In 2003, Transformers Armada hit its stride and took everyone by storm, exceeding demands and giving fans a long-awaited toy in the form of a supreme class Unicron! The series also launched in Japan under the name Micron Legend where it enjoyed moderate popularity, though Japanese fans could not get enough of the Mini-Cons, called Microns in Japan. The Transformers comics by Dreamwave continued with more miniseries including War & Peace, the second series set in the “modern day” of Dreamwave’s Generation 1 universe. Simon Furman carried on his work, penning the remaining 12 issues of Transformers Armada, as well as the important War Within: The Dark Ages miniseries. Comics were an area of major expansion, as both Dreamwave and Devil’s Due published G.I. Joe VS Transformers crossovers, the first in over 10 years. The UK even got its own dedicated (but short lived) Transformers Armada comic from Panini. Even the toyline underwent expansion, with the new Transformers Universe line launching in June-July as a side-line running parallel to the Transformers Armada toyline, and a short-lived Wal-Mart exclusive Dinobots sideline. [Read more…]
30 Years of Transformers in 30 Days – 2002
In 2002 Transformers underwent a new transformation as the “third era” of Transformers began late in the year when Transformers Armada was unleashed on the world. Though nobody, not even Hasbro, knew it at the time this line and TV show would be so successful that it would kick off a whole new continuity that would last for the best part of five years, the Unicron Trilogy. But that was not all, because in 2002, after a 10 year long absence, the Transformers finally returned to comics! [Read more…]
30 Years of Transformers in 30 Days – 2001
2001 was a year of change for the Transformers brand, both in public and also behind the scenes. What was obvious to fans was the cancellation of the Beast Machines line – leaving some toys unreleased – and the Japanese Car Robots line being imported as Robots in Disguise, which brought back realistic vehicular Transformers, Autobots, Decepticons, and the classic faction symbols which had last been widely used in 1992. Behind the scenes, Hasbro and Takara made a deal to co-produce the next Transformers series, laying the groundwork for what would come to be known as the Unicron trilogy – the fruit of this deal would be seen in 2002. [Read more…]
30 Years of Transformers in 30 Days – 2000
As the 21st century dawned full of promise, the Beast era reached its conclusion, and with it the long running continuity that had begun with More than Meets the Eye Part 1 in 1984. The Beast Machines toyline was released in full force, though by the time there was substantial product on the shelves the first season of the cartoon was already finished and the second season was well underway. 2000 also brought the final four releases in the Beast Wars line – the Mutants – and brought back the Dinobots as a subline of the Beast Machines toys. Meanwhile Takara decided to go their own direction, moving away from beasts and instead running with a new series about a group of car robots. [Read more…]
30 Years of Transformers in 30 Days – 1999
1999 was the fifteenth anniversary of the Transformers brand, an occasion that went largely unmarked save for a recognition at Botcon 1999 (which was also the fifth anniversary of Botcon). Beast Wars reached its climax, concluding with a finale written by long time Transformers comics scribe Simon Furman, and the toyline carried on and developed the Transmetals theme with Transmetal 2s. Japan meanwhile got a double-whammy of new series this year with a dub of Beast Wars seasons 2 and 3 as “Beast Wars Metals” as well as the Japan-only series Beast Wars Neo, which had its own toyline populated almost exclusively with new and Japan-only toys. [Read more…]
30 Years of Transformers in 30 Days – 1998
1998 arrived and Beast Wars entered its third year. This was the year that the Beast Wars series truly came of age, with episode after episode that continually show up on fan’s “favorite episode” lists, and some of the very best toys of the Beast era, the Transmetals. Japan meanwhile took their own path once again with a new cel-animated series “Beast Wars Second”, complete with some new Japan only toy releases. [Read more…]
30 Years of Transformers in 30 Days – 1997
1997 arrived and the Beast Wars entered their second year. The toys developed and became more complex, dropping some elements such as battlemasks and flip-changers, but also bringing back limited triple changing and combiners. Transformers returned to Japan once again with “Beast Wars: Super Robot Lifeform Transformer”, both as a toyline and also for the first time in seven years, a cartoon (albeit a dub of Mainframe’s work heavy on adlibbing). Amid all of this, the first Botcon Japan was held, and Kenner experimented with bringing back vehicle Transformers with the Machine Wars… [Read more…]
30 Years of Transformers in 30 Days – 1996
With the demise of Transformers Generation 2, the Transformers brand once again faced oblivion, and this time, it looked like Transformers might disappear from store shelves worldwide. Hasbro decided to take a gamble and hand the brand over to their subsidiary, Kenner, who had made the Star Wars and Super Powers lines in the 70s and 80s, and was doing well with Batman at the time. The result was a complete rebooting of the Transformers franchise. Cars, jets and other vehicles gave way to realistic animals with molded fur texture. Subgroups disappeared and line-wide size classes were established. Articulation on a level with the Cyberjets and other later Generation 2 designs became the norm.
The Beast Wars had begun. [Read more…]
30 Years of Transformers in 30 Days – 1995
And so we come to 1995, what would prove to be the final year of the Transformers Generation 2 line. 1995 brought some great new toys, and the return of the Gobots, but even with these new releases, though, the Generation 2 toyline stalled. Planned releases were cancelled, and once again, it looked like the Transformers were going away completely. Meanwhile, the Transformers line was revived in Japan, with a limited release of the new mold Generation 2 toys in new packaging, and other international markets continued onward with more toys that never made it to the US. [Read more…]
30 Years of Transformers in 30 Days – 1994
While 1993 was the resurrection of the Transformers brand in the US with Transformers Generation 2, it was 1994 that was its true renaissance. A very important innovation was added to the line in this year – full articulation! No longer were the Transformers just vehicles that turned into robots – now they were full-blown and fully poseable action figures! Elsewhere the Transformers Generation 2 comic concluded on a cliffhanger, and at Fort Wayne, Indiana, a group of fans gathered for a tenth anniversary party for the Transformers. The name of that party? Botcon… [Read more…]