Trasformer

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Trasformer [sic] was a unique international release of Takara's Diaclone and MicroChange lines by an Italian company named GiG that was launched in 1984. The toys are infamous for featuring several characteristics of Hasbro's Transformers versions of those toys, even though GiG initially only had a license from Takara for importing their Diaclone versions.

History

In 1983, GiG had acquired the license for selling imported Diaclone and MicroChange toys on the Italian market from Takara. Initially, GiG simply released the toys under the name Diaclone, such as the Dia-Battles combiner, the Dia-Train or the Power Bases playsets.

However, when Hasbro had launched their Transformers version of the line with considerable success the following year, GiG quickly realized the potential. Since GiG didn't want to pay for a second license, they came up with quite an original concept: As they couldn't directly mimick Hasbro's Transformers toys, they would now release the Diaclone toys in color schemes based on the Hasbro versions, even using the same sticker sheets as the Hasbro toys, omitting the pilots (in most cases, anyway) and renaming the line into Trasformer, with the Diaclone "Car Robos" (the Autobot Cars) being called "Auto Robots". The packaging, however, was still more or less based on Takara's Diaclone packaging, and the toys featured no bios or any kind of fiction that would identify them as Hasbro's Transformers characters. The Trasformer line also included the Diaclone jet-helicopter Triple Changer, which was never released as part of the Transformers line. On the other hand, GiG also undertook some bizarre safety modifications, replacing the toys' regular missiles with all-new missiles that featured ridiculously oversized rubber tips. Interestingly enough, GiG also released their version of the Omega Supreme mold as part of the Trasformer line, even though toy wasn't licensed from Takara, but another company named ToyBox.

Obviously, Hasbro weren't too happy about this and thus quickly pressured GiG into acquiring a proper license. In 1985, GiG then abandoned the Trasformer line and instead re-released the toys in actual Transformers packaging, albeit keeping a small remainder of the old Trasformer logo in addition to the larger Transformers logo (the small Trasformer logo would finally be dropped for good starting with the Pretenders toys from 1988). Still, GiG would keep their ties with Takara, which allowed them to release toys as part of the Transformers line which Hasbro would never release (such as a Bruticus giftset or Galaxy Shuttle).

Toys

Auto Robot

Shiny!

• No 1 Countach LP 500S (Pre-Sunstreaker)
• No 2 Super Countach LP 500s (Pre-Sideswipe)
• No 3 Fuoristrada J59 (Pre-Hound)
• No 4 Ligier JS11 F-1 (Pre-Mirage)
• No 5 Fairlady Z 280Z (Pre-Bluestreak)
• No 6 Fairlady Z Police Car (Pre-Prowl)
• No 7 Porsche 935 Turbo (Pre-Jazz)
• No 8 Fairlady Z Racing Type (Pre-Smokescreen)
• No 9 Ambulance (Pre-Ratchet)
• No 10 Lancia Stratos Turbo (Pre-Wheeljack)
• No 11 4WD Hilux (Pre-Trailbreaker)
• No 12 Honda City Turbo (Pre-Skids)
• No 13 Corvette Stingray (Pre-Tracks, or Pre-Road Rage)
• No 14 New Countach LP500S Police Car (Pre-Red Alert, or Pre-Clamp Down)
• No 15 4WD Hilux Autogru (Pre-Hoist)
• No 16 Cherry Vanette (Pre-Ironhide)
• No 30 Camion Pompieri (Pre-Inferno)
• No 31 Camion Gru (Pre-Grapple)
• No 50 Camion Convoy Portauto (Pre-Ultra Magnus)
• Camion Convoy (Pre-Optimus Prime)

Dinosaur Robots

• 1 Tyrannosaurus (Pre-Grimlock)
• 2 Triceratops (Pre-Slag)
• 3 Brontosaurus (Pre-Sludge)
• 4 Stegosaurus (Pre-Snarl)
• 5 Pteranodon (Pre-Swoop NEVER SEEN!)

Tripla Trasformazione

• Aereo A Tripla Trasformazione (Pre-Blitzwing, or Pre-Overcharge)
• Elicottero A Tripla Transformazione (jet/helicopter Triple Changer; never released as a Transformer)

Scatter

• Aragon (Pre-Powerdasher car)
• Zetar (Pre-Powerdasher drill)
• Cromar (Pre-Powerdasher jet)

Destroy Car

• [unnamed] (Diaclone Change Attacker "Oneboxcar Vanette"; never released as a Transformer)
• [unnamed] (Diaclone Change Attacker "Starion Turbo 2000"; never released as a Transformer)
• [unnamed] (Diaclone Change Attacker "Lamborghini Cheetah"; never released as a Transformer)

Others

• MC-13 Walther P-38 (Pre-Megatron)
• Megarobot multi-azione (Pre-Omega Supreme)

Notes

• "Ligier JS11 F-1", the Trasformer version of Mirage, sports "Ligier" decals on the sides of the vehicle mode rather than the standard "Citanes" logos found on the Diaclone and Transformers versions. Two known variants exist, with either "Ligier" stickers covering the original tampographed "Citanes" logos, or tampographed "Ligier" logos.
• Although "Camion Convoy", the Trasformer version of Optimus Prime, is shown in catalogs, no packaged sample has surfaced thus far, hence making it impossible to tell whether the toy has actually ever been released or not.
• There was a white police version of pre-Sunstreaker released at the beginning of the line but it may never have made it to mass production and only three samples have been known to exist. The spoiler and the chrome intake were painted white and the Japanese stickers removed; the spoiler sticker read "Polis Countach". This could possibly be one of the rarest of the "pre-Transformers".

External links

• Overview of pre-Trasformer Diaclone releases by GiG
• Catalog images of GiG's Trasformer toys
• Information on Italian Transformers and Pre-Transformers toys
• GiG article at TF-1.com
• Trasformer commercial featuring the over-sized missiles