User:Giggidy/Sandbox/Repurposing
Repurposing is the practice of using an existing toy to represent a different character than originally intended. A very early example is the Wal-Mart exclusive "blue" Transmetals Rattrap, which represented a Transmetal form for Packrat in the Wreckers comic book series. In many cases, this means a single toy can represent more than one distinct character.
Repurposing happens when a character in a fiction uses the character model and color scheme of someone else's toy. The repurposed character has no official toy release of his own, but the toy can take on double-duty representing both the character it was originally released as (the character on the box) and the repurposed character established later on in fiction.
Examples of official repurposing
- The Micro Change "MC-04 Mini CAR Robo 02 Familia 1500XG" mold that was sold on Cliffjumper cards was repurposed as Bumper. Night of the Combaticons
- Generation 1 Fasttrack as a Guardminder drone. Crisis! The Day of Human Extinction
- Generation 2 Dreadwing as Darkwing. New Dawn
- Beast Wars Shadow Panther as a pre-Transmetal Tripredacus Agent. Ravage (G1)/toys#ShadowPanther|Tripredacus Agent online toy bio}}
- Beast Machines Mega class Tankor as Vehicon drones for Quake. Departure
- Beast Machines Deployer Rav (blue redeco) as Chro. Betrayal
- Nightprowler from the Transformers Linkin Park Soundwave: Special Edition version of Ravage
Shattered Glass
The Shattered Glass storyline has allowed for Autobots and Decepticons with typically uncharacteristic color-schemes and questionable places in their canon of origin to be placed as various characters in this toyline. A representative example is Scoop from movie Grindcore. For a full list of the repurposes, see the main category page.
Clones
Cloning and other methods of creating identical versions of characters has been a part of the Transformers lore since almost the beginning. Using toys to represent clones could be considered a form of repurposing. For a complete list of clone toys, see the category page.
Notes
- Individual fans may repurpose on an unofficial level within their personal canon, especially with toys that homage earlier toys without being the same character. Popular examples include using Energon Downshift as Generation 1 Wheeljack and Movie Big Daddy as Generation 1 Big Daddy.
