Transformers
TV and comic tie-in robots
No prizes for guessing Transformers’ gimmick. They were, the vocoded jingle reminded us, robots “in disguise” – i.e. figures which could transform; into cars, trucks, aeroplanes, or (at the less sane end of the spectrum) cassette tapes1. Stupidly collectable, these die-cast anthropomorphs had an in-built “double the value” argument for kids eager to pressure a parent into parting with their hard-earned. It’s a model VW Beetle! And it’s a robot reconnaissance soldier! It’s two toys in one! It is not a rip-off.
Transformers were in fact predated by a good year or two by RoboMachines (later renamed Gobots to tie in with their similarly TV-AM favoured cartoon series) - a slicker and less plastic range of chameleonic constructions that failed to catch on with the general public - and were followed by a load of long-forgotten five minute wonders (Grandstand Convertors, “Robot Anti-Terror Squad… RrrrrrrrrrrrrATS!”) which are now only remembered by… well, us really.
There was also the obligatory comic-book back story: Autobots (the “good” Transformers, initially all road vehicles of some description led by top articulated lorry bloke Optimus Prime) waged a battle to destroy the evil forces of The Decepticons (the villains, headed by Megatron – boo, hiss). Such fictions – along with the tie-in cartoon – bent to the whim of whatever additional toy Hasbro decided to foist on us. Every character had a name, so the range soon expanded to include transforming cameras (Reflector), bulldozers (Bonecrusher), dinosaurs (Sludge) and a space shuttle (Omega One Prime). Best of all were the triple-changers, where three or more from the standard range could be combined to make one giant Transformer. Now they really were cool.
Such was the magnitude of Transformers-mania, mid-Eighties, that the TV series begat an animated feature film, boasting the disparate vocal talents of Orson Welles and Eric Idle2. Chunky digital watches appeared with transforming robot fascias. Ocean Software also produced a fairly rubbish Spectrum/C64 game. And, when retro kitsch finally reached the advertising industry in 2004, Citroen used some whiz-bang CGI and a Les Rhythmes Digitales track to create a dancing, transforming version of their new C4. Actually, that was pretty impressive. The Transformers revival starts here.
Steve
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Reader Comments (11)
One vocoderised soundbite I remember was Soundwave proclaiming Energon Cubes Forming, which was used in almost every episode.
There was also one with the slogan 'illusion is the ultimate weapon!' but I can't remember what that one was.
Triple changers were one robot that changed into not one but two vehicles, which was, for the Thatcherite mindset of the 1980's parent and kid, both economically prudent and gloriously extravagant.
I never had one of those expensive triple changers (possibly also due to Thatcherite economics and my dad being unemployed for long periods in the 80's!) I had a 'Headmaster' though, where the head changed into a robot, which was also very exciting.
Until I lent it to some clot at school and he lost the head, thus rendering the whole thing useless.
I remember RATS and Grandstand Converters. The main Converter (a city) ended up being licensed to Hasbro and produced as a Transformer - Omega One, I think. I believe Jetfire, the Autobot swingwing plane, was originally a Bandai Robotech toy as well.