Transformers: Universe (2008 toyline)

From MediaWiki
Revision as of 02:54, 3 October 2016 by NovaSaber (talk | contribs) (→Toys: caption had the wrong size class)
Jump to navigationJump to search
« Universe (2008)
Gens (2010) »
TF (2010) »

Transformers: Universe is a Hasbro toy line launched in mid-2008, the second line to carry the name (the first one ran from 2003 to very early 2008). It ran as a mass retail line until early 2009, but continued throughout the year with various exclusive releases. It contained a thorough mix of new molds for "classic" characters from various previous lines, as well as redecos of existing toys from older lines (such as Cybertron and the 2006 Classics line). It also had a large number of store exclusive toys, mostly redecos of toys from older lines.

Most of the new-mold toys were meant to feature "realistic" vehicle modes (a niche left otherwise unfilled after the end of the 2007 movie toyline), but it wasn't long until toys of the super-stylized Animated characters and beast-form Beast Wars characters were added to the mix. (Though the beast modes were designed to be more like the real animals... which didn't turn out so well for one of them.)

In 2009, the packaging gained a "25 Years" corner logo to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the brand, and the toyline's offerings expanded to include updates of key characters from every franchise.

Many of the toys were redecoed for release in the Japanese Henkei! Henkei! toyline.


Toys

General retail

Legends Class

Wave 1 Wave 2 Wave 3 Wave 4
File:Universelegendsredalert.jpg
Red Alert, a Legends Class toy.

Wave 5


Deluxe Class

Wave 1 Wave 2 Wave 3 Wave 4
File:Universe AcidStorm toy.jpg
Deluxe-class Acid Storm

Wave 5

Wave 6


Voyager Class

Wave 1 Wave 2 Wave 3 Wave 4
Voyager-class Heavy Load
Wave 5


Ultra Class

Wave 1 Wave 2 Wave 3 Wave 4
Ultra-class Onslaught


Robot Heroes

Wave 1 Wave 2 Wave 3 Wave 4
Robot Heroes Megatron and Rattrap
Wave 5 Unreleased sets
Wave 5 only saw release in Australia, Singapore, the United Kingdom and Germany.


More than Meets the Eye 25th Anniversary Pack

Exclusives

Costco

  • Ultra Twin-Pack (Cybertron Series) contains:
    • Optimus Prime (unchanged Cybertron: Galaxy Force Leader Class Optimus Prime)
    • Crumplezone (unchanged Cybertron Voyager Class Crumplezone)

Hasbro Toy Shop

This toy was originally sold at the Hasbro Toy Shop booth at San Diego Comic-Con 2008, and was later offered on the online store's website. It was also available as a non-exclusive mass retail release in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Malaysia.
According to Hasbro, the "Special Editions" were originally intended for the non-Japanese Asian market, but were also made available to Western fans via the Hasbro Toy Shop website as well. They have also been released at general retail in Australia and New Zealand. In early 2010, they were also found at Marshalls and TJ Maxx stores in the USA.
Soundwave was originally sold at the Hasbro Toy Shop booth at San Diego Comic-Con 2009, and was later offered on the online store's website.
Blaster was originally sold at the Hasbro Toy Shop booth at San Diego Comic-Con 2010, and was later offered on the online store's website.

Kmart

File:Kmart suppressor toy.jpg
Suppressor, an exclusive Armada Series Mini-Con.
This twelve-pack was also available as a Woolworths exclusive in the United Kingdom - before Woolworths went bankrupt and closed down - and a Zellers AND Toys R' Us exclusive in Canada. They finally received an Australian release - as a Big W exclusive - in December 2009. Some of them were also sold individually in United States discount stores; see below.

Sam's Club

Target

Legends 5-packs

Both five-packs were also available as Zellers exclusives in Canada, possible Farmers exclusives in New Zealand and as Argos exclusives in the UK.


Voyager Class


Voyager Deluxe Comic 2-packs

Comic 2-pack Ratbat
Both two-packs were also available as Zellers exclusives in Canada without the comics, and as Toys"R"Us exclusives in Australia including the comics.


Titanium Series

These three figures were released in 2009, well after Transformers product had ceased being released in the Titanium Series proper. The packaging co-brands them as both Universe and Titanium Series toys.


Toys"R"Us

Ultra Class

Supreme Class

Commemorative Edition

Walmart

Masterpiece

Ultra Class

Scout Class two-packs

These two-packs contain unchanged versions of the Scout Class toys from the 2007 Movie toyline of the same name, which were available exclusively at Target stores in the USA, and (at least some of them) as mass releases in Europe. The Universe two-pack versions were also found at Walmart-owned Asda stores in the United Kingdom and at Target stores in Australia.

Shared

"Market Six" exclusives

This three-pack has been sighted at Christmas Tree Shop, Family Dollar and Walgreens stores in the United States, in Sainsburys stores in the United Kingdom and in Canadian Tire stores in (where else?) Canada for the 2009 holiday period. Bizarrely enough, it showed up at various Toys"R"Us stores in the USA in late 2010, at higher prices than the Market Six stores were asking for it.
The above Mini-Cons were single-carded versions of toys previously released in Kmart's Mini-Con 12-Pack. They were available in stores such as Big Lots! and Dollar General in the United States.
These three figures were available from "dollar" stores such as Dollar General and Family Dollar. All three were rebranded re-releases of the Cybertron figures of the same names, unchanged aside from the packaging, and had been previously released through the same venues under the previous Universe line. The 2008 Universe versions were later also available at Walmart.


Meijer/Kmart

This set was available in Canada as a Canadian Tire exclusive and in the United Kingdom as a Tesco exclusive.

International releases

The Asian exclusive "Challenge at Cybertron" giftset.
These two five-packs have only been released in the United Kingdom, Australia and Singapore. In North America, they were released in Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen packaging instead, as Target exclusives.


Distributed by Hasbro Malaysia, this set was a shared exclusive at China's Cybertron Con 2010 and at the Animation-Comic-Game Hong Kong festival. Hasbro would later go on to make some pieces available as contest prizes for Auto Assembly 2010 in the U.K.

Universe toys moved to the movie toyline

Due to retailer demand, several toys originally intended as Universe product were instead released as movie-branded Walmart exclusives.

The above toys were also available as non-exclusive mass retail releases in Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore.
Retrieved from "https://tfwiki.duckdns.org/index.php?title=Transformers:_Universe_(2008_toyline)&oldid=1134401"