Licensed vehicle alternate modes

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Though many (and some might even say most) Transformers toys are designed to resemble Earth vehicles, only a significant minority actually represent specific Earth vehicles, the majority having been fudged so as not to have to pay royalties to the actual owners of these vehicle designs.

The exception to this is when Hasbro, TakaraTomy or both acquire a license specifically to make a toy mold of a given vehicle. These licenses are most often with car manufacturers across the world, but have recently expanded to include aircraft and other military hardware.

The notion of Transformers toys being officially licensed replicas of vehicles is a fairly recent one, and even more recent in Hasbro and TakaraTomy actually embracing it with gusto. It can be a risky decision, as licenses need to be maintained and working relationships with the originating companies fostered. Molds whose licenses have expired are unable to remain in production, thus lessening the potential for redecos and remolds. As well, the companies granting the licenses often request a level of creative control over the characters created from their licensed property.

History

Generation 1

Robots in Disguise

Alternators/Binaltech

Hasbro and Takara finally jumped in with both feet in 2003, launching a toyline that was entirely composed of licensed vehicle modes. Much of this line was leveraged by the companies' growing relationship with the Chrysler corporation, with many of the figures being drawn from Chrysler vehicles.

The line hit some snags when it approached Porsche and Volkswagen with plans to make figures for Jazz and Bumblebee. Protypes were made, but Porsche refused to grant Hasbro and Takara the license, stating that "Transformers are not worthy carrying the Porsche trademark. They are war machines and the toyline in no way represents the lifestyle and ideas which Porsche represents."[1] As a consequence, the toy ultimately never went into production. Photos of the prototype were depicted in the Japanese book "The Transformers: Binaltech & TF Collection Complete Guide", and Hasbro later also displayed the prototype during the BotCon 2007 Hasbro Tour. Volkswagen had similar concerns as Porsche, what with not wanting to be associated with "war toys", therefore the design never made it past the control drawing stage. Control drawings for both Bumblebee and Cliffjumper have been published in the aforementioned Japanese BT guide book.

Eventually much of the Alternators, Binaltech, and derived toylines had to be taken out of production due to the expiration of the licenses which initially allowed their release.

Star Wars Transformers

Beginning in 2006, Hasbro leveraged its existing license to produce Star Wars toys for Lucasfilms with its ownership of the Transformers brand. The resulting toys were considered Transformers, but not Cybertronians and had no ties to prior franchise fiction. Rather, the figures were mecha piloted by Star Wars characters, and each included a "pilot" figure.

In 2008, Hasbro rolled this toyline into the greater umbrella of their new Transformers Crossovers brand.

2007 Movie

The advent of the 2007 live-action movie required licensing on a grand scale, as nearly all alternate modes featured in the film had to be at least nominally real-life vehicles. Hasbro reached what must be assumed to have been a very lucrative deal with General Motors, using vehicles from their product line almost exclusively.

However a new development in the official licensing of vehicle modes came in the fact that the movie used real-life military vehicles as well. Noteworthy inclusions are the Sikorsky MH-53 Pave Low helicopter, the Lockheed-Martin F-22 Raptor, the Bell Helicopter V-22 Osprey, and the Force Protection Buffalo mine-protected vehicle. All of these found their way into toy form, though not all were given screen time as actual characters.

Unfortunately, due to issues of vehicle-mode licensing and the fact that the robot designs are the shared intellectual property of DreamWorks, it is a virtual certainty that the Movie toys will never be made available as redecos in other franchises or as convention exclusives. So get 'em while the getting's good!

Toys with licensed vehicle alternate modes

Robots in Disguise

Universe

Alternators

Star Wars Transformers

2007 Movie

Crossovers

See also

References

  1. ↑ Former Porsche employee Additional recounting an informal inquiry with Porsche's licensing department at TF Archive
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