Titanium Series
The Titanium Series is a multi-property brand line of partially die-cast figures produced under Hasbro's Galoob brand as a subdivision of Micro Machines. Originally consisting entirely of Star Wars vehicles of various sizes, it has since expanded into Battlestar Galactica vehicles, Marvel Comics characters and Transformers.
Transformers Titanium Series figures are produced in two size classes:
- Robot Masters are 3-inch, non-transformable, die-cast figurines of Transformers characters from various past and present toy lines.
- Cybertron Heroes are 6-inch, transformable, partially die-cast toys, representing both pre-existing toy designs as well as all-new models by Don Figueroa.
Titaniums were developed by a separate branch of Hasbro from the normal Transformers team (who only have some input into character choices and looks), and they are also not engineered or "mech-designed" by TakaraTomy.
They are also not actually made of titanium.
Cancellation and loose ends
After the last three mass retail waves of the 6 inch figures had already seen poor distribution (they were only available at general retail in small numbers, and then only months after they had already been available from online retailers and specialty stores), Hasbro announced at BotCon in July 2007 that no new Titanium figures would be produced, and that the line would end after the upcoming release of figures already completed: Primal Prime, Soundblaster, Skywarp, War Within Grimlock, and War Within Prowl. But shortly thereafter, Hasbro said they no longer had plans to mass-produce or release any of those figures, and there was no further news for one year.
At BotCon 2008, Hasbro eventually revealed they had successfully "found homes" for several of those toys, all of them as exclusives: Skywarp was eventually released as a Hasbro Toy Shop exclusive in the summer of 2008 (also offered at San Diego Comic-Con at the same time), whereas War Within Grimlock and Prowl were made available as Toys"R"Us exclusives a month later. Primal Prime and Soundblaster will probably remain in limbo for the rest of eternity.
Several other 6 inch figures were canceled at much earlier stages in development: During the Hasbro Tour at the aforementioned BotCon 2007, Hasbro displayed resin prototypes of Arcee, Cosmos, Shockwave and War Within Bumblebee (with an additional Cliffjumper head for an intended redeco). This was purely for informational purposes, as they were very clear that the creation of metal tooling—the most expensive part of Transformer toy manufacture and thus the "threshold" step required for market release—had not been and would not be completed. The Transformers Collectors' Club roundtable suggested there "may still be hope" for these figures to be produced in some form as part of other toylines, and Hasbro has said they would particularly like to use something akin to their Cosmos design in an upcoming line. However, that boat appears to have been sailed by this point, even though new Cosmos figures were later released under the Universe and Generations lines.
In addition, Hasbro displayed four more non-transforming 3 inch figures — redecos of Side Swipe, Bumblebee and War Within Optimus Prime as Sunstreaker, Cliffjumper and Nemesis Prime, respectively, plus Soundwave as a new sculpt—at San Diego Comic-Con and BotCon 2006. With the exception of Nemesis Prime, they were even put up as product listings at Hasbro's official Transformers website, whereas Soundwave and Nemesis Prime were solicited to (now defunct) Australian online retailer Case Fresh. However, none of these toys ever appear to have made it to the mass production stage. Instead, Hasbro released three waves of 2007 Movie characters in the 3 inch assortment before canceling it altogether. Furthermore, numerous other 3 inch figures were also listed in an official catalog included with one of the last waves of the 6 inch toys, but no photos have ever surfaced, so it's possible they never made it past the planning stage.
Surprisingly, three new redecos of previously released 6 inch figures were released in 2009, to coincide with the 25 year anniversary of the Transformers brand, co-branded as part of the Universe line. Hot Zone, Thrust and Optimus Prime were all Target exclusives. In addition, three two-packs of redecos of the 3 inch Movie figures were released as Toys"R"Us exlusives under the Revenge of the Fallen header.
Releases
3" Robot Masters
Mass retail releases
| Wave 1 | Wave 2 | Wave 3 | Wave 4 | |||
| Wave 5 | Wave 6 | Wave 7 | Wave 8 (Movie wave 1) | |||
| Wave 9 (Movie wave 2) | Wave 10 (Movie wave 3) |
Exclusives
Costco
|
Target
|
Toys"R"Us
|
6" Cybertron Heroes
Mass retail releases
| Wave 1 | Wave 2 | Wave 3 | Wave 4 | |||
| Wave 5 | Wave 6
|
Wave 7 | Wave 8 |
Exclusives
| San Diego Comic Con/Hasbro Toy Shop | Toys"R"Us | Target |
Unreleased
Robot Masters
Solicited/pictured
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Solicited only
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Cybertron Heroes
Solicited/pictured
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Resin hardcopies only
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