There's no 'I' in 'Team'".]]
	The term "Special Teams" was used by Hasbro in their 1986 [[Toy Fair]] retailer catalog, calling the smaller team members/combiner limb figures the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" (a name reapplied from the [[Mini-Vehicle]]s), and the larger leader/torso figures the "Special Team Large Vehicles Assortment". Though those assortment names were never used on the toys' [[packaging]] nor in the official [[catalog]] [[pack-in material\|included]] with the figures, they ''were'' printed on the toys' shipping boxes at least until 1987. Additionally, the names were ''heavily'' used in newspaper ads for the toys in 1986. Interestingly, the name "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" is still used in Hasbro's 1987 Toy Fair catalog, while the "Special Team Large Vehicles" have been renamed into "Special Team Leader Assortment". The term also still appears (though to a lesser degree) in newspaper ads from 1987<ref name="ads">[https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/marvel-uk-anomalies-explained.1235568/#post-20609520 Collection of newspaper ads that use the name "Special Teams"]</ref>, and also on 1987 Hasbro shipping cases (see the image on the left). Bizarrely, one of those ads referred to the ''individual members'' of the Technobots as "special teams" ("4 special teams and leader form giant [[Computron (G1)\|Computron]]", see the image to the left), which suggests that the [[Toys"R"Us]] in-house department which created this ad was ''really'' struggling to implement outdated Hasbro marketing terminology. Also, the Terrorcons certainly don't qualify as "vehicles". (This would neither be the first nor the last time an outdated marketing term found its way into print ads nontheless. See the history of the term "[[Seeker (body-type)#Origin of the term\|Seeker]]" for one of the most prominent cases.) The 1988 Toy Fair catalog further renames the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles" into the "Special Mini-Team Assortment", while keeping the name "Special Team Leader Assortment". Additionaly, an internal Hasbro spreadsheet from 1988 referred to the assortment that contained the Seacon limb figures as "Seacons Special Team".		The term "Special Teams" was used by Hasbro in their 1986 [[Toy Fair]] retailer catalog, calling the smaller team members/combiner limb figures the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" (a name reapplied from the [[Mini-Vehicle]]s), and the larger leader/torso figures the "Special Team Large Vehicles Assortment". Though those assortment names were never used on the toys' [[packaging]] nor in the official [[catalog]] [[pack-in material\|included]] with the figures, they ''were'' printed on the toys' shipping boxes at least until 1987. Additionally, the names were ''heavily'' used in newspaper ads for the toys in 1986. Interestingly, the name "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" is still used in Hasbro's 1987 Toy Fair catalog, while the "Special Team Large Vehicles" have been renamed into "Special Team Leader Assortment". The term also still appears (though to a lesser degree) in newspaper ads from 1987<ref name="ads">[https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/marvel-uk-anomalies-explained.1235568/#post-20609520 Collection of newspaper ads that use the name "Special Teams"]</ref>, and also on 1987 Hasbro shipping cases (see the image on the left). Bizarrely, one of those ads referred to the ''individual members'' of the Technobots as "special teams" ("4 special teams and leader form giant [[Computron (G1)\|Computron]]", see the image to the left), which suggests that the [[Toys"R"Us]] in-house department which created this ad was ''really'' struggling to implement outdated Hasbro marketing terminology. Also, the Terrorcons certainly don't qualify as "vehicles". (This would neither be the first nor the last time an outdated marketing term found its way into print ads nontheless. See the history of the term "[[Seeker (body-type)#Origin of the term\|Seeker]]" for one of the most prominent cases.) The 1988 Toy Fair catalog further renames the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles" into the "Special Mini-Team Assortment", while keeping the name "Special Team Leader Assortment". Additionaly, an internal Hasbro spreadsheet from 1988 referred to the assortment that contained the Seacon limb figures as "Seacons Special Team".<ref name="lineplan">[http://www.transformertoys.co.uk/transformers/news/story/transformers+interviews+and+articles/1989+European+Lineplan+Development+document+recreated/13033 "1989 European Lineplan Development document recreated"] at Transformers at the Moon.</ref>

	On the fiction side of things, it was employed predominantly in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)\|Marvel UK Comics]], first used in the mini-comic "[[The Special Teams Have Arrived]]" included with [[Rock and Roll-Out!\|issue #54]] (which also featured an ad that referred to the toys as the "Special Team Collection"), and continuing in the three-parter "[[Second Generation!]]" from issues #63–65. Though the term was never used in the US Marvel comic (where the Aerialbots debuted in [[Aerialbots over America!\|issue #21]], the Stunticons in [[Heavy Traffic!\|issue #22]], and the Protectobots and Combaticons in [[Afterdeath!\|issue #24]]), it ''was'' again used on the "Transformations" introductory pages, in the "next week" previews and the recaps for the previous issues when those US issues were reprinted in the UK title (in issues #89-92 and #105-106, respectively). On top of that, an audio drama titled ''[[The Special Teams]]'' was also available in the UK, whose plot centered around the 1986 combiner teams. However, later ads in the UK comics simply called them the "New Teams".		On the fiction side of things, it was employed predominantly in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)\|Marvel UK Comics]], first used in the mini-comic "[[The Special Teams Have Arrived]]" included with [[Rock and Roll-Out!\|issue #54]] (which also featured an ad that referred to the toys as the "Special Team Collection"), and continuing in the three-parter "[[Second Generation!]]" from issues #63–65. Though the term was never used in the US Marvel comic (where the Aerialbots debuted in [[Aerialbots over America!\|issue #21]], the Stunticons in [[Heavy Traffic!\|issue #22]], and the Protectobots and Combaticons in [[Afterdeath!\|issue #24]]), it ''was'' again used on the "Transformations" introductory pages, in the "next week" previews and the recaps for the previous issues when those US issues were reprinted in the UK title (in issues #89-92 and #105-106, respectively). On top of that, an audio drama titled ''[[The Special Teams]]'' was also available in the UK, whose plot centered around the 1986 combiner teams. However, later ads in the UK comics simply called them the "New Teams".

Nevermore: /* Use of the term */

2026-01-03T19:11:26Z

Use of the term

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:11, 3 January 2026
Line 22:		Line 22:
	[[File:G1 Special Team Mini Vehicles shipping box.jpg\|\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|Apparently the Terrorcons were vehicles as well.]]		[[File:G1 Special Team Mini Vehicles shipping box.jpg\|\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|Apparently the Terrorcons were vehicles as well.]]
	[[File:Technobots-specialteams.jpg\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|This puts an entirely new spin on the phrase "There's no 'I' in 'Team'".]]		[[File:Technobots-specialteams.jpg\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|This puts an entirely new spin on the phrase "There's no 'I' in 'Team'".]]
	The term "Special Teams" was used by Hasbro in their 1986 [[Toy Fair]] retailer catalog, calling the smaller team members/combiner limb figures the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" (a name reapplied from the [[Mini-Vehicle]]s), and the larger leader/torso figures the "Special Team Large Vehicles Assortment". Though those assortment names were never used on the toys' [[packaging]] nor in the official [[catalog]] [[pack-in material\|included]] with the figures, they ''were'' printed on the toys' shipping boxes at least until 1987. Additionally, the names were ''heavily'' used in newspaper ads for the toys in 1986. Interestingly, the name "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" is still used in Hasbro's 1987 Toy Fair catalog, while the "Special Team Large Vehicles" have been renamed into "Special Team Leader Assortment". The term also still appears (though to a lesser degree) in newspaper ads from 1987<ref name="ads">[https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/marvel-uk-anomalies-explained.1235568/#post-20609520 Collection of newspaper ads that use the name "Special Teams"]</ref>, and also on 1987 Hasbro shipping cases (see the image on the left). Bizarrely, one of those ads referred to the ''individual members'' of the Technobots as "special teams" ("4 special teams and leader form giant [[Computron (G1)\|Computron]]", see the image to the left), which suggests that the [[Toys"R"Us]] in-house department which created this ad was ''really'' struggling to implement outdated Hasbro marketing terminology. Also, the Terrorcons certainly don't qualify as "vehicles". (This would neither be the first nor the last time an outdated marketing term found its way into print ads nontheless. See the history of the term "[[Seeker (body-type)#Origin of the term\|Seeker]]" for one of the most prominent cases.) The 1988 Toy Fair catalog further renames the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles" into the "Special Mini-Team Assortment", while keeping the name "Special Team Leader Assortment".		The term "Special Teams" was used by Hasbro in their 1986 [[Toy Fair]] retailer catalog, calling the smaller team members/combiner limb figures the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" (a name reapplied from the [[Mini-Vehicle]]s), and the larger leader/torso figures the "Special Team Large Vehicles Assortment". Though those assortment names were never used on the toys' [[packaging]] nor in the official [[catalog]] [[pack-in material\|included]] with the figures, they ''were'' printed on the toys' shipping boxes at least until 1987. Additionally, the names were ''heavily'' used in newspaper ads for the toys in 1986. Interestingly, the name "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" is still used in Hasbro's 1987 Toy Fair catalog, while the "Special Team Large Vehicles" have been renamed into "Special Team Leader Assortment". The term also still appears (though to a lesser degree) in newspaper ads from 1987<ref name="ads">[https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/marvel-uk-anomalies-explained.1235568/#post-20609520 Collection of newspaper ads that use the name "Special Teams"]</ref>, and also on 1987 Hasbro shipping cases (see the image on the left). Bizarrely, one of those ads referred to the ''individual members'' of the Technobots as "special teams" ("4 special teams and leader form giant [[Computron (G1)\|Computron]]", see the image to the left), which suggests that the [[Toys"R"Us]] in-house department which created this ad was ''really'' struggling to implement outdated Hasbro marketing terminology. Also, the Terrorcons certainly don't qualify as "vehicles". (This would neither be the first nor the last time an outdated marketing term found its way into print ads nontheless. See the history of the term "[[Seeker (body-type)#Origin of the term\|Seeker]]" for one of the most prominent cases.) The 1988 Toy Fair catalog further renames the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles" into the "Special Mini-Team Assortment", while keeping the name "Special Team Leader Assortment". Additionaly, an internal Hasbro spreadsheet from 1988 referred to the assortment that contained the Seacon limb figures as "Seacons Special Team".

	On the fiction side of things, it was employed predominantly in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)\|Marvel UK Comics]], first used in the mini-comic "[[The Special Teams Have Arrived]]" included with [[Rock and Roll-Out!\|issue #54]] (which also featured an ad that referred to the toys as the "Special Team Collection"), and continuing in the three-parter "[[Second Generation!]]" from issues #63–65. Though the term was never used in the US Marvel comic (where the Aerialbots debuted in [[Aerialbots over America!\|issue #21]], the Stunticons in [[Heavy Traffic!\|issue #22]], and the Protectobots and Combaticons in [[Afterdeath!\|issue #24]]), it ''was'' again used on the "Transformations" introductory pages, in the "next week" previews and the recaps for the previous issues when those US issues were reprinted in the UK title (in issues #89-92 and #105-106, respectively). On top of that, an audio drama titled ''[[The Special Teams]]'' was also available in the UK, whose plot centered around the 1986 combiner teams. However, later ads in the UK comics simply called them the "New Teams".		On the fiction side of things, it was employed predominantly in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)\|Marvel UK Comics]], first used in the mini-comic "[[The Special Teams Have Arrived]]" included with [[Rock and Roll-Out!\|issue #54]] (which also featured an ad that referred to the toys as the "Special Team Collection"), and continuing in the three-parter "[[Second Generation!]]" from issues #63–65. Though the term was never used in the US Marvel comic (where the Aerialbots debuted in [[Aerialbots over America!\|issue #21]], the Stunticons in [[Heavy Traffic!\|issue #22]], and the Protectobots and Combaticons in [[Afterdeath!\|issue #24]]), it ''was'' again used on the "Transformations" introductory pages, in the "next week" previews and the recaps for the previous issues when those US issues were reprinted in the UK title (in issues #89-92 and #105-106, respectively). On top of that, an audio drama titled ''[[The Special Teams]]'' was also available in the UK, whose plot centered around the 1986 combiner teams. However, later ads in the UK comics simply called them the "New Teams".

Nevermore: /* Use of the term */

2026-01-01T16:05:46Z

Use of the term

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:05, 1 January 2026
Line 22:		Line 22:
	[[File:G1 Special Team Mini Vehicles shipping box.jpg\|\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|Apparently the Terrorcons were vehicles as well.]]		[[File:G1 Special Team Mini Vehicles shipping box.jpg\|\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|Apparently the Terrorcons were vehicles as well.]]
	[[File:Technobots-specialteams.jpg\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|This puts an entirely new spin on the phrase "There's no 'I' in 'Team'".]]		[[File:Technobots-specialteams.jpg\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|This puts an entirely new spin on the phrase "There's no 'I' in 'Team'".]]
	The term "Special Teams" was used by Hasbro in their 1986 [[Toy Fair]] retailer catalog, calling the smaller team members/combiner limb figures the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" (a name reapplied from the [[Mini-Vehicle]]s), and the larger leader/torso figures the "Special Team Large Vehicles Assortment". Though those assortment names were never used on the toys' [[packaging]] nor in the official [[catalog]] [[pack-in material\|included]] with the figures, they ''were'' printed on the toys' shipping boxes at least until 1987. Additionally, the names were ''heavily'' used in newspaper ads for the toys in 1986. Interestingly, the name "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" is still used in Hasbro's 1987 Toy Fair catalog, while the "Special Team Large Vehicles" have been renamed into "Special Team Leader Assortment". The term also still appears (though to a lesser degree) in newspaper ads from 1987<ref name="ads">[https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/marvel-uk-anomalies-explained.1235568/#post-20609520 Collection of newspaper ads that use the name "Special Teams"]</ref>, and also on 1987 Hasbro shipping cases (see the image on the left). Bizarrely, one of those ads referred to the ''individual members'' of the Technobots as "special teams" ("4 special teams and leader form giant [[Computron (G1)\|Computron]]", see the image to the left), which suggests that the [[Toys"R"Us]] in-house department which created this ad was ''really'' struggling to implement outdated Hasbro marketing terminology. Also, the Terrorcons certainly don't qualify as "vehicles". (This would neither be the first nor the last time an outdated marketing term found its way into print ads nontheless. See the history of the term "[[Seeker (body-type)#Origin of the term\|Seeker]]" for a one of the most prominent cases.) The 1988 Toy Fair catalog further renames the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles" into the "Special Mini-Team Assortment", while keeping the name "Special Team Leader Assortment".		The term "Special Teams" was used by Hasbro in their 1986 [[Toy Fair]] retailer catalog, calling the smaller team members/combiner limb figures the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" (a name reapplied from the [[Mini-Vehicle]]s), and the larger leader/torso figures the "Special Team Large Vehicles Assortment". Though those assortment names were never used on the toys' [[packaging]] nor in the official [[catalog]] [[pack-in material\|included]] with the figures, they ''were'' printed on the toys' shipping boxes at least until 1987. Additionally, the names were ''heavily'' used in newspaper ads for the toys in 1986. Interestingly, the name "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" is still used in Hasbro's 1987 Toy Fair catalog, while the "Special Team Large Vehicles" have been renamed into "Special Team Leader Assortment". The term also still appears (though to a lesser degree) in newspaper ads from 1987<ref name="ads">[https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/marvel-uk-anomalies-explained.1235568/#post-20609520 Collection of newspaper ads that use the name "Special Teams"]</ref>, and also on 1987 Hasbro shipping cases (see the image on the left). Bizarrely, one of those ads referred to the ''individual members'' of the Technobots as "special teams" ("4 special teams and leader form giant [[Computron (G1)\|Computron]]", see the image to the left), which suggests that the [[Toys"R"Us]] in-house department which created this ad was ''really'' struggling to implement outdated Hasbro marketing terminology. Also, the Terrorcons certainly don't qualify as "vehicles". (This would neither be the first nor the last time an outdated marketing term found its way into print ads nontheless. See the history of the term "[[Seeker (body-type)#Origin of the term\|Seeker]]" for one of the most prominent cases.) The 1988 Toy Fair catalog further renames the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles" into the "Special Mini-Team Assortment", while keeping the name "Special Team Leader Assortment".

	On the fiction side of things, it was employed predominantly in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)\|Marvel UK Comics]], first used in the mini-comic "[[The Special Teams Have Arrived]]" included with [[Rock and Roll-Out!\|issue #54]] (which also featured an ad that referred to the toys as the "Special Team Collection"), and continuing in the three-parter "[[Second Generation!]]" from issues #63–65. Though the term was never used in the US Marvel comic (where the Aerialbots debuted in [[Aerialbots over America!\|issue #21]], the Stunticons in [[Heavy Traffic!\|issue #22]], and the Protectobots and Combaticons in [[Afterdeath!\|issue #24]]), it ''was'' again used on the "Transformations" introductory pages, in the "next week" previews and the recaps for the previous issues when those US issues were reprinted in the UK title (in issues #89-92 and #105-106, respectively). On top of that, an audio drama titled ''[[The Special Teams]]'' was also available in the UK, whose plot centered around the 1986 combiner teams. However, later ads in the UK comics simply called them the "New Teams".		On the fiction side of things, it was employed predominantly in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)\|Marvel UK Comics]], first used in the mini-comic "[[The Special Teams Have Arrived]]" included with [[Rock and Roll-Out!\|issue #54]] (which also featured an ad that referred to the toys as the "Special Team Collection"), and continuing in the three-parter "[[Second Generation!]]" from issues #63–65. Though the term was never used in the US Marvel comic (where the Aerialbots debuted in [[Aerialbots over America!\|issue #21]], the Stunticons in [[Heavy Traffic!\|issue #22]], and the Protectobots and Combaticons in [[Afterdeath!\|issue #24]]), it ''was'' again used on the "Transformations" introductory pages, in the "next week" previews and the recaps for the previous issues when those US issues were reprinted in the UK title (in issues #89-92 and #105-106, respectively). On top of that, an audio drama titled ''[[The Special Teams]]'' was also available in the UK, whose plot centered around the 1986 combiner teams. However, later ads in the UK comics simply called them the "New Teams".

Nevermore: /* Use of the term */

2026-01-01T13:42:47Z

Use of the term

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:42, 1 January 2026
Line 20:		Line 20:
	{{-}}		{{-}}
	==Use of the term==		==Use of the term==
			[[File:G1 Special Team Mini Vehicles shipping box.jpg\|\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|Apparently the Terrorcons were vehicles as well.]]
	[[File:Technobots-specialteams.jpg\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|This puts an entirely new spin on the phrase "There's no 'I' in 'Team'".]]		[[File:Technobots-specialteams.jpg\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|This puts an entirely new spin on the phrase "There's no 'I' in 'Team'".]]
	The term "Special Teams" was used by Hasbro in their 1986 [[Toy Fair]] retailer catalog, calling the smaller team members/combiner limb figures the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" (a name reapplied from the [[Mini Vehicle]]s), and the larger leader/torso figures the "Special Team Large Vehicles Assortment". Though those assortment names were never used on the toys' [[packaging]] nor in the official [[catalog]] [[pack-in material\|included]] with the figures, they ''were'' printed on the toys' shipping boxes at least until 1987. Additionally, the names were ''heavily'' used in newspaper ads for the toys in 1986. Interestingly, the name "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" is still used in Hasbro's 1987 Toy Fair catalog, while the "Special Team Large Vehicles" have been renamed into "Special Team Leader Assortment". The term also still appears (though to a lesser degree) in newspaper ads from 1987.<ref name="ads">[https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/marvel-uk-anomalies-explained.1235568/#post-20609520 Collection of newspaper ads that use the name "Special Teams"]</ref> ~~Whether the application of the term "Special Teams" to the Technobots~~ and ~~Terrorcons through those~~ 1987 ~~ads qualifies as an "official" use is questionable, since~~ the ~~ads were created in-house by retailers and presumably weren't approved by Hasbro, and might have therefore reflected outdated marketing terminology; after all~~, one of those ads referred to the ''individual members'' of the Technobots as "special teams" ("4 special teams and leader form giant [[Computron (G1)\|Computron]]"), ~~and~~ the Terrorcons certainly don't qualify as "vehicles".~~<ref name="seeker">~~See the history of the term "[[Seeker (body-type)#Origin of the term\|Seeker]]" for a ~~similar case~~ of ~~a possibly outdated Hasbro marketing term that found its way into print ads~~.~~</ref>~~ The 1988 Toy Fair catalog further renames the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles" into the "Special Mini-Team Assortment", while keeping the name "Special Team Leader Assortment".		The term "Special Teams" was used by Hasbro in their 1986 [[Toy Fair]] retailer catalog, calling the smaller team members/combiner limb figures the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" (a name reapplied from the [[Mini-Vehicle]]s), and the larger leader/torso figures the "Special Team Large Vehicles Assortment". Though those assortment names were never used on the toys' [[packaging]] nor in the official [[catalog]] [[pack-in material\|included]] with the figures, they ''were'' printed on the toys' shipping boxes at least until 1987. Additionally, the names were ''heavily'' used in newspaper ads for the toys in 1986. Interestingly, the name "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" is still used in Hasbro's 1987 Toy Fair catalog, while the "Special Team Large Vehicles" have been renamed into "Special Team Leader Assortment". The term also still appears (though to a lesser degree) in newspaper ads from 1987<ref name="ads">[https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/marvel-uk-anomalies-explained.1235568/#post-20609520 Collection of newspaper ads that use the name "Special Teams"]</ref>, and also on 1987 Hasbro shipping cases (see the image on the left). Bizarrely, one of those ads referred to the ''individual members'' of the Technobots as "special teams" ("4 special teams and leader form giant [[Computron (G1)\|Computron]]", see the image to the left), which suggests that the [[Toys"R"Us]] in-house department which created this ad was ''really'' struggling to implement outdated Hasbro marketing terminology. Also, the Terrorcons certainly don't qualify as "vehicles". (This would neither be the first nor the last time an outdated marketing term found its way into print ads nontheless. See the history of the term "[[Seeker (body-type)#Origin of the term\|Seeker]]" for a one of the most prominent cases.) The 1988 Toy Fair catalog further renames the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles" into the "Special Mini-Team Assortment", while keeping the name "Special Team Leader Assortment".

	On the fiction side of things, it was employed predominantly in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)\|Marvel UK Comics]], first used in the mini-comic "[[The Special Teams Have Arrived]]" included with [[Rock and Roll-Out!\|issue #54]] (which also featured an ad that referred to the toys as the "Special Team Collection"), and continuing in the three-parter "[[Second Generation!]]" from issues #63–65. Though the term was never used in the US Marvel comic (where the Aerialbots debuted in [[Aerialbots over America!\|issue #21]], the Stunticons in [[Heavy Traffic!\|issue #22]], and the Protectobots and Combaticons in [[Afterdeath!\|issue #24]]), it ''was'' again used on the "Transformations" introductory pages, in the "next week" previews and the recaps for the previous issues when those US issues were reprinted in the UK title (in issues #89-92 and #105-106, respectively). On top of that, an audio drama titled ''[[The Special Teams]]'' was also available in the UK, whose plot centered around the 1986 combiner teams. However, later ads in the UK comics simply called them the "New Teams".		On the fiction side of things, it was employed predominantly in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)\|Marvel UK Comics]], first used in the mini-comic "[[The Special Teams Have Arrived]]" included with [[Rock and Roll-Out!\|issue #54]] (which also featured an ad that referred to the toys as the "Special Team Collection"), and continuing in the three-parter "[[Second Generation!]]" from issues #63–65. Though the term was never used in the US Marvel comic (where the Aerialbots debuted in [[Aerialbots over America!\|issue #21]], the Stunticons in [[Heavy Traffic!\|issue #22]], and the Protectobots and Combaticons in [[Afterdeath!\|issue #24]]), it ''was'' again used on the "Transformations" introductory pages, in the "next week" previews and the recaps for the previous issues when those US issues were reprinted in the UK title (in issues #89-92 and #105-106, respectively). On top of that, an audio drama titled ''[[The Special Teams]]'' was also available in the UK, whose plot centered around the 1986 combiner teams. However, later ads in the UK comics simply called them the "New Teams".

	In 2004, the term "Special Teams" made a reapparance in the book ''[[Transformers: The Ultimate Guide]]'', written by Marvel UK veteran [[Simon Furman]] and published by [[DK Publishing]], where it was used as the title of the double page that featured the four 1986 combiner teams. On top of that, in 2008, a five-pack named "Special Team Leaders" was released as part of the ~~second~~ [[Transformers: Universe (2008 franchise)\|''Universe'' toyline]], which featured tiny [[Legends Class (2005)\|Legends Class]] figures representing [[Hot Spot (G1)\|Hot Spot]] (named "Hot Zone" for [[trademark]] reasons), [[Scattershot (G1)\|Scattershot]] (~~named~~ "Scatt'''o'''rshot"), [[Razorclaw (G1)\|Razorclaw]], [[Hun-Gurrr (G1)\|Hun-Gurrr]], and [[Silverbolt (G1)\|Silverbolt]]. While this ~~solidified the~~ previously ~~questionable status of~~ the ~~Technobots and Terrorcons as~~ "Special Teams", it marked the first time the term also encompassed a member of the ~~Predacons~~.		In 2004, the term "Special Teams" made a reapparance in the book ''[[Transformers: The Ultimate Guide]]'', written by Marvel UK veteran [[Simon Furman]] and published by [[DK Publishing]], where it was used as the title of the double page that featured the four 1986 combiner teams. On top of that, in 2008, a five-pack named "Special Team Leaders" was released as part of the 2008 [[Transformers: Universe (2008 franchise)\|''Universe'' toyline]], which featured tiny [[Legends Class (2005)\|Legends Class]] figures representing [[Hot Spot (G1)\|Hot Spot]] (named "Hot Zone" for [[trademark]] reasons), [[Scattershot (G1)\|Scattershot]] (spelled "Scatt'''o'''rshot"), [[Razorclaw (G1)\|Razorclaw]], [[Hun-Gurrr (G1)\|Hun-Gurrr]], and [[Silverbolt (G1)\|Silverbolt]]. While all the other teams represented in this set had been previously covered by the term "Special Teams" one way or another, this marked the first time the term also encompassed a member of the [[Predacon (G1)\|Predacon]]s.

	In 2013, the term popped up in, of all things, [[Transformers Comic issue 4.16\|a UK ''Prime'' comic]].		In 2013, the term popped up in, of all things, [[Transformers Comic issue 4.16\|a UK ''Prime'' comic]].

Nevermore: /* Use of the term */

2026-01-01T03:13:28Z

Use of the term

← Older revision		Revision as of 03:13, 1 January 2026
Line 21:		Line 21:
	==Use of the term==		==Use of the term==
	[[File:Technobots-specialteams.jpg\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|This puts an entirely new spin on the phrase "There's no 'I' in 'Team'".]]		[[File:Technobots-specialteams.jpg\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|This puts an entirely new spin on the phrase "There's no 'I' in 'Team'".]]
	The term "Special Teams" was used by Hasbro in their 1986 [[Toy Fair]] retailer catalog, calling the smaller team members/combiner limb figures the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" (a name reapplied from the [[Mini Vehicle]]s), and the larger leader/torso figures the "Special Team Large Vehicles Assortment". Though those assortment names were never used on the toys' [[packaging]] nor in the official [[catalog]] [[pack-in material\|included]] with the figures, they were ~~also~~ printed on the toys' shipping boxes. Additionally, the names were ''heavily'' used in newspaper ads for the toys in 1986. Interestingly, the name "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" is still used in Hasbro's 1987 Toy Fair catalog, while the "Special Team Large Vehicles" have been renamed into "Special Team Leader Assortment". The term also still appears (though to a lesser degree) in newspaper ads from 1987.<ref name="ads">[https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/marvel-uk-anomalies-explained.1235568/#post-20609520 Collection of newspaper ads that use the name "Special Teams"]</ref> Whether the application of the term "Special Teams" to the Technobots and Terrorcons through those 1987 ads qualifies as an "official" use is questionable, since the ads were created in-house by retailers and presumably weren't approved by Hasbro, and might have therefore reflected outdated marketing terminology; after all, one of those ads referred to the ''individual members'' of the Technobots as "special teams" ("4 special teams and leader form giant [[Computron (G1)\|Computron]]"), and the Terrorcons certainly don't qualify as "vehicles".<ref name="seeker">See the history of the term "[[Seeker (body-type)#Origin of the term\|Seeker]]" for a similar case of a possibly outdated Hasbro marketing term that found its way into print ads.</ref> The 1988 Toy Fair catalog further renames the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles" into the "Special Mini-Team Assortment", while keeping the name "Special Team Leader Assortment".		The term "Special Teams" was used by Hasbro in their 1986 [[Toy Fair]] retailer catalog, calling the smaller team members/combiner limb figures the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" (a name reapplied from the [[Mini Vehicle]]s), and the larger leader/torso figures the "Special Team Large Vehicles Assortment". Though those assortment names were never used on the toys' [[packaging]] nor in the official [[catalog]] [[pack-in material\|included]] with the figures, they ''were'' printed on the toys' shipping boxes at least until 1987. Additionally, the names were ''heavily'' used in newspaper ads for the toys in 1986. Interestingly, the name "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" is still used in Hasbro's 1987 Toy Fair catalog, while the "Special Team Large Vehicles" have been renamed into "Special Team Leader Assortment". The term also still appears (though to a lesser degree) in newspaper ads from 1987.<ref name="ads">[https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/marvel-uk-anomalies-explained.1235568/#post-20609520 Collection of newspaper ads that use the name "Special Teams"]</ref> Whether the application of the term "Special Teams" to the Technobots and Terrorcons through those 1987 ads qualifies as an "official" use is questionable, since the ads were created in-house by retailers and presumably weren't approved by Hasbro, and might have therefore reflected outdated marketing terminology; after all, one of those ads referred to the ''individual members'' of the Technobots as "special teams" ("4 special teams and leader form giant [[Computron (G1)\|Computron]]"), and the Terrorcons certainly don't qualify as "vehicles".<ref name="seeker">See the history of the term "[[Seeker (body-type)#Origin of the term\|Seeker]]" for a similar case of a possibly outdated Hasbro marketing term that found its way into print ads.</ref> The 1988 Toy Fair catalog further renames the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles" into the "Special Mini-Team Assortment", while keeping the name "Special Team Leader Assortment".

	On the fiction side of things, it was employed predominantly in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)\|Marvel UK Comics]], first used in the mini-comic "[[The Special Teams Have Arrived]]" included with [[Rock and Roll-Out!\|issue #54]] (which also featured an ad that referred to the toys as the "Special Team Collection"), and continuing in the three-parter "[[Second Generation!]]" from issues #63–65. Though the term was never used in the US Marvel comic (where the Aerialbots debuted in [[Aerialbots over America!\|issue #21]], the Stunticons in [[Heavy Traffic!\|issue #22]], and the Protectobots and Combaticons in [[Afterdeath!\|issue #24]]), it ''was'' again used on the "Transformations" introductory pages, in the "next week" previews and the recaps for the previous issues when those US issues were reprinted in the UK title (in issues #89-92 and #105-106, respectively). On top of that, an audio drama titled ''[[The Special Teams]]'' was also available in the UK, whose plot centered around the 1986 combiner teams. However, later ads in the UK comics simply called them the "New Teams".		On the fiction side of things, it was employed predominantly in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)\|Marvel UK Comics]], first used in the mini-comic "[[The Special Teams Have Arrived]]" included with [[Rock and Roll-Out!\|issue #54]] (which also featured an ad that referred to the toys as the "Special Team Collection"), and continuing in the three-parter "[[Second Generation!]]" from issues #63–65. Though the term was never used in the US Marvel comic (where the Aerialbots debuted in [[Aerialbots over America!\|issue #21]], the Stunticons in [[Heavy Traffic!\|issue #22]], and the Protectobots and Combaticons in [[Afterdeath!\|issue #24]]), it ''was'' again used on the "Transformations" introductory pages, in the "next week" previews and the recaps for the previous issues when those US issues were reprinted in the UK title (in issues #89-92 and #105-106, respectively). On top of that, an audio drama titled ''[[The Special Teams]]'' was also available in the UK, whose plot centered around the 1986 combiner teams. However, later ads in the UK comics simply called them the "New Teams".

Nevermore: https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/original-1987-transformers-g1-4918359086

2026-01-01T02:59:43Z

https://www.worthpoint.com/worthopedia/original-1987-transformers-g1-4918359086

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:59, 1 January 2026
Line 21:		Line 21:
	==Use of the term==		==Use of the term==
	[[File:Technobots-specialteams.jpg\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|This puts an entirely new spin on the phrase "There's no 'I' in 'Team'".]]		[[File:Technobots-specialteams.jpg\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|This puts an entirely new spin on the phrase "There's no 'I' in 'Team'".]]
	The term "Special Teams" was used by Hasbro in their 1986 [[Toy Fair]] retailer catalog, calling the smaller team members/combiner limb figures the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" (a name reapplied from the [[Mini Vehicle]]s), and the larger leader/torso figures the "Special Team Large Vehicles Assortment". Though those assortment names were never used on the toys' [[packaging]] nor in the official [[catalog]] [[pack-in material\|included]] with the figures, they were ~~likely~~ also printed on the toys' shipping boxes~~, though no such boxes have become available to the public as of this writing~~. Additionally, the names were ''heavily'' used in newspaper ads for the toys in 1986. Interestingly, the name "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" is still used in Hasbro's 1987 Toy Fair catalog, while the "Special Team Large Vehicles" have been renamed into "Special Team Leader Assortment". The term also still appears (though to a lesser degree) in newspaper ads from 1987.<ref name="ads">[https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/marvel-uk-anomalies-explained.1235568/#post-20609520 Collection of newspaper ads that use the name "Special Teams"]</ref> Whether the application of the term "Special Teams" to the Technobots and Terrorcons through those 1987 ads qualifies as an "official" use is questionable, since the ads were created in-house by retailers and presumably weren't approved by Hasbro, and might have therefore reflected outdated marketing terminology; after all, one of those ads referred to the ''individual members'' of the Technobots as "special teams" ("4 special teams and leader form giant [[Computron (G1)\|Computron]]"), and the Terrorcons certainly don't qualify as "vehicles".<ref name="seeker">See the history of the term "[[Seeker (body-type)#Origin of the term\|Seeker]]" for a similar case of a possibly outdated Hasbro marketing term that found its way into print ads.</ref> The 1988 Toy Fair catalog further renames the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles" into the "Special Mini-Team Assortment", while keeping the name "Special Team Leader Assortment".		The term "Special Teams" was used by Hasbro in their 1986 [[Toy Fair]] retailer catalog, calling the smaller team members/combiner limb figures the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" (a name reapplied from the [[Mini Vehicle]]s), and the larger leader/torso figures the "Special Team Large Vehicles Assortment". Though those assortment names were never used on the toys' [[packaging]] nor in the official [[catalog]] [[pack-in material\|included]] with the figures, they were also printed on the toys' shipping boxes. Additionally, the names were ''heavily'' used in newspaper ads for the toys in 1986. Interestingly, the name "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" is still used in Hasbro's 1987 Toy Fair catalog, while the "Special Team Large Vehicles" have been renamed into "Special Team Leader Assortment". The term also still appears (though to a lesser degree) in newspaper ads from 1987.<ref name="ads">[https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/marvel-uk-anomalies-explained.1235568/#post-20609520 Collection of newspaper ads that use the name "Special Teams"]</ref> Whether the application of the term "Special Teams" to the Technobots and Terrorcons through those 1987 ads qualifies as an "official" use is questionable, since the ads were created in-house by retailers and presumably weren't approved by Hasbro, and might have therefore reflected outdated marketing terminology; after all, one of those ads referred to the ''individual members'' of the Technobots as "special teams" ("4 special teams and leader form giant [[Computron (G1)\|Computron]]"), and the Terrorcons certainly don't qualify as "vehicles".<ref name="seeker">See the history of the term "[[Seeker (body-type)#Origin of the term\|Seeker]]" for a similar case of a possibly outdated Hasbro marketing term that found its way into print ads.</ref> The 1988 Toy Fair catalog further renames the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles" into the "Special Mini-Team Assortment", while keeping the name "Special Team Leader Assortment".

	On the fiction side of things, it was employed predominantly in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)\|Marvel UK Comics]], first used in the mini-comic "[[The Special Teams Have Arrived]]" included with [[Rock and Roll-Out!\|issue #54]] (which also featured an ad that referred to the toys as the "Special Team Collection"), and continuing in the three-parter "[[Second Generation!]]" from issues #63–65. Though the term was never used in the US Marvel comic (where the Aerialbots debuted in [[Aerialbots over America!\|issue #21]], the Stunticons in [[Heavy Traffic!\|issue #22]], and the Protectobots and Combaticons in [[Afterdeath!\|issue #24]]), it ''was'' again used on the "Transformations" introductory pages, in the "next week" previews and the recaps for the previous issues when those US issues were reprinted in the UK title (in issues #89-92 and #105-106, respectively). On top of that, an audio drama titled ''[[The Special Teams]]'' was also available in the UK, whose plot centered around the 1986 combiner teams. However, later ads in the UK comics simply called them the "New Teams".		On the fiction side of things, it was employed predominantly in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)\|Marvel UK Comics]], first used in the mini-comic "[[The Special Teams Have Arrived]]" included with [[Rock and Roll-Out!\|issue #54]] (which also featured an ad that referred to the toys as the "Special Team Collection"), and continuing in the three-parter "[[Second Generation!]]" from issues #63–65. Though the term was never used in the US Marvel comic (where the Aerialbots debuted in [[Aerialbots over America!\|issue #21]], the Stunticons in [[Heavy Traffic!\|issue #22]], and the Protectobots and Combaticons in [[Afterdeath!\|issue #24]]), it ''was'' again used on the "Transformations" introductory pages, in the "next week" previews and the recaps for the previous issues when those US issues were reprinted in the UK title (in issues #89-92 and #105-106, respectively). On top of that, an audio drama titled ''[[The Special Teams]]'' was also available in the UK, whose plot centered around the 1986 combiner teams. However, later ads in the UK comics simply called them the "New Teams".

GuiRitter: fixed typo

2023-12-27T00:20:37Z

fixed typo

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:20, 27 December 2023
Line 25:		Line 25:
	On the fiction side of things, it was employed predominantly in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)\|Marvel UK Comics]], first used in the mini-comic "[[The Special Teams Have Arrived]]" included with [[Rock and Roll-Out!\|issue #54]] (which also featured an ad that referred to the toys as the "Special Team Collection"), and continuing in the three-parter "[[Second Generation!]]" from issues #63–65. Though the term was never used in the US Marvel comic (where the Aerialbots debuted in [[Aerialbots over America!\|issue #21]], the Stunticons in [[Heavy Traffic!\|issue #22]], and the Protectobots and Combaticons in [[Afterdeath!\|issue #24]]), it ''was'' again used on the "Transformations" introductory pages, in the "next week" previews and the recaps for the previous issues when those US issues were reprinted in the UK title (in issues #89-92 and #105-106, respectively). On top of that, an audio drama titled ''[[The Special Teams]]'' was also available in the UK, whose plot centered around the 1986 combiner teams. However, later ads in the UK comics simply called them the "New Teams".		On the fiction side of things, it was employed predominantly in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)\|Marvel UK Comics]], first used in the mini-comic "[[The Special Teams Have Arrived]]" included with [[Rock and Roll-Out!\|issue #54]] (which also featured an ad that referred to the toys as the "Special Team Collection"), and continuing in the three-parter "[[Second Generation!]]" from issues #63–65. Though the term was never used in the US Marvel comic (where the Aerialbots debuted in [[Aerialbots over America!\|issue #21]], the Stunticons in [[Heavy Traffic!\|issue #22]], and the Protectobots and Combaticons in [[Afterdeath!\|issue #24]]), it ''was'' again used on the "Transformations" introductory pages, in the "next week" previews and the recaps for the previous issues when those US issues were reprinted in the UK title (in issues #89-92 and #105-106, respectively). On top of that, an audio drama titled ''[[The Special Teams]]'' was also available in the UK, whose plot centered around the 1986 combiner teams. However, later ads in the UK comics simply called them the "New Teams".

	In 2004, the term "Special Teams" made a reapparance in the book ''[[Transformers: The Ultimate Guide]]'', written by Marvel UK veteran [[Simon Furman]] and published by [[DK Publishing]], where it was used as the title of the double page that featured the four 1986 combiner teams. On top of that, in 2008, a five-pack named "Special Team Leaders" was ~~relased~~ as part of the second [[Transformers: Universe (2008 franchise)\|''Universe'' toyline]], which featured tiny [[Legends Class (2005)\|Legends Class]] figures representing [[Hot Spot (G1)\|Hot Spot]] (named "Hot Zone" for [[trademark]] reasons), [[Scattershot (G1)\|Scattershot]] (named "Scatt'''o'''rshot"), [[Razorclaw (G1)\|Razorclaw]], [[Hun-Gurrr (G1)\|Hun-Gurrr]], and [[Silverbolt (G1)\|Silverbolt]]. While this solidified the previously questionable status of the Technobots and Terrorcons as "Special Teams", it marked the first time the term also encompassed a member of the Predacons.		In 2004, the term "Special Teams" made a reapparance in the book ''[[Transformers: The Ultimate Guide]]'', written by Marvel UK veteran [[Simon Furman]] and published by [[DK Publishing]], where it was used as the title of the double page that featured the four 1986 combiner teams. On top of that, in 2008, a five-pack named "Special Team Leaders" was released as part of the second [[Transformers: Universe (2008 franchise)\|''Universe'' toyline]], which featured tiny [[Legends Class (2005)\|Legends Class]] figures representing [[Hot Spot (G1)\|Hot Spot]] (named "Hot Zone" for [[trademark]] reasons), [[Scattershot (G1)\|Scattershot]] (named "Scatt'''o'''rshot"), [[Razorclaw (G1)\|Razorclaw]], [[Hun-Gurrr (G1)\|Hun-Gurrr]], and [[Silverbolt (G1)\|Silverbolt]]. While this solidified the previously questionable status of the Technobots and Terrorcons as "Special Teams", it marked the first time the term also encompassed a member of the Predacons.

	In 2013, the term popped up in, of all things, [[Transformers Comic issue 4.16\|a UK ''Prime'' comic]].		In 2013, the term popped up in, of all things, [[Transformers Comic issue 4.16\|a UK ''Prime'' comic]].

ShyAndroid: /* Use of the term */

2023-07-05T11:55:31Z

Use of the term

← Older revision		Revision as of 11:55, 5 July 2023
Line 21:		Line 21:
	==Use of the term==		==Use of the term==
	[[File:Technobots-specialteams.jpg\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|This puts an entirely new spin on the phrase "There's no 'I' in 'Team'".]]		[[File:Technobots-specialteams.jpg\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|This puts an entirely new spin on the phrase "There's no 'I' in 'Team'".]]
	The term "Special Teams" was used by Hasbro in their 1986 [[Toy Fair]] retailer catalog, calling the smaller team members/combiner limb figures the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" (a name reapplied from the [[Mini Vehicle]]s), and the larger leader/torso figures the "Special Team Large Vehicles Assortment". Though those assortment names were never used on the toys' [[packaging]] nor in the official [[catalog]] [[pack-in material\|included]] with the figures, they were likely also printed on the toys' shipping boxes, though no such boxes have become available to the public as of this writing. Additionally, the names were ''heavily'' used in newspaper ads for the toys in 1986. Interestingly, the name "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" is still used in Hasbro's 1987 Toy Fair catalog, while the "Special Team Large Vehicles" have been renamed into "Special Team Leader Assortment". The term also still appears (though to a lesser degree) in newspaper ads from 1987.<ref name="ads">[https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/marvel-uk-anomalies-explained.1235568/#post-20609520 Collection of newspaper ads that use the name "Special Teams"]</ref> Whether the application of the term "Special Teams" to the Technobots and Terrorcons through those 1987 ads qualifies as an "official" use is questionable, since the ads were created in-house by retailers and presumably weren't approved by Hasbro, and might have therefore reflected outdated marketing terminology; after all, one of those ads referred to the ''individual members'' of the Technobots as "special teams" ("4 special teams and leader form giant [[Computron (G1)\|Computron]]"), and the Terrorcons certainly ~~dont~~ qualify as "vehicles".<ref name="seeker">See the history of the term "[[Seeker (body-type)#Origin of the term\|Seeker]]" for a similar case of a possibly outdated Hasbro marketing term that found its way into print ads.</ref> The 1988 Toy Fair catalog further renames the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles" into the "Special Mini-Team Assortment", while keeping the name "Special Team Leader Assortment".		The term "Special Teams" was used by Hasbro in their 1986 [[Toy Fair]] retailer catalog, calling the smaller team members/combiner limb figures the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" (a name reapplied from the [[Mini Vehicle]]s), and the larger leader/torso figures the "Special Team Large Vehicles Assortment". Though those assortment names were never used on the toys' [[packaging]] nor in the official [[catalog]] [[pack-in material\|included]] with the figures, they were likely also printed on the toys' shipping boxes, though no such boxes have become available to the public as of this writing. Additionally, the names were ''heavily'' used in newspaper ads for the toys in 1986. Interestingly, the name "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" is still used in Hasbro's 1987 Toy Fair catalog, while the "Special Team Large Vehicles" have been renamed into "Special Team Leader Assortment". The term also still appears (though to a lesser degree) in newspaper ads from 1987.<ref name="ads">[https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/marvel-uk-anomalies-explained.1235568/#post-20609520 Collection of newspaper ads that use the name "Special Teams"]</ref> Whether the application of the term "Special Teams" to the Technobots and Terrorcons through those 1987 ads qualifies as an "official" use is questionable, since the ads were created in-house by retailers and presumably weren't approved by Hasbro, and might have therefore reflected outdated marketing terminology; after all, one of those ads referred to the ''individual members'' of the Technobots as "special teams" ("4 special teams and leader form giant [[Computron (G1)\|Computron]]"), and the Terrorcons certainly don't qualify as "vehicles".<ref name="seeker">See the history of the term "[[Seeker (body-type)#Origin of the term\|Seeker]]" for a similar case of a possibly outdated Hasbro marketing term that found its way into print ads.</ref> The 1988 Toy Fair catalog further renames the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles" into the "Special Mini-Team Assortment", while keeping the name "Special Team Leader Assortment".

	On the fiction side of things, it was employed predominantly in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)\|Marvel UK Comics]], first used in the mini-comic "[[The Special Teams Have Arrived]]" included with [[Rock and Roll-Out!\|issue #54]] (which also featured an ad that referred to the toys as the "Special Team Collection"), and continuing in the three-parter "[[Second Generation!]]" from issues #63–65. Though the term was never used in the US Marvel comic (where the Aerialbots debuted in [[Aerialbots over America!\|issue #21]], the Stunticons in [[Heavy Traffic!\|issue #22]], and the Protectobots and Combaticons in [[Afterdeath!\|issue #24]]), it ''was'' again used on the "Transformations" introductory pages, in the "next week" previews and the recaps for the previous issues when those US issues were reprinted in the UK title (in issues #89-92 and #105-106, respectively). On top of that, an audio drama titled ''[[The Special Teams]]'' was also available in the UK, whose plot centered around the 1986 combiner teams. However, later ads in the UK comics simply called them the "New Teams".		On the fiction side of things, it was employed predominantly in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)\|Marvel UK Comics]], first used in the mini-comic "[[The Special Teams Have Arrived]]" included with [[Rock and Roll-Out!\|issue #54]] (which also featured an ad that referred to the toys as the "Special Team Collection"), and continuing in the three-parter "[[Second Generation!]]" from issues #63–65. Though the term was never used in the US Marvel comic (where the Aerialbots debuted in [[Aerialbots over America!\|issue #21]], the Stunticons in [[Heavy Traffic!\|issue #22]], and the Protectobots and Combaticons in [[Afterdeath!\|issue #24]]), it ''was'' again used on the "Transformations" introductory pages, in the "next week" previews and the recaps for the previous issues when those US issues were reprinted in the UK title (in issues #89-92 and #105-106, respectively). On top of that, an audio drama titled ''[[The Special Teams]]'' was also available in the UK, whose plot centered around the 1986 combiner teams. However, later ads in the UK comics simply called them the "New Teams".

AzimuthAcolyte at 22:47, 9 May 2023

2023-05-09T22:47:31Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 22:47, 9 May 2023
Line 3:		Line 3:
	'''Special Teams''' is a collective name given to several [[combiner]] teams released after the [[Constructicon (G1)\|Constructicons]].		'''Special Teams''' is a collective name given to several [[combiner]] teams released after the [[Constructicon (G1)\|Constructicons]].

	Most commonly associated with the term are the four "[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (toyline)#1986 (Scramble City and ~~Transformers~~ 2010)\|Scramble City]]"-style combiner teams that debuted in [[1986]]:		Most commonly associated with the term are the four "[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (toyline)#1986 (Scramble City and 2010)\|Scramble City]]"-style combiner teams that debuted in [[1986]]:
	*The [[Aerialbot (G1)\|Aerialbots]]		*The [[Aerialbot (G1)\|Aerialbots]]
	*The [[Combaticon (G1)\|Combaticons]]		*The [[Combaticon (G1)\|Combaticons]]

Nevermore: /* Use of the term */

2022-09-20T17:12:39Z

Use of the term

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:12, 20 September 2022
Line 23:		Line 23:
	The term "Special Teams" was used by Hasbro in their 1986 [[Toy Fair]] retailer catalog, calling the smaller team members/combiner limb figures the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" (a name reapplied from the [[Mini Vehicle]]s), and the larger leader/torso figures the "Special Team Large Vehicles Assortment". Though those assortment names were never used on the toys' [[packaging]] nor in the official [[catalog]] [[pack-in material\|included]] with the figures, they were likely also printed on the toys' shipping boxes, though no such boxes have become available to the public as of this writing. Additionally, the names were ''heavily'' used in newspaper ads for the toys in 1986. Interestingly, the name "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" is still used in Hasbro's 1987 Toy Fair catalog, while the "Special Team Large Vehicles" have been renamed into "Special Team Leader Assortment". The term also still appears (though to a lesser degree) in newspaper ads from 1987.<ref name="ads">[https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/marvel-uk-anomalies-explained.1235568/#post-20609520 Collection of newspaper ads that use the name "Special Teams"]</ref> Whether the application of the term "Special Teams" to the Technobots and Terrorcons through those 1987 ads qualifies as an "official" use is questionable, since the ads were created in-house by retailers and presumably weren't approved by Hasbro, and might have therefore reflected outdated marketing terminology; after all, one of those ads referred to the ''individual members'' of the Technobots as "special teams" ("4 special teams and leader form giant [[Computron (G1)\|Computron]]"), and the Terrorcons certainly dont qualify as "vehicles".<ref name="seeker">See the history of the term "[[Seeker (body-type)#Origin of the term\|Seeker]]" for a similar case of a possibly outdated Hasbro marketing term that found its way into print ads.</ref> The 1988 Toy Fair catalog further renames the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles" into the "Special Mini-Team Assortment", while keeping the name "Special Team Leader Assortment".		The term "Special Teams" was used by Hasbro in their 1986 [[Toy Fair]] retailer catalog, calling the smaller team members/combiner limb figures the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" (a name reapplied from the [[Mini Vehicle]]s), and the larger leader/torso figures the "Special Team Large Vehicles Assortment". Though those assortment names were never used on the toys' [[packaging]] nor in the official [[catalog]] [[pack-in material\|included]] with the figures, they were likely also printed on the toys' shipping boxes, though no such boxes have become available to the public as of this writing. Additionally, the names were ''heavily'' used in newspaper ads for the toys in 1986. Interestingly, the name "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" is still used in Hasbro's 1987 Toy Fair catalog, while the "Special Team Large Vehicles" have been renamed into "Special Team Leader Assortment". The term also still appears (though to a lesser degree) in newspaper ads from 1987.<ref name="ads">[https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/marvel-uk-anomalies-explained.1235568/#post-20609520 Collection of newspaper ads that use the name "Special Teams"]</ref> Whether the application of the term "Special Teams" to the Technobots and Terrorcons through those 1987 ads qualifies as an "official" use is questionable, since the ads were created in-house by retailers and presumably weren't approved by Hasbro, and might have therefore reflected outdated marketing terminology; after all, one of those ads referred to the ''individual members'' of the Technobots as "special teams" ("4 special teams and leader form giant [[Computron (G1)\|Computron]]"), and the Terrorcons certainly dont qualify as "vehicles".<ref name="seeker">See the history of the term "[[Seeker (body-type)#Origin of the term\|Seeker]]" for a similar case of a possibly outdated Hasbro marketing term that found its way into print ads.</ref> The 1988 Toy Fair catalog further renames the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles" into the "Special Mini-Team Assortment", while keeping the name "Special Team Leader Assortment".

	On the fiction side of things, it was employed predominantly in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)\|Marvel UK Comics]], first used in the mini-comic "[[The Special Teams Have Arrived]]" included with [[Rock and Roll-Out!\|issue #54]] (which also featured an ad that referred to the toys as the "Special Team Collection"), and continuing in the three-parter "[[Second Generation!]]" from issues #63–65. Though the term was never used in the US Marvel ~~Comic~~ (where the Aerialbots debuted in [[Aerialbots over America!\|issue #21]], the Stunticons in [[Heavy Traffic!\|issue #22]], and the Protectobots and Combaticons in [[Afterdeath!\|issue #24]]), it ''was'' again used on the "Transformations" introductory pages, in the "next week" previews and the recaps for the previous issues when those US issues were reprinted in the UK title (in issues #89-92 and #105-106, respectively). On top of that, an audio drama titled ''[[The Special Teams]]'' was also available in the UK, whose plot centered around the 1986 combiner teams. However, later ads in the UK comics simply called them the "New Teams".		On the fiction side of things, it was employed predominantly in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)\|Marvel UK Comics]], first used in the mini-comic "[[The Special Teams Have Arrived]]" included with [[Rock and Roll-Out!\|issue #54]] (which also featured an ad that referred to the toys as the "Special Team Collection"), and continuing in the three-parter "[[Second Generation!]]" from issues #63–65. Though the term was never used in the US Marvel comic (where the Aerialbots debuted in [[Aerialbots over America!\|issue #21]], the Stunticons in [[Heavy Traffic!\|issue #22]], and the Protectobots and Combaticons in [[Afterdeath!\|issue #24]]), it ''was'' again used on the "Transformations" introductory pages, in the "next week" previews and the recaps for the previous issues when those US issues were reprinted in the UK title (in issues #89-92 and #105-106, respectively). On top of that, an audio drama titled ''[[The Special Teams]]'' was also available in the UK, whose plot centered around the 1986 combiner teams. However, later ads in the UK comics simply called them the "New Teams".

	In 2004, the term "Special Teams" made a reapparance in the book ''[[Transformers: The Ultimate Guide]]'', written by Marvel UK veteran [[Simon Furman]] and published by [[DK Publishing]], where it was used as the title of the double page that featured the four 1986 ~~Combiner~~ teams. On top of that, in 2008, a five-pack named "Special Team Leaders" was relased as part of the second [[Transformers: Universe (2008 franchise)\|''Universe'' toyline]], which featured tiny [[Legends Class (2005)\|Legends Class]] figures representing [[Hot Spot (G1)\|Hot Spot]] (named "Hot Zone" for [[trademark]] reasons), [[Scattershot (G1)\|Scattershot]] (named "Scatt'''o'''rshot"), [[Razorclaw (G1)\|Razorclaw]], [[Hun-Gurrr (G1)\|Hun-Gurrr]], and [[Silverbolt (G1)\|Silverbolt]]. While this solidified the previously questionable status of the Technobots and Terrorcons as "Special Teams", it marked the first time the term also encompassed a member of the Predacons.		In 2004, the term "Special Teams" made a reapparance in the book ''[[Transformers: The Ultimate Guide]]'', written by Marvel UK veteran [[Simon Furman]] and published by [[DK Publishing]], where it was used as the title of the double page that featured the four 1986 combiner teams. On top of that, in 2008, a five-pack named "Special Team Leaders" was relased as part of the second [[Transformers: Universe (2008 franchise)\|''Universe'' toyline]], which featured tiny [[Legends Class (2005)\|Legends Class]] figures representing [[Hot Spot (G1)\|Hot Spot]] (named "Hot Zone" for [[trademark]] reasons), [[Scattershot (G1)\|Scattershot]] (named "Scatt'''o'''rshot"), [[Razorclaw (G1)\|Razorclaw]], [[Hun-Gurrr (G1)\|Hun-Gurrr]], and [[Silverbolt (G1)\|Silverbolt]]. While this solidified the previously questionable status of the Technobots and Terrorcons as "Special Teams", it marked the first time the term also encompassed a member of the Predacons.

	In 2013, the term popped up in, of all things, [[Transformers Comic issue 4.16\|a UK ''Prime'' comic]].		In 2013, the term popped up in, of all things, [[Transformers Comic issue 4.16\|a UK ''Prime'' comic]].

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:18, 3 January 2026
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	[[File:G1 Special Team Mini Vehicles shipping box.jpg\|\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|Apparently the Terrorcons were vehicles as well.]]		[[File:G1 Special Team Mini Vehicles shipping box.jpg\|\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|Apparently the Terrorcons were vehicles as well.]]
	[[File:Technobots-specialteams.jpg\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|This puts an entirely new spin on the phrase "There's no 'I' in 'Team'".]]		[[File:Technobots-specialteams.jpg\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|This puts an entirely new spin on the phrase "There's no 'I' in 'Team'".]]
	The term "Special Teams" was used by Hasbro in their 1986 [[Toy Fair]] retailer catalog, calling the smaller team members/combiner limb figures the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" (a name reapplied from the [[Mini-Vehicle]]s), and the larger leader/torso figures the "Special Team Large Vehicles Assortment". Though those assortment names were never used on the toys' [[packaging]] nor in the official [[catalog]] [[pack-in material\|included]] with the figures, they ''were'' printed on the toys' shipping boxes at least until 1987. Additionally, the names were ''heavily'' used in newspaper ads for the toys in 1986. Interestingly, the name "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" is still used in Hasbro's 1987 Toy Fair catalog, while the "Special Team Large Vehicles" have been renamed into "Special Team Leader Assortment". The term also still appears (though to a lesser degree) in newspaper ads from 1987<ref name="ads">[https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/marvel-uk-anomalies-explained.1235568/#post-20609520 Collection of newspaper ads that use the name "Special Teams"]</ref>, and also on 1987 Hasbro shipping cases (see the image on the left). Bizarrely, one of those ads referred to the ''individual members'' of the Technobots as "special teams" ("4 special teams and leader form giant [[Computron (G1)\|Computron]]", see the image to the left), which suggests that the [[Toys"R"Us]] in-house department which created this ad was ''really'' struggling to implement outdated Hasbro marketing terminology. Also, the Terrorcons certainly don't qualify as "vehicles". (This would neither be the first nor the last time an outdated marketing term found its way into print ads nontheless. See the history of the term "[[Seeker (body-type)#Origin of the term\|Seeker]]" for one of the most prominent cases.) The 1988 Toy Fair catalog further renames the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles" into the "Special Mini-Team Assortment", while keeping the name "Special Team Leader Assortment". Additionaly, an internal Hasbro spreadsheet from 1988 referred to the assortment that contained the Seacon limb figures as "Seacons Special Team".		The term "Special Teams" was used by Hasbro in their 1986 [[Toy Fair]] retailer catalog, calling the smaller team members/combiner limb figures the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" (a name reapplied from the [[Mini-Vehicle]]s), and the larger leader/torso figures the "Special Team Large Vehicles Assortment". Though those assortment names were never used on the toys' [[packaging]] nor in the official [[catalog]] [[pack-in material\|included]] with the figures, they ''were'' printed on the toys' shipping boxes at least until 1987. Additionally, the names were ''heavily'' used in newspaper ads for the toys in 1986. Interestingly, the name "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" is still used in Hasbro's 1987 Toy Fair catalog, while the "Special Team Large Vehicles" have been renamed into "Special Team Leader Assortment". The term also still appears (though to a lesser degree) in newspaper ads from 1987<ref name="ads">[https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/marvel-uk-anomalies-explained.1235568/#post-20609520 Collection of newspaper ads that use the name "Special Teams"]</ref>, and also on 1987 Hasbro shipping cases (see the image on the left). Bizarrely, one of those ads referred to the ''individual members'' of the Technobots as "special teams" ("4 special teams and leader form giant [[Computron (G1)\|Computron]]", see the image to the left), which suggests that the [[Toys"R"Us]] in-house department which created this ad was ''really'' struggling to implement outdated Hasbro marketing terminology. Also, the Terrorcons certainly don't qualify as "vehicles". (This would neither be the first nor the last time an outdated marketing term found its way into print ads nontheless. See the history of the term "[[Seeker (body-type)#Origin of the term\|Seeker]]" for one of the most prominent cases.) The 1988 Toy Fair catalog further renames the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles" into the "Special Mini-Team Assortment", while keeping the name "Special Team Leader Assortment". Additionaly, an internal Hasbro spreadsheet from 1988 referred to the assortment that contained the Seacon limb figures as "Seacons Special Team".<ref name="lineplan">[http://www.transformertoys.co.uk/transformers/news/story/transformers+interviews+and+articles/1989+European+Lineplan+Development+document+recreated/13033 "1989 European Lineplan Development document recreated"] at Transformers at the Moon.</ref>

	On the fiction side of things, it was employed predominantly in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)\|Marvel UK Comics]], first used in the mini-comic "[[The Special Teams Have Arrived]]" included with [[Rock and Roll-Out!\|issue #54]] (which also featured an ad that referred to the toys as the "Special Team Collection"), and continuing in the three-parter "[[Second Generation!]]" from issues #63–65. Though the term was never used in the US Marvel comic (where the Aerialbots debuted in [[Aerialbots over America!\|issue #21]], the Stunticons in [[Heavy Traffic!\|issue #22]], and the Protectobots and Combaticons in [[Afterdeath!\|issue #24]]), it ''was'' again used on the "Transformations" introductory pages, in the "next week" previews and the recaps for the previous issues when those US issues were reprinted in the UK title (in issues #89-92 and #105-106, respectively). On top of that, an audio drama titled ''[[The Special Teams]]'' was also available in the UK, whose plot centered around the 1986 combiner teams. However, later ads in the UK comics simply called them the "New Teams".		On the fiction side of things, it was employed predominantly in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)\|Marvel UK Comics]], first used in the mini-comic "[[The Special Teams Have Arrived]]" included with [[Rock and Roll-Out!\|issue #54]] (which also featured an ad that referred to the toys as the "Special Team Collection"), and continuing in the three-parter "[[Second Generation!]]" from issues #63–65. Though the term was never used in the US Marvel comic (where the Aerialbots debuted in [[Aerialbots over America!\|issue #21]], the Stunticons in [[Heavy Traffic!\|issue #22]], and the Protectobots and Combaticons in [[Afterdeath!\|issue #24]]), it ''was'' again used on the "Transformations" introductory pages, in the "next week" previews and the recaps for the previous issues when those US issues were reprinted in the UK title (in issues #89-92 and #105-106, respectively). On top of that, an audio drama titled ''[[The Special Teams]]'' was also available in the UK, whose plot centered around the 1986 combiner teams. However, later ads in the UK comics simply called them the "New Teams".

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:11, 3 January 2026
Line 22:		Line 22:
	[[File:G1 Special Team Mini Vehicles shipping box.jpg\|\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|Apparently the Terrorcons were vehicles as well.]]		[[File:G1 Special Team Mini Vehicles shipping box.jpg\|\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|Apparently the Terrorcons were vehicles as well.]]
	[[File:Technobots-specialteams.jpg\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|This puts an entirely new spin on the phrase "There's no 'I' in 'Team'".]]		[[File:Technobots-specialteams.jpg\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|This puts an entirely new spin on the phrase "There's no 'I' in 'Team'".]]
	The term "Special Teams" was used by Hasbro in their 1986 [[Toy Fair]] retailer catalog, calling the smaller team members/combiner limb figures the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" (a name reapplied from the [[Mini-Vehicle]]s), and the larger leader/torso figures the "Special Team Large Vehicles Assortment". Though those assortment names were never used on the toys' [[packaging]] nor in the official [[catalog]] [[pack-in material\|included]] with the figures, they ''were'' printed on the toys' shipping boxes at least until 1987. Additionally, the names were ''heavily'' used in newspaper ads for the toys in 1986. Interestingly, the name "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" is still used in Hasbro's 1987 Toy Fair catalog, while the "Special Team Large Vehicles" have been renamed into "Special Team Leader Assortment". The term also still appears (though to a lesser degree) in newspaper ads from 1987<ref name="ads">[https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/marvel-uk-anomalies-explained.1235568/#post-20609520 Collection of newspaper ads that use the name "Special Teams"]</ref>, and also on 1987 Hasbro shipping cases (see the image on the left). Bizarrely, one of those ads referred to the ''individual members'' of the Technobots as "special teams" ("4 special teams and leader form giant [[Computron (G1)\|Computron]]", see the image to the left), which suggests that the [[Toys"R"Us]] in-house department which created this ad was ''really'' struggling to implement outdated Hasbro marketing terminology. Also, the Terrorcons certainly don't qualify as "vehicles". (This would neither be the first nor the last time an outdated marketing term found its way into print ads nontheless. See the history of the term "[[Seeker (body-type)#Origin of the term\|Seeker]]" for one of the most prominent cases.) The 1988 Toy Fair catalog further renames the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles" into the "Special Mini-Team Assortment", while keeping the name "Special Team Leader Assortment".		The term "Special Teams" was used by Hasbro in their 1986 [[Toy Fair]] retailer catalog, calling the smaller team members/combiner limb figures the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" (a name reapplied from the [[Mini-Vehicle]]s), and the larger leader/torso figures the "Special Team Large Vehicles Assortment". Though those assortment names were never used on the toys' [[packaging]] nor in the official [[catalog]] [[pack-in material\|included]] with the figures, they ''were'' printed on the toys' shipping boxes at least until 1987. Additionally, the names were ''heavily'' used in newspaper ads for the toys in 1986. Interestingly, the name "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" is still used in Hasbro's 1987 Toy Fair catalog, while the "Special Team Large Vehicles" have been renamed into "Special Team Leader Assortment". The term also still appears (though to a lesser degree) in newspaper ads from 1987<ref name="ads">[https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/marvel-uk-anomalies-explained.1235568/#post-20609520 Collection of newspaper ads that use the name "Special Teams"]</ref>, and also on 1987 Hasbro shipping cases (see the image on the left). Bizarrely, one of those ads referred to the ''individual members'' of the Technobots as "special teams" ("4 special teams and leader form giant [[Computron (G1)\|Computron]]", see the image to the left), which suggests that the [[Toys"R"Us]] in-house department which created this ad was ''really'' struggling to implement outdated Hasbro marketing terminology. Also, the Terrorcons certainly don't qualify as "vehicles". (This would neither be the first nor the last time an outdated marketing term found its way into print ads nontheless. See the history of the term "[[Seeker (body-type)#Origin of the term\|Seeker]]" for one of the most prominent cases.) The 1988 Toy Fair catalog further renames the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles" into the "Special Mini-Team Assortment", while keeping the name "Special Team Leader Assortment". Additionaly, an internal Hasbro spreadsheet from 1988 referred to the assortment that contained the Seacon limb figures as "Seacons Special Team".

	On the fiction side of things, it was employed predominantly in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)\|Marvel UK Comics]], first used in the mini-comic "[[The Special Teams Have Arrived]]" included with [[Rock and Roll-Out!\|issue #54]] (which also featured an ad that referred to the toys as the "Special Team Collection"), and continuing in the three-parter "[[Second Generation!]]" from issues #63–65. Though the term was never used in the US Marvel comic (where the Aerialbots debuted in [[Aerialbots over America!\|issue #21]], the Stunticons in [[Heavy Traffic!\|issue #22]], and the Protectobots and Combaticons in [[Afterdeath!\|issue #24]]), it ''was'' again used on the "Transformations" introductory pages, in the "next week" previews and the recaps for the previous issues when those US issues were reprinted in the UK title (in issues #89-92 and #105-106, respectively). On top of that, an audio drama titled ''[[The Special Teams]]'' was also available in the UK, whose plot centered around the 1986 combiner teams. However, later ads in the UK comics simply called them the "New Teams".		On the fiction side of things, it was employed predominantly in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)\|Marvel UK Comics]], first used in the mini-comic "[[The Special Teams Have Arrived]]" included with [[Rock and Roll-Out!\|issue #54]] (which also featured an ad that referred to the toys as the "Special Team Collection"), and continuing in the three-parter "[[Second Generation!]]" from issues #63–65. Though the term was never used in the US Marvel comic (where the Aerialbots debuted in [[Aerialbots over America!\|issue #21]], the Stunticons in [[Heavy Traffic!\|issue #22]], and the Protectobots and Combaticons in [[Afterdeath!\|issue #24]]), it ''was'' again used on the "Transformations" introductory pages, in the "next week" previews and the recaps for the previous issues when those US issues were reprinted in the UK title (in issues #89-92 and #105-106, respectively). On top of that, an audio drama titled ''[[The Special Teams]]'' was also available in the UK, whose plot centered around the 1986 combiner teams. However, later ads in the UK comics simply called them the "New Teams".

← Older revision		Revision as of 16:05, 1 January 2026
Line 22:		Line 22:
	[[File:G1 Special Team Mini Vehicles shipping box.jpg\|\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|Apparently the Terrorcons were vehicles as well.]]		[[File:G1 Special Team Mini Vehicles shipping box.jpg\|\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|Apparently the Terrorcons were vehicles as well.]]
	[[File:Technobots-specialteams.jpg\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|This puts an entirely new spin on the phrase "There's no 'I' in 'Team'".]]		[[File:Technobots-specialteams.jpg\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|This puts an entirely new spin on the phrase "There's no 'I' in 'Team'".]]
	The term "Special Teams" was used by Hasbro in their 1986 [[Toy Fair]] retailer catalog, calling the smaller team members/combiner limb figures the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" (a name reapplied from the [[Mini-Vehicle]]s), and the larger leader/torso figures the "Special Team Large Vehicles Assortment". Though those assortment names were never used on the toys' [[packaging]] nor in the official [[catalog]] [[pack-in material\|included]] with the figures, they ''were'' printed on the toys' shipping boxes at least until 1987. Additionally, the names were ''heavily'' used in newspaper ads for the toys in 1986. Interestingly, the name "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" is still used in Hasbro's 1987 Toy Fair catalog, while the "Special Team Large Vehicles" have been renamed into "Special Team Leader Assortment". The term also still appears (though to a lesser degree) in newspaper ads from 1987<ref name="ads">[https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/marvel-uk-anomalies-explained.1235568/#post-20609520 Collection of newspaper ads that use the name "Special Teams"]</ref>, and also on 1987 Hasbro shipping cases (see the image on the left). Bizarrely, one of those ads referred to the ''individual members'' of the Technobots as "special teams" ("4 special teams and leader form giant [[Computron (G1)\|Computron]]", see the image to the left), which suggests that the [[Toys"R"Us]] in-house department which created this ad was ''really'' struggling to implement outdated Hasbro marketing terminology. Also, the Terrorcons certainly don't qualify as "vehicles". (This would neither be the first nor the last time an outdated marketing term found its way into print ads nontheless. See the history of the term "[[Seeker (body-type)#Origin of the term\|Seeker]]" for a one of the most prominent cases.) The 1988 Toy Fair catalog further renames the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles" into the "Special Mini-Team Assortment", while keeping the name "Special Team Leader Assortment".		The term "Special Teams" was used by Hasbro in their 1986 [[Toy Fair]] retailer catalog, calling the smaller team members/combiner limb figures the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" (a name reapplied from the [[Mini-Vehicle]]s), and the larger leader/torso figures the "Special Team Large Vehicles Assortment". Though those assortment names were never used on the toys' [[packaging]] nor in the official [[catalog]] [[pack-in material\|included]] with the figures, they ''were'' printed on the toys' shipping boxes at least until 1987. Additionally, the names were ''heavily'' used in newspaper ads for the toys in 1986. Interestingly, the name "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" is still used in Hasbro's 1987 Toy Fair catalog, while the "Special Team Large Vehicles" have been renamed into "Special Team Leader Assortment". The term also still appears (though to a lesser degree) in newspaper ads from 1987<ref name="ads">[https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/marvel-uk-anomalies-explained.1235568/#post-20609520 Collection of newspaper ads that use the name "Special Teams"]</ref>, and also on 1987 Hasbro shipping cases (see the image on the left). Bizarrely, one of those ads referred to the ''individual members'' of the Technobots as "special teams" ("4 special teams and leader form giant [[Computron (G1)\|Computron]]", see the image to the left), which suggests that the [[Toys"R"Us]] in-house department which created this ad was ''really'' struggling to implement outdated Hasbro marketing terminology. Also, the Terrorcons certainly don't qualify as "vehicles". (This would neither be the first nor the last time an outdated marketing term found its way into print ads nontheless. See the history of the term "[[Seeker (body-type)#Origin of the term\|Seeker]]" for one of the most prominent cases.) The 1988 Toy Fair catalog further renames the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles" into the "Special Mini-Team Assortment", while keeping the name "Special Team Leader Assortment".

	On the fiction side of things, it was employed predominantly in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)\|Marvel UK Comics]], first used in the mini-comic "[[The Special Teams Have Arrived]]" included with [[Rock and Roll-Out!\|issue #54]] (which also featured an ad that referred to the toys as the "Special Team Collection"), and continuing in the three-parter "[[Second Generation!]]" from issues #63–65. Though the term was never used in the US Marvel comic (where the Aerialbots debuted in [[Aerialbots over America!\|issue #21]], the Stunticons in [[Heavy Traffic!\|issue #22]], and the Protectobots and Combaticons in [[Afterdeath!\|issue #24]]), it ''was'' again used on the "Transformations" introductory pages, in the "next week" previews and the recaps for the previous issues when those US issues were reprinted in the UK title (in issues #89-92 and #105-106, respectively). On top of that, an audio drama titled ''[[The Special Teams]]'' was also available in the UK, whose plot centered around the 1986 combiner teams. However, later ads in the UK comics simply called them the "New Teams".		On the fiction side of things, it was employed predominantly in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)\|Marvel UK Comics]], first used in the mini-comic "[[The Special Teams Have Arrived]]" included with [[Rock and Roll-Out!\|issue #54]] (which also featured an ad that referred to the toys as the "Special Team Collection"), and continuing in the three-parter "[[Second Generation!]]" from issues #63–65. Though the term was never used in the US Marvel comic (where the Aerialbots debuted in [[Aerialbots over America!\|issue #21]], the Stunticons in [[Heavy Traffic!\|issue #22]], and the Protectobots and Combaticons in [[Afterdeath!\|issue #24]]), it ''was'' again used on the "Transformations" introductory pages, in the "next week" previews and the recaps for the previous issues when those US issues were reprinted in the UK title (in issues #89-92 and #105-106, respectively). On top of that, an audio drama titled ''[[The Special Teams]]'' was also available in the UK, whose plot centered around the 1986 combiner teams. However, later ads in the UK comics simply called them the "New Teams".

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:42, 1 January 2026
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	{{-}}		{{-}}
	==Use of the term==		==Use of the term==
			[[File:G1 Special Team Mini Vehicles shipping box.jpg\|\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|Apparently the Terrorcons were vehicles as well.]]
	[[File:Technobots-specialteams.jpg\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|This puts an entirely new spin on the phrase "There's no 'I' in 'Team'".]]		[[File:Technobots-specialteams.jpg\|right\|upright=1.1\|thumb\|This puts an entirely new spin on the phrase "There's no 'I' in 'Team'".]]
	The term "Special Teams" was used by Hasbro in their 1986 [[Toy Fair]] retailer catalog, calling the smaller team members/combiner limb figures the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" (a name reapplied from the [[Mini Vehicle]]s), and the larger leader/torso figures the "Special Team Large Vehicles Assortment". Though those assortment names were never used on the toys' [[packaging]] nor in the official [[catalog]] [[pack-in material\|included]] with the figures, they ''were'' printed on the toys' shipping boxes at least until 1987. Additionally, the names were ''heavily'' used in newspaper ads for the toys in 1986. Interestingly, the name "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" is still used in Hasbro's 1987 Toy Fair catalog, while the "Special Team Large Vehicles" have been renamed into "Special Team Leader Assortment". The term also still appears (though to a lesser degree) in newspaper ads from 1987.<ref name="ads">[https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/marvel-uk-anomalies-explained.1235568/#post-20609520 Collection of newspaper ads that use the name "Special Teams"]</ref> ~~Whether the application of the term "Special Teams" to the Technobots~~ and ~~Terrorcons through those~~ 1987 ~~ads qualifies as an "official" use is questionable, since~~ the ~~ads were created in-house by retailers and presumably weren't approved by Hasbro, and might have therefore reflected outdated marketing terminology; after all~~, one of those ads referred to the ''individual members'' of the Technobots as "special teams" ("4 special teams and leader form giant [[Computron (G1)\|Computron]]"), ~~and~~ the Terrorcons certainly don't qualify as "vehicles".~~<ref name="seeker">~~See the history of the term "[[Seeker (body-type)#Origin of the term\|Seeker]]" for a ~~similar case~~ of ~~a possibly outdated Hasbro marketing term that found its way into print ads~~.~~</ref>~~ The 1988 Toy Fair catalog further renames the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles" into the "Special Mini-Team Assortment", while keeping the name "Special Team Leader Assortment".		The term "Special Teams" was used by Hasbro in their 1986 [[Toy Fair]] retailer catalog, calling the smaller team members/combiner limb figures the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" (a name reapplied from the [[Mini-Vehicle]]s), and the larger leader/torso figures the "Special Team Large Vehicles Assortment". Though those assortment names were never used on the toys' [[packaging]] nor in the official [[catalog]] [[pack-in material\|included]] with the figures, they ''were'' printed on the toys' shipping boxes at least until 1987. Additionally, the names were ''heavily'' used in newspaper ads for the toys in 1986. Interestingly, the name "Special Team Mini-Vehicles Assortment" is still used in Hasbro's 1987 Toy Fair catalog, while the "Special Team Large Vehicles" have been renamed into "Special Team Leader Assortment". The term also still appears (though to a lesser degree) in newspaper ads from 1987<ref name="ads">[https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/marvel-uk-anomalies-explained.1235568/#post-20609520 Collection of newspaper ads that use the name "Special Teams"]</ref>, and also on 1987 Hasbro shipping cases (see the image on the left). Bizarrely, one of those ads referred to the ''individual members'' of the Technobots as "special teams" ("4 special teams and leader form giant [[Computron (G1)\|Computron]]", see the image to the left), which suggests that the [[Toys"R"Us]] in-house department which created this ad was ''really'' struggling to implement outdated Hasbro marketing terminology. Also, the Terrorcons certainly don't qualify as "vehicles". (This would neither be the first nor the last time an outdated marketing term found its way into print ads nontheless. See the history of the term "[[Seeker (body-type)#Origin of the term\|Seeker]]" for a one of the most prominent cases.) The 1988 Toy Fair catalog further renames the "Special Team Mini-Vehicles" into the "Special Mini-Team Assortment", while keeping the name "Special Team Leader Assortment".

	On the fiction side of things, it was employed predominantly in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)\|Marvel UK Comics]], first used in the mini-comic "[[The Special Teams Have Arrived]]" included with [[Rock and Roll-Out!\|issue #54]] (which also featured an ad that referred to the toys as the "Special Team Collection"), and continuing in the three-parter "[[Second Generation!]]" from issues #63–65. Though the term was never used in the US Marvel comic (where the Aerialbots debuted in [[Aerialbots over America!\|issue #21]], the Stunticons in [[Heavy Traffic!\|issue #22]], and the Protectobots and Combaticons in [[Afterdeath!\|issue #24]]), it ''was'' again used on the "Transformations" introductory pages, in the "next week" previews and the recaps for the previous issues when those US issues were reprinted in the UK title (in issues #89-92 and #105-106, respectively). On top of that, an audio drama titled ''[[The Special Teams]]'' was also available in the UK, whose plot centered around the 1986 combiner teams. However, later ads in the UK comics simply called them the "New Teams".		On the fiction side of things, it was employed predominantly in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)\|Marvel UK Comics]], first used in the mini-comic "[[The Special Teams Have Arrived]]" included with [[Rock and Roll-Out!\|issue #54]] (which also featured an ad that referred to the toys as the "Special Team Collection"), and continuing in the three-parter "[[Second Generation!]]" from issues #63–65. Though the term was never used in the US Marvel comic (where the Aerialbots debuted in [[Aerialbots over America!\|issue #21]], the Stunticons in [[Heavy Traffic!\|issue #22]], and the Protectobots and Combaticons in [[Afterdeath!\|issue #24]]), it ''was'' again used on the "Transformations" introductory pages, in the "next week" previews and the recaps for the previous issues when those US issues were reprinted in the UK title (in issues #89-92 and #105-106, respectively). On top of that, an audio drama titled ''[[The Special Teams]]'' was also available in the UK, whose plot centered around the 1986 combiner teams. However, later ads in the UK comics simply called them the "New Teams".

	In 2004, the term "Special Teams" made a reapparance in the book ''[[Transformers: The Ultimate Guide]]'', written by Marvel UK veteran [[Simon Furman]] and published by [[DK Publishing]], where it was used as the title of the double page that featured the four 1986 combiner teams. On top of that, in 2008, a five-pack named "Special Team Leaders" was released as part of the ~~second~~ [[Transformers: Universe (2008 franchise)\|''Universe'' toyline]], which featured tiny [[Legends Class (2005)\|Legends Class]] figures representing [[Hot Spot (G1)\|Hot Spot]] (named "Hot Zone" for [[trademark]] reasons), [[Scattershot (G1)\|Scattershot]] (~~named~~ "Scatt'''o'''rshot"), [[Razorclaw (G1)\|Razorclaw]], [[Hun-Gurrr (G1)\|Hun-Gurrr]], and [[Silverbolt (G1)\|Silverbolt]]. While this ~~solidified the~~ previously ~~questionable status of~~ the ~~Technobots and Terrorcons as~~ "Special Teams", it marked the first time the term also encompassed a member of the ~~Predacons~~.		In 2004, the term "Special Teams" made a reapparance in the book ''[[Transformers: The Ultimate Guide]]'', written by Marvel UK veteran [[Simon Furman]] and published by [[DK Publishing]], where it was used as the title of the double page that featured the four 1986 combiner teams. On top of that, in 2008, a five-pack named "Special Team Leaders" was released as part of the 2008 [[Transformers: Universe (2008 franchise)\|''Universe'' toyline]], which featured tiny [[Legends Class (2005)\|Legends Class]] figures representing [[Hot Spot (G1)\|Hot Spot]] (named "Hot Zone" for [[trademark]] reasons), [[Scattershot (G1)\|Scattershot]] (spelled "Scatt'''o'''rshot"), [[Razorclaw (G1)\|Razorclaw]], [[Hun-Gurrr (G1)\|Hun-Gurrr]], and [[Silverbolt (G1)\|Silverbolt]]. While all the other teams represented in this set had been previously covered by the term "Special Teams" one way or another, this marked the first time the term also encompassed a member of the [[Predacon (G1)\|Predacon]]s.

	In 2013, the term popped up in, of all things, [[Transformers Comic issue 4.16\|a UK ''Prime'' comic]].		In 2013, the term popped up in, of all things, [[Transformers Comic issue 4.16\|a UK ''Prime'' comic]].

← Older revision		Revision as of 00:20, 27 December 2023
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	On the fiction side of things, it was employed predominantly in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)\|Marvel UK Comics]], first used in the mini-comic "[[The Special Teams Have Arrived]]" included with [[Rock and Roll-Out!\|issue #54]] (which also featured an ad that referred to the toys as the "Special Team Collection"), and continuing in the three-parter "[[Second Generation!]]" from issues #63–65. Though the term was never used in the US Marvel comic (where the Aerialbots debuted in [[Aerialbots over America!\|issue #21]], the Stunticons in [[Heavy Traffic!\|issue #22]], and the Protectobots and Combaticons in [[Afterdeath!\|issue #24]]), it ''was'' again used on the "Transformations" introductory pages, in the "next week" previews and the recaps for the previous issues when those US issues were reprinted in the UK title (in issues #89-92 and #105-106, respectively). On top of that, an audio drama titled ''[[The Special Teams]]'' was also available in the UK, whose plot centered around the 1986 combiner teams. However, later ads in the UK comics simply called them the "New Teams".		On the fiction side of things, it was employed predominantly in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)\|Marvel UK Comics]], first used in the mini-comic "[[The Special Teams Have Arrived]]" included with [[Rock and Roll-Out!\|issue #54]] (which also featured an ad that referred to the toys as the "Special Team Collection"), and continuing in the three-parter "[[Second Generation!]]" from issues #63–65. Though the term was never used in the US Marvel comic (where the Aerialbots debuted in [[Aerialbots over America!\|issue #21]], the Stunticons in [[Heavy Traffic!\|issue #22]], and the Protectobots and Combaticons in [[Afterdeath!\|issue #24]]), it ''was'' again used on the "Transformations" introductory pages, in the "next week" previews and the recaps for the previous issues when those US issues were reprinted in the UK title (in issues #89-92 and #105-106, respectively). On top of that, an audio drama titled ''[[The Special Teams]]'' was also available in the UK, whose plot centered around the 1986 combiner teams. However, later ads in the UK comics simply called them the "New Teams".

	In 2004, the term "Special Teams" made a reapparance in the book ''[[Transformers: The Ultimate Guide]]'', written by Marvel UK veteran [[Simon Furman]] and published by [[DK Publishing]], where it was used as the title of the double page that featured the four 1986 combiner teams. On top of that, in 2008, a five-pack named "Special Team Leaders" was ~~relased~~ as part of the second [[Transformers: Universe (2008 franchise)\|''Universe'' toyline]], which featured tiny [[Legends Class (2005)\|Legends Class]] figures representing [[Hot Spot (G1)\|Hot Spot]] (named "Hot Zone" for [[trademark]] reasons), [[Scattershot (G1)\|Scattershot]] (named "Scatt'''o'''rshot"), [[Razorclaw (G1)\|Razorclaw]], [[Hun-Gurrr (G1)\|Hun-Gurrr]], and [[Silverbolt (G1)\|Silverbolt]]. While this solidified the previously questionable status of the Technobots and Terrorcons as "Special Teams", it marked the first time the term also encompassed a member of the Predacons.		In 2004, the term "Special Teams" made a reapparance in the book ''[[Transformers: The Ultimate Guide]]'', written by Marvel UK veteran [[Simon Furman]] and published by [[DK Publishing]], where it was used as the title of the double page that featured the four 1986 combiner teams. On top of that, in 2008, a five-pack named "Special Team Leaders" was released as part of the second [[Transformers: Universe (2008 franchise)\|''Universe'' toyline]], which featured tiny [[Legends Class (2005)\|Legends Class]] figures representing [[Hot Spot (G1)\|Hot Spot]] (named "Hot Zone" for [[trademark]] reasons), [[Scattershot (G1)\|Scattershot]] (named "Scatt'''o'''rshot"), [[Razorclaw (G1)\|Razorclaw]], [[Hun-Gurrr (G1)\|Hun-Gurrr]], and [[Silverbolt (G1)\|Silverbolt]]. While this solidified the previously questionable status of the Technobots and Terrorcons as "Special Teams", it marked the first time the term also encompassed a member of the Predacons.

	In 2013, the term popped up in, of all things, [[Transformers Comic issue 4.16\|a UK ''Prime'' comic]].		In 2013, the term popped up in, of all things, [[Transformers Comic issue 4.16\|a UK ''Prime'' comic]].