Unreleased toy

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For every Transformer that makes it to store shelves, there are always some that fall by the wayside. Lines get canceled, retailers pass on the final wave(s) of an assortment in favor of the upcoming next line or back off on exclusives, designs go over budget, focus groups pass on a concept, or maybe they just weren't cool enough. Regardless of the whys and wherefores, this article aims to document the unreleased toys that never quite saw retail.

Note that this list will likely never be "complete", as for every concept design that makes it into collectors' hands, a countless number wind up in the garbage can.

(Quick! Get to the landfill outside Pawtucket and START DIGGING.)

Regular releases

Generation 1

Concepts

Rock Bots

Concept art

Yup, they wanted to make me, but oh well.

A Headmaster version of Arcee, based on a redecoed Chromedome.

New Rodimus

Skywarp/Megatron Triple Changer.

Megatron/Galvatron Triple Changer.

Big Bang

A Rodimus figure with a strange design and transformation. It is believed that the Target exclusive transforming Optimus Prime gift card is based on this figure, as it is similar in design and transformation.

A "Decepticon Stingray" revealed in Transformers Vault. Though the image caption identifies it as "an unreleased and nameless Decepticon Headmaster", the artwork shown does not appear to agree with the "Headmaster" description.

Prototypes

Arcee in her original design

Unicron wanted a toy, but his bargaining posture was highly dubious.

Two Unicron prototypes were created during G1, neither saw full release.

Diaclone Triple Changer - His design was later used for Dropshot.

Double Pretenders

A Micromaster carrier-base, which has some similarities to the released Rocket Base.

Toys

The tank Deluxe Vehicle.

Generation "1.5"

"Hi, I'm the Bonecrusher-Bonecrusher fuzor!"

(This section is about the line available in parts of the world (most prominently Europe) between the US G1 and G2 lines.)

Concept art

Generation 2

Prototypes

General Optimus Prime and Sgt. Hound

Two additional Auto Rollers that eventually wound up as Beast Wars II Autojetter and Autolauncher.

Greasepit

Cyberjets retooled with armored limbs and larger weapons.

Block Town series

Two new-sculpt Go-Bots, one of them a military SUV that would have been named "Hound".

G.I. Joe Transformer

A version of Mirage in green and pink

A version of Jazz in orange, would've been released in wave 2 with Mirage and Sideswipe.

A version of Sideswipe in yellow and blue.

A version of Starscream in jungle colors. Whether this figure would have actually been Starscream or not is unknown.

A version of Starscream in a black deco. Whether this figure would have actually been Starscream or not is unknown.

A version of Ramjet in sky blue colors. Whether this figure would have actually been Ramjet or not is unknown.

Sandstorm

The four "flipchanger" sculpts which were later released as Machine Wars Megatron/Megaplex, Skywarp/Thundercracker, Hoist/Hubcap and Mirage/Prowl.

Motormaster

Hot Spot

Packaged samples (test packaging)

Four new-sculpt Go-Bots, packaged on High Beam cards. One of them would have been Rumble.

Packaged samples (final packaging)

"Combat Hero" redecoes of the two G2 Hero sculpts: Optimus Prime in a dark-blue and red color scheme, and Megatron in a gray and black camouflage.

Laser Cycle Jazz

Laser Cycle Soundwave

Honorable mention goes to "ATB" Megatron (with Starscream), which was released to test markets in Ohio in very limited quantities, but was never available as a wide release.

All of the Stunticon limbs except for Breakdown, who was released as a BotCon 1994 exclusive.

All of the Protectobot limbs.

Beast Wars

One of *the* most well-known unreleased toys.

Concept art

Transmetals Dinobot

Prototypes

Beast Wars Neo Unicron

Packaged samples

Ramulus (green version)

Transtech

Concept art

Megatron; unsure whether this would have been the G1 or beast era character.
Depth Charge
Shockwave
Silverbolt
Soundwave
Blackarachnia
Nightscream
Immorticon

Prototypes

Armada

Prototypes

Packaged samples

Playskool Gobots

Prototypes

Ultra Force Aero-Bot (Revealed at UK Toy Fair, Th only known copy of this toy is in Ed Duncan's personal collection.)

Alternators/Binaltech

Concepts

Bumblebee (Volkswagen New Beetle)
Cliffjumper (Volkswagen New Beetle, retool of Bumblebee with different weapon and new head)
Tracks (Dodge Viper SRT-10; body ended up as Side Swipe, head was used for Chevrolet Corvette Tracks)
Trailbreaker (Jeep Wrangler; was released as Swindle in different colors instead)
Windcharger (Ford Mustang, retool of Grimlock with new head; body ended up as Wheeljack, head was used for Decepticharge)

Prototypes

Jazz (Porsche 986 Boxster)
Smokescreen (Subaru Impreza WRX, Deluxe-sized)
Autobot Tracks (Chevrolet Corvette Z06, yellow version; intended to be released by Hasbro with a running change to blue later down the road, but ultimately only released in blue; yellow version released in Japan)
Blackwidow (Honda S2000, prototype sporting the long gun barrel and right-hand steering wheel of Binaltech Overdrive and the head sculpt, hardtop roof and rear spoiler of Alternators Decepticharge, originally announced as Wildrider but then given a deco based on Beast Wars Blackarachnia; ultimately released in Japan in new colors as Binaltech Arcee)

Smallest Transforming Transformers

Prototypes

Skids
Tracks
Stock and silencer accessories for Megatron

Attacktix

Prototypes

Uh... the entire second wave, pretty much.

Universe (2003)

Prototypes

Menasor - a redeco of Thunder Clash as the Stunticon leader.

Energon

Packaged samples

Mini-Cons Brakedown, Override, and Clocker were originally intended to come with Energon Ultra Magnus, but were swapped out at essentially the last possible minute for a redecoed Space Mini-Con Team. (The Street Speed Mini-Cons are still listed on both sides of the US packaging, though the European version and the Japanese "USA Edition" release both fixed that to different degrees.)

Titanium Series

Prototypes

Soundblaster redeco of Soundwave with Ravage
Primal Prime redeco of Optimal Optimus
Arcee
War Within Bumblebee
War Within Cliffjumper (Bumblebee redeco/retool with a new head sculpt)
Cosmos
Shockwave

Revoltech

Prototypes

Energon Optimus Prime

Cybertron

Concepts

Landslide

Prototypes

More Mini-Con partners for Soundwave
A Scrapmetal redeco

Classics

Concepts

Prototypes

"Ghost" Jetfire
A Deluxe Class Optimus Prime that looks a lot like the Voyager Class version, with fixed on knee parts.^[1] Apparently, an early plan was for this toy to be released without a trailer at the Deluxe price point, and with a trailer at the Voyager price point.^[2] It's unclear whether the trailer ever made it past the early planning stage before the decision was made to uspscale Optimus to Voyager size.

Heroes

Rhinox
Hot Rod (or "Rodimus")

Transformers: Heroes was a planned series that eventually evolved into Animated.

Beast Wars Telemocha Series

Concepts

Animated

Prototypes

Toxic Oil Slick
Fugitive Waspinator
Vortex Blurr
Mercenary Swindle
Hydrodrive Bumblebee (Voyager Class, released in Japan as "Jet Pack Bumblebee")
Goldfire Grimlock (Voyager Class)
Blackout (released in Japan)
Wingblade Optimus Prime (Voyager Class, released in Japan)
Electromagnetic Soundwave (Activator)
Hot Shot
Marauder Megatron

Packaged samples

Thundercracker (Voyager Class)
Mudbuster Bulkhead (Voyager Class)

United

Prototypes

Glyph from Classics/Henkei! Henkei! Bumblebee
Detritus (with Ravage?) from Universe/Henkei! Henkei! Hound

Transformers Crossovers

Prototypes

Iron Man (New mold, transforms into a futuristic tricycle)

War Machine (New mold, combines with the Iron Man above in vehicle mode)

The Punisher (retool of Captain America, released with new head as Iron Man)

the Human Torch (blue redeco of his existing figure)

The Thing (Redeco of the bulldozer Hulk mold)

Transformers (2010)

Packaged samples

Bodyblock (Breacher redeco)
Demolition Rumble (sculpt/character released under United in Japan)
Downshift (Hubcap redeco)

Dark of The Moon

Prototypes

Blaster (Redeco of Soundwave with new head, displayed with other prototypes at Hascon 2017)

Movie Trilogy Series

Packaged samples

Wheeljack (redeco colored as an homage to Generation 1 Wheeljack, using the toy's alternate head; later released by TakaraTomy as part of the Movie Advanced Series)

Prototypes

Bumblebee (redeco of Nitro Bumblebee)
Ratchet (redeco colored as an homage to Generation 1 Ratchet)
Soundwave (redeco colored as an homage to Generation 1 Soundblaster)

Kre-O

Hound Kreon based on Generation 1 Hound (helmet used much later for Custom Kreon Hound, Age of Extinction Kreon Hound and "Class of 1984" Kreon Hound, but none of them sported the saturated green colors and chest deco of the figure displayed at BotCon 2011)
Kre-O Mini-Con Combiner Bumblebee
Kre-O Mini-Con Combiner Optimus Prime
"Soccer" Bumblebee kreon
"Summer" Drift kreon
Battle Changer Drift (with Jetstorm and Slipstream)
Battle Changer Blitzwing
All of Kreon Warriors Collection 3

Prime

Prototypes

A redeco and retool of Deluxe Class Ratchet with the toy's alternate head, possibly as the Prime version of Gears
A Hasbro release of Deluxe Class Ironhide (released in Japan)
A redeco and retool of Deluxe Class Rumble with the toy's alternate head as Frenzy

Prime (Beast Hunters)

Prototypes

A retool of the 2014 Deluxe Class Smokescreen sculpt with an added lightbar, presumably as Prowl

Transformers: EZ Collection

Prototypes

Titans Return

Both figures were initially listed in Walmart computers, but nothing else was ever heard of them; the computers now say that the item has been "discontinued by distributor".

Unused pretool heads

In recent years, Hasbro and TakaraTomy have begun to design toys with retools in mind from the get-go, and thus have created alternate head sculpts and other parts that are often gang-molded with the original release's parts. Those head sculpts are created as prototypes, which occasionally leak out to the public, and sometimes show up in the instructions for the original release most likely by mistake,^[3] though Hasbro representatives have stated that those could also be considered "previews". Sometimes those pretool parts end up unused by Hasbro. Some of these have, however, been used long after the fact by TakaraTomy or Fun Publications. (Some instances where the plans went a step further to the point where an actual deco was created for a planned release of the sculpt using the alternate head are listed further above.)

Cybertron Scrapmetal's alternate head was initially only used by TakaraTomy for the exclusive "Coby's Exclusive Rumble" figure, and was later included by Fun Publications with the BotCon 2006 customization class Rumble and Inferno figures' sets, with Rumble using the alternate head.
2010 Transformers Hunt for the Decepticons Deluxe Class Tomahawk's alternate head was ultimately only used by TakaraTomy for Dark of the Moon Vortex and by Fun Publications for the BotCon 2012 exclusive Timelines Spinister figure.
2010 Transformers Reveal the Shield Deluxe Class Perceptor was planned to be redecoed into Reflector.^[4] The head sculpt intended for Reflector was later used by TakaraTomy for the e-HOBBY exclusive Generations Magnificus figure.
2010 Transformers Reveal the Shield Deluxe Class Wreck-Gar was designed with no fewer than two alternate head sculpts. One of them, which was shown in Wreck-Gar's instructions, was used for Generations Junkheap shortly thereafter, whereas the other one was initially only used by TakaraTomy for the e-HOBBY exclusive United Scrapheap figure, then later by Fun Publications for the BotCon 2012 exclusive Timelines Shattered Glass Scrap Iron figure and finally much, much later by Hasbro for the "Junkion Scrapheap" figure included with the Platinum Edition "Planet of Junk Clash" set.

2010 Transformers Reveal the Shield Deluxe Class Optimus Prime's alternate head was ultimately only used by Fun Publications for the BotCon 2012 exclusive Timelines Shattered Glass Ultra Magnus figure.
The alternate head sculpt for 2010 Transformers Reveal the Shield Deluxe Class Special Ops Jazz shown in the slideshow during the BotCon 2010 Hasbro panel was ultimately only used by Fun Publications for the BotCon 2012 exclusive Timelines Shattered Glass Treadshot figure.
The 2010 Transformers Reveal the Shield Voyager Class Lugnut sculpt has an alternate head (depicted in the instructions) that was stated at BotCon 2010 to have been designed without any specific character in mind. Thus far, it has never been used for an officially released toy.
The head sculpt shown in Generations Deluxe Class Scourge's instructions was based on "Senator" Ratbat as seen in IDW's Megatron Origin mini-series, but was ultimately only used by TakaraTomy for Generations Ratbat and by Fun Publications for the Transformers Figure Subscription Service exclusive Timelines Serpent O.R., both of them several years later.
Generations Deluxe Class Warpath's alternate head was depicted in some steps of his instructions and was most certainly intended as Hardhead, but has never been put to use thus far.
Dark of the Moon Deluxe Class Laserbeak had a different, more realistic bird head depicted in his instructions, which might be either an unused pretool head or an instance of a design change.^[5]
Generations Voyager Class Fall of Cybertron Grimlock was designed with a Beast Wars ("Transmetal") Megatron alternate head. A prototype sporting the alternate head sculpt surfaced in early 2013,^[6]^[7] but since the Combiner Wars segment of the Generations line has succeeded the Thrilling 30 installment, it appears that boat has sailed.
The Combiner Wars figures were almost always planned with alternate heads, not all of which were used by Hasbro: Skydive has an alternate Starscream head that was only used by TakaraTomy (as "Ghost Starscream") for the Unite Warriors Grand Galvatron set; Protectobot First Aid has an alternate Ratchet head that was only used for the BotCon 2016 custom class Autobot Ratchet figure and by TakaraTomy for the Unite Warriors Lynxmaster set; Trailbreaker has an alternate Hoist head that has thus far never been put to use at all; and Onslaught has an alternate Armada Demolishor head (seen as a prototype) that has thus far never been used either.

Honorable mention goes to Generations Deluxe Class Sergeant Kup and 2010 Transformers Hunt for the Decepticons Deluxe Class Terradive and Voyager Class Highbrow, whose alternate heads were used for Generations Swerve, Dark of the Moon Space Case and Generations Powerdive, respectively. While both Swerve and Powerdive were released under the Generations line relatively close to their respective sculpts' original iterations, they were only made available as part of the "GDO" line-up that was initially intended for Hasbro's East Asian markets, and later brought to North American retail as Toys"R"Us exclusives. Similarly, Space Case was only made available as a Target exclusive in the US (and exclusive to other stores in other countries) several years after the fact.

Exclusives

Conventions

Transcon

Concepts

Albitron and Swoop. These figures were advertised as convention exclusives by Men in Black Productions, but never materialized.

OTFCC

Concepts

Brawn
Devcon
Megatron (post-Beast Machines)
Roadbuster

Prototypes

Defensor
A limited repaint of Defensor as Midnight Shield Defensor
Alpha Trion
Fractyl
Devcon

Wonder Festival

Packaged samples

Convoy was planned as a black redeco of the Classics Optimus Prime sculpt, but marketed as a black version of the heroic Convoy character with Autobot faction insignias, not as a Nemesis Prime/Black Convoy character. He would have been released under the Henkei! Henkei! toy line's Gentei! Gentei! range of exclusives. A minor redeco was eventually released years later as a Tokyo Toy Show 2012 exclusive under the United toy line, now named "Black Optimus Prime" and sporting Decepticon insignias.