Vintage
Vintage G1 is a series of Generation 1 reissues from Hasbro which began in 2018. Packaged in Generation 1-styled boxes complete with fonts, classic box art and Tech Spec, the figures evoke the look and feel of the original The Transformers toyline, from the era of the franchise's emergence as a cultural phenomenon.
Background
Most of the figures have been exclusive to Walmart in the United States and Canada, but have also been released at general retail in Asia, and the first wave of the "Legion Class" assortment has been available in Australia, exclusive to clothing chain CottonOn. (Singapore got most toys at general retail, except for the "Legion Class" figures, which were available from the Singaporean branch of CottonOn… although the Bumblebee reissue was also offered as a "Combo" freebie at Golden Village movie theaters.) The toys themselves hew closely to the original releases, mostly using The Transformers Collection variants, incorporating subtle differences for safety or other reasons. These toys also sport a new type of rubsign, with a mirror-like silver border, and solid-red insignia rather than the "mood ring" multicolored variety of past rubsigns. Like their original releases, many include sticker sheets for the customer to apply, enhancing the maddening, hair-pulling warm nostalgic experience.
The default packaging is bilingual (English/French) so the toys can be sold in Quebec; however, it's not based on the original bilingual Canadian packaging for those toys from the 1980s, which looked even more cluttered (not least because it gave every character an additional French name). The only exceptions to this thus far are the Australian/Singaporean CottonOn exclusive releases of the "Legion Class" figures, which were available in multilingual packaging intended for the European market for whatever reason, which looks insanely cluttered.
After the release of Hot Rod and Starscream, Hasbro responded to wails feedback from customers, rounding off the boxflap corners on the packaging for the Optimus Prime and Soundwave releases.
Of particular note is that this is the first release of the original Bumblebee figure that's officially identified as a licensed Volkswagen product on its packaging, no doubt taking advantage of the existing licensing deal with the German car manufacturer thanks to the Masterpiece figure and in particular the accompanying toy line for the live action Bumblebee movie. Bumblebee also uses the retooled cartoon-accurate head originally created by Takara for their Transformers Collection reissue line, whereas Optimus Prime is packaged without his trailer or Roller.
List of Vintage G1 figures
Legion Class
| Wave 1 (2018) | Wave 2 (2019) |
Cassettes
| Wave 1 (2019) | Hasbro Pulse exclusives
|
 |
Large figures
2018
|
2019
|
2020 |  |
Notes
- The name "Vintage G1" doesn't appear anywhere on the toys' packaging. It was used in a Hasbro-initiated IGN article (read: advertorial) that officially announced the launch of the line in July of 2018[1], as well as in product titles and official product descriptions for the individual toys on Walmart's US and Canadian websites.
- In December 2018, Hasbro held a fan poll to decide a Spring 2020 release in the Vintage G1 toyline.[2][3] Astrotrain won over Perceptor, Thundercracker, and Skywarp.[4]
- In May 2019, Hasbro held another fan poll to decide another 2020 release in the Vintage G1 toyline.[5] Blaster won over Skywarp, receiving 56% of the vote.
References
- ↑ IGN article announcing the Vintage G1 line.
- ↑ https://www.allspark.com/2018/12/g1-reissue-vote-announced/
- ↑ https://www.allspark.com/2018/12/g1-reissue-poll-open-on-instagram/
- ↑ https://www.allspark.com/2018/12/astrotrain-wins-g1-reissue-vote/
- ↑ https://www.allspark.com/2019/05/hasbro-launches-2020-g1-reissue-poll/
