IGA

Using lead paint long before China started to make it a trend.

Plasticos IGA, S.A. (often referred to as simply IGA) is a Mexican company that held the license to manufacture and market Transformers toys in Mexico and Central America during Generation 1.

History

Lead paint makes Devastator's eyes bleed.

Beginning in 1985, IGA introduced a wide variety of Mexican-made Transformers toys, including such unique variants as a silver Cliffjumper and a Hoist with the same head sculpt as Trailbreaker. However, the Mexican Transformers toyline sold well below expectations, and in 1986 IGA introduced only Metroplex and a handful of repainted Mini Vehicles before giving up on Transformers altogether. Around 1989, significant quantities of IGA Transformers were quasi-legally exported to Europe, and these created some concern by not meeting European safety standards; for instance, the Mexican Seekers' nosecones were made of hard plastic as opposed to rubber, and some Mexican toys had lead paint applications.

Today, IGA Transformers are prized by many collectors due to the presence of unusual variants.

List of known IGA released toys

Los Cylons de México prefieren ser más coloridos.

• Optimus Prime (w/red eyes and without, with and without factory stickers on diecast cab section)
• Ratchet (no hand stickers but red cross on roof; unpainted diecast shoulder connectors)
• Ironhide (unpainted diecast shoulder connectors)
• Bluestreak (no red paint on face, flat grey windows)
• Hound
• Prowl (3 variants of "black" Prowl)
• Hoist (with Trailbreaker head)
• Grapple (with red feet or corrected orange feet)
• Inferno (reversed arms, then corrected)
• Smokescreen (regular and re-colored unmodified Bluestreak mold)
• Bumblebee (red, yellow, blue, white, silver)
• Cliffjumper (red, yellow, blue, white, silver)
• Windcharger (no paint on face)
• Tailgate (white, yellow; non-modified Windcharger mold)
• Brawn (simplified face)
• Outback (non-modified Brawn mold)
• Huffer
• Pipes (all-blue, blue/white; non-modified Huffer mold)
• Gears
• Swerve (non-modified Gears mold)
• Twin Twist (with and without red face)
• Top Spin (with and without red face)
• Grimlock
• Snarl (red eyes, no paint on diecast backpiece connector)
• Metroplex
• Sideswipe
• Trailbreaker
• Red Alert (no red paint on doors)
• Wheeljack (different factory stickers)

• Megatron (made in France!)
• Soundwave (black painted feet)
• Starscream (silver, plastic nose and landing gear)
• Thundercracker (plastic nose and landing gear, dull blue)
• Skywarp (plastic purple nose and landing gear)
• Astrotrain (with and without red eyes)
• Blitzwing
• Constructicons (single-packed; w/red eyes and without on Devastator head)
• Devastator giftset (w/red eyes and without on Devastator head)
• Ramjet (Sparkly red plastic)
• Thrust (Sparkly red plastic)

External links

• Mexican Transformers
• Mexican Transformers!
• The Mexican Invasion