We love Transformers, that’s why upcoming product and a new year’s reveals are scrutinised, criticised or celebrated to the degree that they are. It’s impossible to compare the reaction fans and collectors – or I suppose even casual consumers – have towards new offerings by Hasbro today to how people felt about the second main wave of Transformers advertised for 1985. Imagine how wonderful that first year of 1984 was at the time (well you don’t have to, a lot of you were there). This week we’ll pretend it’s late 1984 and the 1985 catalogue of Hasbro Transformers have just been shown to an enthusiastic fan and a ‘knowledgeable’ cynic who are discussing the upcoming range. For the purposes of this article, let’s just lump Jetfire, the Dinobots and Insecticons etc firmly into 1985. Internet nitpickery hasn’t been invented yet! Many kind thanks to Paul Hitchens of The Spacebridge for the idea and inspiration this week. 1985 | Source Blog <- CLICK TO READ All the best Maz
'I don't understand what happened. My mum gave me a Contach car that turned into a robot, and he's red, and I assumed he was Sideswipe from Transformers right? But in the playground I got told he didn't have this rub sign thingy that showed if he was a true Transformer, so everyone accused me of having a fake. But I'm positive it's real? It must be real? I'm so confused right now.' Confused in 1985
'My grandparents just delivered Grimlock, Slag, & Swoop for me and my brother. Even though my favorite dino is Snarl. My friend gave me his before I moved away but the legs were broken off so I threw it in the trash. Maybe I should have taken it to school and traded it. Our neighbors down the street I think are from Cybertron they have so many! I got to borrow Shockwave for the weekend.' Mixed emotions in 1985
My parents couldn't afford the Hasbro Transformers that were sold in the stores. All my parents could afford were the 50% cheaper ones which were called Diaclone....BUT nobody wanted the Diaclones coz in my school, those were teased as being "clones" (get it?) and didn't have that rub sign. There were also the slightly cheaper-than-Hasbro Japanese-boxed Transformers but since the packaging was in Japanese, nobody wanted them coz nobody could read their tech specs. Flashback: 1985. Manila, Philippines.
Another great article Maz! Let's see, I was still watching the cartoon in 1985, did not buy any toys though.
I'm looking at a Optimus Prime here on the shelves, but instead of it being made by Hasbro, the one I'm seeing is made by Milton Bradley (MB)??? Also, I'm looking at another box, right next to the Optimus Prime, and according to the box, it contains Tracks, but the car inside is RED??? What gives? I'm also seeing some boxes with what look like fakes: the toys look like Transformers, but the boxes are totally different, with no windows and just drawings of the toys on the front (actually, they are pretty nice!), and the boxes say Diaclone. The nerve of these companies! Worried about fakes, the Netherlands, 1985
Luckily, the UK was not faced with worries over whether to get Swoop or Shockwave or the Constructicons (lead-paint time window aside) in 1985. Or ever, really. I'm going to read old Shoot! annuals.
My parents can't afford to buy me Hasbro Transformers, but my grandparents have got me these "Robo Machines" transforming toys. They'll do right? Right???
Growing up in Leeds, I remember seeing a kid in my primary school playing with Swoop. Naturally I was a little confused as I knew that Swoop wasn't part of the Dinobots line in the UK so I asked around. Turned out that it was bought in Leeds market months prior to me seeing it so I was out of luck. But I did get my mum to take me to the market from then on and got myself lots of nice Gobots and some odd coloured KOs. On one of those trips some rapscallion nicked my mums purse which annoyed me as I couldn't buy a robot on that day Ah memories.
Very funny article Maz, kind of imagine you writing it with a wry smile and arched eyebrow. You know, kind of like a nostalgic tribute to another early 80s icon, Roger Moore. You don't have a safari suit do you?
I've had this set of wrong-color, "fake" Constructicons for a few years now (why is Long Haul RED???), which mom bought for me since I saw Heavy Metal War on TV but the correct color Constructicons weren't in stores yet. Now that I have the REAL green Constructicons, I have no use for these fakes anymore. Here, take them. Please. - me talking to a friend, circa 1988 or so. Whoops.
The Sears catalog just came in the mail , Mom ripped out the pages with the Transformers toys on it and told me to circle what I wanted for Christmas. I circled EVERYTHING!
I've got the smile and eyebrows, but no safari suit! D'oh! To be fair, even today I'd take a set of G1 yellow Ceji Constructicons over the Diaclone set. I never bonded with those colours. Tell your mom to get that Sears Insecticon 3-pack so that 30 years later I have some proof it existed!! All the best Maz
