Pack-in material

The besotted Ultra Magnus has chosen YOU.

Since the very beginning of Transformers, Hasbro has been including pack-in material with toys. The first example was the toy catalog, simply advertising all the available Transformers. But soon these were accompanied with mail-order flyers for additional exclusive toys, then mini-comics, contests, and more. In more recent years, CD-ROMs and DVDs have come into vogue, containing cartoon episodes and various interactive features, though more "low-tech" items like stickers and collector cards are still common.

The term "pack-in material" is used here for lack of a better, official option. If Hasbro has a term for this kind of media, we are unaware of it.

Catalogs

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Hasbro has often used pack-in catalogs to advertise their range of available toys. In the days of Generation 1, they were expansive affairs that would document an entire year's worth of product. In more recent lines, they tend to have a more limited focus, though they do occasionally branch out into advertising for other toylines.

Mail-order flyers

In Generation 1, Hasbro sold certain toys exclusively via mail-order flyers included with retail toys. Reflector, the Omnibots, and the Powerdashers are probably the most well-known of these. Mail-order flyers were also used to sell a few other Transformers that had been discontinued from the main line. Membership in the S.T.A.R.S. fanclub was also available, and many flyers contained story material related to this that constituted a distinct micro-continuity.

1984

• "Reinforcements from Cybertron!"

1985

• "The battle is far from over!"
• "Earthlings: THE S.T.A.R.S. need your help now!"
• "Look Inside for a Special Offer!"
• "Have the Decepticons defeated us once and for all?"

1986

• "Can one boy, alone, hold back the evil Decepticons?"
• "Decipher the Decepticon" Sweepstakes (4 different posters)
• "You Have Been Chosen."
• "Inside...a Transformer Not Sold in Any Store!"

1987

• "Rodimus Prime remembers the Transformers greatest battle on Earth."
• "Transformers Combat Data"

1988

• "The Autobots Are Under Attack!"

Mini-comics

Hasbro and Takara have been known to include mini-comics with toys, sometimes to tie in with a specific promotion, and sometimes to augment the line as a whole.

Generation 1

• "Start Your Own Decoy Collection", packed alongside decoys on certain carded Transformers.
• "In the Transformers", included with toys distributed in Europe by Milton Bradley.

Generation 2

• A series of 16 mini-comics by Hidetsugu Yoshioka were packaged with the instruction manuals by Takara for the line's Japanese release.

Beast Wars

• "Optimus Primal vs Megatron!", included only with the two-pack of Basic-sized Megatron and Optimus Primal.

Armada

• Transformers: Armada mini-comics, four issues printed as part of that line's toy catalogs.

Energon

• Transformers: Energon mini-comics, four issues printed as part of that line's toy catalogs.

Rescue Hero Go-Bots

• Kids' Transformers: Rescue Hero Go-Bots mini-manga, nineteen issues were produced and distributed with the toys either in a booklet or on the box.

Robotmasters

• A series of two mini-comics came packaged with early Robotmasters toys.

Henkei! Henkei!

• Mini-manga were packaged with every toy in each wave, totaling 12 volumes.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

• The four Target exclusive Deluxe toys Bumblebee, Arcee, Jazz, and Space Case, and two Voyager toys Ratchet and Starscream, each contained a character-specific mini-comic.

Full-sized comics

"Titanium - War Within"

• An IDW-labeled variant-cover (War Within Optimus Prime fighting War Within Megatron in front of a yellow smoke-filled sky) of defunct Dreamwave's 2003 War Within #5, Vol. 1 comic, included with the 2007 'Battle Packs' 2-figure box release of this series' versions of Optimus Prime and Megatron. IDW also numbered this #5.

Universe (2008)

• Reprints of Dreamwave-branded War Within: The Dark Ages #2, and also an unbranded comic-cover issue retelling parts 5 and 6 of Marvel UK's Target: 2006 story arc in original form, were included with thematically-relevant two-packs... except each two-pack accidentally came with the comic intended for the other one. Whoops. Even worse, the Canadian releases of these two-packs completely lacked the comics despite advertising them on their packaging.
• A reprint of Marvel Comics' The Transformers #1 was included with the "25th Anniversary" reissue of Optimus Prime. This time around, the bilingual English/French Canadian release didn't advertise the (English-only) comic on the packaging but included it nonetheless!

"Reveal the Shield"

• A new IDW comic titled Rodimus vs. Cyclonus was included in this 'Battle In Space' 2-pack which included Classics deluxe Rodimus and Universe deluxe Cyclonus with Nightstick. This comic takes place during the events of The Transformers: The Movie.

Animated

• The final issue of the Animated comic series Transformers Animated: The Arrival was included with the Jetfire and Jetstorm toy twin pack.

Generations

Thrilling 30: English-only United States packaging with comic book (right), multilingual Canadian/Latin American "waste of space" version without comic book (center) and multilingual European "compact" version without comic book (right).

• The United States releases of the Thrilling 30-branded Deluxe Class figures came with reprints of IDW comics (sporting new "Hasbro exclusive" covers) in which the respective character plays a (more or less) prominent part. The first two waves of Thrilling 30 figures included reprints of the characters' Spotlight issues; the third wave included four issues that served as lead-ups to the Dark Cybertron event; and the remaining four waves included the twelve-issue Dark Cybertron event itself in its entirety. These comics are generally bowdlerized versions of the original printings, removing overt references to weaponry and death and substituting them with more family-friendly turns of phrase such as "destroy" or "blaster" (though not always with 100% consistency), as well as various other inexplicable changes. While Australia, New Zealand and Hasbro's Asian markets received the same versions that were released in the United States (as per usual) including the comics, the multilingual Canadian/Latin American versions once again lacked the comics, as did the European versions (though only wave 1 of the Thrilling 30 Deluxes actually saw a European release).
• Likewise, the Combiner Wars-branded Deluxe Class figures came with reprints of IDW comics as well, this time including the Combiner Wars event and assorted issues that were retroactively declared "prequels". Since all other Combiner Wars price points included collector cards, Hasbro took the opportunity and included such collector cards with the Deluxes in those markets that wouldn't get comic books as well. Due to production schedule problems,<ref name="tf15jerry">Interview with Jerry Jivoin at BWTF.com</ref> the wave 1 Deluxes were initially only available in Canadian/Latin American packaging (with collector cards) in the U.S. and Australasia. Though a re-release of those figures including the comics was planned, only Decepticon Dragstrip was actually re-released in this fashion. The comics themselves were released as a 4-pack as an exclusive to a Taiwanese comic con, and wave 5 Deluxes were also released with the same comics that were intended for wave 1.

Collector's cards

A common pack-in item, collector's cards are an easy way for Hasbro to give customers a little something extra with their purchases.

Generation 2

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• Some toys in the Generation 2 line came with a multi-fold card which featured the toy's bio and Tech Spec inside, and a pop-up version of the character art on the outside.

Beast Wars

• The Japanese editions of Beast Wars toys each came with a collector's card (alternately labeled a "DESTRON CARD" or "CYBERTRON CARD") featuring a faction symbol on one side, and character art, a bio and Specs on the other.

Beast Wars II

• Toys from the Beast Wars II line each came with a collector's card featuring a rendering of the character on a photographic background on one side, and a toy photo, bio and Tech Specs on the other.

Beast Wars Neo

• The Beast Wars Neo toys each came with a collector's card featuring character art on one side, and toy photos, a bio and Specs on the other.

Armada

• Armada toys came with a glossy, single-sided, playing card-sized sticker featuring character art by Dreamwave.
• Micron Legend toys came with a collector's card featuring package art on one side and toy photos, bios and Tech Specs on the other.

Heroes of Cybertron

• Toys in the Heroes of Cybertron line each came with collector's card with the character's package art on one side, and a bio and Tech Specs on the other.

Energon

Combiner Wars Deluxes in English-only packaging (left) included comic books, while those on multilingual Canadian/Latin American (center) or European (right) packaging included collector cards instead.

• Toys from the Energon franchise included a playing-card sized collector's card, with character art on one side, and tri-lingual Tech Spec ratings on the other.

Masterpiece

• Masterpiece toys each come with a collector's card featuring package art on one side with bios and Tech Specs on the reverse.

Generations

• As mentioned above, collector cards were included with all Combiner Wars price points that came in multilingual packaging, except for the Deluxes which were available in English-only packaging in the United States, Australia and Hasbro's Asian markets (but did come with collector cards in Canada, Latin America and Europe).
• With Titans Return, English-only packaging and comic books were dropped entirely, thus all price points except for the single-pack Titan Masters were available in multilingual packaging with collector cards regardless of market. This time, the cards featured Tech Specs stats on their back.
• Power of the Primes followed suit and gave collector cards to every price point except for Prime Masters. The card backs feature a one-line bios describing the powers a Prime Master gives to the character: as a result, each card comes in 12 different variants, one for each Prime Master.

VHS Tapes

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In 1998, Hasbro included VHS tapes of Beast Wars with redecoes of Airazor and Razorclaw in the US and Claw Jaw and Spittor in the UK.

CD-ROMs and DVDs

In the modern era, compact-disc storage has become an economical way to include promotional material with toys, from mini-comics to games to full TV episodes.

Universe (2003) / Armada

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• The Transformers: Universe CD-ROM was included with select Universe and Armada toys.

Robotmasters

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• DVDs were packaged with redecoes of Robotmasters G1 Convoy, Beast Convoy and Lio Convoy.

Cybertron

• A DVD of the Cybertron episode "Hidden" was included with select Cybertron toys.
• In Australian retail stores, some Voyager-class figures (namely Cybertron Defense Scattorshot and Nemesis Breaker) came with a DVD which contained the first four episodes of the cartoon in airing order (Haven through Space).

Classics

European packaging for the "Ultimate Battle" boxset was noticeably smaller because it lacked the DVD case. In the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, the DVD was included only in a paper sleeve; in other European stores, it was given as a freebie separately.

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• The Classics "Optimus Prime vs Megatron" toy twin pack came with a DVD recounting the events of the Unicron Trilogy.

Beast Wars 10th Anniversary

• The Beast Wars 10th Anniversary toys each came with a DVD containing an episode of Beast Wars.
  • "Equal Measures" with Cheetor
  • "A Better Mousetrap" with Rattrap.
  • "The Spark" with Rhinox.
  • "Spider's Game" with Predacon Tarantulus.
  • "Possession" with Waspinator or Optimus Primal vs. Megatron.
  • "Code of Hero" with Dinobot.
• The Beast Wars Telemocha Series toys each came with a DVD containing a Japanese-dubbed episode of Beast Wars and a commercial for the toyline, along with advertisements for the 2007 movie. The toys also came with a collector's card with show-based character art on one side, and toy photos, bio and specs on the other.
  • "Super Lifeform Transformers Appear" and "Make a Dramatic Comeback, Destrons" with DX Convoy.
  • "Destroy the Destrons" with Convoy.
  • "Cheetus's Crisis" with Rhinox.
  • "Operation: Time Bomb Transfer" with Megatron.
  • "Convoy Disappeared" with Cheetus.
  • "The Sky-Mountains Explode" with Waspeeter.
  • "Solitary Warrior, Tigatron" with Tigatron.
  • "Kick of the Spider Woman" with Wolfang.
  • "New Weapons of Terror!" with Dinobot.
  • "The Assassin Virus" with Blackwidow.
  • "Goodbye, Rattle!?" with Cohrada.
  • "Falcon Warrior, Airazor" with Gimlet.
  • "Floating Island Death Match, Part 1" and "Floating Island Death Match, Part 2" with DX Megatron.
  • "Around and Around the Jungle" with Archadis.
  • "The Immortal Starscream" with Motorarm.

Universe (2003)

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Universe "25th Anniversary" Optimus Prime with all his accessories… that is, if you happen to live in the United States.

• A DVD of the three part episode "More than Meets the Eye" was included with "25th Anniversary" reissue of Optimus Prime… but only with the United States release. In Asia, Australia and Canada, the DVD was omitted (even though the comic book was still included).

Animated

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• A DVD titled "The Battle Begins" was included with the Animated "Optimus Prime vs Megatron" Deluxe two-pack.

Prime

• A DVD of the Transformers Prime episode titled "Masters & Students" was included in an "Entertainment Pack" with a deluxe Megatron and Optimus Prime, as well as PVC figurines of Jack Darby, Miko Nakadai, and Raf Esquivel. The same episode was also included with special "DVD Edition" versions of the Cyberverse Commander Class Optimus Prime, Bulkhead, Starscream and Megatron figures.

Contests

Occasionally Hasbro has run contests based on pack-in material:

Generation 1

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• Iron-on patches were included with the combiner limbs and 1986 Mini Vehicles, promoting the Prizes in Disguise contest.

Cybertron

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• Peel-off stickers and game pieces promoted the "Get Your Key To Cybertron" instant win game.

References

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