Cybertronian: The Unofficial Transformers Recognition Guide
Published by Antartic Press from 2001-2002, Cybertronian: The Unofficial Transformers Recognition Guide was an unofficial (surprise, surprise!) but highly useful guide to American-released Transformers up to and including the first waves of Beast Wars. Although not authorised by Hasbro/Takara and thus technically a fan-publication, it was nevertheless the first book (sorta) of its kind and remains one of the most comprehensive English-language sources on the pre-Beast Era toylines of G1, G2 and Machine Wars.
Content
Presented in a squarebound format slightly smaller than a standard American comic book (and with slightly inconsistent dimensions across subsequent reprintings), each volume featured all the released toys of about two waves of product, as well as backup features such as cartoon episode guides, summaries of the U.S. Marvel comic and an interesting but less-comprehensive round-up of early merchandise.
Most characters are afforded a whole page which pictures them (in colour photos) in both robot and altmode, has a close-up headshot and shows all weapons and accessories/loose pieces in a separate box-out for easy identification. Also included is a second box-out with a "detail view" of some aspect particular to the toy such as undocumented additional transformations or weapon storage. Known variants are mentioned, but not comprehensively, as are some Japanese mould reuses.
Particularly elaborate characters with multiple components, transformations and/or accessories such as Sky Lynx or Fortress Maximus are afforded multiple pages.
Text includes a reproduction of their Tech Spec stats and bios, including translations in instances where the only official toy bios for certain combiner characters were featured on Japanese gift sets (it shows).
Most characters also contain additonal text in the photo sections that contain some highly useful & interesting information, such as listing the real-world vehicle models for all relevant characters, warnings of instances of common breakage or transformation-induced sticker damage, or other tidbits such as Gold Plastic Syndrome or pointing out how Bludgeon, Octopunch and Stranglehold are depicted only with melee weapons in the comic, yet their toys come packaged solely with guns. And that Stranglehold looks like Gabe Kaplan, apparently.
Some information about unproduced toys and European exclusives is also featured. The series is written by Doug Dlin, Harold Tietjens, Rikard Bakke, Robert R. Jung, Paul Kilpatrick and Ben Yee. It was edited by Doug Dlin and Harold Tietjens. Photography by Harold Tietjens, book design by Lee Duhig of Guru eFX with David Hutchinson, Robert Bevard, and Brian Denham.
Volume 1
(April 2001). Front cover features illustration of Megatron by Fred Perry. Back cover has art of Optimus Prime by Lee Duhig. Content includes complete guide to Series 1 and 2 Generation I Transformers toys, Mail Order Transformers, an guide for the first 29 episodes of the animated series, and the first 20 issues of the Marvel Comics, plus the four-part G.I.Joe and the Transformers mini-series.
Volume 2
(July 2001). Front cover features illustration of Optimus Prime by Patrick Thornton, with back cover illustration of diving Sharkticons by Joe Wight. Content includes complete guide to Series 3 Generation I Transformers toys, a spotlight on Transformers: The Movie, an episode guide to episodes 30-52 of the animated series, plus issues #21-40 of the Marvel Comics series, plus the three-issue movie adaptation.
Volume 3
(October 2001). Front cover features illustration of Fortress Maximus by Dan Matanski, with back cover illustration of Sinnertwin by Trent Troop. Content includes complete guide to Series 4 Generation I Transformers toys and the Decoys, a guide to "Transformers Artifacts" including such items as puzzles, adventure games, and electric train set. The episode guide covers episodes 53-75 of the animated series, and the comics guide covers issues #41-59 of the Marvel series, plus the Headmasters mini-series.
Volume 4
(October 2001). Front cover features illustration of Finback by Joseph Wight and back cover illustration of Powermaster Optimus Prime by David Hutchinson and Lee Duhig. Content includes complete guide to Series 5 Generation I Transformers toys, and "Transformers artifacts" including stickers, display shelves and party supplies. The episode guide covers episodes 76-98 of the animated series, and the comics guide issues #60-80 of the Marvel series, plus the four issues of The Transformers Universe and the three issues of the Blackthrone 3-D series.
Volume 5
(April 2002). Front cover features illustration of Kick-Off sparring with Banzai-Tron by Hirofumi Ichikawa, and back cover illustration of Wheeljack by Rod Espinosa. Content includess complete guide to Series 6 and 7 of the Generation I Transformers toys. Additional content includes a showcase of Transformers packaging art.
Volume 6
(May 2002). Front cover features illustration of Laser Rod Optimus Prime fighting Dreadwing and Smokescreen by Hirofumi Ichikawa. The back cover has art of Road Rocket by Chris Allen. Content includes a complete guide to Series 1 through 3 of the Generation 2 Transformers toys. This issue includes a comics guide to the 12-part Generations 2 Marvel series, plus the handful of G.I.Joe Generation 2 cross-overs.
Beast Wars Volume 1
(October 2002). Front cover features an illustration of Silverbolt and Waspinator by Fred Perry, Robbie Brevard and Guru eFX. The back cover has an illustration of Machine Wars Megatron and his Decepticon jets by Matt Kuphaldt. Content includes a complete listing of series 1-2 of the Beast Wars series, plus the Machine Wars series and BotCon exclusives. The episode guide covers episode 1-24 of the Beast Wars TV series, with a spotlight on the voice actors of the series.
They never got around to doing a vol. 2, apparently. Although given a separate numbering, this was to all intents and purposes the 7th and final volume of the series.
Cybertronian Index
Published some time later, this included Beast Machines and Robots In Disguise, but the quality of which was apparently shat on by some fans.
Trivia
- Just marginally preceeding the Dreamwave-led boom in G1's resurgant popularity and retro-nostalgia, Cybertronian featured some of the first publshed (if not exactly official) neo-G1 art since the G2 comic, in the form of several splendid covers (subsequent reprintings of some issues featured variant artworks). A couple of these covers have since been rendered somewhat "official" by publication in the coffee-table artbook Transformers: Genesis.
- These things cost an arm and a freakin' leg, even originally, with a cover price of US$24.95 (it was even worse for those outside the U.S. who had to import them). Expect to pay easily that much and up for the back issues now on eBay, chumps.
See Also:
-Transformers: Generations, an official toy-guide book of a similar nature, published in Japan and entirely in Japanese. But it's purrrty...
-More Than Meets The Eye, a guide to characters published by Dreamwave, largely inspired (for the less significant characters at least) by original toy tech specs. It is rumoured they had copies of Cybertronian to hand at the time...
