Great stories!

 

I remember being fucking poor and not having them.

 

Thanks for the kind words, EightiesKid!  

 

A few more memories:

1. Drawing my own Transformers comics. My dad would bring home a lot of the old computer paper that had the perforations on the side that allowed you to feed it into the old printers. My sibs and I didn't have a lot of toys at that point, but we had a lot of fun drawing and coloring on the paper. I studied the TF catalogs, box art, and toys, and would draw my own comics based off that. At first it was hard for me to understand why my comics looked different from the cartoon, but I soon realized that the animation models looked very different from the actual toys and the battle art on the back of the boxes. I would bring in the comics to share with my friends at school and they actually liked them a lot. I drew one story where I colored it as well, and it featured the death and return of Optimus. That was about as sophisticated as my 9 year old self got with story-telling, but I would love to read that again now. Wish i could find those comics now.

2. Watching the 86 animated movie on video. I never saw it in theaters, was still living overseas and I didn't get much of a chance to see it. So I finally saw it when we borrowed the video. I had gotten into heated arguments with a friend about whether Optimus died. In my mind Optimus could NOT die. Then the first battle scene arrives where the cons invade the shuttle. I was surprised to see Brawn go down, but then when Prowl got up I smiled, knowing that the bots would wipe the floor with the cons. Then my figurative jaw hit the floor when Prowl, Ratchet and Ironhide all went down easily. I was waiting for them to get back up, make a joke, and take down the cons, but . . . it never happened. Wow. That movie was a shocker, and it bugged me then, but I love it now and consider it an all-time favorite.

One other memory from the movie. I had constant debates with the same friend about whether Optimus was a powerful warrior. He always said no. But the movie scene where Optimus tears through the Decepticon ranks at Autobot City settled that debate once and for all.

3. I had lots of great battles with my TF toys in my room, sometimes I let my little brother join in. Shockwave would lead the cons, and I had Optimus and Rodimus co-lead the bots. The battles would always culminate in a showdown between Shockwave versus the two Primes. My bro and I had a lot of fun.

4. After I went away for school, I came back on a break, and after thinking for a moment, I set up my Transformers again to play out a battle scene. I paused after setting everything up, and realized it wasn't the same anymore. I was probably 15 years old at that point - living overseas meant that I had to leave for school earlier than the college years. My mom saw me and smiled, asking me what I was doing. I told her I didn't know anymore, and put the toys away. I think it was many years before I set them up again.

 

I remember getting some Turbomasters and predator Stalker for Christmas one year, and I had no idea who they were, had no idea what their backstory was (beyond some terse prose on their tech specs), but holy hell did I love them. Although I think I spent as much time hunting down errant missiles as I did transforming them. Those were some powerful launchers.

 

just read through this whole thread. these stories are amazing, wow.

 

The movie only came to my small town for a week, and then it was gone. I wanted to go see it so badly, but for whatever reason it just didn't happen.

I experienced the movie through the Panini sticker book. Season 3 was already airing, and I had a vague understanding of what happened due to the recaps and such, but I got the play-by-play by reading the sticker book and trying to complete the album. I'm only <10 stickers away now, and that album is still very special to me. The pages of mine have browned (though the stickers are still bright!), and the book is worn, but that's because I went through it a lot. It has the same feature using the Tech Spec technology, and I had a lot of fun with it.

 

Is there a place where scans of the 84-86 sears wishbook are archived.... I'd love to revisit those!

 

G1 toys were awesome

 

I was a pretty lucky kid. From 1984 to 1987 I got or bought ever single Transformer.

Being 12 in 1984 and still very much into toys (actually I had stopped playing with toys until Transformers came out), l'd been looking for something new to be into after Star Wars ended. GI Joe hadn't captured my attention, but a small Mego line called Eagle Force, and Kenner's Super Powers line were what captured my attention at first. Gobots came out, and I thought they were cool but only got twp (Coptor and Cykill).

Then the first commercial for Transformers. My first reaction was Hasbro was ripping of the Gobots idea. Lame! Then I got one, Rumble. A friend wanted Ravage so we pooled our money and bought the two pack. I loved Rumble so much the next day I had my mom take me to TRU and I spent every penny I had to get Soundwave. From that point on it was all about Transformers for me.

Then one afternnon I was flipping through channels and came across MTMTE part 2. I about died! I was so rivited! It was the most awesome thing I had ever seen. At that momment my love for Transformers shot past my old love Star Wars.

Before Christmas 1984 my collection consisted of.....

Soundwave -and all tapes
Megatron
Skywarp
Shockwave
Jazz
Prowl
Hound
Bumblejumper
Huffer
Windcharger

That Christmas I got the rest of the '84 (includeing Jetfire). Except for Ironhide and Ratchet, because I didn't like those two. However in 1986 I did get a mailaway Ratchet, so I could at least have one of them. My first Ironhide I didn't get until 2001... lol. Any way... my mom got a second job working at TRU in 84. So she had easy access.

Every now and then she would come home with a suprise. One night early '85 she brought home a new TF I had never seen or heard of yet..... Blaster. Back then it was so awesome to be suprised by something new. Until the yearly collection booklet made it into packages, you had no idea what was coming out until it showed up on shelves. Unless it was in the cartoon... like the Inseticons/Dinobots/Constructicons.... then you just crossed your fingers, prayed, and wished on a star that they were going to get toys too.

The most excited I had ever been up to that point was the day I finally found the Dinobots at TRU. I ran around the place like a chicken with it's head cut off. I was insane, all sweaty... all smiles. They had all but Swoop. In that state my mom couldn't say no to me, and I got all four. There really are no words for how fantastic it was to have actual Dinobots in my collection. It felt more like a dream than reality.

In a way that's what Transformers was like as a whole back then. It was so perfect, so awesome... that you almost couldn't believe it was real. Every little thing that happened was amazing... and only grew your excitment. Every new episode, comic, figure released.... was an event. At the time it felt endless.. like it just kept climbing to impossible heights.

THen came the movie in 1986. I was 14, just before starting Highschool. My anticipation level was beyond all reasoning. I went to the first showing, first in line..... the theater was packed. They were giving out prizes before the movie started, movie posters, some figures.... the place was crazy.... cheers like you wouldn't believe. When the movie started it got even wilder. Every time a character made it's first appearence.... almost everyone in the place half yeld out that characters name. It was uncontrolable... I did it too. We were all just so happy to be there.... it was Transformers nirvana and we were all sharing in it together.

Went again the next day.... again it was packed, but the excitement level was gone. I won a movie poster before the film started. I also sat next to the same guy I had seen it with the first time. We became instant friends. Before it ended it's run I'd gone to see Transformers about 6 times (maybe more). Seemed like it played forever... but it was only 3 weeks.

Everything was right with the world until the fall of '87..... the new season of Transformers started just as expected.... the three episodes of Rebirth. Then came Thursday and it was a rerun.... what? already? Friday rerun... shit..... well maybe next week there will be a new episode. THe long weekend wait.

Monday..... WHAT THE FUCK!? Transformers is gone! It's GONE! Did Transformers get cancelled? Impossible. I looked over the tv scheduals, hopeing it was moved to a different time, or maybe a different channel.... nothing.

Let me tell you, my world crashed. It was unthinkable. It left such a hole in me..... no more Transformers cartoon. I was pissed, I was sad, heart broken.

I finished collecting that years line.... and kept getting the comics.... loving the commercials. But, by years end I started to lose interest in Transformers.

Sure, at the start of each new years collection I got a little excited.... and bought some...but would stop after a few months.

In 1988 I got heavily into Anime (as a replacement for Transformers).... Discovered that Japan was still making TF shows. Read a little blerb in a "Japanimation" magazine about Masterforce. At the time I had an adult friend who got tapes from Japan, and he'd dup them for me and another friend of mine. When I found out about Japanese TFs I asked him if he could get some recorded. What he got back was the second half of Transformers Victory........ that was my last horah with Transformers G1. It was actually my first ever taste of nostalgia. I watched those tapes over and over.... and dreamed of having the toys for which there were commercials for on the tapes.

In 1991 I sold my entire toy collection, and all my TF marvel comics. The only thing I kept was my set of TechSpecs (which I still have). That for me was truely the end of G1.

 

There are a few scans from catalogs that have surfaced over the years.

 

Wow, good stuff man, and holy cow were you lucky!!! That's the kind of collection we all wish we had. Good stories man. Do you still have any pictures of your collection, that would be awesome to see.

 

Artwork!

 

Does anyone else remember their seekers parts being a pain to detach?.

 

Great read

 

That they were such awesome toys. That nothing really compared. That it was two awesome toys in one. That they where just Awesome. Period.

 

When I was 7 years old in 1984, my mom was in charge of the toy department at a store called Gaylords, which was bought out by Zayres. Needless to say, I had some awesome toys. We lived on a tight early 80s budget, but my mom always found a way to get us stuff (mark down tags anyone??). This was at the peak of star wars, which I was OBSESSED with (still am, look at the name!)

I remember seeing the Transformers cartoon on one day when I got home from school, and my mind was blown away. My birthday was coming up and she asked if I wanted one big one or two little ones. She brought me home an optimus prime and brawn. I lost my mind. All of the other kids in school were playing with them, star wars was dying out and robots were taking over. Voltron, Go-Bots, Robo-force, I had all of these. Not every toy mind you, but some of everything. Some of the most epic battles this planet has ever seen took place in my backyard. Soon after, I got Mirage, Bumblebee, and about a dozen others. I remember stopping at kaybee toy stores and getting Kick Back. I fell in love with the decepticons at that point. My mom was weird about getting me bad guys, so this was a milestone moment. That black and purple with the chrome highlights looked amazing, then I got a dinobot, snarl, then Skywarp. Needless to say, I cherished those toys for years till I gave them, along with my star wars, masters of the universe, and everything else to a friend of mines brother. I wish I still had them, but they were beat to hell and back. Skywarp and Kickback remain my favorites till this day. I want to buy a MISB example of each at some point.

I also remember going see the movie at my local dollar cinema. I did not understand why Prime died. It was very upsetting to me as a kid, it was rather graphic, and very creepy. Hot Rod sucks, he is no leader, that really messed up my transformers. All of my favorites were wiped out and replaced by characters that did not look right. I was not a fan of the post movie characters, I still don't like many of them now. I am glad to have started buying G1 again. Its a fun hobby and a lot of the people I interact with here are awesome. Its a great community.

 

^This... above ALL things, this^

I must be in the minority here, but I don't recall seeing Transformers on the shelves as a kid EVER. Despite REALLY being into them, the only memory I have of seeing them in a store came from when I was in Jr. High, and not into toys anymore, and seeing Devy gift sets at a local Woolworths. I recall Go-Bots (and other "genric" transforming robots) galor on the shelves but never a TF.

Most of my TF's came garage sales and flea markets as a kid.

My fondest "TF memory" comes from winning a gift certificate as a kid, and using it to buy Monsterous from the Go-Bots line; it was the only combiner I ever owned as a kid... now's a totally different story LOL.

 

Shiney chrome and the smell of rubber tires.

 

Resurrecting this old and terrific thread to add this - as Prowl said in the Ultimate Doom: “ask and you shall receive!” I recently got a copy of a 1985 Christmas Wishbook. Here are some pictures to share. Love these old catalogs! This really takes me back.