So, while Generation One is arguably one the best toylines of all time, there are also some really cool things that were made and released in conjunction with the line at the time. These things are just as "official" as the toyline itself, and often times were created to allow the consumer to directly use the product to interact with the G1 toys. One such example is the Warren Activity Center.

Warren made several TRANSFORMERS puzzles, and this particular playset is very reminiscent of their ventures, especially in how it's constructed. It's made entirely of cardboard, and assembles much like their other puzzles. Even the bottom of the box "transforms" into a large portion of the actual playset! The set sports many computer-console type of graphics all encased in a war base type of fortress for the Autobots.

While much can be said of this piece, the aim here is to give collectors a bit of an alternative resource, as finding this set complete can be tricky. While this resource is certainly not mean to be any type of substitute, its aim is to give custom artists a resource should anyone wish to recreate this set on any type of level. What you will find here is a very comprehensive look at this Transformers Autobot fortress!

From Bruticus11:

I bought one at a show this summer. Its pretty cool, made out of cardboard, and is kind of flimsy. It holds up alright, I guess:

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The staff at CollectionDX have done an excellent job at giving us a very comprehensive view of this set. The images are mirrored here.

(Original source: Transformers Activity Center | CollectionDX)

 

From iDarkDesign:

"I received some awesome pictures from a friend of the 1985 Warren Transformers Activity Center. I want to replicate the graphics in [Adobe] Illustrator and make my own. [If you're] looking [to] make this as close to the original as possible, [you can use this as a guide].

I [am] offering a the file [set] for free [here] so everyone can print their own Activity center (it's huge!). [You can] scale it down, too, so it can be used with Minicons or WST figures.

Here are some scans of the 1985 Transformers Activity Set by Warren, courtesy of crcoppoc. These scans will enable you to make your own playset. Enjoy!

From crcoppoc:

"[This] contains the resized scans, a test construction folder that has some numbered external pictures, some test assembled pictures I took of the end product, and the text instructions for putting this together. I would recommend that anyone trying this probably do the outside, then when they cut out the outside components to glue the inside panels to the outside ones before assembly.

I tried to fix the ramp but it just got pixelated when I tried to resize it beyond the one in the scans. If anyone has better artistic and logistical support maybe they could take a swat at it. I would definitely not be offended if someone can make it better.

Basically, what I did [here] was take the outside of the base and construct it first to get the platform done, and then I filled in the inside. I used MSPAINT and printed them at 100% scaling, and set the top, bottom, and sides to as 0% (it will add the smallest possible border for you). I pasted the sheets for the outside of the base to poster paper, labeled them according to the image numbers, and then put them together once the glue dried as per the numbers on the sheets and the assembled images.

Also, you need to make a box top of size 12" x 7.5" x 2.25. To do this simply make a rectangle of 12” X 7” and on each side of this rectangle, add a smaller rectangle of 12” X 2.25” on the long sides, and 7” X 2.25” on the small sides. Then cut out and fold the smaller rectangles down to form the box sides and tape. This will cover the "box top" with the black grid material on top, and on the 2.25" sizes apply the black and orange stripes to recreate the use of the box from the original set. It comes out close to the original.

In the pictures I forgot to add the ramp. I am sorry to say that the ramp was very difficult to reproduce and just kind of hangs there when I add it. Maybe someone can fix that. Also, the pyramid section is missing the top platform, as this did not scale easily and would be too small for a transformer to fit on if I added it. Reproducing stuff from pictures rather than scans is hard. This one would have actually been better had I actually applied the inside to the outside pieces before assembly. All in all, it was a fun project and the base is so awesome my kids love it so the next time I know what to do to make it better. That being said, the pictures here are more or less in scale to each other."

More photos (source: Flickr: iamprime84's Photostream); see attachments:

 

Th0r4z1n3 stopped by to share his with us as well:

G1 Warren Activity Center

As you can see, the tower is not in the best of shape but should be fixable with a bit of care. Pretty sure its complete, but I'm not 100% in sure of that:









yep!

 

From Flyby33:

My parents recently cleaned out their attic of me and my brothers’ stuff, from when we were kids. In doing so they came across this playset. I have 2 of them with all the pieces in I’d say really great shape for being cardboard! (You can see the images of Flyby33's playset attached to this post. ~Superquad7)


From blaynescott:

I've had great success building things out of foam-core sheets + laserprinter sticker paper.
Everything from costume items, to custom packaging - it works wonders.

If anyone is able to post scans of this set, I would love to print off a scaled-down version for some of my smaller TFs. I'll have to wait until I'm settled in one place with a dedicated display room before I go building something full-scale.   (It'd still be possible with the laserprinter sticker method - you'd have to line up your stickers pretty well though).

Other sources:

http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/trans...985-transformers-activity-center-playset.html

http://www.collectiondx.com/toy_review/1985/transformers_activity_center?page=6

http://www.seibertron.com/energonpu...sb-transformers-g1-activity-center-t92620.php