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==Overview==
==Overview==
''Beast Machines'' continued many of its predecessor's elements, retaining the Maximal faction and a number of its main characters, but now pitted against the new Vehicon faction. Both sides tended toward unorthodox designs; the toys also made frequent use of translucent plastic and chrome finishes. A concerted push was made towards giving the figures more character-centric internal action features as opposed to the missile launchers or simpler spring-loaded weaponry that defined [[Beast Wars (toyline)|''Beast Wars'']], going so far as moving eyes or jaws. [[Spark crystal]]s carried over from ''Beast Wars'', eventually becoming central to the final gimmick in the line. Aesthetically, the smooth, curvaceous designs of the Maximals is a further evolution of the earlier [[Transmetal]] design styles, seamlessly blending the mechanical and the organic, often hiding mechanical detailing behind transparent panels. In contrast, the Vehicons had emphatically Cybertronian vehicle forms with visible machinery, often with certain character flourishes in vehicle mode like swiveling cockpits or a moving eye inside a tank turret. Both factions featured some unorthodox robot modes, with the Vehicons erring on the side of inhuman faces, weaponized limbs, and unusual forms of locomotion, while the Maximals tended towards more conventional yet exaggerated humanoid proportions.
''Beast Machines'' continued many of its predecessor's elements, retaining the Maximal faction and a number of its main characters, but now pitted against the new Vehicon faction. Both sides tended toward unorthodox designs; the toys also made frequent use of translucent plastic and chrome finishes. A concerted push was made towards giving the figures more character-centric internal action features as opposed to the missile launchers or simpler spring-loaded weaponry that defined [[Beast Wars (toyline)|''Beast Wars'']], going so far as moving eyes or jaws. [[Spark crystal]]s carried over from ''Beast Wars'', eventually becoming central to the final gimmick in the line. Aesthetically, the smooth, curvaceous designs of the Maximals is a further evolution of the earlier [[Transmetal]] design styles, seamlessly blending the mechanical and the organic, often hiding mechanical detailing behind transparent panels. In contrast, the Vehicons had emphatically Cybertronian vehicle forms with visible machinery, often with certain character flourishes in vehicle mode like swiveling cockpits or a moving eye inside a tank turret. Both factions featured some unorthodox robot modes, with the Vehicons erring on the side of inhuman faces, weaponized limbs, and unusual forms of locomotion, while the Maximals tended towards more conventional yet exaggerated humanoid proportions.


[[Show-accuracy]] (including inter-character [[scale]]) was widely variable across the entire toy line. Show production house [[Mainframe Entertainment]] apparently began animating the characters from early concept sketches, designs that by necessity changed a great deal during the translation into toy form. Thus many characters' (initial) toy and cartoon depictions bear relatively little resemblance to each other.
[[Show-accuracy]] (including inter-character [[scale]]) was widely variable across the entire toy line. Show production house [[Mainframe Entertainment]] apparently began animating the characters from early concept sketches, designs that by necessity changed a great deal during the translation into toy form. Thus many characters' (initial) toy and cartoon depictions bear relatively little resemblance to each other.
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[[Image:BMBattleforthespark.png|right|300px]]
[[Image:BMBattleforthespark.png|right|300px]]


The back end of the ''Beast Machines'' toyline, starting in 2001, featured the first full-on [[subline imprint]] for ''Transformers'', called "''Battle for the Spark''", reflecting the storyline of the cartoon's second season. This also tied in with a unifying theme for the new-mold toys, where action features are activated by pressing on the [[spark crystal]]s. By this time, many toys were designed to emulate their show models, and did so to an impressive degree. The more complex action features also led to the first price hike since the Transformers toyline had switched to standardized [[size class|price classes]] at the start of Beast Wars, with the Basics class increasing from $4.99USD [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_price MSRP] to $6.99.  
The back end of the ''Beast Machines'' toyline, starting in 2001, featured the first full-on [[subline imprint]] for ''Transformers'', called "''Battle for the Spark''", reflecting the storyline of the cartoon's second season. This also tied in with a unifying theme for the new-mold toys, where action features are activated by pressing on the [[spark crystal]]s. By this time, many toys were designed to emulate their show models, and did so to an impressive degree. The more complex action features also led to the first price hike since the Transformers toyline had switched to standardized [[size class|price classes]] at the start of Beast Wars, with the Basics class increasing from US$4.99 {{w|List price|MSRP}} to $6.99.  


The final releases of ''Beast Wars'' overlapped on the shelves with the start of Beast Machines, which was taken into account as some events from Beast Machines are directly referenced on the packaging of the ''[[Mutant (BW)|Mutants]]''. The ''[[Dinobot (BM)|Dinobots]]'' subline, consisting of [[redeco]]ed molds from both the Hasbro ''Beast Wars'' and [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars (Japanese toyline)#1999 (Beast Wars Neo)|Beast Wars Neo]]'' lines, shipped in the same packaging assortments with the normal figures.
The final releases of ''Beast Wars'' overlapped on the shelves with the start of Beast Machines, which was taken into account as some events from Beast Machines are directly referenced on the packaging of the ''[[Mutant (BW)|Mutants]]''. The ''[[Dinobot (BM)|Dinobots]]'' subline, consisting of [[redeco]]ed molds from both the Hasbro ''Beast Wars'' and [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars (Japanese toyline)#1999 (Beast Wars Neo)|Beast Wars Neo]]'' lines, shipped in the same packaging assortments with the normal figures.


Due to underwhelming sales, usual toyline fatigue, a particularly dark story, and internal Hasbro/Kenner shakeups<ref>"For a long time, it had been sequential, so there was ''Beast Wars'', and then ''Beast Machines'' came along—that wasn't performing as well, it was a little more... odd vehicle forms, or even beast forms. ''Beast Wars'' was great, you could tell what things were, even when they were hybrid or Fuzors, you could kind of tell what they were. If you look at ''Beast Machines'', it's kind of like 'a truck thing' or 'a flying thing' or- so that alienated a certain amount of audience, so sales were going down. It got a little dark in the storyline at that same time. They were developing ''Transtech'', but that was very short-lived. [...] That would have been the successor but because it was going down this dark road of ''Beast Machines'' and that wasn't working, obviously the sequel to that wasn't going to happen."—[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNgWvNmMJfE&t=323s Aaron Archer on ''The Toy Armada'', 2021/12/14]</ref>, it was decided to cancel the last few waves in development, abandon plans for the sequel series ''[[Transtech]]'', and [[Transformers: Armada (franchise)|re-vamp the franchise from the ground up]]. Takara's ''Car Robots'' series was quickly ported over as "filler" under the name ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]'', giving Hasbro and [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] the time needed to coordinate on the [[Transformers: Armada (franchise)|next series]]. Not ones to waste the effort or cost put into the canceled figures, all three finished-yet-unreleased toy molds were eventually released as part of the ''Robots in Disguise'' toyline.
Due to underwhelming sales, usual toyline fatigue, a particularly dark story, and internal Hasbro/Kenner shakeups,<ref>"For a long time, it had been sequential, so there was ''Beast Wars'', and then ''Beast Machines'' came along—that wasn't performing as well, it was a little more... odd vehicle forms, or even beast forms. ''Beast Wars'' was great, you could tell what things were, even when they were hybrid or Fuzors, you could kind of tell what they were. If you look at ''Beast Machines'', it's kind of like 'a truck thing' or 'a flying thing' or- so that alienated a certain amount of audience, so sales were going down. It got a little dark in the storyline at that same time. They were developing ''Transtech'', but that was very short-lived. [...] That would have been the successor but because it was going down this dark road of ''Beast Machines'' and that wasn't working, obviously the sequel to that wasn't going to happen."—[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNgWvNmMJfE&t=323s Aaron Archer on ''The Toy Armada'', 2021/12/14]</ref> it was decided to cancel the last few waves in development, abandon plans for the sequel series ''[[Transtech]]'', and [[Transformers: Armada (franchise)|re-vamp the franchise from the ground up]]. Takara's ''Car Robots'' series was quickly ported over as "filler" under the name ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]'', giving Hasbro and [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] the time needed to coordinate on the [[Transformers: Armada (franchise)|next series]]. Not ones to waste the effort or cost put into the canceled figures, all three finished-yet-unreleased toy molds were eventually released as part of the ''Robots in Disguise'' toyline.


==Hasbro ''Beast Machines'' toyline==
==Hasbro ''Beast Machines'' toyline==
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|width="20%" valign="top"|<u>'''Wave 4''' (April 2000)</u>
|width="20%" valign="top"|<u>'''Wave 4''' (April 2000)</u>
<ul class="iconlist">
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-m2|[[Blackarachnia (BW)/toys#Beast_Machines|Blackarachnia]]}}
{{Bp-m2|[[Blackarachnia (BW)/toys#Beast Machines|Blackarachnia]]}}
{{Bp-vh|[[Thrust (BM)#Beast Machines|Thrust]]}}
{{Bp-vh|[[Thrust (BM)#Beast Machines|Thrust]]}}
|
|
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{{Bp-vh|[[Strika (BM)#Beast Machines|Strika]]}}
{{Bp-vh|[[Strika (BM)#Beast Machines|Strika]]}}
|
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|<u>'''''Canceled''''' (used later)</u>
|width="20%" valign="top"|<u>'''''Canceled''''' ([[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 toyline)|used later]])</u>
<ul class="iconlist">
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-m2|[[Bruticus (RID)#Robots in Disguise .282001.29|Cerberus]]}}
{{Bp-m2|[[Bruticus (RID)#Robots in Disguise .282001.29|Cerberus]]}}
{{Bp-vh|[[Megatron (RID)#Megabolt|Megatron]]}}
{{Bp-vh|[[Megatron (RID)#Megabolt|Megatron Megabolt]]}}
|
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|<u>'''''Totally canceled'''''</u>
|width="20%" valign="top"|<u>'''''Totally canceled'''''</u>
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{{Bp-m2|[[Cheetor (BW)/toys#BMSupreme|Cheetor]]}}
{{Bp-m2|[[Cheetor (BW)/toys#BMSupreme|Cheetor]]}}
|
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|<u>'''''Canceled''''' (used later)</u>
|width="20%" valign="top"|<u>'''''Canceled''''' ([[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 toyline)|used later]])</u>
{{Bp-m2|[[Optimus Primal (BW)/toys#Robots in Disguise (2001)|Air Attack Optimus Primal]]}}
{{Bp-m2|[[Optimus Primal (BW)/toys#Robots in Disguise (2001)|Air Attack Optimus Primal]]}}
|
|
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|width="20%" valign="top"|
|width="20%" valign="top"|
|
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|[[File:BM Che toy.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Beast Rider Che]]
|width="20%" valign="top"|[[File:BM-toy Che v1.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Beast Rider Che]]
|}
|}
{{--}}
{{--}}
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|width="20%" valign="top"|<u>'''[[Target]]''' (October 2000)</u>
|width="20%" valign="top"|<u>'''[[Target]]''' (October 2000)</u>
<ul class="iconlist">
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-bd|[[Magmatron#Beast Machines|Magmatron]]}}
{{Bp-bd|[[Magmatron (BW)#Beast Machines|Magmatron]]}}
|
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|<u>'''[[BotCon 2000]]''' ([[July 28]], 2000)</u>
|width="20%" valign="top"|<u>'''[[BotCon 2000]]''' ([[July 28]], 2000)</u>
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<ul class="iconlist">
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-m2|[[Optimus Primal (BW)/toys#McDonaldsBM|Optimus Primal]]}}
{{Bp-m2|[[Optimus Primal (BW)/toys#McDonaldsBM|Optimus Primal]]}}
{{Bp-m2|[[Rattrap (BW)/toys#Beast_Machines|Rattrap]]}}
{{Bp-m2|[[Rattrap (BW)/toys#Beast Machines|Rattrap]]}}
|
|
|width="20%" valign="top"|<br>
|width="20%" valign="top"|<br>
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:In 2001, four of the McDonald's molds were [[retool]]ed to be simpler (which is hard to imagine but there you go) and [[redeco]]ed by the Australian chain [[List of Transformers restaurant promotions|Red Rooster]] for their "Little Red Rooster" meals. Each one came in four different colorations: red & green, blue & light blue, and color-swaps of those two.
:In 2001, four of the McDonald's molds were [[retool]]ed to be simpler (which is hard to imagine but there you go) and [[redeco]]ed by the Australian chain [[List of Transformers restaurant promotions|Red Rooster]] for their "Little Red Rooster" meals. Each one came in four different colorations: red & green, blue & light blue, and color-swaps of those two.


: {{Bp-m2|Nightscream (actually the [[Megatron (BW)/toys#Red_Rooster|Megatron]] mold)}}
: {{Bp-m2|Nightscream (actually the [[Megatron (BW)/toys#Red Rooster|Megatron]] mold)}}
: {{Bp-vh|[[Jetstorm (BM)#RedRooster|Jetstorm]]}}
: {{Bp-vh|[[Jetstorm (BM)#RedRooster|Jetstorm]]}}
: {{Bp-m2|[[Rattrap (BW)/toys#RedRooster|Rattrap]]}}
: {{Bp-m2|[[Rattrap (BW)/toys#RedRooster|Rattrap]]}}
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|width="20%" valign="top"|<u>'''[[BotCon 2013]]'''</u>
|width="20%" valign="top"|<u>'''[[BotCon 2013]]'''</u>
<ul class="iconlist">
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|[[Obsidian (BM)#Timelines_2|Obsidian]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Obsidian (BM)#Timelines 2|Obsidian]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Strika (BM)#Timelines|Strika]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Strika (BM)#Timelines|Strika]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Blastcharge Strika Drone#Timelines|Blastcharge Strika Drone]]}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Blastcharge Strika Drone#Timelines|Blastcharge Strika Drone]]}}
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{{Bp-m2|[[Cheetor (BW)/toys#Legacy|Cheetor]]}}
{{Bp-m2|[[Cheetor (BW)/toys#Legacy|Cheetor]]}}
|}
|}
{{--}}
{{-}}


==Notes==
==Notes==
[[File:BM_Battle_For_The_Spark_Gimmick.jpg|thumb|Sadly, neither [[Spark]] appears to actually [[Sparking gimmick|spark]].]]
[[File:BM_Battle_For_The_Spark_Gimmick.jpg|thumb|Sadly, neither [[Spark]] appears to actually [[Sparking gimmick|spark]].]]
* The [[Deployer (BM)|Deployers]] and [[Beast Rider]]s were developed by (now-defunct) [[Hasbro Direct]], [[Hasbro]]'s department normally devoted to store exclusives and other retailer-oriented projects, hence their rather dubious compatibility with the rest of the ''Beast Machines'' line.
* The [[Deployer (BM)|Deployers]] and [[Beast Rider]]s were developed by (now-defunct) [[Hasbro Direct]], [[Hasbro]]'s department normally devoted to store exclusives and other retailer-oriented projects, hence their rather dubious compatibility with the rest of the ''Beast Machines'' line.
* A practice at the time of ''Beast Machines'' was to often have one concept artist design the robot mode and another design the beast/vehicle mode, leading to two forms that are startlingly different from each other... and probably leading to some hellish nightmares for the engineering department.
* A practice unique to ''Beast Machines'' was to often have one concept artist design the robot mode and another design the beast or vehicle mode, leading to two forms that are startlingly different from each other... and leading to some hellish nightmares for the engineering department. Indeed, according to [[Hideaki Yoke]], the difficulty with this method was ''so'' high and work intensive that [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] lost confidence in the line, instead deciding to go back to their roots with the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 franchise)#Japanese release|Transformers: Car Robots]] line for the Japanese market.<ref>''[[Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Generations]]'', p. 121</ref> 
* On Takara's end of the design process, some design and engineering work was subcontracted out to the designer [[Junichi Akutsu]], alias BEE-CRAFT.
* A number of robot mode designs appear to have been handled by comic book artist [[Draxhall Jump|Ken Lashley]], who would be retained to handle most of the concepts for the ill-fated [[Transtech]] line.  On Takara's end of the design process, some design and engineering work was subcontracted out to the designer [[Junichi Akutsu]], alias BEE-CRAFT.
*Early concepts for the ''Battle for the Spark'' continuation pitched the idea of interchangeable "Spark" accessories, one proposed version being a gearbox that drove complex gimmickry, while another functioned more like a [[Mini-Con]] or [[Cyber Key]] that unlocked spring-loaded features.<ref>''[[Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Generations]]'', p117</ref>
* Early concepts for the ''Battle for the Spark'' continuation pitched the idea of interchangeable "Spark" accessories, one proposed version being a gearbox that drove complex gimmickry, while another functioned more like a [[Mini-Con]] or [[Cyber Key]] that unlocked spring-loaded features.<ref>''[[Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Generations]]'', p. 117</ref>
* Around December 2000, the online retailer [[BigBadToyStore]] put up a [http://web.archive.org/web/20001206140100/http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/news.asp list] of upcoming ''Transformers'' product from Hasbro. Although the main point of interest was a ''[[Transtech]]'' assortment listing, it revealed several tail-end and unreleased ''Beast Machines: Battle for the Spark'' toys.
* Around December 2000, the online retailer [[BigBadToyStore]] put up a [http://web.archive.org/web/20001206140100/http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/news.asp list] of upcoming ''Transformers'' product from Hasbro. Although the main point of interest was a ''[[Transtech]]'' assortment listing, it revealed several tail-end and unreleased ''Beast Machines: Battle for the Spark'' toys.


Latest revision as of 23:21, 4 April 2026
Generation 1 continuity family
« Beast Machines »
Freaks of nature.

Beast Machines was the toyline successor to Beast Wars, running from very late 1999 to early 2001. It featured the Maximals as smoothly techno-organic beasts, pitted against the futuristic war machines of the Vehicons. Beast Machines signaled the full-fledged return of vehicular Transformers, after an absence of nearly four years.

Though Beast Machines was the primary series in 2000, Hasbro continued to release Beast Wars case assortments, whose contents ranged from new redecos to promote Fox Kids running the series, to the new-mold Mutant Beast Wars figures, to straight-up re-releases of Transmetal 2 toys.

The line seemed to underperform to expectations, and combined with Hasbro's financial troubles (primarily due to excessive Star Wars Episode I product glut), the second year of Beast Machines product was cut short to make way for another heavy reworking of the Transformers concept...

Unlike Beast Wars, the line did not run concurrently in Japan, but would get a short run there in 2004.

Overview

[edit]

Beast Machines continued many of its predecessor's elements, retaining the Maximal faction and a number of its main characters, but now pitted against the new Vehicon faction. Both sides tended toward unorthodox designs; the toys also made frequent use of translucent plastic and chrome finishes. A concerted push was made towards giving the figures more character-centric internal action features as opposed to the missile launchers or simpler spring-loaded weaponry that defined Beast Wars, going so far as moving eyes or jaws. Spark crystals carried over from Beast Wars, eventually becoming central to the final gimmick in the line. Aesthetically, the smooth, curvaceous designs of the Maximals is a further evolution of the earlier Transmetal design styles, seamlessly blending the mechanical and the organic, often hiding mechanical detailing behind transparent panels. In contrast, the Vehicons had emphatically Cybertronian vehicle forms with visible machinery, often with certain character flourishes in vehicle mode like swiveling cockpits or a moving eye inside a tank turret. Both factions featured some unorthodox robot modes, with the Vehicons erring on the side of inhuman faces, weaponized limbs, and unusual forms of locomotion, while the Maximals tended towards more conventional yet exaggerated humanoid proportions.

Show-accuracy (including inter-character scale) was widely variable across the entire toy line. Show production house Mainframe Entertainment apparently began animating the characters from early concept sketches, designs that by necessity changed a great deal during the translation into toy form. Thus many characters' (initial) toy and cartoon depictions bear relatively little resemblance to each other.

The back end of the Beast Machines toyline, starting in 2001, featured the first full-on subline imprint for Transformers, called "Battle for the Spark", reflecting the storyline of the cartoon's second season. This also tied in with a unifying theme for the new-mold toys, where action features are activated by pressing on the spark crystals. By this time, many toys were designed to emulate their show models, and did so to an impressive degree. The more complex action features also led to the first price hike since the Transformers toyline had switched to standardized price classes at the start of Beast Wars, with the Basics class increasing from US$4.99 MSRP to $6.99.

The final releases of Beast Wars overlapped on the shelves with the start of Beast Machines, which was taken into account as some events from Beast Machines are directly referenced on the packaging of the Mutants. The Dinobots subline, consisting of redecoed molds from both the Hasbro Beast Wars and Takara Beast Wars Neo lines, shipped in the same packaging assortments with the normal figures.

Due to underwhelming sales, usual toyline fatigue, a particularly dark story, and internal Hasbro/Kenner shakeups,[1] it was decided to cancel the last few waves in development, abandon plans for the sequel series Transtech, and re-vamp the franchise from the ground up. Takara's Car Robots series was quickly ported over as "filler" under the name Robots in Disguise, giving Hasbro and Takara the time needed to coordinate on the next series. Not ones to waste the effort or cost put into the canceled figures, all three finished-yet-unreleased toy molds were eventually released as part of the Robots in Disguise toyline.

Hasbro Beast Machines toyline

[edit]

Standard retail line

[edit]

Basics

Wave 1 (December 1999) Wave 2 (March 2000) Wave 3 (June 2000) Wave 4 (August 2000)
Basic Longhorn
Wave 5 (BftS, January 2001) Wave 6 (BftS, April 2001) Wave 7 (BftS, April 2001) Canceled


Deluxe

In addition to regular Beast Machines toys, the Deluxe assortment also included Dinobots-branded product.
Wave 1 (December 1999) Wave 2 (March 2000) Wave 3 (March 2000) Wave 4 (April 2000)
Deluxe Thrust
Wave 5 (June 2000) Wave 6 (September 2000) Wave 7 (October 2000) Wave 8 (BftS, February 2001)
Wave 9 (BftS, March 2001) Canceled (used later) Totally canceled


Mega

Wave 1 (December 1999) Wave 2 (August 2000) Wave 3 (February 2001) Wave 4 (BftS, May 2001)
Mega Megatron


Ultra

Like the Deluxes, the Ultra assortment also included Dinobots-branded stuff.
Wave 1 (July 2000) Wave 2 (September 2000) Canceled
Ultra Jetstorm


Super

Wave 1 (July 2000)
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