User:Repowers/Sandbox: Difference between revisions

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Had to note it. Dunno if there's an article on it.
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[[Image:Armada airmilitaryteam toys.jpg|right|300px|thumb|The [[Air Military Team]] from ''[[Armada]]''.  The gimmicks: [[Mini-Con|micro-size]], ability to "[[powerlinx]]" with larger toys, triple-changing, being awesome.]]
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'''Toys''' are the core of the [[Transformers brand]], its reason for being.  Most of the fiction exists to showcase, spotlight, promote, and in general [[to sell toys]].  Merchandise and other "artifacts" also generally exist in support of the toylines.
<div id="mpexternalicons">
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<div style="width:148px;position:absolute;z-index:2;top:10px;">Check out our<br />sister wikis:</div><imagemap>
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rect 87 65 131 110 [[idwhasbro:Main Page|IDW Hasbro Wiki]]
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<div style="width:100px;left:10px;position:absolute;z-index:2;top:10px;">We're also on these websites:</div><imagemap>
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rect 10 66 52 110 [https://discord.com/invite/N99Bygq Our Discord]
rect 78 66 121 110 [https://bsky.app/profile/tfwiki.net Our Bluesky]
rect 146 66 189 110 [https://tfwiki.tumblr.com Our Tumblr]
rect 164 0 272 114 [[Ravage (SG)|Can you see me? I'm waving!]]
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''Transformers'' toys are generally created and marketed as part of a particular "[[franchise]]" (ie ''[[Generation 1]]'', ''[[Beast Wars]]'', ''[[Armada]]'', etc.), a whole merchandising family with associated characters and fiction; however, this article deals with the physical toys themselves, separate from their representation as fictional characters.
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{{Featurebox
 
|Current Releases
==Design==
|color=#999
[[Image:G1G2 Rapido toys.jpg|left|thumb|200px|[[Rapido]], an example of the early days of ''[[Generation 2]]''.]]
|id=featured-series
 
|view=Main Page/featured-series
Most Transformers are designed as a joint venture between [[Hasbro]] in America, and [[TakaraTomy]] (previously Takara) in Japan.  Hasbro typically provides concepts and artistic direction, while Takara(Tomy) handles the engineering tasks of turning the designs into working physical objects.
|content={{:Main Page/featured-series}}
 
}}
Nearly all ''Transformers'' toys have a minimum of two forms, most commonly a robot form and an [[alternate mode]].  This means that even a fairly simple Transformer is much more complex than the typical action figure.  Multiple alternate modes, articulation, and complex transformations can multiply this many times over.
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The complexity of Transformers toys has grown over time, making several leaps forward during the course of G2 and Beast Wars, then again during the recent Movie line.  ''Beast Wars'' in particular featured a number of toys with extremely complex transformations, and a maximum number of ball joints, providing a huge range of articulation.
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{{Featurebox
''Related articles:''
|Fundamentals
* [[Hasbro]]
|color=#039
* [[Takara]]
|id=fundamentals
<br>
|content={{:Main Page/fundamentals}}
* [[Articulation]] (see also: ''[[Brick]]'')
|view=Main Page/fundamentals
* [[Ratchet (mechanism)]]
}}
* [[Slide joint]]
</div><div class="mainleft">
* [[Swivel joint]]
{{Featurebox
* [[Ball joint]]
|Featured Article
<br>
|color=#c93
* [[Hardpoint]]
|id=featured-article
* [[Peg]]
|view=Main Page/featured-article
<br>
|content={{:Main Page/featured-article}}<p style="text-align:right">[[:Category:Featured articles|More Featured Articles]]</p>
* [[Transformation]]
}}
* [[Alternate mode]]
</div><div class="mainright" style="clear:right">
* [[Scale]]
{{Featurebox
* [[Kibble]]
|This Day in History: {{#ifeq:{{LOCALMONTHNAME}} {{LOCALDAY}}|May 8|{{LOCALMONTHNAME}} {{LOCALDAY}}<br>Happy {{#expr:{{CURRENTYEAR}}-1984}}{{#switch:{{#expr:({{CURRENTYEAR}}-1984) mod 10}}|1=st|2=nd|3=rd|th}} Anniversary to Transformers!|{{LOCALMONTHNAME}} {{LOCALDAY}}}}
* [[Shellformer]]
|content={{#ifexist:{{LOCALMONTHNAME}} {{LOCALDAY}}| {{:{{LOCALMONTHNAME}} {{LOCALDAY}}}}|
* [[Partformer]]
* It looks like today was a pretty boring day in Transformers history. If you can think of anything we missed, please [[{{LOCALMONTHNAME}} {{LOCALDAY}}|help us by adding it]]!}}
 
|id=this-day
 
|color=green
==Materials==
|view={{LOCALMONTHNAME}} {{LOCALDAY}}
[[Image:BTTracks toy.jpg||right|thumb|200px|[[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] from the ''[[Alternators]]''/''Binaltech'' line.  The Japanese version uses die-cast metal for added heft, while the American iteration is all-plastic for added being-able-to-stand-up.]]
}}
 
{{Featurebox
The vast majority of the toys are made of plastic, held together with metal screws and pins, along with the occasional adhesive.  Die-cast, used as an accessory material from 1984-1986, has all but been abandoned due to its excessive shipping weight and design limitations.  The plastics used in Transformer construction have generally increased in flexibility and durability over the years, allowing toys to survive child-inflicted trauma that would have destroyed early ''Generation 1'' toys.
|Schedule
 
|color=#754c24
''Related articles:''
|id=schedule
* [[Plastic]]
|content={{:Main Page/schedule}}
* [[Die-cast]]
|view=Main Page/schedule
* [[Rubber tires]]
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{{Featurebox
==Production/Manufacturing==
|Holy Grails
[[Image:Hotshotprotosuperjaam.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Prototype [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]] ''really'' likes [[JaAm]]!!]]
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Though the toys are designed in America and Japan through a collaborative process between Takara and Hasbro, most are manufactured in places like China.
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The production process is complex and expensive.  Before mass production can begin, a hard-copy prototype must be created.  Steel-cut molds can then be made; this is by far the most costly part of the process.  Once the molds are cut, one or more test shots are typically created, usually in random colors.  If the molds are ready, mass production commences. 
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The expense of cutting molds is the reason that retools and recolors are such a common phenomena in ''Transformers''.
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|Want List
''Related articles:''
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* [[Prototype]] (includes test shots)
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* [[Mold]]
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* [[Gang-molding]]
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* [[Retool]]
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* [[Sprue]]
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* [[Running change]]
|Editing Tips
 
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==Common Gimmicks==
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[[Image:G1Rollbar toy.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Not much articulation, but man can he [[Throttlebot|scoot across your kitchen floor]].]]
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As if Transformers weren't complicated enough, Hasbro has seen fit to constantly revitalize and enhance the line with numerous special features, commonly referred to in the fandom as ''gimmicks''. These may range from things as simple as a common decorative theme (such as vacuum metalizing on the [[Transmetal]] toys), to complex mechanisms that drive the entire design of a toy.  Gimmicks have been a part of ''Transformers'' from Day 1, and continue to provide the line with diversity and interest today.
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''Main article: [[Gimmicks]]''
{{Featurebox
===Static Gimmicks===
|Series Information
* [[Sticker]]
|color=#096
* [[Rubsign]]
|id=series-information
* [[Spark crystal]]
|content={{:Main Page/series-information}}
* [[Light-piping]]
|view=Main Page/series-information
* [[Energon star]]s
}}
 
===Active Gimmicks===
* [[Missile]]
* [[Pull-back motor]]
* [[Autotransform]]
* [[Sparking gimmick]]
* [[Soundbox]]
* [[Mini-Con]]
* [[Cyber Planet Key (toys)]]
* [[Automorph]]
 
 
==Decoration==
[[Image:Sentmaxtoy.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Botcon-exclusive [[Sentinel Maximus]], a toy heavily slathered in paint applications.]]
 
Most Transformers are cast in a limited number of plastic colors.  To help bring them to life, paint, tampographs, and stickers are commonly used to bring them to life.
 
Stickers were common in the days of ''Generation 1'', but have dropped out of use as aesthetic tastes change and more complex paint operations become feasible.  Today, faction symbols are typically applied via tampograph, with most other details called out by paint applications.
 
''Related articles:''
* [[Paint application]]
* [[Paint mask]]
* [[Vacuum metalizing]]
* [[Unpaintable plastic]]
* [[Tampograph]]
* [[Redeco]]
* [[Repaint]] (see also: ''[[Black repaint]]'')
 
 
==Problems==
[[Image:Pretendermonsters-toys-shellrot.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Split open and [[Pretender Monster#Toys|melt]].]]
 
Transformer toys are, to put it bluntly, not meant to last forever.  They are marketed to a fleeting and transitory age group, with the notion that if they last a few years, their work is done.  Thus collectors who have retained toys for many years can find some unexpected surprises as their toys age.  Among these are plastic discoloration, deterioration of rubber tires (and rubber [[Pretender Monster|Pretender shells]]), and deterioration of sub-par plastics that can cause a toy to physically disintegrate.
 
''Related articles:''
* [[Photodegradation]]
* [[Gold Plastic Syndrome]]
 
 
==Marketing==
[[Image:BW-MegaPromo.jpg|thumb|right|200px|In the market-driven rush to production, sometimes the wires get a little crossed.  This package cross-sell presents other toys in the line... in color schemes that were never produced.  ''Oops!'']]
 
However awesome the toys themselves may be, they tend to sell better when they represent fictional characters.  The marketing engine that promotes the toys is organized into [[franchise]]s, each encompassing a range of related toys and a storyline built around them.  A full-blown, flagship franchise typically features an animated cartoon, and often a comic book series as well.  These fictional portrayals may be a source of considerable income for Hasbro/TakaraTomy as well, but ultimately they exist [[to sell toys]].
 
The toy packaging also commonly supports the marketing effort, with [[bio|biographies]] and [[package art]] of the characters being sold, as well as cross-sell ads promoting other toys currently available.
 
''Related articles:''
* [[To sell toys]]
* [[Franchise]]
* [[Rebranding]]
* [[Subline imprint]]
* [[Tech spec]]
* [[Bio]]
* [[Package art]]
* [[Catalog]]
* [[Cross-sell]]
* [[Pack-in flyer]]
* [[Trademark]]
* [[Blindpacked]]
* [[Shelfwarmer]]<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>

Latest revision as of 06:10, 26 November 2024

TFWiki.net: the Transformers Wiki is the unofficial Transformers knowledge database of 32,676 articles that anyone can edit or add to! For the personal data repository used by the Wreckers to analyze potential recruits, see Autopedia.


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vFundamentals

New to Transformers? Start here!
Toys Franchises
Cartoons Continuities
Comics Transformer
Movies Character
Video games Fandom

vFeatured Article

Gregarious would be a good word to describe Swerve. So would outgoing, enthusiastic, upbeat, joyfully irreverent, flippant, sarcastic, wise ass, troll, or "total pain in the aft", depending on which side of his weapons-grade mouth you happen to fall on and how long you've been listening to him use it. Swerve has a sense of fun and even whimsy that stands out from your run of the mill Autobots fairly dramatically, but this constant running commentary stems at least partially from Swerve's low self-esteem, a coping mechanism that helps to cover up some of his own insecurities. The little fellow may get on their nerves... he'll probably get on their nerves... but it'll always be with a smile, a laugh, and an epic level quip, making him a good bartender.

He is, however, also a menace to everyone within range of a gun in his hand—including himself—given his legendarily bad aim, as well as to anyone driving nearby because he's so easily distracted by just about anything that catches his attention. Despite this, he's quite intelligent and skilled as a metallurgist, analysing the properties of a material with unique sensors in his hands. When he gets caught up in a problem, he becomes almost laser-like in focus and intensity, going on quest after quest, both major and minor. Unfortunately, this generally leaves him just as distracted from any other tasks at hand and just as accident-prone as ever. He's almost always in need of some repairs, major or minor, because of it.

Now if only Prime could get him to not get easily distracted when receiving his orders too...

“ People don't like me—they just laugh at my jokes. There's a difference. ”

—Swerve, "Cybertronian Homesick Blues"

Continued...


More Featured Articles

vThis Day in History: June 10

vSchedule

vHoly Grails

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vSeries Information

The Transformers (Generation 1)

Toyline | Cartoon | Comics | Film | Books | Manga | Video games | Online games

The Headmasters

Toyline | Cartoon | Manga | Video game | Story pages

Super-God Masterforce

Toyline | Cartoon | Manga | Story pages

Victory

Toyline | Cartoon | Manga | Story pages

Zone

Toyline | Cartoon | Manga | Story pages

Generation 2

Toyline | Cartoon | Comics | Pack-in manga | Manga special | Story pages | Video game

Beast Wars

Toyline | Cartoon | Comics | Manga | Video games

Beast Wars II

Toyline | Cartoon | Film | Manga | Sausage

Beast Wars Neo

Toyline | Cartoon | Manga | Video game

Beast Machines

Toyline | Cartoon | Comic

Robots in Disguise (2001)

Toyline | Cartoon | Comic

Armada

Toyline | Cartoon | Comics | Manga | Video game | Online game

Universe (2003)

Toyline | Comics

Energon

Toyline | Cartoon | Comics

Cybertron

Toyline | Cartoon | Comics | Manga | Online games

Classics

Toyline | Comics

Transformers (2007)

Toyline | Film | Comics | Books | Video games | Mobile game | Online games

Animated

Toyline | Cartoon | Comics | Books | Video game | Online game | Manga

Universe (2008)

Toyline | Cartoon

Revenge of the Fallen

Toyline | Film | Comics | Books | Video games | Mobile game | Online games | Cartoon | Manga

Transformers (2010)

Toyline | Comic

Generations

Toyline

War for Cybertron

Toyline | Video games | Novel | Comic

Prime

Toyline | Cartoon | Comics | Film | Video game | Online games | Books

Dark of the Moon

Toyline | Film | Comics | Books | Video games | Mobile game

Rescue Bots

Toyline | Cartoon | Books

Fall of Cybertron

Toyline | Video game | Comic

Go!

Toyline | Cartoon

Age of Extinction

Toyline | Film | Video game | Mobile game | Reality show

Q-Transformers

Toyline | Cartoon | Mobile Game

Robots in Disguise (2015)

Toyline | Cartoon | Comic | Books | Mobile game

Combiner Wars

Toyline | Comic | Cartoon

Titans Return

Toyline | Comic | Cartoon | Storybook

The Last Knight

Toyline | Film

Power of the Primes

Toyline | Cartoon

Studio Series

Toyline

Cyberverse

Toyline | Cartoon | Video game

Bumblebee

Toyline | Film | Comic | Novel | Online games

War for Cybertron: Siege

Toyline | Cartoon

BotBots

Toyline | Cartoon

Rescue Bots Academy

Toyline | Cartoon

Nezha: Transformers

Toyline | Cartoon

War for Cybertron: Earthrise

Toyline | Cartoon

War for Cybertron: Kingdom

Toyline | Cartoon

Legacy

Toyline | Comic

EarthSpark

Toyline | Cartoon | Books | Video game

Rise of the Beasts

Toyline | Film | Books

One

Toyline | Film | Books

Age of the Primes

Toyline

Cyberworld

Toyline | Cartoon

Wild King

Toyline | Cartoon

Wild King W

Toyline | Cartoon

Full series listing
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