Unreleased toy

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For every Transformer that makes it to store shelves, there are always some that fall by the wayside. Lines get canceled, retailers back off on exclusives, designs go over budget, focus groups pass on a concept, or maybe they just weren't cool enough. Regardless of the whys and wherefores, this article aims to document the unreleased toys that never quite saw retail.

Note that this list will likely never be "complete," as for every concept design that makes it into collectors' hands, a countless number wind up in the garbage can.

(Quick! Get to the landfill outside Providence and START DIGGING.)

Notable examples

Regular releases

Generation 1

Concept

• Rock Bots

Concept art

Yup, they wanted to make me, but oh well.

• A Headmaster version of Arcee, based on a repainted Chromedome.

• New Rodimus

• Skywarp/Megatron Triple Changer.

• Megatron/Galvatron Triple Changer.

• Big Bang

Prototypes

Unicron wanted a toy, but his bargaining posture was highly dubious.

• Two Unicron prototypes were created during G1, neither saw full release.

• Diaclone Triple Changer - His design was later used for Dropshot.

• Double Pretenders

Generation "1.5"

"Hi, I'm the Bonecrusher-Bonecrusher fuzor!"

(This section is about the line between the US G1 and G2.)

Concept art

• Buffalo Dump
• Hyperdrive

Generation 2

Prototypes

• General Optimus Prime and Sgt. Hound

• Two additional Auto Rollers that eventually wound up as BWII Autojetter and Autolauncher.

• Greasepit

• Cyberjets remolded with armored limbs and larger weapons.

• Block Town series

• Two new-mold Go-Bots

• G.I. Joe Transformer

• A version of Starscream in jungle colors. Whether this figure would have actually been Starscream or not is unknown.

• A version of Ramjet in desert colors. Whether this figure would have actually been Ramjet or not is unknown.

• The four "flipchanger" molds which were later released as Machine Wars Megatron/Megaplex, Skywarp/Thundercracker, Hoist/Hubcap and Mirage/Prowl.

• Motormaster (as hand-painted Generation 1 toys)

• Hot Spot (as hand-painted Generation 1 toys)

Packaged Samples (test packaging)

• Four new-mold Go-Bots, packaged on High Beam cards.

Packaged Samples (final packaging)

• Redecoes of the two G2 Hero molds: Optimus Prime in a dark-blue and red color scheme, and Megatron in a gray and black camouflage.

• Laser Cycle Jazz

• Laser Cycle Soundwave

• Megatron ATB with Starscream

• All of the Stunticon limbs except for Breakdown, who was released as a BotCon exclusive.

• All of the Protectobot limbs.

Beast Wars

Concept art

• Transmetals Dinobot

Prototypes

• Beast Wars Neo Unicron

Packaged Samples

• Ramulus (Green version)

Transtech

It was not to be.

Concept art

• Megatron; unsure whether this would have been the G1 or beast era character.
• Depth Charge
• Shockwave
• Silverbolt
• Soundwave
• Blackarachnia
• Nightscream
• Immorticon

Prototypes

• Optimus Prime
• Cheetor
• Starscream

Robots In Disguise

Prototypes

• Hasbro-release Fortress Maximus

Armada

Prototypes

• Built to Rule Ramjet

Packaged Samples

• Adventure Mini-Con Team repaint
• Space Mini-Con Team repaint
• Street Speed Mini-Con Team repaint

Alternators/Binaltech

Concepts

• VW New Beetle Bumblebee
• VW New Beetle Cliffjumper
• Honda S2000 Blackwidow

Prototypes

• Porsche Jazz
• Subaru Impreza WRC Mini Smokescreen

Attacktix

Prototypes

• Uh... the entire second wave, pretty much.

Universe

Concepts

• Menasor - a repaint of Thunder Clash as the Stunticon leader.

Prototypes

• Smokescreen
• Drench
• Spacewarp

Energon

Packaged Samples

• Mini-Cons Brakedown, Override, and Clocker were originally intended to come with Energon Ultra Magnus, but were swapped out at essentially the last possible minute for a repainted Space Mini-Con Team.

Titanium Series

Concepts

• Soundblaster redeco of Soundwave with Ravage.

Prototypes

• Arcee
• War Within Bumblebee
• War Within Cliffjumper (unsurprisingly, a Bumblebee redeco.)
• Cosmos
• Shockwave

Revoltech

Prototypes

• Energon Optimus Prime

Cybertron

Concepts

• Landslide

Classics

Concepts

Tapedeck superior SUV inferior!

• Cosmos
• Soundwave

Prototypes

• A Deluxe class Optimus Prime that looks a lot like the Voyager class version. Whether this was intended to be the original release of the design or simply a scaled down version is unknown.

Exclusives

Conventions

Transcon

Concepts

• Albitron and Swoop. These figures were advertised as convention exclusives by Men in Black Productions, but never materialized.

BotCon

Concepts

• Brawn
• Devcon
• Megatron (post-Beast Machines)
• Roadbuster

Prototypes

• Defensor
• A limited repaint of Defensor as Midnight Shield Defensor
• Alpha Trion
• Fractyl
• Devcon

Store

Prototypes

• Toxitron

Statues/Busts

Prototypes

• Transformers vs GI. Joe Baroness and Ravage.
• A Soundwave bust that didn't work well once it was downscaled for release.

Merchandise

Robot Heroes

Packaged Samples (final packaging)

• Optimus Prime & Megatron (Robots in Disguise Series)
• Prowl & Laserbeak (Generation 1 Series)
• Victory Saber & Dessaras (Generation 1 Series)
• Optimus Primal & Jetstorm (Beast Machines Series)

See also

• Pre-Transformer

External links

Galleries provided by Blurrz

• Gallery of Unreleased Alternators yellow Tracks
• Gallery of Binaltech Black Widow
• Gallery of unreleased Universe Drench vs Smokescreen
• Gallery of Unreleased Halloween Leatherhide vs Blackarachnia two-pack
• Gallery of Unreleased Halloween Nightprowler vs Waspinator two-pack
• Gallery of unreleased Energon Megatron with WST Soundwave
• Gallery of unreleased Energon Optimus Prime with WST Optimus Prime
• Unreleased Mini-Con repaints
• More Unreleased Mini-con repaints
• Gallery of Unreleased Spacewarp with Space Mini_Con team
• Gallery of Unreleased Universe Piranahcons
• Gallery of Unreleased reissue G1 Ramjet
• Gallery of Unreleased Cybertron Scrapmetal repaint
• Gallery of Unreleased Universe Menasor
• Unreleased Universe Ramjet with even more Mini-Con repaints

• Dairycon 2008 report featuring the concepts for the supposed Hooligan, Starscream, Megatron and Optimus Prime