Reissue

Blast from the Past!

A reissue is a new production run of an older toy, typically done to give newer fans an on opportunity to experience a piece of history or for older fans to relive the glory days of childhood. Reissues are usually largely unchanged from their original releases, but sometimes can be redecoed or have minor retooling.

Reissue Toylines

Several toylines exist with a focus on reissues, especially for Generation 1 and Beast Wars toys, two of the oldest and popular franchises.

• Classics — A Hasbro European-market line of old G1 toy re-releases from 1990 and 1991.
• The Transformers: Collector's Edition — A 2001 Takara line-up of G1 reissues made available as store and convention exclusives, mostly sold as sets, later supplemented with redecos of the Transformers Collection line (below).
• The Transformers Collection — The 2002–2006 Takara series of "bookbox"-style G1 reissues.
  • This is also the line mainly associated with redecos of reissued toys made available through the Takara-affiliated e-HOBBY online store as part of the "Collector's Edition" line, though e-HOBBY have also carried redecos of toys from other lines, reissues and otherwise.
• Generation One Commemorative Series — The 2002–2005 Hasbro US-market, originally Toys"R"Us exclusive series of reissued G1 toys that was similar to the Transformers Collection releases. Some tail-end releases were made available through other venues after Toys"R"Us had decided to discontinue the line.
• Transformers: Beast Wars 10th Anniversary — A Hasbro reissue toyline from 2005–2006 to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Beast Wars franchise. The toys were redecoed or retooled for better show-accuracy came with either a DVD or mini-comic.
• Beast Wars Reborn — A small Japanese Beast Wars franchise from 2006 with a single boxset of slightly retooled molds.
• Transformers: Beast Wars Telemocha Series — The full tenth anniversary celebration of the Japanese Beast Wars toyline, this 2007 line also redecoed the original molds be show-accurate.
• Transformers Encore — The 2007–2013 TakaraTomy series of classic-style G1 reissues. Includes some figures never before re-released (and some never before released by Takara at all), such as Omega Supreme, Metroplex, and Sky Lynx.
  • From 2018–2020, Encore made a brief return to reissue a few toys from other franchises, including Car Robots and Beast Wars Neo.
• A few assorted toys have also been reissued by Hasbro as store or convention exclusives as part of their 2006–2007 Classics and 2008–2009 Universe lines as well as under the Platinum Edition line (the latter co-branded as part of the Generations line).
• Transformers Chronicle — A small 2011 TakaraTomy toyline that included a couple of G1 reissues.
• Transformers Tribute — A small 2017 toyline celebrating the tenth anniversary of the first live-action film which redecoed several old molds.
• Vintage is a line of reissues commenced in 2018, sold exclusively in the US by Walmart, hewing closely to the look and feel of the original releases, including original style packaging, complete with Tech Spec and package art on both the front and back. Initially focused on G1, in 2021 it expanded to include Beast Wars to coincide with that franchise's 25th anniversary alongside War for Cybertron: Kingdom. It would be replaced by Transformers Retro in 2023.
• Buzzworthy Bumblebee — this 2021–2023 toyline, exclusive to Target in the US, is... an unusual line to say the least, but a significant chunk of it was reissues of figures from previous lines, such as Cyberverse and Studio Series, but with Buzzworthy's packaging design.
• Transformers Retro — Another G1 reissue toyline beginning in 2023, with the central gimmick of being redecoed with unprecedented levels of show-accuracy. The line would shift focus in 2025 to be repaints of modern Transformers: Generations toys in vintage-toy-inspired colors, rather than be a reissue and redeco line. As the follow-up to Vintage, this line is also exclusive to Walmart.

Individual Reissues

In the 2020s, Hasbro made stronger efforts to reissue figures only a few years old based on fan demand, especially for ones fans found hard to get the first time they were released and are now pricey on the aftermarket. Sometimes the toys were re-released as package refreshes in whatever the concurrent Generations toyline was at the time, while others were straight reissues in their original packaging, usually as a store exclusive and from Hasbro Pulse.
For simplicity, the following lists straight reissues only.

2021

• Combiner Wars Devastator (2016)
• Studio Series 24/25 Bumblebee Then & Now Two-Pack (2018)
• Studio Series 31 Battle Damaged Megatron (2019)

2022

• Siege WFC-S28 Jetfire (2019)

2023

• Studio Series 86-07 Dinobot Slug & Daniel Witwicky (2021)

2024

• Masterpiece Movie Series MPM-12 Optimus Prime (2021)
• Titans Return Fortress Maximus (2017)
• Power of the Primes Optimus Prime (2018)
• Studio Series 38 Optimus Prime (2019)
• Studio Series +04 Gamer Edition Optimus Prime (2023)
• Studio Series 49 Bumblebee (2020)
• Studio Series 51 Soundwave (w/Laserbeak, 2020)
• Siege WFC-S28 Jetfire (2019)
• Collaborative Ectotron (2019)
• Siege WFC-S29 Omega Supreme (w/ Autobot Countdown, 2019)
• Earthrise WFC-E11 Optimus Prime (2020)
• Earthrise WFC-E25 Scorponok (2020)
• Legacy Armada Universe Optimus Prime (2023)

2025

• Studio Series 32 Optimus Prime (2019)
• Studio Series 87 Bumblebee (2022)
• Studio Series 86-21 Ultra Magnus (2023)
• Studio Series 86-25 Autobot Blaster & Eject (2024)
• Siege WFC-S23 Prowl (2019)
• Siege WFC-S26 Autobot Alphastrike Counterforce (2019)
• Siege WFC-S27 Decepticon Phantomstrike Squadron (2019)
• Collaborative Gigawatt (2020)
• Generations Selects Shattered Glass Optimus Prime & Shattered Glass Ratchet (2020)
• Earthrise WFC-E26 Thrust (2020)
• Earthrise WFC-E34 Trailbreaker (2020)
• Earthrise WFC-E37 Runamuck (2020)
• Earthrise WFC-E36 Sunstreaker (2020)
• Legacy: Evolution Beachcomber & Paradise Parakeet (2023)
• Legacy: Evolution Autobot Devcon (2023)
• Legacy: Evolution Nova Prime (2023)
• Legacy: Evolution Nacelle (2023)
• Missing Link C-01 Convoy (2024)

2026

• Power of the Primes Predaking (2018)
• Legacy Breakdown (2023)
• Legacy: Evolution Nemesis (2023)

Notes

• The Missing Link toyline technically isn't a reissue toyline, but does closely recreate "Generation 1" toys with modern engineering and added articulation.

See Also

• Package refresh
• Rebranding