Unicron/toys
From MediaWiki
Unicron has managed to amass a star system of toys and merchandise, and then some.
Toys
The Transformers
- Unicron (Takara)
- An unproduced toy for Unicron was to have been released in Generation 1. The first prototype of the toy was developed by Takara and was a green and yellow robot that was to come with a base that set up a "planetary system" with Unicron and a moon culled from movie preproduction materials that turned into a laser gun. When transformed to robot mode, Unicron would have a light and sound gimmick that would activate when shot by an infra-red ray from the gun. So far, this version of the toy has been shown only through Takara print materials.
- The placement of yellow is identical to the early animation character model of Unicron which labels him "The Entity". Like that early animation model, the planetary ring is located in front of his "maw" as a result of the positioning of the toy's stand. Additionally, he appears to sport a Decepticon rubsign. Assuming the rubsign is the same size as every other one, this version of Unicron is considerably smaller than the later prototype.
- At a company presentation, Takara designer Kōjin Ōno was informed that the Unicron toy was to be made at a larger size, presumably in order to serve as a more appropriate representation of the character's fictional scale. This resulted in the production of a subsequent prototype toy (see below).[1]
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- Unicron (Hasbro/Takara)
- A larger version of the Unicron prototype design was developed by Takara in closer collaboration with Hasbro and was a blue and yellow robot, possessing different paint operations and molding to the earlier prototype, about one foot tall and was able to transform into a planet. In comparison to the earlier version, the color scheme of this later prototype is closer to the animation model's finalized colors. Furthermore, the planetary ring's location was rotated 90 degrees, similarly matching later revisions to Unicron's planet mode animation design which moved the ring away from the maw.
- Omitted from the original prototype was the moon/laser gun, but the new larger design was to have come with a voice chip and a "planet microphone" to allow owners to speak through the toy. Sound samples of lines read by Orson Welles were also to be used in the toy. It also would have had a gun that became a stand for the planet mode and a blue "shield" that unfolded and covered the yellow part of his chest in planet mode. It bears an uncanny physical resemblance to Mr. Welles.
- This figure had a public "debut" of sorts at BotCon 1996, where it was mistransformed, but later convention appearances would feature it accurately transformed.
- According to the fansite Transformers on the Shelf (no longer online), Unicron's toy was scrapped because of cost concerns, flimsy arms, and a faulty voice chip.
- Though the prototype had the tallest robot mode at the time of its planned release, it was ultimately shorter than Fortress Maximus.
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Beast Wars
- Unicron (Takara)
- Takara tried again to produce a Unicron toy during Beast Wars Neo (as the character figured prominently to the endings of both the anime and manga), only going as far as the resin prototype stage before canceling it. It was said to be around the size of "Optimal Optimus" and had several gimmicks, such as an opening robot mouth when the horns were squeezed, and a claw and a drill that were stored in the planet "shell" in robot mode. The toy would also have had planetary ring segments, not shown in the photo at right; unlike most representations of Unicron, these ring segments ran along his equator, and were only partial so his planetary mouth was not obstructed. One hard copy was shown at the Tokyo Toy Show. Fans attempted to lobby for an unassembled, unpainted, and likely one-color "garage kit" version of the toy, but this never came to be... probably because the cost per unit would have been several hundred dollars.
- Interestingly enough, neither the cartoon nor manga version of Neo Unicron looked like the toy.
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Armada
- Unicron with Mini-Con Dead End (Supreme Class, 2003)
- Japanese ID number: MX-00
- Accessories: 6 missiles, giant chest-missile, Dead End
- Unicron from the Armada toyline is an orange and transparent purple Supreme-size toy that transforms into a planet. It features many Mini-Con Powerlinx plugs on the planet's rings, and "chomping" jaws activated by moving the mandibles. The packed-in Mini-Con Dead End in moon-mode plugs into a specially shaped socket on Unicron's planet form, just above his gaping maw. Powerlinx plugs on his sides activate the triple spring-loaded missile launchers, which end up on his robot mode legs. In robot mode, he has hidden compartments for Mini-Cons in his robot-mode legs and abdomen. One Powerlinx plug on the back of the robot mode activates blinking eye lights and a cannon that bursts from the chest and shoots a missile. A button on the top of the head also activates the blinking eye lights. Pushing his right hand back slightly into the cuff causes it to light up.
- In total, the toy can hold up to 27 Mini-Cons in planet mode and 30 in robot mode—35 if you count the two cavities in his forearms, Dead End's indent on the planet shells and if a Mini-Con is stored in the compartment on each leg. 24 of the Powerlinx points are situated on his wings/planet ring.
- That's a lot of Mini-Cons!
- Attaching the full capacity of Mini-Cons can easily add a whole pound to Unicron's weight (varying slightly by the choice of Mini-Cons used of course). Since Unicron alone is one of the heaviest Transformers figures ever made, one can imagine how bulky he gets.
- This toy is notable for being the first "modern" Transformers release in the main line at the $50-price point. Due to his success, other releases like Energon Omega Supreme came into being. This toy was featured in ToyFare Magazine, being awarded “Toy of the Year” 2003 in "Best of the Best 2003".[2]
- The Takara release of Unicron uses a lighter orange, slightly more transparent plastic, and different paint applications than the Hasbro version, for instance, the silver paint on its face looks like "Moustache"
- The toy had a minor running change where a slot and tab were added to the shoulder and wing column, respectively, to keep the rings more firmly in place in planet mode. Early publicity photos and some catalog shots also show that the two nubs on either outside edge of the shoulders were originally full-fledged spikes, dulled down for safety.
- This mold was used to make the Mini-Con doppelganger of Unicron.
Energon
- Unicron's Armada toy was redecoed for the Energon toyline, sporting black and transparent orange, with "Energon damage" patterns, representing his shattered and damaged form. All of the gimmicks from the previous version are intact in this one. The color scheme itself is an homage to a Japanese-only inflatable store display. That's right, $50 to look like a 20-year-old balloon from the other side of the world.
- Early stock photography of the toy depicts Unicron with a different color scheme that features a gray face and a pink translucent chest instead of the silver face and a reddish-orange translucent chest of the actual toy.
- Early shipments of Unicron in Energon packaging shipped with either the orange Armada Unicron or the black Energon Unicron inside, in seemingly equal amounts for a short while. Eventually, the orange version was phased out and black was the only shipping version.
- Unicron (Fast Food Premium, 2004-2006)
- Accessories: Energon cube
- Available in one of two different European-market McDonald's Happy Meal promotions, this Unicron toy is based on Energon Unicron, being primarily black. It is very small, and the transformation consists of simply opening the planet mode to reveal the robot.
- When his Energon cube is clicked into position, the cube's power switch set to "on", and the toy's button depressed, his body lights up. In 2006, this figure was made available in Brazil without the Energon cube.
Cybertron
- Part of the eighth wave of Cybertron Deluxe Class toys, Unicron transforms into a futuristic, crab-like/insectoid tank. In robot mode, he sports a battle-damaged appearance, with his head featuring a skull-like design mimicking the Unicron head that comes with Cybertron Primus (see below). In both modes he features a large spring-loaded missile launcher, plus plugging a Cyber Key into his back end —he includes a Planet X-style Cyber Key, with the Key Code "dgt3" on the back— opens up a port on his front (which bears a striking similarity to his planet form's maw) that reveals a (non-firing) triple-barreled cannon. His side-spines in tank mode can be removed to become hand-weapons in robot mode.
- This toy was the first and only Unicron toy with the trademark Dracula-style "collar" from the original animation model, up until the toy based directly on said animation model created roughly fifteen years later. He is also the first Unicron toy to be placed with the Decepticon faction for the purposes of marketing.
- Due to the use of translucent plastic for his radar dish/head mount, aging samples run the risk of this piece breaking off at the joint due to plastic tolerance issues. Some samples also have difficulty holding the spike weapons properly due to the short pegs and clearance issues with his wrists.
- Cybertron Primus (Supreme Class, 2006)
- Cybertron Supreme Class Cybertron Primus comes with Unicron's head. The head is based on Armada Unicron's, with half of the face stripped away to reveal a robotic "skull". To provide the impression of locomotion, tentacles were added to the base of the head. His face bears a greater resemblance to his on-screen appearance in Armada than the Armada toy itself, with no facial hair, a more "wrinkled" look, and thinner, rounder eyes. Meanwhile, his color scheme matches the Cybertron toy, with dark gray horns and a purple crest on his brow.
- The packaging for this variation of Primus was specifically changed with a call-out for the Unicron head. This was originally supposed to be the first version of the Primus toy shipped, being part of the second wave of Cybertron Supreme Class toys, but both versions ended up shipping simultaneously, leading to some hunting to get the packed-in "Uni-skull".
Universe (2008)
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- Unicron (Supreme Class, 2008)
- Accessories: 6 missiles, giant chest-missile
- For Universe, Armada Unicron was rebranded with no deco differences, even retaining the Armada release's product code. He was sold as a Toys"R"Us exclusive. As with all Unicron products produced by Hasbro since Cybertron Unicron, he is placed in the Decepticon faction. Once again, the on-box bio profile describes Unicron's nature as a multiversal singularity.
Transformers (2010)
- A retool of Supreme Class Armada Unicron toy (see above), this Unicron is given a new head and an animated film-inspired deco. He retains all of his original gimmicks, including electronics. His Mini-Con partner, Bug, is still included.
- This set is only available in Japan as a Toy Hobby Market exclusive, with orders being taken from June 1st through July 4th. The toy was released at the end of September 2010. Unicron is part of Takara's Welcome to Transformers 2010 anniversary celebration, and is packaged in a special box that is meant to go with the Creator Primus toy released the same year. Unicron comes with two "points" redeemable towards a talking stand for Masterpiece Rodimus Convoy.
- This Unicron utilizes parts from both versions of Armada Unicron, having wings from the initial release, but hinged shoulder plates with holes on the backs for pegs from the slightly retooled version.
- Made in honor of the 25th anniversary of The Transformers: The Movie, the 2010 Transformers toyline's Unicron deco is noticeably different than TakaraTomy's "Welcome to 2010" Unicron release (even though they are both coloured to represent the character from the movie). It is now cast in metallic gray and gold-ish orange, as well as a muted blue. The shade of blue may be seen as comic-inspired, since the 80's Marvel comics sometimes had blue tones in the figure...but so did Unicron in some scenes of The Transformers: The Movie, so make of it as you will. It comes with the Mini-Con Kranix and is exclusive to Amazon.com and also at Toys"R"Us in Canada, while being available at general retail in parts of Southeast Asia. He was also released in Chile as a Ripley exclusive during Christmas 2011.
- While the packaging is of the 2010 toyline, the instruction manual uses the Dark of the Moon logos (but not the series' style of instruction graphics).
United
- Ark Unicron (2012-02-25)
- ID number: UN-29
- Accessories: Missile, 4 spines (2 long, 2 short), Planet X Cyber Key
- Ark Unicron is a straight redeco of the Deluxe Class Cybertron Unicron toy and is, for some reason, packaged in a Voyager-sized box. He is redecoed in colors similar to the 2010 Transformers Unicron figure, replacing his orange plastic with a darker, metallic shade, his dark gray with a muted blue, and his tan with gray. The Cyber Key retains its Key Code.
- Like the 5th and 6th wave figures, Ark Unicron's package feature a sticker that said "limited quantity (数量限定)", indicating that this figure is released in limited numbers after its first and only shipment.
Prime
- Gaia Unicron (2012-09-29)
- ID number: AM-19
- Accessories: "Bogu" Arms Micron
- Part of the seventh wave of Japanese Prime toys, and exclusive to said line, Gaia Unicron is an all-new mold which transforms from Unicron's robot mode into a space cruiser which looks a lot more like Unicron's face on a volcano. He also partsforms into "Gaia Armor" for either Voyager Optimus Prime or Megatron, which more or less leaves most of his mass hanging off the wearer's butt. The Gaia Armor features a "loincloth" panel which has one of each of the 3 Arms Micron Power crystals, not unlike Hades' tail. Though his sticker sheet comes with Decepticon symbols for his shoulders, there are also optional Blentron stickers.
- Unicron's Arms Micron partner, Bogu, transforms from what appears to be a robot mole into a pointy claw to replace one of Unicron's spiked club arms. (The displaced club arm can snap onto the back of the other club arm.) Gaia Unicron and his micron feature numerous 5 mm posts and peg-holes.
- Compared to his stock photography, most (if not all) Gaia Unicrons have mis-assembled knees, with two small gray parts on the inner portions of his knees being swapped, thus restricting his knee articulation. This cannot be fixed without knocking out a few pins. It's also common to find one with two of the same knee joint, meaning that swapping them won't fix the issue.
- Optimus Prime + Gaia Unicron (2013)
- Accessories: "Bogu" Arms Micron
- This Asian-exclusive redeco of Gaia Unicron features a sticker-less, extensive paint-job, coating his shoulder-pads and large club-arm in shiny metallic paints that match his vacuum-metallized parts, with some additional glossy-black and metallic-magenta paint details here and there. Bogu comes pre-assembled and lacks stickers. Gaia Unicron's knees are still mis-assembled.
- He and Bogu come in a multi-pack with a similarly-shiny Optimus Prime (with O.P).
- Nightmare Unicron (2013)
- Accessories: "Bogu M" Arms Micron
- A black, grey, and red redeco of Gaia Unicron, this version of the chaos-bringer is designed to match up with Nemesis Prime. Notably, this is the first release of the mold to feature correctly-assembled knees.
- Nightmare Unicron was released as a Cybertron Satellite store exclusive in Japan. Prior to the release, he was revealed as a prize for the second Arms Up Micron contest.
Generations
Platinum Edition
- Part of Hasbro's Platinum Edition offerings for 2016 intended to commemorate the 30th anniversary of The Transformers: The Movie, Unicron is a redeco of the 2010 Transformers Unicron toy, itself a retool of Armada Unicron. It is similar but not identical to the previous Hasbro 2011 Amazon.com release–the blue is now much lighter and slightly less saturated, while the orange is slightly lighter and the grey is darker, both of which are more metallic. The leg missiles have also changed to a darker blood red plastic. The paint deco is unchanged aside from matching the tweaked color scheme. The mold is also showing its age, as it is much harder to get the planet halves to stay latched together compared to past releases.
- Like several of the 2016 Platinum Edition sets, Unicron saw a very limited release: Essentially, he was only ever officially released in some of Hasbro's Asian markets such as Hong Kong. A small number of US-based online retailers (such as BigBadToyStore), plus a few more from Canada and the United Kingdom, stocked him as well, having obtained their stock through Asian vendors.
War for Cybertron Trilogy
- Unicron (2021)
- At over 27 inches tall in robot mode, 30 inches wide in planet mode, and weighing 19 pounds, War for Cybertron Unicron is the biggest Transformers figure to date, overthrowing Titans Return Fortress Maximus.
- And at $575 USD plus tax, it overthrows your car payment and auto insurance.
- Features include over 50 points of articulation (including a whopping 15 points per hand, plus posable eyes, mouth and teeth), a geared chomping planet mouth, a 10-pound display stand for the planet mode, an Autobot shuttle, and minuscule Galvatron and Hot Rod figurines to eat. To achieve the screen-accurate spherical shape for his planet mode, his transformation consists mostly of his planet mode's outer shell splitting and folding up into the back of his torso and legs. To make it easier to manipulate such a massive toy, he can remain plugged on the included display stand during transformation, and his planetary rings can be detached. Numerous pointy bits on his body are molded in soft plastic for safety reasons. His head is removable, and has movable eyes, an alternate damaged faceplate, and an alternate bearded chin; the removed head can be placed on its own display stand, which can also hold the shuttle and mini-figurines. This Unicron is the first since the Cybertron deluxe mold to feature his iconic Dracula-style collar.
- Announced by Hasbro Pulse on July 15, 2019, Unicron is the first Transformers toy to be released as a crowdfunded project from HasLab. Unicron required a minimum of 8,000 backers to be put into production, with an initial deadline of August 31. On August 29, Hasbro announced it was pushing the end date back to October 6 (the end of New York Comic Con 2019) in response to fan feedback asking for more time; the project finally achieved the 8,000 backer goal one day before the new deadline, on October 5. On October 6, the project finished (according to the HTML code of the progress bar) at 140.9%, or 11,272 units, despite officially only displaying “8,000+”. More than a month later, the page was changed to officially read “12,000+ Backers”. In addition to the Unicron figure itself, HasLab backers received a digital comics bundle from IDW Publishing, featuring new cover art by Andrew Griffith that homages the cover of Marvel's The Transformers #1, the four-issue Transformers: The Animated Movie miniseries, and the first issue of the 2019 Transformers ongoing series.
Merchandise
Hard Hero
- Unicron (BotCon 2002)
- This statue of Unicron is a huge cold-cast porcelain statue based upon the cartoon design of Unicron. It was originally a BotCon 2002 exclusive before being released to the general public.
Titanium Series
- Unicron (3" Robot Master, 2006)
- Accessories: Decepticon stand
- Part of the very first wave of Titanium Series "Robot Masters" figurines, Unicron is a 3-inch-tall figurine made partially of die-cast metal, with movable arms. One hand holds what seems to be a moon (or he's going bowling).
Art Asylum
- Unicron Movie Statue (Diamond Select, 2007)
- This statue of Unicron stands 8 ½” tall and is limited to 1,986 pieces (as in 1986, the year the original animated Transformers movie was released). It also features a smaller statue of Hot Rod standing upon the centerpiece holding the Matrix of Leadership aloft. Oddly enough, Hot Rod is in his toy colours.
Robot Heroes
- Optimus Prime vs. Unicron (2007)
- Based on a cartoon-ified version of his The Transformers: The Movie model, Unicron's entry in the Robot Heroes line comes packed with a Matrix-brandishing Optimus Prime. His articulation consists solely of his shoulder joints. Also, it was noted that Unicron doesn't have a smiling mouth unlike most of the Robot Heroes figures.
Diamond Select
- Megatron Reformatted Bust (Action Figure Xpress exclusive, 2008)
- "Megatron Reformatted" is a bust exclusively available through Action Figure Xpress, depicting the Decepticon leader in the beginning stages of his reformation into Galvatron as featured in The Transformers: The Movie. This bust features a base in the shape of Unicron.
- Galvatron (2009)
- Similar to the above piece, this bust depicts the newly-created Galvatron suspended above Unicron. It was sculpted by Art Asylum and was limited to 1,000 pieces.
Tiny Titans
- Unicron (Tiny Titans, 2016)
- Series: 6
- Number: 9/12
- Part of the sixth and final blind-bagged assortment of Tiny Titans, this toy is a small, soft-plastic figurine of the Chaos Bringer, oddly brandishing a butcher knife that he has never used in any work of fiction prior to this toy's release.
- He includes a collectible card that renders him in the 2015 Robots in Disguise styling. The card includes a scan-badge for the Robots in Disguise mobile game, which unlocks a random amount of Energon "currency" and a randomized bonus power-up item.
EX Gōkin+
- Unicron Head (2015)
- Accessories: 2 whole eyes, 2 shattered eyes, stand
- Produced by Art Storm as part of their EX Gōkin+ line, this is a large, extensively detailed sculpt of Unicron's disembodied head as seen in the third season of the Generation 1 cartoon. He comes with alternate eye parts, allowing you to display him with either shattered or undamaged eyes.
Soldier Story
- Unicron (2017)
- Accessories: Hot Rod, Hot Rod clear stand, remote control, USB power cable
- Another high-end collectible, the Soldier Story Toys Unicron table lamp stands over 26" tall and is bedecked with over 70 LEDs of various colors all over it. It also projects the movie-style Decepticon insignia above it. The lamp also includes a 6" Hot Rod holding the Matrix of Leadership.
References
External links
Categories:
- Pages using duplicate arguments in template calls
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- Unreleased toys
- Upcoming toy releases
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- Armada characters
- Beast Wars Neo characters
- Cybertron Decepticons
- Dark of the Moon Decepticons
- Energon characters
- Generation 1 characters
- Generation 1 Decepticons
- Generations
- Planet X
- Platinum Edition
- Prime Decepticons
- Robots in Disguise (2001) Decepticons
- Robot Heroes
- Titanium Series
- Toys "R" Us exclusives
- Transformers (2010) Decepticons
- Unicron
- United Decepticons
- Universe (2008)
