Titan Heroes

Optimus has since learned not to sign licensing contracts without reading them.

Titan Heroes is a cross-property brand used by Hasbro to sell 12" or larger figures that are inexpensive to produce, durable, and minimally articulated. While the implementation in other properties worked out okay, the complex nature of many character designs left the Transformers offerings looking woefully under-painted and often misproportioned. Despite pretty much everyone's first impression, these were not third party knockoffs.

In later years, the line transitioned to focus on Titan Changers, which retain the standard Titan Hero packaging profile, but are capable of transforming (albeit simply) into an alternate mode.

Prime

The line's initial offering of Transformers: Prime figures first appeared at Toys"R"Us in late spring 2013 ($25 for 16", $10 for 12") and trickled into other stores, although the 16" variety seems to only be sold at Toys"R"Us. By the end of 2013 it was possible to buy a two-pack of the 12" versions for $9.99 at Walgreens, with a $4 off coupon... and people still felt vaguely ripped off.

12" assortment Bumblebee Optimus Prime

16" assortment Bumblebee Optimus Prime

Prime: Beast Hunters

For the Beast Hunters subline imprint, a range of PVC 6" Titan Guardians was introduced at a $7.99 price point. Rather than being packaged, the figures were sold loose with manufacturer tags attached to them.

Titan Guardians wave 1 Bumblebee Megatron Optimus Prime Shockwave

Age of Extinction

For the Age of Extinction toyline, the line returned to the 12" and 16" sizes, now titled Titan Heroes ($9.99) and Titan Guardians ($19.99) respectively.

Titan Heroes wave 1 Bumblebee Autobot Drift Optimus Prime

Titan Heroes wave 2 Lockdown

Titan Guardians Optimus Prime (Evasion Mode design) Grimlock

The Titan Guardian assortment was available at general retail in the United States but was exclusive to Kmart stores in Australia and to Asda stores in the United Kingdom.

Exclusives

Big W Silver Knight Optimus Prime with Sword of Judgment (12") Grimlock with Dragontooth Mace (12")

Kmart/Argos Optimus Prime (12", Evasion Mode design, includes sword and electronic sounds) Grimlock (12", includes mace and electronic sounds) Bumblebee (12", includes blaster and electronic sounds)

Target Silver Knight Optimus Prime (redeco of retail Titan Hero Optimus Prime)

Australian retailer Big W's exclusive assortment of Titan Heroes with weapons was only ever found at that chain. All three of the electronic Titan Heroes were available from US Kmart stores and UK Argos stores, while only Optimus Prime and Bumblebee were available from Australian Kmart stores. The redeco Silver Knight Optimus Prime was exclusive to Target stores in the United States and Australia, and a shared exclusive between Galeria Kaufhof department stores and Real supermarkets (both owned by the same parent company) in Germany.

San Diego Comic-Con 2013 / Transformers (2014)

For San Diego Comic-Con 2013, a set of five Generation 1 inspired 6" PVC Titan Warriors was released as a Hasbro convention exclusive, with remaining stock of the pack also later sold on Hasbro Toy Shop. In late 2014, four of the five figures were re-released individually at retail with generic 2014 Transformers-branded manufacturer tags. While retaining the Titan Warriors name, in terms of distribution, they were treated as a second wave of the Beast Hunters Titan Guardians assortment (A6107) as listed above, thus making them a multi-brand assortment.

The tags for the retail releases include a list of available figures on the reverse side, but in addition to the four figures in the wave, Bumblebee, Shockwave and Wheeljack are given, with Wheeljack's name covered by a sticker. Wheeljack would presumably have been a new figure; it is unclear whether the same would have been true of Bumblebee and Shockwav, but either way their names were likely left uncovered due to their existing presence in the assortment via the original Beast Hunters wave.

SDCC 2013 Titan Warrior 5-Pack Grimlock Optimus Prime Megatron Starscream Soundwave

Titan Warriors wave 2 Optimus Prime Megatron Starscream Soundwave

Robots in Disguise (2015)

The Robots in Disguise toyline returned to the previous naming standards of 6" Titan Guardians and 12" Titan Heroes, but also debuted a new concept for the range, the transforming 12" Titan Changers.

Titan Guardians Optimus Prime Bumblebee Sideswipe Steeljaw		Titan Heroes wave 1 Optimus Prime Bumblebee Steeljaw		Titan Heroes wave 2 Sideswipe
Electronic Titan Heroes Optimus Prime Bumblebee		Titan Changers Optimus Prime Bumblebee Sideswipe

Notes

• The phrase "Titan Heroes" is not found on the first wave packaging. However, similar toys in other lines do use the term.
• The first wave packaging looks like a box but is actually more of a card wrapped into a box shape. It includes bio notes and tech spec numbers.
• The figures are fused together rather than held with screws, so they cannot be easily taken apart for customization or part-harvesting.