Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Victory (toyline)

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"One of these things is not like the others."

Takara's 1989 Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Victory toyline was both a return to a more "traditional" Transformers line (as the prior Masterforce line featured more humans piloting robot "suits" than actual Cybertronians) and a major departure, in that it is almost wholly different from the Hasbro product released that same year (which was heavy on the Micromasters and Pretenders).

Where the prior Takara lines used most of the same molds as Hasbro's concurrent lines —with some color changes and the occasional additional mold— the majority of Victory toys are all-new molds designed wholly by Takara for their own market. The rest are significant retoolings of Hasbro molds in entirely new colors. Most of these toys, including the retools, never saw release in Hasbro's markets, and the few that did only came well after their Victory releases (and with significant changes to boot). The only toy in the series that is identical to a Hasbro release was available only via mail-order, not sold in stores.

Victory also has a heavy focus on combiner teams, every one of which was available both as individual releases and as a gift set.

Because of its uniqueness, Victory is a very popular line in the West for older fans and collectors, commanding a lot of money on the secondary market.

Toyline

Regular retail

Dinoforce Doryu Gairyu Goryu Kakuryu Rairyu Yokuryu Dinoking (giftset)		Multiforce Dashtacker Machtackle Wingwaver Landcross (giftset)		Breastforce Drillhorn (w/ Hornbreast) Guyhawk (w/ Hawkbreast) Hellbat (w/ Kōmoribreast) Jallguar (w/ Jaguarbreast) Killbison (w/ Bisonbreast) Leozack (w/ Lionbreast) Liokaiser (giftset)		Brainmasters Blacker Braver Laster Road Caesar (giftset)		Liokaiser, the Beastforce combiner
Crossformers Black Shadow Blue Bacchus		Interstellar Transport Galaxy Shuttle		Six Changer Greatshot		Armored Warrior Victory Leo
Leaders Deszaras (w/ Eaglebreast & Tigerbreast) Star Saber Victory Saber (giftset)

Mail order exclusives

Thunder Arrow (with pilot)

Post-Victory releases

Robotmasters Star Saber Victory Leo Victory Saber Victory Saber Limited Black Version		BotCon 2005 Deathsaurus		BotCon 2009 Leozack		Generations Sky Shadow		Masterpiece Star Saber
United EX Grimmaster Prime Mode		Kre-O Jarugar		Masterpiece Star Saber		Combiner Wars Liokaiser (Dezarus, Drillhorn, Guyhawk, Fellbat, Ironbison)
Titans Return Sky Shadow		Legends Greatshot

Notes

• Despite featuring prominently in the Victory cartoon, the Micromaster Rescue Patrol Team were not actually sold as part of the Victory toyline. Kids had to wait for the early releases of the following toyline, Zone.
• The combiner gift sets this year omitted the bio/Tech Specs and trading cards for the individual toys, a practice that would continue going forward.
• Several Victory toys would be recycled in later lines:
  • The European-market Transformers series took the three car-mode Brainmasters and four of the Breastforce members, took away their combiner-bot-bits, redecoed them, and sold them as the Motorvators and Rescue Force (respectively).
  • The Multiforce got re-released as part of Takara's convenience-store-release Micromaster series as "Micromaster DX" toys in individual boxes.
  • Deathsaurus, Greatshot, and Galaxy Shuttle all got redecoed and/or retooled for Takara's later Brave non-Transformers giant transforming robot toylines.