Unreleased toy

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For every Transformer that makes it to store shelves, there are always some that fall by the wayside. Lines get canceled, retailers back off on exclusives, designs go over budget, focus groups pass on a concept, or maybe they just weren't cool enough. Regardless of the whys and wherefores, this article aims to document the unreleased toys that never quite saw retail.

Note that this list will likely never be "complete," as for every concept design that makes it into collectors' hands, a countless number wind up in the garbage can.

(Quick! Get to the landfill outside Pawtucket and START DIGGING.)

Notable examples

Regular releases

Generation 1

Concepts

Rock Bots

Concept art

Yup, they wanted to make me, but oh well.

A Headmaster version of Arcee, based on a redecoed Chromedome.

New Rodimus

Skywarp/Megatron Triple Changer.

Megatron/Galvatron Triple Changer.

Big Bang

A Rodimus figure with a strange design and transformation. It is believed that the Target exclusive transforming Optimus Prime gift card is based on this figure, as it is similar in design and transformation.

A "Decepticon Stingray" revealed in Transformers Vault. Though the image caption identifies it as "an unreleased and nameless Decepticon Headmaster", the artwork shown does not appear to agree with the "Headmaster" description.

Prototypes

Arcee in her original design

Unicron wanted a toy, but his bargaining posture was highly dubious.

Two Unicron prototypes were created during G1, neither saw full release.

Diaclone Triple Changer - His design was later used for Dropshot.

Double Pretenders

A Micromaster carrier-base, which has some similarities to the released Rocket Base.

Toys

The tank Deluxe Vehicle.

Generation "1.5"

"Hi, I'm the Bonecrusher-Bonecrusher fuzor!"

(This section is about the line available in parts of the world (most prominently Europe) between the US G1 and G2 lines.)

Concept art

Generation 2

Prototypes

General Optimus Prime and Sgt. Hound

Two additional Auto Rollers that eventually wound up as Beast Wars II Autojetter and Autolauncher.

Greasepit

Cyberjets retooled with armored limbs and larger weapons.

Block Town series

Two new-sculpt Go-Bots

G.I. Joe Transformer

A version of Mirage in green and pink

A version of Starscream in jungle colors. Whether this figure would have actually been Starscream or not is unknown.

A version of Starscream in a black deco. Whether this figure would have actually been Starscream or not is unknown.

A version of Ramjet in sky blue colors. Whether this figure would have actually been Ramjet or not is unknown.

Sandstorm

The four "flipchanger" sculpts which were later released as Machine Wars Megatron/Megaplex, Skywarp/Thundercracker, Hoist/Hubcap and Mirage/Prowl.

Motormaster

Hot Spot

Packaged samples (test packaging)

Four new-sculpt Go-Bots, packaged on High Beam cards. One of them would have been Rumble.

Packaged samples (final packaging)

"Combat Hero" redecoes of the two G2 Hero sculpts: Optimus Prime in a dark-blue and red color scheme, and Megatron in a gray and black camouflage.

Laser Cycle Jazz

Laser Cycle Soundwave

"ATB" Megatron with Starscream

"ATB" Megatron was released to test markets in Ohio in very limited quantities, but was never available as a wide release.

All of the Stunticon limbs except for Breakdown, who was released as a BotCon 1994 exclusive.

All of the Protectobot limbs.

Beast Wars

One of *the* most well-known unreleased toys.

Concept art

Transmetals Dinobot

Prototypes

Beast Wars Neo Unicron

Packaged samples

Ramulus (green version)

Transtech

Concept art

Megatron; unsure whether this would have been the G1 or beast era character.
Depth Charge
Shockwave
Silverbolt
Soundwave
Blackarachnia
Nightscream
Immorticon

Prototypes

Armada

Prototypes

Packaged samples

Alternators/Binaltech

Concepts

Bumblebee (Volkswagen New Beetle)
Cliffjumper (Volkswagen New Beetle, retool of Bumblebee with different weapon and new head)
Tracks (Dodge Viper SRT-10; body ended up as Side Swipe, head was used for Chevrolet Corvette Tracks)
Trailbreaker (Jeep Wrangler; was released as Swindle in different colors instead)
Windcharger (Ford Mustang, retool of Grimlock with new head; body ended up as Wheeljack, head was used for Decepticharge)

Prototypes

Jazz (Porsche 986 Boxster)
Smokescreen (Subaru Impreza WRX, Deluxe-sized)
Autobot Tracks (Chevrolet Corvette Z06, yellow version; intended to be released by Hasbro with a running change to blue later down the road, but ultimately only released in blue; yellow version released in Japan)
Blackwidow (Honda S2000, prototype sporting the long gun barrel and right-hand steering wheel of Binaltech Overdrive and the head sculpt, hardtop roof and rear spoiler of Alternators Decepticharge, originally announced as Wildrider but then given a deco based on Beast Wars Blackarachnia; ultimately released in Japan in new colors as Binaltech Arcee)

Smallest Transforming Transformers

Prototypes

Skids
Tracks
Stock and silencer accessories for Megatron

Attacktix

Prototypes

Uh... the entire second wave, pretty much.

Universe (2003)

Prototypes

Menasor - a redeco of Thunder Clash as the Stunticon leader.

Energon

Packaged samples

Mini-Cons Brakedown, Override, and Clocker were originally intended to come with Energon Ultra Magnus, but were swapped out at essentially the last possible minute for a redecoed Space Mini-Con Team. (The Street Speed Mini-Cons are still listed on both sides of the US packaging, though the European version and the Japanese "USA Edition" release both fixed that to different degrees.)

Titanium Series

Prototypes

Soundblaster redeco of Soundwave with Ravage
Primal Prime redeco of Optimal Optimus
Arcee
War Within Bumblebee
War Within Cliffjumper (Bumblebee redeco/retool with a new head sculpt)
Cosmos
Shockwave

Revoltech

Prototypes

Energon Optimus Prime

Cybertron

Concepts

Landslide

Prototypes

More Mini-Con partners for Soundwave
A Scrapmetal redeco

Classics

Concepts

Prototypes

A Deluxe Class Optimus Prime that looks a lot like the Voyager Class version, with fixed on knee parts.^[1] Apparently, an early plan was for this toy to be released without a trailer at the Deluxe price point, and with a trailer at the Voyager price point.^[2] It's unclear whether the trailer ever made it past the early planning stage before the decision was made to uspscale Optimus to Voyager size.

Animated

Prototypes

Toxic Oil Slick
Fugitive Waspinator
Vortex Blurr
Mercenary Swindle
Hydrodrive Bumblebee (Voyager Class, released in Japan)
Goldfire Grimlock (Voyager Class)
Blackout (released in Japan)
Wingblade Optimus Prime (Voyager Class, released in Japan)
Electromagnetic Soundwave (Activator)

Packaged samples

Thundercracker (Voyager Class)
Mudbuster Bulkhead (Voyager Class)

United

Prototypes

Glyph from Classics/Henkei! Henkei! Bumblebee
Detritus (with Ravage?) from Universe/Henkei! Henkei! Hound

Transformers (2010)

Packaged samples

Bodyblock (Breacher redeco)
Demolition Rumble (sculpt/character released under United in Japan)
Downshift (Hubcap redeco)

Generations

Prototypes

Reflector (alternate pretool head sculpt for 2010 Transformers Reveal the Shield Perceptor, later used by TakaraTomy for Generations Magnificus)
Beast Wars Megatron (alternate pretool head sculpt for Generations Fall of Cybertron Grimlock)

Movie Trilogy Series

Packaged samples

Wheeljack (redeco colored as an homage to Generation 1 Wheeljack, using the toy's alternate head)

Prototypes

Bumblebee (redeco of Nitro Bumblebee)
Ratchet (redeco colored as an homage to Generation 1 Ratchet)
Soundwave (redeco colored as an homage to Generation 1 Soundblaster)

Prime

Prototypes

A redeco and retool of Deluxe Class Ratchet with the toy's alternate head, possibly as the Prime version of Gears
A Hasbro release of Deluxe Class Ironhide (released in Japan)
A redeco and retool of Deluxe Class Rumble with the toy's alternate head as Frenzy

Exclusives

Conventions

Transcon

Concepts

Albitron and Swoop. These figures were advertised as convention exclusives by Men in Black Productions, but never materialized.

OTFCC

Concepts

Brawn
Devcon
Megatron (post-Beast Machines)
Roadbuster

Prototypes

Defensor
A limited repaint of Defensor as Midnight Shield Defensor
Alpha Trion
Fractyl
Devcon

Wonder Festival

Packaged samples

Intended for the Henkei! Henkei! toyline, a black redeco of the Classics Optimus Prime mold, but as a black version of the heroic Convoy character with Autobot faction symbols, not a Nemesis Prime/Black Convoy character. TakaraTomy designer Shogo Hasui said this figure was canceled for release because it was too similar to Universe Nemesis Prime. Years later the figure would have its deco changed slightly (the metallic blue into teal and the front bumper painted silver instead of unpainted) and its faction symbols switched. It was released as Black Optimus Prime (instead of Convoy) for Tokyo Toy Fair 2012 under the United toyline.