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===1987: Headmasters and Targetmasters===
===1987: Headmasters and Targetmasters===
[[File:G1 Pointblank boxart.jpg|250px|thumb|Autobot Targetmaster Pointblank]]
[[File:G1 Pointblank boxart.jpg|250px|thumb|Autobot Targetmaster Pointblank]]
This year was almost completely dominated by "sci-fi" vehicle modes, following up on ''The Movie'' styling. On top of that, extra [[gimmick]]s beyond transformation began to play into the subgroups, with the [[Throttlebot]]s' [[pull-back motor]]s and the [[Sparking gimmick|spark-firing]] [[Monsterbot (G1)|Monsterbot]]s.
More importantly, this was the first year Hasbro would push a primary overarching [[gimmick]] as a large percentage of the line: the [[Nebulan]] "Master" partners. Where previous years tended to be a bit scattered with its transformation types, the [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]]s and [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmaster]]s presented a more unified theme across both factions and multiple price-points. This culminated in the mighty [[Fortress Maximus (G1)#Toys|Fortress Maximus]], a towering two-foot-tall Headmaster city-bot, with a hefty $100 price-tag (in 1987 dollars, which is about the same as a $200 Transformer today). For sheer size and mass, "Fort Max" remained the largest Transformer produced for over 25 years... and something of a "bragging rights" move on Hasbro's part, showing that they ''could'' demand that kind of shelf space from retailers. (They did the same thing with ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' and the massive "[[USS Flagg]]" playset.)
However, this high point also marked the start of the franchise's waning. The [[The Transformers (cartoon)|cartoon]] was ended with a truncated [[The Rebirth|three-part special]], with reruns continuing on in syndication. Mail-away offers were also slowing down, with no new product available from this year on, only older items no longer in stores. Smaller figures were packaged with small soft-rubber [[Decoy]]s of older characters as an extra incentive, but they weren't a [[Mini-spy|fully transformable mini-Transformer]].


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Revision as of 21:24, 27 October 2020

The Transformers G1

1984


General retail

Autobot Mini-Cars Decepticon Cassettes Autobot Cars Decepticon Planes
War for Cybertron: Earthrise Sunstreaker
War for Cybertron: Earthrise Starscream
Decepticon Communications Decepticon Leader Autobot Commander
Kronoform


Mail-aways and promos

Powerdashers Omnibots Others
Alternators Camshaft

Notes



1985

The 80s! When toy companies actively encouraged you to play with fire!


General retail

Autobot Mini-Cars w/ Motorized Transformer[B 1] Autobot Mini Vehicles Constructicons
File:Toy-EnergonInsecticon01.jpg
Energon Insecticon
Titans Return Blitzwing
Titans Return Blaster
Jumpstarters Insecticons Autobot Cars[B 2]
Triple Changers Dinobots Deluxe Insecticons Autobot Deluxe Vehicles
Decepticon Planes Autobot Scientist Autobot Communicator Decepticon Military Operations Commander
Autobot Air Guardian Autobot Motorized Defense Base Tyco Licensed Playsets Others


Pepsi mail-away Optimus Prime

Mail-aways and promos

Notes

  1. ↑ There were four types of "Motorized Transformers" (called "Mini-spies" in the television commercial for the figures and "Koma cars" on Hasbro's shipping cases): "4WD Type" (or "Jeep Type"), "Buggy Type", "FX-1 Type" and "Porsche Type". Each was available alternatively in white, yellow or blue, with the color supposedly depending on which figure they were packaged with.
  2. ↑ The 1985 "Autobot Cars" price point was given a somewhat odd treatment with two separate assortments, each of which contained re-releases of six of the 1984 figures (packaged one per case in a case of 12) and three of the new 1985 figures (each packaged two per case). The only exception to this was Skids, who was actually released at least as early as December 1984, in 1984 packaging along with the other '84 Autobot Cars, in which he took the place of an extra Mirage that had previously been used to bring the number of figures contained in those cases up to twelve. Due to this, he was packed in the 1985 assortments like the '84 toys, at only one Skids per case.


1986: "The Movie"

That's a lot of explosions with no evidence of anything actually being exploded.
Thrilling 30 Metroplex


General retail

Autobot Mini-Vehicles Mini-Cassettes Aerialbots Stunticons
Combiner Wars Menasor, the Stunticon combiner
Protectobots Combaticons Battlechargers Triple Changers
Autobot Cars Heroes Predacons Sharkticons
File:TF-Studio-Series-86-04-Deluxe-Autobot-Hot-Rod.jpg
Studio Series Hot Rod
Decepticon Planes City Commanders Motorized Autobot Space Shuttle Cities


Mail-aways and promos

Refraktor Reconnaissance Team


1987: Headmasters and Targetmasters

Autobot Targetmaster Pointblank


General retail

Throttlebots Technobots Terrorcons Mini-Cassettes
Combiner Wars Computron, the Technobot combiner
Titans Return Brainstorm (with Teslor)
Duocons Clones Double Spy Monsterbots
Headmasters Headmaster Horrorcons Targetmasters
Decepticon Six Changer Headmaster Bases


Mail-aways and promos


1988: Powermasters and Pretenders

Decepticon Pretender Skullgrin

After four years and slowly-declining sales, the push to make Transformers live up to its new tagline ("More... Much More Than Meets the Eye!") was in full effect. Even toys in old subgroups gained new gimmicks: the new Mini-Cassettes were combiners, the Seacon combiner team's limb-bots each had a cannon mode the super-robot could use as a handgun, and the Targetmasters each had two Nebulans who could also combine into a super-gun.

The big noise this year was the Pretenders, Transformers that wear outer shells in the guise of armored warriors, monsters, and more, effectively giving you two warriors in one purchase. However, the line didn't exactly excite kids, as most of the inner robots' vehicle modes could be generously described as "vague at best" due to the necessity of fitting inside their shells. And while the shells' minimal articulation (having only stiff shoulder swivels) would be fine for much younger children, the inner robots and number of small parts definitely put them outside of that age group.

The other big move was the return of Optimus Prime as one of the Powermasters, robots whose Nebulan partners unlocked the vehicle-to-robot conversion as engine-shaped "keys". Though the previous year saw Bumblebee return as "Goldbug", this large-scale toy of a returning character heralded a shift in Hasbro's strategy, which would get even stronger next year.

However, the decline that begun the year prior was made worse by a sudden splash in the action figure world: the arrival of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Kids flocked to this strange new line and its weird new cartoon, leaving Transformers... sorry, there's no helping this... shell-shocked.

Sorry.


General retail

Cassettes Sparkabots / Firecons Triggerbots / Triggercons Seacons
Power of the Primes Cindersaur
Titans Return Optimus Prime
Prime Master Megatronus
Targetmasters Headmasters Powermasters Powermaster Autobot Leader
Pretenders Wave 1 Pretenders Wave 2 Pretender Beasts Pretender Vehicles
Autobot Six Changer


Mail-aways and promos

Notes



1989: Pretenders and Micromasters

File:TF-WFC-E-Deluxe-Ironworks.jpg
Ironworks Facility

Facing stiff competition, Hasbro attempted to unify and re-brand Transformers with a new focus and a new look.

First, they eliminated the miscellaneous subgroups of the past, rolling everything under two overarching gimmicks: expansions of the Pretender concept, and the new 1-inch-tall Micromasters, the latter being a response to the steadily-growing popularity of then-competitor Galoob's Micro Machines micro-play vehicle line. Kids would buy packs of four Micromasters together, or would get a single Micromaster with a transforming vehicle or playset, with the larger vehicles themselves transforming into base-mode playsets that could interconnect with included ramps (again a response to Micro Machines' heavy use of playsets).

The nostalgia-grab got larger, with new toys based on some of the most popular characters from the early years, now back as "Classic Pretenders". This year even saw the first store-exclusive Transformers, as those same four bots were sold without their Pretender shells as "Legends", available only at Kmart (which wasn't the decrepit shell of a retailer it is now).

On top of this, the packaging changed dramatically, with a new look and logo design, although this change was gradual. As noted above, the first three Micromaster patrols released in late 1988 (the Air Strike Patrol, the Off Road Patrol and the Race Car Patrol) still came on old-style cards and featured a unique "Micro Transformers" logo; the Legends kept the overall packaging design but changed the "Transformers" logo to the all-new overall brand logo introduced this year, and changed the on-package Tech Specs to an easier-to-read bar graph; and all other releases, including the remaining Micromaster Patrols, completely ditched the color-coded distinguation between Autobot/Decepticon (other than the aforementioned new "Transformers" logo itself), instead opting for a gimmick-specific color-coding with gold-carded and -boxed Pretenders, and silver-carded and-boxed Micromasters. Hasbro hoped that this would prove stronger from a marketing standpoint than the Autobot/Decepticon distinction from previous years, plus look new and fresh, rather than just another iteration of a now-six-year-old toyline.

You can kind of guess how well that worked.


General retail

Pretender Monsters Pretenders Classic Pretenders Mega Pretenders
Generations Thunderwing
War for Cyberton: Siege Sports Car Patrol
Ultra Pretenders Micromaster Patrols[C 1]
  • Race Car Patrol
    (G1 Free Wheeler, WfC Siege Roadhandler, WfC Siege Swindler, G1 Tailspin)
  • Rescue Patrol
    (G1 Fixit, WfC Siege Red Hot, G1 Seawatch, WfC Siege Stakeout)
  • Sports Car Patrol
    (WfC Siege Blackjack, G1 Detour, WfC Siege Hyperdrive, G1 Road Hugger)
    		•  Micromaster Transports
    Micromaster Stations Micromaster Bases Micromaster Jet Command Center Micromaster Rocket Base


    Exclusives

    Kmart

    Notes

    1. ↑ The first three Micromaster Patrols shipped in their own assortment in late 1988, and were available in packaging that looked drastically different from the "proper" 1989 Micromaster output. Instead of the redesigned silver packaging with the all-new "Transformers" logo, they came on cards that pretty much still resembled the packaging style that had been used up to that point, and sported a fairly unique "Micro Transformers" logo.


    1990: Micromasters and Action Masters

    Action Master Jazz, reintroducing a character from the line's early years.

    By this time, Transformers was in serious trouble. Ninja Turtles was still dominating the toy aisle and TV ratings, and was even putting out a live-action movie that year. (Bet Hasbro wished they had a cartoon on the air then, huh?) Home video games were getting even hotter and luring more kids away from toys altogether, especially with the release of the hugely-anticipated Super Nintendo Entertainment System.

    Hasbro tried to rally with something that was very rare for its time: a large-scale appeal to nostalgia. While Micromasters continued on, the rest of the series was taken up by Action Masters, non-transforming G.I. Joe-scale action figures of Transformers characters, with a half-and-half mix of "classic" characters and all-new bots. As with the Micromasters, the focus was mainly on the low-price items, with the carded individual Action Masters getting the largest amount of product. Larger offerings included vehicles that transformed into battle stations or "attack modes" for the Action Masters to pilot.

    Unfortunately, it simply wasn't enough, and Transformers was canceled in the US. While the European version of the line would continue on with both new product and a glut of "Classics" re-releases, it would be two years before Transformers would come back to US toy shelves, as Generation 2.


    Retail releases

    Micromaster Patrols
    		Micromaster Combiner Squads
    Micromaster Combiner Tanker Truck (with Pipeline & Gusher)
    Action Master Rollout & Glitch
    Action Master Wheeljack with his Turbo Racer
    Micromaster Combiner Transports Micromaster Combiner Anti-Aircraft Base Micromaster Combiner Battlefield Headquarters
    Action Master Figures I Action Master Figures II Action Master Figures III Action Master Action Blasters
    Action Master Autobot Vehicles Action Master Decepticon Attack Vehicles Action Master Autobot Armored Convoy
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