Pre-Transformers
| This article is about the fandom term for toys derived from lines that existed before Transformers. For the cartoon character called "Pre-Transformer" in the script, see Guardian Prime. |
In fan terminology, pre-Transformers is an umbrella term for the Diaclone and Micro Change toylines, as well as for the original, non-Transformers-branded versions of such toys as Jetfire and the Mini-spies; all of which originally made up the entirety of the original Transformers toyline for (roughly) the first two years of its run. Some of these figures also sported different color schemes than their more well-known Transformers counterparts. In many instances, future reissues of these figures or new toys of those characters would be redecoed to homage the pre-Transformers color schemes originally unused in the Transformers franchise.
By 1986, almost all of the pre-Transformers toy-molds that made up the original Transformers toyline had started to trickle out in favor of the all-new molds based on Floro Dery's concept artwork designed for The Transformers: The Movie, though, a few unutilized Diaclone concepts, as well as retools of previously-released pre-Transformers molds from Takara found their way into the mix. By 1987, the Hasbro Transformers line (1992 in the Takara line) had reached the point where only original molds were being produced.
Pre-Transformers lines
Released in Hasbro & Takara's Transformers toylines
Released in Hasbro's Transformers toyline only
- Takara
- Kronoform (first released as its own toyline, later rebranded into a Transformers subline)
- Mech Soldier — Mini-spies
- Toybox — "Super Change Robo Mechabot-1" (Omega Supreme) and Sky Lynx (never actually released prior to the Transformers version)
Released in Takara's Transformers toyline only
Released in South American Transformers toylines only
- Yonezawa Toys — "Remote Change Robo Series" (Eletrix)
- Asahi Corporation — "Attack Change Machine Powertron" (Bat-Robô)
- Best Join — "Radio Robot" (Confusingly, a knockoff that would later become Radio AM Robot)
Licensed international releases of pre-Transformers
Hasbro's Transformers line was originally just one of several international venues for many of these figures. It was only when Transformers became such a huge worldwide success that it completely eclipsed these other versions, resulting in weird transitional phases in many instances. Some of these are frequently mistaken for knockoffs (not helped by the fact that there are knockoffs of these versions as well!).
United States
- Takara
- Diakron (featuring Diaclone figures, including the Powerdashers that were first named as such here)
- Kronoform (again, later rebranded into a Transformers subline)
- RadioShack — "Galactic Man" (a version of Shockwave's mold)
- Village Toys — Convert-A-Bots, featuring "N-4-SR" (another version of Shockwave's mold in two different color schemes) and Pow-R-Bots (featuring Turbo Z, Porsche, and Jeep as versions of Esporte, Porsche, and Jipe's molds)
- Select — Convertors (featuring "Wheels" and "Chopper", plastic versions of Roadbuster and Whirl's molds, respectively)
- Ertl Company - Pow-R-Trons (featuring Zoomer and Turboid as versions of Turbo's mold and Distroid and Fy-Ton as versions of Pick-Up's mold)
United Kingdom
- Grandstand — Convertors (unrelated to Select's US line of the same name; featuring "Omegatron", a version of Omega Supreme's mold in its original Mechabot-1 colors)
- Tandy — "Galactic Man" (almost identical to RadioShack's version, due to both being owned by the same parent company)
Italy
- GiG — Trasformer (featuring Diaclone and Micro Change figures, some of them already in their unique Transformers colors; as well as "Megarobot", a version of Omega Supreme's mold)
Germany
- GAMA — "Trans Robot" (a version of Omega Supreme's mold very similar to Grandstand's "Omegatron", with the packaging design being close to Toybox's original Mechabot-1 version, but with the "Trans Robot" logo taking some cues from Hasbro's "Transformers" logo, also replacing the tank's long barrel with a radar dish because no war toys for you, German kids!)
France
- Joustra — Diaclone (featuring Takara Diaclone and Micro Change figures, some of them already sporting Autobot and Decepticon insignia stickers)
- Orli Jouet — "Robotrack" (featuring "Mecabot", a nigh-identical version of Omega Supreme in Hasbro colors, possibly produced as part of a partnership with GiG, with the TV commercial even featuring footage from the Transformers cartoon)
Finland
- Takara — Diaclone (featuring Diaclone figures, including a unique black version of Tracks's mold)
Honorable mentions
- There is a credible case that the unreleased Mysterians toyline from American company Knickerbocker Toys was the origin point for the not-Choro-Q-inspired figures in the first wave of Generation 1 Mini-Vehicles - those being Brawn, Gears, Huffer, and Windcharger. These designs were shown in internal Knickerbocker documents in 1982, then Hasbro purchased Knickerbocker in 1983 and the molds were released in Micro Change in 1983. But the chronology is not entirely clear, because Takara designer Masaki Maruyama is typically credited as designing these figures (as well as the other Mini-Vehicles). Perhaps Knickerbocker designed the toys and Maruyama's attributed credits are wrong... or early Takara designs were at first licensed to Knickerbocker for a release that never happened... or the two companies were designing them in tandem. Conclusive details about who gets full credit for such obscure unreleased products from a long-defunct company are likely lost to time.
- Notably, the other non-pre-Transformers Mysterians designs would eventually get released by a different company called Marchon (also under the Mysterians name), although it is unknown what (if any) deal they cut with Hasbro and/or the late Knickerbocker.
Post-Generation 1 releases
As Hasbro and Takara would eventually make newer Transformers toylines throughout the following decades, they would also rely on all-new original toy designs, with both companies therefore mostly leaving the old pre-Transformers molds to the realm of occasional commemorative reissue toylines (and neither company ever again releasing rebranded non-Hasbro / Takara toys as Transformers, like Hasbro had formerly done with Macross, Dorvack, and Beetras). Nonetheless, there would still be a few instances of figures and decos from pre-Transformers toylines making their way into future Transformers toylines after the end of Generation 1.
Pre-Transformers figures released after Generation 1
Oddly, a few extra Micro Change toys would be released as Transformers during the 90s:
- MC-06 Watch Robo (Autobot, released in 1993 under the Transformers: Generation 2 toyline.)
- Meteor Robo figures (Egg Beasts, retooled and released in 1998 under the Japanese Transformers: Beast Wars toyline.)
Pre-Transformers decos released after Generation 1
A large portion of decos for the classic molds in some of the aforementioned reissue toylines would be directly based on their Diaclone equivalents.
- Diaclone
- Powered Convoy (Ultra Magnus Yokokuhen Version, released in the 2001 Toy Festival)
- No.21 Corvette Stingray (Road Rage, released in 2002 by e-HOBBY)
- No. 6 Honda City R (Crosscut, released in 2002 by e-HOBBY)
- No.19 New Countach LP500S Police Car Type (Clampdown, released in 2003 by e-HOBBY)
- Powered Convoy DX Set (Deep Cover, released in 2003 by e-HOBBY)
- Finnish Diaclone Corvette Stingray (Black Tracks, released in 2003 as a Lucky Draw prize)
- No.15 New Countach LP500S (Tigertrack, released in 2003 as a Figure Ō magazine mail order item)
- Insecter Robos (Zaptrap, Salvo, and Shothole, released in 2004 by e-HOBBY)
- No. 1 Jet Fighter Type (Overcharge, released in 2005 by e-HOBBY)
- Micro Change
- MC-13 Gun Robo Walther P-38 U.N.C.L.E. (Megatron Black Version, released in 2001 by e-HOBBY)
- MC-20 Micro Scope (Magnificus, released in 2005 by e-HOBBY)
Notably, most of these releases would canonize said decos as all-new characters, a good portion of which would get future modern toys in toylines like Masterpiece and the "CHUG" ensemble!
Notes
- The act of licensing out Japanese transforming robot toys (and robot toys in general) to Western markets appears to have started with the toy manufacturer, Popy (ポピー). Popy started off as a part of Bandai, but separated from them in 1971 to explore other avenues, creating lines such as the Popynica line, which made toys for the Kamen Rider franchise, and the Chogokin line, which made toys for franchises such as Mazinger Z. The toys released in these two lines ended up being licensed out to Mattel as part of their popular Shogun Warriors franchise in the 70s. Popy is also credited by many as being the inventors of robot-to-vehicle transforming toys (although not the inventors of transforming robots as a genre, as that honor would belong to Yonezawa's quirky battery-powered "Space Explorer" toy with its TV set alternate mode instead), with their figure of the titular character of Brave Raideen in 1975 which was also licensed out to Mattel. All of this would eventually lead to the creation of the Machine Robo toyline—but due to the declining popularity of robot toys in the very early-80s—Popy was reintegrated into Bandai in 1983, which thus led to the partnership between Bandai and Tonka, that created GoBots.
- As mentioned above, Hasbro's once-rival, Tonka, teamed up with Bandai in 1983, to create the GoBots franchise using licensed-out Machine Robo toys. Much like Takara's attempts at releasing their products in Western markets through the Diakron and Kronoform lines, Bandai attempted the same thing with Machine Robo, releasing the Robo Machine and Robo Machines lines in Europe; the Machine Men and Robot Machine Men lines in America and Canada, respectively; and the (unrelated) Machine Men line in Australia—all of which had varying degrees of success, and ran concurrently with one another.
- The Action Master Treadshot's design was inspired by a toy originally manufactured by Sunmayor Ohkawa (サンマーヤ大川) Co., Ltd., the "357 Magnum Robo" (357マグナムロボ). It was later called the "Highway Patrol Robo" and released in GiG's Trasformer line in Italy. It was even covered in Takara's Takara SF Land Collection Complete Works toy book for unknown reasons.
