Megatron Gun Banned?

[Ultra Mackness]

I got Optimus for my 10th birthday in Feb 1986 (best bday present ever) and it was only a couple of months later that Megatron appeared in the playground. I recall seeing Blaster the following year. My memory is that we were 1 year behind the US for the bigger figures but in line for the smaller ones.

[GoktimusPrime]

My memory is that we were 1 year behind the US for the bigger figures but in line for the smaller ones.

No, we weren't that slow!

Here's a picture of me taken in July 1986 and you can see G1 Hot Rod (a 1986 figure) there. I got quite a few other 1986 figures that year too (including a lot of Kups cos that toy was a horrid shelfwarmer and Grace Bros. discounted them to $5 each so my mum just went and bought a truck load of them (for the next year or so all my relos and friends received a Kup for their bday, Xmas etc. )).


This photo was taken in 1989, and you can see some 1989 TFs there like Pretender Bumblebee, Pincher, and some Micromasters.

There were a LOT more toys out that are out of frame (maybe about 80-90 TFs), but my mum who took the photo just wanted to get us in the frame, so unfortunately most of the toys weren't captured on film.

[Sky Shadow]

What I think Ultra Mackness is remembering correctly is that the smaller carded toys from each series generally came out first, before their boxed contemporaries. We were definitely behind the US in 1984, but pretty much caught up in 1985.

This photo was taken in 1989, and you can see some 1989 TFs there like Pretender Bumblebee, Pincher, Quake and some Micromasters.

Quake was a 1988 toy.

[GoktimusPrime]

Quake was a 1988 toy.

D'oh! & he was my 1988 Xmas present too! :P

[theshape]

Im a touch younger than some guys here (28) but I remember getting a soundwave , cyclonus and grimlock in the early 90s here in Perth. You think it was just old stock? I know the gold boxes were out then too.

[GoktimusPrime]

Soundwave was in production from 1984-86 (and even continued to appear in all catalogues up til 86 too) - so it's not surprising that you'd still find him in the early 90s. A second production of toys like Cyclonus was done in 1988 or 89, so that would likely explain why you saw him there too. The Dinobots AFAIK were only released initially in 1985, so if you saw Grimlock in his original G1 packaging then that's more likely to be leftover old stock I think. Although the Grimlock, Sludge and Snarl were reissued in 1990/91 as part of the Classic reissues (gold box).

[Ultra Mackness]

Im a touch younger than some guys here (28) but I remember getting a soundwave , cyclonus and grimlock in the early 90s here in Perth. You think it was just old stock? I know the gold boxes were out then too.

We touched on this last year. Paulbot had some scans of an old toyworld catalogue he put up:

http://otca.com.au/boards/showthread.php?t=15091&page=2

I think this run (89-91 ish) of Soundwave, Starscream, Cyclonus, Ramjet was a legitimate Chinese pruduced run that had slightly different boxes/instruction sets.

[Sky Shadow]

I think this run (89-91 ish) of Soundwave, Starscream, Cyclonus, Ramjet was a legitimate Chinese pruduced run that had slightly different boxes/instruction sets.

That is correct. (Some were as late as 1992.)

[theshape]

Cheers guys! Makes sense now