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Here is some history in general..
In 1984 a company named Hasbro brought a line of toys known as Transformers to the United States from Japan. Transformers were a instant hit and flourished in America while Takara the company that makes the transformers produced their own figures in Japan. While most of the toys released in Europe and America also made it into Japanese markets, many figures remained Japanese exclusives and many are not known outside of Japan and if they are known they have a different name, color scheme, or allegiance. The packaging is different as well as the story lines and continuities that the TV shows were based on.
During the late 70's and early 80's a company known as Takara manufactured a series of toy lines which would one day become the Transformers. These series they made were called Diaclone, Diakron, and Microman lines. In fact many of the original 1980's Transformers used the same molds as these figures. In some instances the original colors of the toy were kept the same , which lead to several variations on the Transformers side of things; like the Optimus Prime with a gray Roller, the ever elusive Blue Bluestreak, a red Tracks, and a figure known to American collectors as BumbleJumper or Bumper which is cross between Bumbleebee and Cliffjumper (Sort of looks like Hubcap if you know who he is).
The most popular of these lines were Takara's Diaclone figures, which made their debut in 1980. It was from this group that Hasbro and Takara came up with most of the early Transformers. The story behind this is that the Diaclones were the good guys who would do battle against the evil Warader Empire who came to Earth wanting to take over things. Controlling the Diaclones were Diaclone drivers, small human like figures which could fit inside the robots and pilot them (that's why Primes trailer had a cockpit in the gun, and Wheeljack, Sunstreaker, Trailbreaker, Hoist, and others have compartments for little guys to fit).
Some of the original Transformers which came from this line were the Autobot cars including Optimus Prime, Ultra Magnus, the Omnibots, some of the Triple Changers (like Blitzwing and Astrotrain), and the Autobot jumpstarters Twin Twist and Topspin. Other figures that came from this line were the Constructicons, the Trainbots, and the Dinobots. Figures from the Warader Empire included Bombshell, Kickback, and Shrapnel. Takara did release some of these figures in America under Diakron and Kronoforms.
Also used for the original Transformers concept was another popular toy line from Takara called Microman. These figures first showed up in 1974, and were later renamed New Microman, and then another toy series was added named Microchange. Many Transformers came from this final lineup including Micro Cassette Condor (lasrebeak), the Rumble and Frenzy figures, and a Jaguar who in time would become known as Ravage. Other characters were the Microbot car's Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, and Bumblejumper. All three of these figures were available in blue, yellow, and red. (I have a blue Bumblebee and a red Bumblejumper in my private collection)....This is why all the first assortment Transformers Minicars variations came from.Bumblebee and Cliffjumper were each released as Transformers in both red and yellow. Bumblejumper is the name given to him by the fans. It was never meant to be released as a transformer, but some figures did make it into some of the Bumblebee and Cliffjumper backer cards. Other minicars originally produced by Takara were Brawn, gears, huffer, windcharger (I have a blue and red Huffer, a blue , red, and yellow Windcharger, and a very rare black Brawn).
Some other toys you might recognize are Camera Robo (Reflector who was a mail order in the States), Cassettesman Sondwave, (who also came with a red version of Rumble), and the predecessors to Blaster, Perceptor, and Megatron.
Molds were also taken from two smaller lines of toys that came from the Takatoku Company. The first line was Dorvack, where Roadbuster and Whirl (Autobot deluxe vehicles) came from. The seocnd group was Beetras, which is where the Deluxe Insecticons had their origins.
One Transformer writer I had the privilege to interview told me that when they arrived here in the states, Hasbro wanted a more Humanoid-look to them that would be more marketable. So they hired Marvel comic book artist John Romita to redesign them. For instance he gave Ratchet and Ironhide heads and made the Decepticon jets more mobile looking as opposed to their stockier build in the toys. Also if you notice he removed tires which should have been there that now pop out of their legs. Also Bumblbee's face got redesigned as well as Brawn's arms, Wheeljack's face, and Trailbreakers face. Windcharger was really redesigned as well as Huffer, gears, etc.
In my personal collection i have a Black Ratchet, a yellow Sideswipe, a damaged but still there Gray Skids, and a green Trailbreaker. Damn, those were expensive...
But anyway soon after their release in 1984 in America,, Takara was quick to re-introduce the idea of transforming cars and planes to the Japanese market. Dropping the Diaclone and Diakron names, both Takara and Hasbro saw much profit in this new incarnation of these already classic figures.
In Japan the Transformers TV show was called FIGHT! SUPER ROBOT LIFEFORM TRANSFORMERS! These mighty robots came from the planet Siebertron (Cybertron). Instead of Autobots and Decepticons , the two warring camps were the Cybertrons (Autobots) and Destrons (Decepticons). The Cybertrons were lead by Convoy (Optimus Prime). Soon after, Transformers became a hit on a global level.
Through 1984 to the end of 1985 the story lines in Japan, Europe, and the United States remained the same. The first major split in the continuites was the one short episode released exclusively to Japanese video called Scramble City. This was intended to be the last episode ever to air before the release of the Transformers movie in August of 1986. Here the characters of Ultra Magnus, Metroplex, Trypticon, Ratbat, and the Autobot cassettes are introduced. The basic overall plot is that the construction of a new transformer named Metroplex. Once the Destrons learn of this new weapon the battle breaks out between the Cybertrons and Destrons and doesn't end until old Metroplex saves the day. The show ends with Trypticon rising out of the sea with the style of Gorgira (Godzilla in which Trypticon was patterened after). Unfortunately the second episode was written but never animated thus letting the story to continue in Transformers the movie....
Whew! That’s a lot and I could go on for days about this (literally). If you want some more additional info about any specific character, let me know and I can see what I can round up. The Transformers have a complex past and I feel honored to have been a part of it. To me it's more than just a toy or cartoon. It’s a way of life.
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