The Transformers toyline released in 1988 was a continuation of the diversification of the line and the integration of more gimmicks into the line. Ideas used from the previous year, like six changers, Headmasters, Targetmasters and toys that shot sparks were all carried over, and other new gimmicks were introduced, including Powermasters, which used small engine Nebulans to unlock the transformation of their partner, and Pretenders, simplified robots who fit into plastic shells to masquerade and humans or monsters depending on the faction. 1988 was also the first year that the Transformers toys were downsized, with returning gimmicks simplified and the overall size of the toys decreasing.
Powermaster Transformers – this evolution of the Nebulan partner concept involved small figures transforming into engines to unlock a part of the transformation. It’s also the series that brought Optimus Prime back to toy store shelves.[/size]
Optimus Prime made his big return to the toyline in 1988 as a Powermaster. Powermaster Optimus Prime was a tractor-trailer in the style of the original Optimus Prime, with the cab transforming into a robot and the trailer into a base as before, but this version was the first instance of Optimus Prime getting a “super mode” where he would combine with his trailer to form a larger, more powerful robot.
Six other Powermasters were released alongside Optimus Prime. The Autobots got Getaway, Slapdash and Joyride and the Decepticons got Darkwing and Dreadwind, while Doubledealer acted as a mercenary playing both sides. All seven Powermasters came with Nebulans who transformed into engines to unlock the transformation into robot mode. With these toys losing the Nebulan meant that you couldn’t transform your toy, unless you held down the button that the engine pressed up against as you moved the relevant part. The Decepticon jet duo Darkwing and Dreadwind notably could combine into a larger superjet, Dreadwing, the first example of a vehicular combiner in the Transformers toyline. Doubledealer like Punch / Counterpunch could switch between factions depending on which of his two Powermasters were plugged in to unlock different moving parts of his transformation.
Pretender Transformers were another new series for 1988. They involved simplified robots folding up to fit inside hard plastic shells of humans (for Autobots) or monsters (for Decepticons). The Decepticons had all the coolest shell designs, including Skullgrin and Bugly (pictured).
The other new theme for 1988 was the Pretenders. Pretenders were simplified Transformers whose robot forms had slender bodies yet disproportionately large heads, all the better for fitting inside the plastic shells they came with. The Autobot Pretenders had humans in spacesuits while the Decepticons had all kinds of monstrous creatures for their outer shells. While an interesting concept, the constraints of fitting into the plastic shells meant that the inner robots all looked the same, but for some different colors. Hasbro also introduced a few variations on the theme early on, with a group of four Pretenders with animal themed shells, and two others, Gunrunner and Roadgrabber, with vehicles that the robots could fit inside. These six had much better robot forms than the others and were generally better proportioned.
A selection of the other toys from the 1988 line, including Triggerbot Override and Triggercon Crankcase, Targetmasters Needlenose and Scoop, Sparkabot Guzzle, Firecon Flamefeather, Headmasters Nightbeat and Fangry and Seacons Tentakil and Skalor[/size]
1988 also was the year that the last of the “Scramble City” style combiners was released. The Seacons used the same universal peg and socket system as Superion and the rest in 1986, but took the theme further by including a sixth member in the team. The combiner was still formed by the core leader and four small figures as limbs, the fifth small figure would then form a gun for the combined warrior, Piranacon, to use. As a “Combiner Targetmaster”, Piranacon is a particularly cool example of a combining Transformer, and a fun crossing of ideas with the use of the Targetmaster concept.
The 1988 line also continued some of the more popular themes from the previous year. We’ve mentioned how the Doublespy concept was carried over in the form of Doubledealer, but 1988 also saw a second six changer, named Quickswitch who according to a commercial “was the son of Sixshot out to avenge his father’s wicked ways”. Headmasters and Targetmasters also carried over – with the Targetmasters each coming with two partner figures, which could be wielded individually or combined into a larger weapons. Spark-shooting toys also continued, with the Sparkabots and Firecons for the Autobot and Decepticon sides, respectively. Lastly, and not based on an existing gimmick, were the Triggerbots and Triggercons. The Triggers were simple toys which had push-button deployable weapons to represent “quick draw” gunfights. Notably, all of the returning gimmicks were downsized, simplified versions of the ones used in the 1987 line – marking a trend of “do what worked last year, but do it for less” which shows up throughout the later years of the Generation 1 line.
Some of the Japan-only 1988 releases, including Godmasters Overlord and God Ginrai, Sixknight and Pretender Metalhawk
At this point Japan was well and truly moving its own direction with its releases. The various Powermasters and the first six Pretenders were released in Japan along with the new Headmasters and the Seacons, but altered and renamed. Powermaster Optimus Prime was reworked to include clear windows on the cab, die cast metal and retractable fists on the supermode, and renamed Super Ginrai. A second toy was released to combine with Super Ginrai, named Godbomber. Godbomber was the first example of the “mid series upgrade” trend in giant robot shows, and split up to make booster armor for Super Ginrai.
And did Super Ginrai ever need that booster armor, because Takara released an additional Powermaster (called Godmasters in Japan). This new Godmaster was a much larger toy, a full on Powermaster citybot by the name of Overlord. Overlord had two Powermasters to unlock his various features, and could transform not only into a city but split up into both a jet and a tank, much like the 1987 Duocons toys. Overlord was presented as a powerful rival for Ginrai.
Overlord was not the only release exclusive to Japan at this time. The Autobot Pretenders got a Japan-only Pretender character, named Metalhawk, to act as their leader. Metalhawk was much better proportioned than the slender Pretenders, and featured die cast metal in his robot body. Fortress Maximus and Scorponok were also retooled and re-released for the 1988 lineup in Japan as Grand Maximus and Black Zarak. Grand Maximus came with an additional Pretender shell for his version of Cerebros, while Black Zarak had a new head and a huge spear accessory. Black Zarak also has the questionable honor of being the first Transformers toy to suffer from “gold plastic syndrome”, a condition where the plastic of the toy, as the name suggests usually gold plastic, cracks and crumbles if you so much look at it funny.
The 1988 Japanese line was also notable for its release of Nightbeat as Minerva, an Autobot medic, who was the first female character to be released as a toy, anywhere in the toyline. A borderline case can also be made for one of Overlord’s partners, Mega, who represented a female character, though Overlord himself was male.
Marvel Comics’ The Transformers issue #50 – this was the issue which had a superpowered Starscream kill off dozens of older characters[/size]
The new Optimus Prime toy was accompanied by his return in the Marvel comics – though initially only as a computer program, complete with delusions of never being anything more. However, thanks to a Nebulan scientist, Hi-Q, Optimus Prime is revived and soon gets back to his old self. The other Powermasters, along with the Pretenders, all make their debut within the first three issues of the year.
The biggest story of 1988 was the Underbase saga. The story started out with the introduction of the Seacons and a hunt for a pair of Autobot cassettes, Grandslam and Raindance, who had come to Earth to warn of the approach of the Underbase. The Underbase was a vast repository of Transformer knowledge, created by a Transformer named Boltax. It had been launched into space by Optimus Prime because the knowledge it contained was too great for any Transformer to wield. However Starscream seized a portion of the Underbase’s power and slaughtered Transformers from both sides. A shaky alliance is formed to counter Starscream, which quickly breaks down into Scorponok and Ratbat both trying to claim the Underbase for themselves (and suspecting the same of Optimus Prime). Ratbat is killed by Scorponok, but Scorponok is not able to claim the Underbase, as it collided with the powered-up Starscream, overloading and killing him.
The Underbase saga is among the most infamous of the Generation 1 comics, not least because of the way it systematically wiped out all of the older Transformers characters, including the likes of the Seacons, who were introduced mere issues earlier. It is interesting though that the nature of the Underbase has a lot in common with the Allspark of the 2007 movie – a repository of great power launched into space by Optimus Prime, which eventually overloads and kills the one who seeks it. The two artifacts both are mostly cube shaped too, so it’s either a huge coincidence or one more example of how later Transformers stories all drew on the work of Bob Budiansky.
Marvel UK’s Transformers issue #150 is a key turning point for the whole Transformers franchise, as it marks the first time the Primus and Unicron version of the Transformers creation myth was told[/size]
The 1988 Marvel UK Transformers comics kicked off their original material in a big way with a story arc called the Legacy of Unicron. Set in 2008 it featured the future time period Transformers battling against Unicron, whose head had come to rest on Junk, and was mind-controlling the Junkions into building him a new body. During the arc, the origin of the Transformers is revealed. This is the earliest telling of the Primus and Unicron creation story, and of how both beings possessed planetoids and fashioned them into worlds. Like State Games, the origin presented here is still very early and suggests whole pantheons of beings like Unicron and Primus, an idea that was later dropped.
The next UK original arc concerned Galvatron on Earth, and features an additional appearance from the Seacons. It has Shockwave facing Galvatron, and Shockwave concluding that only Megatron could defeat Galvatron. However after recovering Megatron – who in this version has been buried in the River Thames rather than vanished in a Spacebridge accident – it emerged Megatron was still struggling with Straxus for control of his body, which Shockwave exploited to try to control Megatron. The arc then wove around other major stories running through the year including City of Fear and Space Pirates, culminating in Megatron killing Cyclonus in battle – and in the process, destabilizing the entire timeline. Interestingly, this arc made it clear that in the UK comics even though Scorponok was the main Decepticon leader toy on the shelves, Galvatron (unused in the US comics) and Megatron (written out at this time) would continue to play a large role in stories.
The arc known collectively as “City of Fear” was one of the highlights of 1988. The arc featured the appearance of zombie Transformers – including a zombified Impactor – fighting the Wreckers and Ultra Magnus on Cybertron. The zombie Transformers were raised by a renegade Autobot scientist named Flame – the first time an Autobot would be presented as an antagonist. His plan was to implement an old plan of Megatron’s to move Cybertron through space, but the zombie Impactor proved himself a true Autobot and sacrificed himself a second time to save Xaaron and Cybertron – and cemented his position in Transformers legend.
Space Pirates was the last major story arc original to the UK comics in 1988. Set in 2008, it followed off the back of the comic adaptation of the Big Broadcast of 2006, and had the Quintessons invade both Earth and Cybertron as their own world was dying. It was one of the few times that both the Quintessons, the Sharkticons and Metroplex were used in the comics during Generation 1, owing to the story being kept largely focused on Earth and Cybertron, and with alien worlds rarely explored, coupled with the future timeline not being used outside of the UK comics.
A special mention goes to the story Deadly Games as well, which was one of the first stories to mention Tyrest, which in the UK comics was a location, but would later be used as a name for a very important character in the IDW era of Transformers comics.
The 1988 annual featured a selection of fairly inoffensive stories of questionable connection with the continuity. One of the standouts was Peace, a story set in the far future where the last Decepticon had finally fallen, but war broke out again, this time between the Autobots and the Wreckers. The Megatron / Galvatron rivalry was played with in the story Altered Image, while a story involving Highbrow fighting Scorponok would lead into the final major UK comics story arc, 1989’s Time Wars…
On both sides of the Pacific the Transformers line continued to be supported with a cartoon. In the US although no new episodes of the show were being made, newly edited reruns of all three earlier seasons were broadcast, notably introduced with live action links. These links featured a young Jason Jansen as Tommy Kennedy performing alongside a large puppet of Powermaster Optimus Prime. This short season also featured a broadcast airing of Transformers the Movie in five parts, and incorporated the music video for Stan Bush’s The Touch in one episode.
Second opening credits for Transformers Chojin Masterforce. Uploaded to Youtube by Megatron Decepticon[/size]
Japan meanwhile got a complete new cartoon in the form of Transformers Chojin (Super-God) Masterforce, or Masterforce for short. Set some time after the rest of the Autobots had left Earth at the end of Headmasters, Masterforce was almost a fresh continuity but for cameos from Chromedome and references to other characters on one or two isolated occasions. The series took a very different take on Transformers, with many of the main characters actually being humans who fused with inanimate vehicles as their “Transtectors” – like Headmasters, the Headmaster and Godmaster figures were the actual characters, and the robots were “just” the battleforms of these characters! The overall villain of the series was Devil Z, an evil energy being. Devil Z’s Destron servants included armies of Seacon drones, plus the husband and wife Godmaster team Giga and Mega – who part way through the series gained their own Transtectors and became the mighty Overlord. The series, like Headmasters, tended to introduce characters gradually, unlike Headmasters, the plot was more ongoing and less episodic, meaning the characters generally had more impact on the overall plot. Interestingly the series also featured a change of protagonists partway through – initially the Cybertrons were led by Metalhawk, but as the series progressed an American truck driver named Ginrai joined the team, and as a part of his character development arc he eventually assumed leadership of the Cybertrons on Earth. The series concluded in epic style, with Devil Z merging with the new Destron commander, Black Zarak, and Ginrai, as God Ginrai, unleashing his full power in a single blazing attack. At the end of the series, the Cybertrons and Destrons, made sentient in the wake of the destruction of Devil Z, departed Earth leaving their former human partners behind.
A truly interesting part of 1989 in Transformers media could be seen from how the three main areas of the Transformers brand – US, UK and Japan – were all at this time moving in their own directions. While the US and UK fiction would start coming back together again in 1989 when Simon Furman took up the writing duties on the US comic, the UK comic doubtless helped to contribute to the resilience of the brand in Europe into the 1990s, even when Transformers finished in the US. As for Japan? Takara would continue to spin off Transformers in a direction all of its own, with 1989 bringing about a toy line almost completely divorced from the one in the US…
Superquad7
Agreed! Maybe @Sol Fury can give another one soon!
Back in
Need a update but that ok
Phantformer5533
Thank you for all these links! I definitely needed this in order to make my own list. Glory to transformers!
Vik
Awesome, such a dense history!
Metro Prime
Thanks. I have been doing that since that post. TF Wiki has been answering a lot of questions.
batfan007
You can always read some pages over at TFWIKI to catch up on those years, covers pretty much everthing.
John Does
Awsome looking forward,…
Metro Prime
It took me days to read all of this!
Excellent and informative write up. I'm impressed and it filled in a few blanks for me. I've been collecting since G1 with a few years of breaks until I started a major effort into collecting through the Energon era, the beginning of the Classics line, and intermittently through the years til I saw Titans Return and have been heavily collecting since. This write up has shown me where some of my more eclectic figures have originated.
Is there an update from 2015 to current in the works? I'd love to see what else I've missed.
Excaliberprime
good info here
Abishai100
Gen 1 – Gen 2
I think a good way to think about the immense shift in style and content between TG1 (Transformers Generation 1) and TG2 is to think about how the toys, cartoons, and comics focused more on variability of character significance for various storylines. TG1 offered stories relevant to particular characters, but TG2 offered a more liberal attitude towards who could be a randomized figurehead in a given storyline!
That's why TG2 was the 'gateway' to the modern Transformers era which focuses much more on general concepts and character randomization than did TG1.
That's also why TG1 is the ideal intro for anyone looking to become a Transformers fan. Hey, isn't that why we all love Transformers: The Movie (1986), the real art-piece that began showing us conceptual bridges between TG1 and TG2?
ChromedomeMaster
35 years of transformers, and i have only been apart of it for 10 years
3 Wheeler
I like the Long Haul Pic!!!
Djin
Great read
Blam320
That's really too bad. You're missing out on a lot, and I mean a lot of really good Transformers stuff by only caring about G1.
Rodimus Prime BetterPrime
For years I've wanted the G1 series in a blu-ray release. With this year marking its 35th anniversary, hopefully we'll finally get it. I don't care about anything but G1.