1995: The year Hasbro discovered "waves"

Discussion in 'Transformers Toy Discussion' started by Nevermore, Jun 9, 2019.

  1. Tragbot

    Tragbot Active Member

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    I am so jealous hmmm i have few g vintage other g2 had damage and lost of g2 ;(
     
  2. DarkRed401

    DarkRed401 Well-Known Member

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    that explains the lack of surfboards in g1
     
  3. Chris Bot

    Chris Bot AutoChrisbot

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    I don't know if I'd actually ever read all of this, but big respect for putting in the work, Nevermore.
     
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  4. pokemonsdoom

    pokemonsdoom MadameVixen

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    Slow news day?
     
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  5. User_124141

    User_124141 Well-Known Member

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  6. Shin-Gouki

    Shin-Gouki Retired Admln Veteran

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    I was living in Minneapolis when the Orange ones hit. I can tell you with Absolute Certainty they were not KB Exclusive. I got them at the Mills Fleet Farm in Brooklyn Park, MN when they had their Yearly Giant Toy Section for Christmas.
     
  7. megatroptimus

    megatroptimus Untitled

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    That stuff should be turned into a book. Good read!
     
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  8. Nevermore

    Nevermore It's self-perpetuating a parahumanoidarianised!

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    Well, even though I find this sudden frontpaging of something I finished a year ago bewildering, I think it's a good thing people have something other than the news to keep themselves busy with right now.
     
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  9. Dinobot Swoop

    Dinobot Swoop TFW2005 Supporter

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    I'm not sure if this counts as being available in others markets other than the States, but I used to own a G2 silver Slag and still own a G2 silver Grimlock which I purchased at Toys'R'Us and Wal-Mart respectively. Don't have the packaging for Grimlock anymore, but here's Canadian G2 Slag if you still need proof.
     

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  10. hthrun

    hthrun Show accuracy's overrated

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    That's not far from where I live...
     
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  11. RNSrobot

    RNSrobot Keeper of the Waspinator Swarm. Blam.

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    Oh, god no. I threw that out thirty years ago. Even today i usually recycle the cards and boxes.

    Had that snarl for a long long time though. Can't remember if I sold him or lost him in a move. Got rid of all my g1/G2 a while back anyway.
     
    Last edited: Apr 6, 2020
  12. RNSrobot

    RNSrobot Keeper of the Waspinator Swarm. Blam.

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    That is amazing.

    What the fuck are lightformers?
     
  13. ObakaChanTachi

    ObakaChanTachi woke among sussy soyjak

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  14. pokemonsdoom

    pokemonsdoom MadameVixen

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  15. MegaDolrailer

    MegaDolrailer Well-Known Member

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    Dont forget Ultra Magnus in Stranger Things

    eh i think is interesting
     
  16. Nevermore

    Nevermore It's self-perpetuating a parahumanoidarianised!

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    Added and rewrote the corresponding sections! Thanks!

    Added and rewrote the corresponding sections! Thanks!

    Also fixed another minor section: I must have been overworked when I originally wrote that paragraph, but the "red" G2 Slag in Canadian packaging obviously doesn't have recolored package art! The distinction appears to be this: Color variants with unchanged original color package art for the United States and Canada, only the last color variant of each figure with recolored package art to match the toy for Europe.

    European exclusive figures that included, to quote TFWiki,

    The figures were Deftwing and Ironfist, the latter later made popular thanks to IDW's "Last Stand of the Wreckers" limited series. Originally, they were released in 1993 in boxes as part of the very late European tail end of what we now consider the "Generation 1" line (or "Generation 1.5" as some fans are calling them), but they were later re-released in 1994 on blister cards as part of the European Generation 2 line. Those G2-packaged versions appear to be even rarer than the original releases. Their opponents were the Trakkons (Calcar and Fearswoop), which had the same gimmick and release history.
    Lightformer - Transformers Wiki
    Trakkon - Transformers Wiki
     
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  17. Greenspan

    Greenspan Monetary Maestro

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    Great article! Thank you!

    I remember 1995 fondly. G2 was still on the shelves and I did not know how Beast Wars, just around the corner, would change my life, for the better :) 

    When the first BW came in 1996, and the show, I was floored. Totally amazing stuff!

    Then I was able to go to Botcon 1997 and meet Peter Cullen. Meeting your childhood hero is something out of this world I tell ya.

    To this day, I remember every second of this wonderful convention, the beginning of Beast Wars and the ensuing revival of TFs.

    What a glorious time it was.

    I do not weep because these days are over. I smile because they happened!
     
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  18. bporath908

    bporath908 Autobot

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    When it comes to the Orange Constructicons I know for sure I got them from Grandpa Pigeons when they were going out of business and the Orange Constructicons when $1 each. They also had the 1993 chrome minicars and G2 Inferno and Jazz. I guess they still had them in a warehouse and shipped them out when they were liquidating everything because Grandpa's went out of business in 1999?!

    These might have been purchased by Grandpa's as unsold inventory from another store and then sat in a warehouse for years. I wouldn't be surprised as Grandpa's didn't exactly come off as great with their supply chain.

    Grandpa Pigeons
     
  19. Fighbird

    Fighbird Well-Known Member

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    Good thing I saw this thread on the frontpage today, otherwise I would never have known about it. :)  Excellent work! :D 

    FWIW, the Greek Minibots were released later than 1985, as the back of the cards feature a small version of the "Glow In The Dark" poster artwork from the US '86 Movie sweepstakes. So that would make them 1986 or later (my gut feeling personally is around 1987, but I have nothing to corroborate that).

    Also your theory on the single-cased Hero toys would explain why I would find a handful of Sureshots at a Toys'R'Us here in 1998 alongside wave 1 Beast Wars Biocombat. Having never given it much thought before I just pulled out my 1994 Hasbro UK Toy Fair catalog, and sure enough, Archforce and Sureshot have individual assortment numbers (80146 and 80147, respectively) and both came in single-pack cases of 12.

    Interestingly, the 2 Decepticon G1 Jets as well as G1 mold Optimus are listed as "New" for 1994 in that catalog, whereas the G1 Autobot car molds and the Dinobots aren't.

    Hasbro UK imported a lot of stock from all over the place, also during late G1 with a lot of the then-recently reissued Chinese releases of Minibots. I have seen several of those with the Hasbro import sticker, both on UK sold toys but also on toys that were sold in Portugal, of all places.
     
    Last edited: Apr 6, 2020
  20. Fighbird

    Fighbird Well-Known Member

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    Also note that European Beast Wars toys continued to use the G2-style Transformers logo and emblem on the early waves - you can see an example of that on your picture of the carded Airazor.
     
    Last edited: Apr 6, 2020