Chase figure

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Smallest Transforming Transformers Hot Rod, packed at one per each case of 24 figures. Shown here with the no-longer-blind packaging from an eventual non-"chase" re-release

A chase figure is a toy that is released in highly limited amounts relative to the rest of an assortment, often something like "one chase figure per every X number of cases of regular product". The name comes from the assumption that collectors, in their need to "collect them all" will put in more effort than usual to "chase" down said toys. Although they are fairly common in other collectors' series, especially with the rising popularity of blind-packed collectibles in the West, chase figures are relatively rare in the Transformers toylines, often themselves limited to assortments that utilize blindpacking to varying degrees.

Of course, these definitions are fuzzy, and in some circumstances the distinction between a chase figure and a "shortpacked" figure (generally considered a toy found in every case of the assortment but typically only one per case where others are 2 or more) is a blurred, particularly if the toyline itself makes a big deal out of specific toys' rarity.

See also: Lucky Draw figure

Toylines with "chase" figures

Super Collection Figure

"Reincarnation Megatron"
Main article: Super Collection Figure

The first Transformers toy/merchandise line to use the chase figure concept, Takara's Super Collection Figure line is a series of blindpacked soft-plastic PVC figurines faithfully based on the animation models of characters from across the series, a fairly rare thing at the time. Each display case has twelve figures, with six full-color figurines, then those six again in either all-clear or pewter-painted variation. Two out of every ten display cases, however, would replace one of the full-color figures with one of two different "Secret Figures", typically a redeco of one of the other figures in the assortment. Often these were just fancier versions of characters in metallic paint, or in a very scene-specific deco, and/or holding a new accessory of some sort, but a few were new characters or extensively reworked with new parts, making them highly desirable to collectors.

Acts 3 through 8 also had "build a figure" parts added into the mix, where pieces to a larger figure were split up and packed with multiple figures in the case. While most of these appeared in roughly four cases out of ten per Act, a few can definitely be considered chases: the full-color and clear Fortress Maximus figures were each only in one in ten cases, pewter Grand Maximus in only two out of ten, and the pewter Victory Saber add-on parts also in only two of ten cases.

When Hasbro brought the figures over as Heroes of Cybertron, several of the more notable/desirable chase figures got released as normal figures. However, the Heroes releases are all different from the SCF versions to varying degrees (the fundamental difference being painted-over clear-plastic rather than solid colored plastic), so while this did drop the demand for the original chases in the West, it didn't really do a lot to the prices for the originals anyway.

Act 1 (12-2000)
Sortie! Cybertrons chapter 		Act 2 (3-2001)
2010 chapter 		Act 3 (6-2001)
The Headmasters chapter 		Act 4 (9-2001)
Resurrection of Convoy chapter
Yeah, good luck with either of these two.
The reveal of chase-figure Dirge made a lot of team-completion-minded people... less than happy.
Act 5 (12-2001)
Super-God Masterforce chapter 		Act 6 (2-2002)
Road to Earth chapter 		Act 7 (5-2002)
Victory chapter 		Act 8 (8-2002)
Overseers of Justice chapter[1]
Act 9 (12-27-2002)
Legends of the Microns Series 1 chapter 		Act 10 (3-2003)
Legends of the Microns Series 2 chapter


MyClone

Main article: MyClone


If you build it, they will play.

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Smallest Transforming Transformers

Main article: Smallest Transforming Transformers


Micromaster

Main article: The Transformers: Micromaster


Micron Booster

Saber, the first of (thankfully few) chase Microns.
Main article: Micron Booster

Takara's Micron Booster series was a series of redecoed Mini-Cons (called "Microns" in Japan), sold in blindpacked boxes primarily through convenience stores from 2003 to 2007. While the first two assortments had an even one-per-case of every Mini-Con, the third (labeled "Vol.2", just go with it) introduced a one-per-two cases chase figure, which continued into the following waves, the last assortment going a step further with two chase figures, each at one per two cases.

Due to some manufacturing kerfuffles, it was possible to buy a solid case of Micron Booster Ver.3 and not even get all the non-chase figures: some of the Microns were doubled up rather than the usual one-per-case, presumably because they were gang-molded with other toys sold at normal retail and Takara wanted/needed to get rid of their larger numbers somehow. No pattern so far has been determined as to who got replaced in any given case. So while none of the other figures in that assortment are technically chases, several of them kind could be considered chases by accident.


BotBots

Of these three packs, only the one on the right has a "Winner's Circle" BotBot in the blindpacked bubble: Goldie Terrortwirl, who does not appear in any other package in the entire Series. The other fourteen bots in these packages can also be found in other packs in the Series.
Main article: Transformers: BotBots

As BotBots is itself modeled after the trade-encouraging blind-packed mini-collectible figures that were very popular in the mid-2010s (Shopkins being the big one), this line plays up the figures' relative rarity to the point where many of its figures can be considered "chase" toys. While buying a full case of each assortment will guarantee one of every possible figure, in most cases that's not strictly necessary: most figures in any given Series will be in two to three (an on rare occasion four!) different packages, leading to a lot of redundancy, and a "recommended minimum buy" scheme has been worked out for each Series so you can skip buying a good number of the packs but still net you at least one of every BotBot, including all the ones who only appear in a single package.

For Series 1 through 3, the supposed "chase" figures were the Lost Bots, who could only be found in the blind-packed portions of the varying packages. However, most of these were found in multiple different packs, so they don't quite count. In Series 4, they were replaced with the Winner's Circle Bots, who truly were rarer, with only one of each golden trophy Bot found in only one blindpacked section across the entire Series, with some "common" BotBots showing up in the blindpacked bubbles as well. These were followed by the multicolored Oil Slicks in Series 6. The contents of these bubbles are not randomized though, making the task of collecting them all a bit easier.

There are also single-Bot blindpacks, which arrive in cases of twenty-four, and each one is a different BotBot, no multiples. In each series, there are several BotBots who are found only in the single-pack assortment, including characters from the aforementioned "rare" teams, so yeah, under those circumstances, we're gonna call 'em chase figures. Luckily, each package has a small, easily-missed code on the back that tells you what's in the package (if you know the code), so at least that frustration is lessened somewhat as well.

We're... not going to go over every one-per-entire Series figure here. It's a lot. Quite a lot. Best to check the main BotBots toyline page for a complete breakdown.

  1. ↑ 正義を統べる者編
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