Transformers: A History of Gimmicks

[GoktimusPrime]

PART 1: Generation 1, the 1980s

1984: In the Beginning
Beyond the ability to transform from alt mode to robot and back the first 'gimmick' we had was the Decepticon Micro-Change figures' 1:1 scale role-play... we were able to hold Megatron and Soundwave like a life-size gun or Walkman and likewise the Decepticon cassettes were life-size microcassettes (although TF mythos portrayed them as "macro" cassettes). The interactivity between the microcassettes and Soundwave was also very popular.

1985
+ Jumpstarters: The first one-step transforming Transformers - the great grand-daddy of Activators.
+ Electronic gimmicks: Omega Supreme could walk and roll around in tank mode. Shockwave gave us the first Transformer toy with lights and sound!
+ Triple-changers!
+ Two words: "Constructicons unite!"

1986
+ Scramble Gattai! The first generation of gestalts with interchangeable limbs!
+ Ultra Magnus - the first Transformer whose basic robot mode is able to combine with his trailer to form a super robot mode. Canon portrayed the super robot mode as his "standard" robot mode.
+ Battlechargers: Like Jumpstarters but with different execution, relying on springing up rather than flipping over. It made from a more stable auto-transformation (Jumpstarters rarely stand upright after transforming) but the robot mode suffered as a result (lack of arm articulation and the back-support would "flop down" after a while).

1987
+ Throttlebots gave us Transformers with pull back motors, usable in both vehicular and robot modes!
+ Sixshot - the first six-changer
+ Monsterbots - the first Transformers with friction-motors allowing them to shoot sparks. Something that would probably never pass modern toy safety standards!
+ Clones - they look the same in robot mode but transform into different alt modes.
+ Punch/Counterpunch - the first double-agent; able to transform from a friendly to an enemy robot.
+ And the main gimmick for that year - MASTERS! Headmasters and Targetmasters - we saw Transformers whose heads and guns could transform into smaller Transformers.
+ Decibel and Legout were the first combiner cassettes. Exclusively sold in Japan, Hasbro would produce their own combiner cassettes a year later.
+ Fortress Maximus - the first Transformer with a working elevator! Also the biggest Transformer mould ever made to date (55cm tall in robot mode, 78cm long in starship mode). Also a "double" Headmaster - his head is a Transformer and that Transformer's head is also another Transformer!

1988
+ Power-/Godmasters - the engines transform into little Transformers.
+ Double-Targetmasters - like Targetmasters but with two guns.
+ Headmaster Juniors - unlike Headmasters from the previous year their tech specs meters did not alter when different Nebulans were attached. Cockpits also did not
+ Triggerbots/Triggercons - first Transformer with spring-loaded or motorised flip-out weapons.
+ Pretenders - robots who can fit inside a shell resembling humans, monsters etc.
+ Sparkabots/Firecons - like Monsterbots also feature friction-motors that shoot sparks but the motor also rolls them around.

1989
+ Monstructor/Dinoking - the first Pretender gestalt
+ Mega & Ultra Pretenders - Pretenders whose shells can also transform.
+ In an effort to compete with Galoob's Micro Machines, we get Micromasters!
+ Over in Japan we get Brainmasters (later to be released by Hasbro as Motorvators), Breastmasters (the basis for Hasbro's Autobot Rescue Force) and Multi-Force - the precursor to Transformers like Energon/Super Link's Powerlinx gimmick and Animated Safeguard.

[GoktimusPrime]

PART 2: Generation 1, the 1990s

1990
+ Action Masters - Transformers who don't transform (but their weapons and vehicles can)!
+ In competition with Micro Machines Connectables we get Micromaster Combiners.
+ Poweredmasters - Dai Atlas was the first Transformer to feature a battery-powered motor that moved rubber treads (Star Convoy featured the same gimmick the year after but wasn't placed in the Powered Master sub-group). Other Poweredmasters featured spring-loaded features in their transformations.

1991
+ Action Master Elites - Action Masters that could transform. Badly, but they could transform.
+ Sixliner is the first Micromaster gestalt.

1992
+ Light piping allows Transformers' eyes to glow! Oooh!
+ Turbomaster Thunderclash's trailer is able to fire 12 missiles in succession!
+ Predators give us the Megavisor gimmick where the small jets can connect with Skyquake or Stalker's scope. Aka Scopemasters.

1993
+ We got Transformers who had an alt mode component that also became their guns - for the Autobot Axelerators it was their engines and for the Decepticon Skyscorchers it was their radar assemblies.
+ Lightformers and Trakkons had viewscope gimmicks - their weapons doubled as scopes that you could look out of!
+ Aquaspeeders & Stormtroopers - Transformers whose colours would change in hot and cold water. Mes-sy!
...many of these toys were later repackaged as "Generation 2" and thus referred to as fans as "G1.5."

Next: Generation 2

[GoktimusPrime]

Part 3: Generation 2

1993
+ Optimus Prime and Megatron were able to make sounds and talk!

1994
+ G2 Laser Rods and Combat Heroes become the first Transformers with articulated highly poseable robot modes! More poseable than Action Masters and they could transform!
+ Laser Rods also feature the first LED gimmick with light-up weapons.
+ Rotor Force gave us firing rotor weapons.

1995
+ Go-Bots - Transformers with free-spinning axles in the same scale as Hot Wheels cars, designed to be compatible with Hot Wheels play sets.
+ Articulation takes another great leap forward with the introduction of ball-and-socket joints on the Cyber-Jets.

Next: BEAST WARS

[GoktimusPrime]

Part 4: BEAST WARS

1996
+ The first true organic alt modes are introduced. G1/G2 only had robotic or cybernetic alt modes (Pretender shells not counting as robot alt modes).
+ A new breed of one-step "auto" transformation gimmick dawns: Flipchangers!
+ Fluid poseability becomes a stock-standard feature across the toy line with every Transformer now boasting a minimum of 9 points of articulation.
+ Another standard feature across the line: all toys are designed to incorporate or store weapons/accessories in alt mode.
+ "Mutant" heads come in for figures of Deluxe size and above.

1997
+ Not done competing with Galoob's Micro Machines, Hasbro releases TF playsets as part of their Microverse line.
+ The Beast Wars gestalts become the first gestalts to feature common BWTF traits such as fully articulated robot modes, stored/incorporated weaponry and true organic alt modes. They are also the first gestalts to have fully self-contained gestalt parts, surpassing even that of Lio Kaiser (1989).

1998
+ Lio Convoy becomes the first Transformer that has a MATRIX!! (Galvatron too - but his Matrix is just a marble ).
+ Transmetals - Transformers with organic looking robot modes and robotic beast modes; they also have intermediate vehicle modes. The sole exception is Optimal Optimus who is mechanical-looking in all four of his modes.
+ Transformers meets Wuzzles and we get Fuzors! Transformers whose beast modes are fusion of two animals (e.g.: wolf and eagle).
+ Cyberbeasts - as the name suggests, their beast modes are cybernetic.

1999
+ Transmetal 2s - "The Transmetals 2 blurred the line between the mechanical and the organic beyond the Transmetals, with equal parts of both appearing in both modes in an asymmetrical patchwork-like jumble. This often resulted in somewhat monstrous-looking designs." (TFwiki) - several of them are designed by a new employee at Hasbro known as Aaron Archer.
+ Big Convoy becomes the first Transformer to have a Matrix that can be removed from his chest and held in his hands!!
+ Heinlad is the first Transformer that is also a working alarm clock! It's also the first Transformer who comes with grog and has testicles in his alt mode
+ Transformers Animorphs become the first Transformers crossover line. They're also the first Transformers whose primary modes are humans (or Andalites) and not robots.

2000
+ Mutant Beasts become the first Transformers with no robot mode - only two beast modes. Well, that's if you consider Raindance and Grand Slam's vehicle modes to be their robot modes. Unlike those cassettes, the Mutant Beasts have robot heads visible showing that they're "trapped" between their beast modes.

Next: Beyond Beast Wars!

[kup]

What about G1 Battlechargers like Runamuck and Runabout?

[roller]

surely Machine Wars as a line counts as a gimmick? Machines in a sea of Beasts

[GoktimusPrime]

What about G1 Battlechargers like Runamuck and Runabout?

Battlechargers came out in 1986 whereas the Jumpstarters came out in 1984 (and were designed earlier than that as they were part of Diaclone) making the Jumpstarters the first one-step "auto" transforming Transformers.

surely Machine Wars as a line counts as a gimmick? Machines in a sea of Beasts

Machine Wars gave us nothing knew as far as gimmicks are concerned. The basic figures were flipchangers, which was realised first in Beast Wars the year before (although arguably they were conceived first as abandoned G2 moulds) and the Mega and Ultra figures were all repainted/retooled Turbomasters and Predators with their gimmicks newtered. e.g.: Optimus Prime's trailer cannot fire 12 missiles in succession like Thunderclash, and Soundwave and Starscream's scopes are not designed to work with Predator jets... I once tried attaching Talon onto my MW Starscream's scope - the gimmick worked, but I nearly broke MW Starscream's scope trying to remove Talon!! I've never tried that again and I do NOT recommend anyone else to try it either! :/

PART 3: Beyond Beast Wars

2000
+ The Maximals become technorganic!
+ Beast Riders - the first Transformers vehicles, more like accessories than action figures. While we've had plenty of vehicles for TFs before (e.g.: Pretender Vehicles, Micromaster Transports, Action Master vehicles etc.), this is the first time that TF vehicles were sold separately.
+ Cheetor becomes the first TF to have more than one toy released based on the same incarnation of the same character, i.e.: Mega Cheetor & Supreme Cheetor. This has established a precedent which continues to this day in TFs.
+ Meanwhile in Japan, Car Robot combines the toy technology honed during Beast Wars and combines it with licensed vehicles. They would later become the inspiration for Binaltech/Alternators.
+ Car Robot also gives us the first vehicle-moded gestalts with fully self-contained parts & accessories.

2001
Gimmick-wise nothing new is released this year.

2002
+ Air Attack Optimus Primal is the first Transformer toy with fully articulated fingers.
+ At the end of the year Transformers Armada is released - Mini-Cons are introduced, small Transformers that can link with larger Transformers to activate gimmicks. The larger Transformers sacrifice some articulation in favour of Mini-Con activated gimmicks.

2003
+ Unicron comes out! The first Transformer planet (with moon!) and also the fulfilling a 17 year old dream that TF fans have had since 1986.
+ PlaySkool Go-Go-Go-Bots feature "automorphing."

2004 - Transformers turns 20
+ 1989's Multi-Force gimmick is revised as Energon/Super Link's Powerlinx/Super Link gimmick.
+ Microman crosses over with Transformers as Takara gives us Kicker and Gamede. Hasbro also releases a Kicker figure but it's not really a Microman figure (same scale but way less articulation).
+ Snowcat - first Transformer based on a G.I. Joe vehicle.
+ Inspired by Car Robot, HasTak releases Binaltech/Alternators - highly detailed and realistic looking 1:24 scale replica cars that can transform into articulated robots. In the case of BTs they feature die-cast metal parts.
+ Takara releases the first Masterpiece - Convoy. Hasbro later modifies it and releases it as 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime.

2005
+ Binaltech Asterisk - like BT only with small human driver figurines.
+ Alpha Quintesson - the first Quintesson toy. Rolls along and flails his hentaclestentacles.
+ Cybertron/Galaxy Force introduce the Cyber-Planet Key (Force Chip) gimmick... Transformers whose gimmicks are activated when a key is inserted.

To be continued...

[kup]

Battlechargers came out in 1986 whereas the Jumpstarters came out in 1984 (and were designed earlier than that as they were part of Diaclone) making the Jumpstarters the first one-step "auto" transforming Transformers.

Although the goal of both is auto-transformation, I fail to see them as the same gimmick as both use considerably different methods and engineering to trigger it as well as the outcome of the transformation being different. One 'jumps' into robot mode and lands standing (hopefully) while the other charges in vehicle mode and transforms into a robot on the run and continues charging in that mode.

Personally, I cannot call the Jumpstarters and Battlechargers to be the same gimmick.

[Lord_Zed]

I agree with kup on this one Jumpstarters and Battlechargers are like calling all the "Masters series" the same. Also what about the Sparkabots and Firecons?

And while were at it Connectables were Matchbox toys not Micromachines, though I know what you were getting at.

Surely we all recall the ocker kid from the add? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dT07PtmuQDQ

Far out!

[jacksplatt11]

Connectables were awesome, between me and my cousin we had all of them, well I think all of them, I recognised all the ones in that ad

When I look at the toys kids have today, man they are missing out