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  1. #1
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    Default (OCT-2013) Animated Era Toys - Reviews and Favourites

    Following a short-lived filler toyline called Classics (which ultimately spawned a number of toylines of "classicverse" toys) and the first of several Live Action Movies, the Animated series launched with a cartoon at the end of 2007, but we didn't see any toys until mid 2008. Lasting 3 seasons and barely a year on TV and in stores, the cartoon and toyline came to a rather abrupt end in the second quarter of 2009, due to Hasbro starting up their HUB cable TV channel and wanting new cartoons of their main brands to spearhead its launch later that year.
    The axing was so abrupt, that an official DVD release of the 3rd season is still yet to occur, because at the time, all marketing and merchandise was directed at the next series.

    Animated started off fairly ordinary as a cartoon and toy series, to the point of being significantly dismissed by the fandom as being too young with its visual style and themes... but by the end of 2008, characters on the cartoon and in the toyline were more often being made as homages to classic characters, which helped draw in many existing fans. The short-lived series generated a significant following by the time it ended, with interest to this day for a fourth season (even if it is just a comic), and for the unreleased toys (including some prototype designs of Megatron and Optimus).
    Animated's toy release in Australia was sporadic, which was a significant change from the almost-complete release of the preceding line of Cybertron here. Several figures we didn't end up getting here, while some others (particularly Voyagers) were so limited, they disappeared within a week of being first sighted.
    In Japan, the series was released in 2010 (after it had ended in Western markets) under the banner of "Transformers Animated", which is rare for the same name to be used on both American/Western and Japanese versions of a series. The significant difference was TakaraTomy were giving their Animated toys shiny decos, compared to Hasbro's more accurate animated colours... which is a reversal of what we are used to, as TakaraTomy are usually the ones to "fix up" or refine toy decos to make them more cartoon accurate. One bonus of the Japanese series being a delayed release and not affected by the HUB's creation ending the toyline, was that they were able to release a number of figures in Japan that were axed by Hasbro.

    Details of the Animated era can be read about here.

    The toyline didn't have a series-wide gimmick like the preceding eras did, but it did contain a number of gimmicks for different size-classes.
    We saw Bumper Battlers that "transformed" when they hit something in vehicle mode, Activators that had spring-loaded transformations to robot mode, Powerbots that were non-convertible but were electronic, and Supreme class which had a "spin to transform" gimmick.

    (toy listing below may not be entirely complete, especially their release status here, as the second half is still a work in progress)
    Release dates are American - the Australian dates will be added later.

    Animated - larger sizes

    Deluxe
    - - Wave 1 (June 2008)
    Bumblebee - Out here
    Prowl - Out here
    Cybertron Mode Optimus Prime - Out here
    Lockdown - Out here
    - - Wave 2 (June-July 2008)
    Autobot Ratchet - Out here
    Blackarachnia - Out here
    - - Wave 3 (July 2008)
    Autobot Jazz - Out here (limited release)
    Snarl - Out here (limited release)
    Soundwave w/ Laserbeak - Out here (limited release)
    Oilslick - Out here (limited release)
    - - Wave 4 (Aug-Sept 2008)
    Sentinel Prime - Out here (limited release)
    Swoop - Out here (limited release)
    Patrol Bumblebee (redeco) - Out here (limited release)
    - - Wave 5 (Dec 2008-Jan 2009)
    Blurr
    Blazing Lockdown (redeco/new accessory)
    Swindle
    - - Wave 6 (Feb-Mar 2009)
    Samurai Prowl (Deluxe remould w/ Sidecar/armour)
    Waspinator
    - - Wave 7 (April-May 2009)
    Freeway Jazz (redco)
    Electrostatic Soundwave (redeco) w/ Ratbat (new)
    - - Wave 8 & 9 (mid-late 2009)
    Toxic Oil Slick (redeco) - CANCELLED
    Fugitive Wasp/Waspinator (redeco) - CANCELLED
    Vortex Blurr (redeco) - CANCELLED
    Mercenary Swindle (redeco) - CANCELLED
    Arcee (new) - CANCELLED (later released at US TRU in 2010)
    Cybertronian Ratchet (new) - CANCELLED (later released at US TRU in 2010)
    Rodimus Minor (new) - CANCELLED (later released at US TRU in 2010)
    Ironhide (redeco) - CANCELLED (later released at US TRU in 2010)

    Voyager
    - - Wave 1 (June 2008)
    Bulkhead - Out here
    Starscream - Out here
    Cybertron Mode Megatron - Out here
    - - Wave 2 (June-July 2008)
    Optimus Prime - Out here
    - - Wave 3 (July 2008)
    Grimlock - Out here (limited release)
    Lugnut - Out here (limited release)
    - - Wave 4 (Aug-Sept 2008)
    Blitzwing - Out here (limited release)
    - - Wave 5 (Dec 2008-Jan 2009)
    Skywarp (redeco)
    Shockwave/Longarm
    - - Wave 6 (Feb-Mar 2009)
    Atomic Lugnut (redeco)
    Wreckgar
    - - Wave 7 (April-May 2009)
    Thundercracker (redeco) - CANCELLED
    Mudbuster Bulkhead (redeco) - CANCELLED
    - - Wave 8 (June-July 2009)
    Goldfire Grimlock (redeco) - CANCELLED
    Hydrodrive Bumblebee (new) - CANCELLED (release in Japan)
    Wingblade Optimus Prime (redeco with accessories) - CANCELLED (release in Japan)
    Blackout (new) - CANCELLED (release in Japan)


    Leader
    - - Wave 1 (June 2008)
    Bulkhead - Out here
    - - Wave 2 (July 2008)
    Megatron - Out here
    - - Wave 3 (Aug-Sept 2008)
    Ultra Magnus (Leader) - Out here (limited release)
    - - Wave 4 (Dec 2008-Jan 2009)
    Shadow Blade Megatron (redeco)
    - - Wave 5 (Feb-Apr 2009)
    Roadbuster Ultra Magnus (redeco)


    Supreme
    - - Wave 1 (June-July 2008)
    Optimus Prime - Out here (limited release)


    Deluxe 2-pack (entertainment pack)
    - - Wave 1 (June-July 2008)
    Earth mode Optimus Prime Vs Cybertron mode Megatron (with DVD in American release) - Out here
    (different Optimus mould to the single pack Deluxe)
    -- Wave 2 (Oct-Nov 2008)
    Jetfire & Jetstorm (form Safeguard) (with comic) - Out here (limited release)



    Animated - smaller sizes and gimmick lines

    Activators
    - - Wave 1 (June-July 2008)
    Bumblebee (Autobot) - Out here
    Bulkhead (Autobot) - Out here
    Starscream (Decepticon) - Out here
    - - Wave 2 (Aug-Sept 2008)
    Optimus Prime (Autobot)
    Lockdown (Decepticon)
    Ratchet (Autobot)
    - - Wave 3 (Oct 2008)
    Patrol Bumblebee (redeco)
    Thundercracker (redeco)
    - - Wave 4 (Nov 2008)
    Megatron - Out here (limited release)
    Grimlock - Out here (limited release)
    Bandit Lockdown (redeco) - Out here (limited release)
    - - Wave 5 (Dec 2008-Jan 2009)
    Cliffjumper (redeco)
    Dirge (redeco)
    - - Wave 6 (Feb-March 2009)
    Fireblast Grimlock (redeco)
    Soundwave
    - - Wave 7 (Apr-May 2009)
    Armor Up Optimus Prime (redeco)
    Battlefield Bumblebee (redeco)
    - - Wave 8 (June-July 2009)
    Electromagnetic Soundwave (redeco) - CANCELLED


    Bumper Battlers
    - - Wave 1 (June-July 2008)
    Autobot Ratchet (Autobot) - Out here
    Bumblebee (Autobot) - Out here
    Optimus Prime (Autobot) - Out here
    - - Wave 2 (Aug-Sept 2008)
    Bulkhead (Autobot) - Out here (limited release)
    Autobot Jazz (Autobot) - Out here (limited release)
    - - Wave 3 (Oct 2008)
    Sting Racer Bumblebee (Autobot - redeco)
    Nightwatch Optimus Prime (Autobot - redeco)
    - - Wave 4 (Nov 2008)
    Lockdown (Decepticon)
    Soundwave (Decepticon)
    - - Wave 5 (Feb-Apr 2009) (apparently this wave never hit America before the line was axed)
    Workzone Bulkhead (Autobot - redeco) - Out here (limited release)
    Stealth Ninja Jazz (Autobot - redeco) - Out here (limited release)


    Universe Legends
    - - (Oct-Nov 2008)
    Optimus Prime (Anim Autobot)
    Bumblebee (Anim Autobot)
    Prowl (Anim Autobot)
    - - (Dec 2008-Jan 2009)
    Starscream (Decepticon)


    Other
    - - (June-July 2008)
    Optimus Prime Battle Blaster (Autobot Roleplay) - Out here (limited release)
    Optimus Prime Handheld Game (Autobot Shiftech) - Out here (limited release)
    - - (Aug-Sept 2008)
    Cyberspeed Bumblebee (Autobot Power Bot) - Out here (limited release)
    - - (Oct-Nov 2008)
    Street Patrol Bumblebee (Autobot Power Bot - redeco)
    - - (Jun-July 2009)
    Megatron Battle Blaster (Decepticon Roleplay) - CANCELLED
    Bumblebee Handheld Game (Autobot Shiftech) - CANCELLED


    Store Exclusives
    - - (Aug-Sept 2008)
    The Legacy of Bumblebee (3xDeluxe Autobot) (Classic Bumblebee (repack), Premium Movie Bumblebee (repack), Animated Bumblebee (redeco))
    (US Walmart/AUS Kmart Sep/Oct)
    Bulkhead (Leader) w/ Bumblebee (Act) (repacks) (US TRU/AUS TRU Oct)
    Megatron (Leader) w/ Starscream (Act) (repacks) (US TRU/AUS TRU Oct)
    - - (Dec 2008-Jan 2009)
    Stealth Lockdown (DLX redeco) w/ Optimus Prime & Bumblebee (Legends minor redecos) (US Target/AUS unknown)
    Rescue Ratchet (DLX redeco) w/ Prowl & Starscream (Legends minor redecos) (US Target/AUS unknown)
    Bulkhead (Voyager) w/ Autobot Jazz (BBat) (repacks) - CANCELLED?
    Optimus Prime (Voyager) w/ Autobot Ratchet (BBat) (repacks) - CANCELLED?
    Optimus Prime Vs Blackarachnia (Deluxe repacks) (US Walmart/AUS Kmart?) - (The Revenge of Blackarachnia)
    Prowl Vs Megatron (Deluxe repacks) (US Walmart/AUS Kmart?) - (Battle in Space)
    - - (Feb-Mar 2009)
    Sunstorm (Voyager redeco) Vs Ratchet (Activator repack) (US Target/AUS BigW?)
    Shockwave (Voyager redeco) Vs Bumblebee (Activator repack) (US Target/AUS BigW?)
    - - (2009/2010?)
    Arcee (Deluxe) (US TRU Excl - Not released here)
    Cybertronian Ratchet (Deluxe) (US TRU Excl - Not released here)
    - - (mid 2010)
    Ironhide (Deluxe redeco) (US TRU Excl - Not released here)
    Rodimus Major (Deluxe) (US TRU Excl - Not released here)
    - - (mid 2011)
    Cheetor (DLX redeco of Blurr) (Club exclusive)
    Motormaster (redeco VOY Optimus) (BotCon exclusive)
    Wildrider (redeco DLX Lockdown) (BotCon exclusive)
    Dragstrip (redeco DLX Arcee) (BotCon exclusive)
    Dead End (redeco DLX Jazz) (BotCon exclusive)
    Breakdown (redeco DLX Rodimus Major) (BotCon exclusive)
    Gen2 Sideswipe (redeco DLX Rodimus Major) (BotCon exclusive)
    Toxitron (redeco VOY Optimus) (BotCon exclusive)
    Auto-Trooper (redeco DLX Cybertronian Ratchet) (BotCon exclusive)
    Fisitron (redeco DLX Cybertronian Ratchet) (BotCon attendee exclusive)
    Minerva (redeco DLX Arcee) (BotCon Custom Class exclusive)
    - - (Aug-Oct 2013)
    Jackpot (redeco DLX Jazz) (Subscription figure)
    (Slipstream (using DLX TFPrime Starscream mould) (Subscription figure))


    Japanese Exclusives (there might be some limited edition items I may have missed/left out, due to there being so many of them)
    Deluxe Elite Guard Prowl (redeco of first version)
    Deluxe Dark Rodimus (redeco)
    Voyager Jetpack (Hydrodrive) Bumblebee (new)
    Voyager Wingblade Optimus Prime (redeco with accessories)
    Voyager Blackout (new)
    Voyager Elite Guard Optimus (redeco)
    Voyager Optimus Prime (black version) (redeco)
    Activators Ramjet (redeco)
    Activators Skywarp (redeco)
    Activators Soundblaster (redeco)
    Activators Optimus Prime (translucent "The Cool" version) (redeco)
    EZ (Legends) Elite Guard Prowl (redeco)
    EZ (Legends) Prowl (clear smoke version) (redeco)
    EZ (Legends) Bumblebee (completely translucent version) (redeco)
    EZ (Legends) Starscream (completely translucent dark purple version) (redeco)
    EZ (Legends) Thundercracker (completely translucent blue redeco)
    EZ (Legends) Skywarp (completely translucent pink-purple redeco)
    EZ (Legends) Sunstorm (completely translucent orange redeco)
    EZ (Legends) Ramjet (completely translucent white redeco)
    EZ (Legends) Black Starscream Clone (completely translucent black & clear redeco)
    EZ (Legends) Elite Guard Bumblebee (redeco)
    EZ (Legends) Elite Guard Optimus (redeco)
    EZ (Legends) Optimus (translucent red version) (redeco)
    EZ (Legends) Optimus (Gold version) (redeco)
    EZ (Legends) Optimus (limited translucent version) (redeco)
    EZ (Legends) Bumblebee (limited translucent version) (redeco)
    EZ (Legends) Prowl (limited translucent version) (redeco)
    EZ (Legends) Starscream (limited translucent version) (redeco)
    2010 Sons of Cybertron DLX 2-pack (Earth Mode Optimus & Rodimus) (translucent)


    McDonalds Animated Happy Meal toys (6 toys in America - 4 in Australia)
    Bumblebee, Megatron, Optimus Prime, Autobot Ratchet (released AUS Sep/Oct 2008)
    Lugnut, Starscream (not released here)


    What are your Best and Worst toys of this Era?

    What was your first one, and when?

    What ones are you currently most looking for and why?

    Show us some pics of your collection of the ones you have.
    Last edited by griffin; 15th October 2013 at 01:01 AM.

  2. #2
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    While typing up all that, I was actually surprised at how brief the Animated series was. I had in my mind that since it was a 3-season cartoon, the series (and toys) was out for about 3 years as well... but no. The advance screening of the cartoon in America in December 2007 was misleading, as the toys didn't get released until middle of 2008. (there was an advance release in Cincinnati for the BotCon in April)
    And since there were four US ToysRUs exclusive Deluxes released in 2010, plus the Japanese version starting by 2010, it all had me feeling like the series was indeed about 3 years long (2007 to 2010/2011).

    But with the global release being June-ish of 2008, it really surprised me to realise that by June-ish 2009, just 12 months later, the Animated toyline was over, and all unreleased items were cancelled. (and some that must have just started production, were stopped, and their limited number appeared in just a couple of countries... or just on ebay)

    It was only a few years ago, but I had totally forgotten that it was such a short series... and yet, it is one of the more popular ones in the fandom. Or at least, one of the few series that has inspired fans to want to see more from it (as in, cartoons/comics and/or toys).

  3. #3
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    What are your Best and Worst toys of this Era?
    My Best would have to go to Deluxe Cybertronian Optimus Prime. I think it is one of the most overlooked figures in the line.
    It is articulate, good looking, decent transformation, and pretty accurate to the show.

    Worst would have to go to the 2 Cybertronian Megatron figures. Robot modes look find. It is just the vehicle modes, they just don't really look like anything. The Deluxe is the worst offender of this.

    What was your first one, and when?
    I picked up wave 1 and 2 of the deluxes when they came out on BBTS.

    What ones are you currently most looking for and why?
    I keep eyeing off TFCC Slipstream. I just don't know how well she would fit in with the other 3 animated seekers.
    |Buy ALL my things!|Collection Thread|Current Collection Count: ~661|
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    I wasn't a big fan of Animated toys, mostly due to poor production quality. I believe this was caused by a shift in Hasbro's manufacturing locations and the effects were not just confined to Animated.

    I think Animated toys suffered the most though due to poor design choices, particularly around ball joints, plugs/tabs and weight distribution. Aesthetically the toys were brilliant with reasonable cartoon accuracy and neat transformations and possibly the best accessories in terms of playability and relevance.

    However none of this means much when your toy has floppy arms, doesn't lock together neatly or can't stand up straight

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    What are your Best and Worst toys of this Era?
    - Best: (Leader class) Megatron & Ultra Magnus, (Deluxe Class) Swindle, Rodimus Minor & Lockdown
    - Worst: Dirge (bad colouring) and Snarl just for the confusion he caused.

    What was your first one, and when?
    Got about 8 at once off the shelves when I came across them in 2008. But maybe the first one I picked up of the 8 was Cybertonian-Mode Megatron

    What ones are you currently most looking for and why?

    - Sunstorm, Skywarp, Blackout & Ratbat. Why? Because I WANT them! But have yet to find them cheap enough for my budget .

    Show us some pics of your collection of the ones you have.
    Don't have any shots of the whole gang, but here are pics of the first ones and last ones of the era I got


    FIRST LOT



    LAST LOT

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    And I wasn't going to collect the Animated figures...




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    Watching Animated was what got me back into the fandom if not collecting. The bulk of the toys had already passed and it was a little late to catch up without paying eBay prices.

    My favorite was Arcee. Mostly because she was the closest to a G1 representation we had at the time. Runner ups were Wreck-Gar for his portrayal in the cartoon and Bumblebee for being fun.
    Any figure that comes with swords demands wrist articulation.

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    It got me back into collecting as well.

    Shockwave/Longarm Prime was an awesome toy and cartoon character. 2 robot modes and 2 alt modes is exactly what an espionage-bot should be; taking the concept to the next level from where G1 Punch/Counterpunch and Armada Sideways tried to achieve.

    Lockdown still amazes me in the way that such a small compact alt mode can produce such an imposing robot mode. He'd be perfect as a toy if it weren't for the odd position they chose to finish the wrists.


    変われ! ヘッドマスター! Kaware! Headmaster!
    戦え! ヘッドマスター! Tatakae! Headmaster!


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    That Shockwave/Longarm is truly special and can only be equalled (if not surpassed) by the Darth Vader/Anakin Skywalker quad changer.

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    I actually managed to nab one of each mold of the main sizes (deluxe, voyager, leader) in this series, aside from Shockwave/Longarm, Soundwave and Snarl.


    What are your Best and Worst toys of this Era?

    Best:
    I loved Hot Rod a lot.

    Worst:
    Without a doubt Lockdown. I owned two samples and the plastic was shocking on both. The engineering was garbage and needlessly limited the figure in several ways, and the gimmicks were uninspired.
    Waspinator was a mess as well.

    What was your first one, and when?
    Voyager Starscream and Deluxe Lockdown, and in the middle of 2008.

    What ones are you currently most looking for and why?

    Would consider rebuying Hot Rod (I've since sold mine), though I'm not actively looking.
    I'm really just here for the free food and open bar.

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