Unofficial guidebooks
For a property as successful and enduring as Transformers, there have been surprisingly few officially-licensed publications that catalogued the history and diversity of the franchise--and even fewer in English. Fans and publishers in the toy collecting industry have attempted to fill this gap over the years with unofficial works of varying scope, production quality, and accuracy.
Transformers: Ten-Year Retrospective
A fanzine assembled by David Kolodny-Nagy and distributed at the very first BotCon in 1994.
Transformers: Japanese Missions
Fanzine by Fumihiko Akiyama distributed at BotCon 1995. Though it's nothing compared to Akiyama's later work, it was notable in its time for being the first comprehensive checklist and image gallery of Japanese-exclusive Transformer products, written almost entirely in English. It covered the Japanese variant versions of G1 items such as white Astrotrain, then all of Headmasters, Super-God Masterforce, Victory, Zone, Return of Convoy, and Operation Combination. The pamphlet ended on an intriguing note, with images of new "armored" versions of the Cyberjets meant for a then-upcoming Japanese extension to the Generation 2 toyline, though in fact they were never released.
Cybertronian: The Unofficial Transformers Recognition Guide
Published by Antarctic Press from 2001-2002, Cybertronian: The Unofficial Transformers Recognition Guide is an unofficial (surprise, surprise!) but highly useful guide to American-released Transformers up to and including the first waves of Beast Wars. Although not authorised by Hasbro/Takara and thus technically a fan-publication, it was nevertheless the first book (sorta) of its kind and remains one of the most comprehensive English-language sources on the pre-Beast Era toylines of Generation 1, Generation 2 and Machine Wars.
BotCon Legends
A high quality fanzine written and published by Fumihiko Akiyama in 2004, with input from Jon Hartman, Karl Hartman, and others. Written in both Japanese and English. It covers the official convention from 1994 to 2004 in the U.S., Japan, and Europe, and includes guest interviews, event and panel summaries, and picture spreads of the events themselves and their exclusive merchandise. Its glossy, magazine-quality photo galleries are especially notable for their emphasis on the unproduced toys and concept art displayed at various conventions over the years. The book excludes OTFCC 2003 and 2004.
TransManual
Two books were released by Mark A. Kimmel who did all the photography and editing himself in 2002. These books are somewhat unique in that as well as featuring the mottos, parts and variants they are currently the only books to feature the line-art featuring the package art AND alternate modes from the toys' instruction sheets.
- Transformers Generation 1 Trans Manual Part 1: 1984-1986
Cover is a single image of spare G1 parts (Seeker wings and the like).
- Transformers Generation 1 Trans Manual Part 2: 1987-1990
Cover features fan art of Unicron attacking Cybertron.
Prime Targets
Perhaps unique among all unofficial guidebooks, Prime Targets (written by Lars Pearson, published by Mad Norwegian Press) was not meant to be a toy catalogue or retrospective, instead approaching the franchise from a story-based perspective. The book is hundreds of pages long and has almost no illustrations at all, and the very few illustrations it does have are of completely generic robotic figures, so as not to risk legal action from Hasbro. The book consisted of summaries and fan commentary of every single episode in the Generation 1, Beast Wars, and Beast Machines cartoon series, and every issue of the Marvel, Marvel UK, and Blackthorne comic books. The author shows a strong and pervasive disdain for Beast Machines. Perhaps more noteworthy, the author also includes a sub-section in each episode review called "Bumpin' Bumpers," which consists of every imaginable bit of sexual innuendo that one can reference from each episode. These segments seem to have been heavily shaped by the author's wildly active imagination and, at the same time, probable unfamiliarity with the English language. For example, in the description of Five Faces of Darkness, there is a "Bumpin' Bumpers" notation that Dead End's cry "What difference does it make if death comes from the front or the rear? Death is death!" means that, since French philosophers referred to orgasm as "the little death," Dead End was talking about anal sex. No, seriously. Stranger still, there is no "Bumpin' Bumpers" segment at all for "The Agenda", despite Rattrap's bold jokes about Silverbolt and Blackarachnia's "positions."
A Prime Targets II, set to cover the Japanese series, was announced but has yet to appear.
Vital statistics
ISBN 157032901X
ISBN 978-1570329012
Pagecount: 320
Publisher: Mad Norwegian Press
Date published: January 21, 2002
Transformers and Philosophy: More than Meets the Mind
This unique book--part of Open Court Publishing's "Popular Culture and Philosophy" series--examines Transformers media and character concepts from a philosophical and moral point of view. It was pretty clearly released to tie in with the increased popular interest in Transformers since the live-action movie franchise came out. The book, edited by John R. Shook and Liz Stillwagon Swan, is an anthology of essays that compare various Transformers media and themes to the writings of well-known philosophers, as well as tackling questions such as non-human emotions, the nature of probable alien life, and how even professional academics who never heard of Transformers until last year think Kiss Players is gross. The majority of Transformers material cited comes from the 2007 live-action movie, but there is also a great deal of examination of the Generation 1 cartoon and comic, as well as an occasional Beast Wars reference. In multiple essays, various authors accept without controversy that Transformers form romantic attachments with each other. Essay topics include "Will we meet Optimus Prime in heaven?", "Megatron, Fascist Philosopher," and "Beyond Good? Beyond Evil? Beyond your Wildest Imagination?" Another essay, "Optimus Prime in Therapy," takes the form of a fanfic by Swan in which she plays the role of psychoanalyst for that character after he is plunged into a depression by the death of Jazz.
Though the book is not licensed by Hasbro, its cover illustration and fonts are.
Vital statistics
ISBN 0812696670
ISBN 978-0812696677
Pagecount: 384
Publisher: Open Court
Date published: May 12, 2009
Mark Bellomo Books
- Transformers: Identification and Price Guide
Developed by Krause Publications, written by Mark Bellomo this guide lists every American Generation 1 toy released from 1984-1990. Each chapter covers a year with a short intro, though the 1984 intro is longer, as it includes a section on Pre-Transformers, the 1984 overview, and the franchise's success. It then lists all of the Autobot subgroups in a somewhat random order, then the Decepticon subgroups in a similar fashion. Each character is listed in alphabetical order within its correct subgroup with its original Tech Specs and bios, as well as commentary by the author, full-color photos, and the occasional comparison (e.g., Frenzy's gold versus silver guns). It draws heavily on the Dreamwave continuity in its description of the characters, as well as the MTMTE profile books.
- Warman's Transformers Field Guide: Values and Identification
A much smaller (but thick) handbook to accompany the above book. It features nowhere near the same amount of information, and has several errors within.
Vital statistics
Transformers: Identification and Price Guide
ISBN 0896894452
ISBN 978-0896894457
Pagecount: 256
Publisher: Krause Publications
Date published: May 9, 2007
Warman's Transformers Field Guide: Values and Identification
ISBN 089689584X
ISBN 978-0896895843
Pagecount: 512
Publisher: Krause Publications
Date published: April 25, 2007
J. E. (Rikki) Alavarez books
- Unofficial Guide to Transformers: 1980s Through 1990s
Actually preceding the Cybertronian guides by a year this book is arguably the first Transformers-only toy guide. It featured many photos from the author's own collection (and some of his friends). Unfortunately not every toy is photographed, and a lot are missing their accessories. There is a good first chapter on the Diaclone and Micro Change lines. There were two editions. The first featured Fortress Maximus on the cover. The second had an updated price guide (but no new photos) and features a variety of the 1984 Autobots on the cover.
- The Unofficial Guide to Japanese and International Transformers
A follow-on to the above book featuring toys that were (more or less) exclusive to Japan and the European markets. Probably the only book in the west to describe the Japanese TV series and toys in English.
- Beast Wars Transformers: The Unofficial Guide with Price Guide
- Transformers Collectibles: Unofficial Guide
A hardback book featuring photos of all sorts of Transformers memorabilia such as comics, statues, lunchboxes, bed linen, etc. Also features a price guide, which was dubious at the time of release (2003) and is somewhat out of date now.
Vital statistics
Unofficial Guide to Transformers: 1980s Through 1990s
ISBN 0764312820
ISBN 978-0764313646
Pagecount: 160
Publisher: Schiffer Publishing
Date published: August 30, 2001
The Unofficial Guide to Japanese and International Transformers
ISBN 0764312820
ISBN 978-0764312823
Pagecount: 160
Publisher: Schiffer Publishing
Date published: March 2001
Beast Wars Transformers: The Unofficial Guide with Price Guide
ISBN 0764315129
ISBN 978-0764315121
Pagecount: 192
Publisher: Schiffer Publishing
Date published: August 30, 2002
Transformers Collectibles: Unofficial Guide
ISBN 0764319523
ISBN 978-0764319525
Pagecount: 192
Publisher: Schiffer Publishing
Date published: August 30, 2003
Lee's Toy Review
This magazine has published several pull-out photo guides of various American Transformer series over the years.
