TRANSFORMERS

Pictures from Tomart's Action Figure Digest #35
and
Action Figure News & Toy Review #51

Updated 4/26/97

As of 4/1/97, the entire line has reached Columbus

If you want to use an image from here on your page, please E-Mail me first.

Machine Wars is due out in early 1997. Reportedly the line will be exclusive to Kay-Bee and some mailorder firms with "connections." There will be twelve toys in the first wave, four large and eight small. The four large toys are recolors of the large and medium Predators and Turbomasters from the European-only release of several years ago, while the small toys are four molds with two recolors per mold, designed as successors to the Cyberjets but delayed for a year by Beast Wars. The larger toys are not very poseable, but the small ones have Cyberjet-level poseability.

Large Toys

All four of these are recolors of Predators and Turbomasters. The sites I used to point to for images of the originals are no longer around.

Review of Optimus Prime

Reviews of Sandstorm, Soundwave and Starscream.

Fanfic Techspecs for Ultra Rodimus, Nightgaunt and Soundtrack (aka Optimus Prime, Starscream and Soundwave). I decided these personalities fit the toys better than those Hasbro picked.
More Fanfic Techspecs this time for Blancnoir (Skywarp) and D'Assault (Thundercracker), since Hasbro made the two jets into real morons.

Large Autobots

Optimus Prime: Recolored Thunderclash, who was pretty much an Optimus clone to start with. The actual figure is pretty small, about as big as the medium Machine Wars toys, but the trailer becomes a big-horkin' battle base in the spirit of Laser Prime (who can be considered Thunderclash's evolutionary descendant). GIF scanned at only 75% the size of Rotorstorm's, this box is actually bigger than that one. Click here for the picture of Optimus Prime from the box.
Sandstorm: Recolored Rotorstorm, the one flier of the Turbomasters. NOT a triple-changer, despite the name, which means they'll have to actually rewrite his techspecs some. Retains the glowing eyes gimmick of Rotorstorm. Click here for a picture of Sandstorm from the packaging.

Large Decepticons

Starscream: Recolored Skyquake, not very poseable but he drops and shoots more stuff than Laser Prime. The largest figure of the line. Also scanned in at smaller zoom than Soundwave, is really about 33% larger than Soundwave. The actual toy released here lacks his gun, for child safety reasons. Click here for the slightly inaccurate picture from the box the toy came in.
Soundwave: Recolored Stalker, the missile truck/comm expert of the Predators and their only non-flier. Stalker's techspecs make him out to be almost Soundwave's evil twin, so at least this is a marginally appropriate rename. Click here for the photo of Soundwave from the packaging.

Small Toys

All eight of these have cyberjet-level poseability, and have the old G2 symbols back. I expect to have these in my hands by the end of March, thanks to Jameel alKhafiz who has picked up 7 of the 8 for me.

NEW! Thanks to "Jaymz Xavier Phule," I have images from the card back of Mirage. Click HERE for a half-size image of the full card back.

Reviews of all eight small toys

Small Autobots

There are only two molds for these four toys. Recolor mania strikes again. In addition, it looks like these small toys have the same sort of spring-loaded auto-transform gimmick as the small Beast Wars toys.

Hoist: Mechanic, tow truck. The tow hook is the transformation trigger for this mold. Alternate Pic.
Hubcap: Construction, tow truck. Alternate Pic.
Mirage: Spy, Formula-1 racer. The rear spoiler is the transformation trigger for this mold. This toy seems to continue the long run of Formula-1 racers that just don't impress me in robot mode. Note that the card art is recycled from a Laser Rod. Alternate Pic. Click HERE for a greyscale picture of the transformation instructions and secret weapon location.
Prowl: Security, Formula-1 racer. Alternate Pic.

Small Decepticons

Again, two molds for four toys, with the autotransform likely. The tail of the jet seems the likely trigger for all four of these. I'm told the card art for all of these is recycled, but neither image rings a bell, so it may be recycled Euro art for the old Predator jets.

Megaplex: "Leader", F-22 jet. According to those who have obtained advance copies of the toys, Megaplex is a "decoy" for Megatron, designed to draw fire away from Megs. Alternate pic. Colors in these pictures are inaccurate, Megaplex is primarily silvery-grey, not blue.
Megatron: Commander, F-22 jet. Has his own stunt double in Megaplex. Alternate pic.
Skywarp: Infantry, Dassault Rafale jet. Alternate pic.
Thundercracker: Demolitions, Dassault Rafale jet. Alternate pic.

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