Transformers G1 Classic

J'ai besoin de renseignement sur cette série :



Je me souviens que c'était soit à la fin de la G1, soit au début de la G2, mais dans les années 90 sont sorties chez nous ces boites jaunes, nommées "Classic", qui reprenaient des modèles G1, mais avec une boite dorée. Le problème est que lorsqu'on cherche Transformers Classic sur le net, on ne tombe que sur la gamme homonyme sortie en 2006.
Donc c'est quoi cette série ? C'est typiquement européen ? Y'a eu quels modèles ?


Lionel

J'ai eu double dealer, qui est aussi un triple changer) en 1989 avec le boitage des G1 (comme ton Blitzwing). Peut etre que le boitage doré est propre a une seconde wave des triple changer?

Je dois être plus jeune que vous, car je ne me souviens que des boites dorées.

Ce sont les reissues européenes : plus d'infos ici : http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Classics_%28Europe%29

Mon Snarl et mon Motormaster d'enfance étaient en boitage dorés. Mon Snarl a d'ailleurs la fameuse tete sombre dont il est question dans l'article.

JD --> Il y a eu effectivement ce boitage autour de 1988, dans ces eaux là, pour la G1 normale. Overlord par exemple, a ce boitage.

Gambit --> Merci, c'est ce que je cherchais.


Lionel

Merci Lionel pour avoir posé la question, et merci Gambit pour cette réponse !

Je sens que l'année 2012 sera placée sous le signe des Autobots... ^_^

Et bien oeuvrons ensembles pour réunir les visuels de ces boites méconnues !
Voilà déjà ce que j'ai pu récolter comme images, de ma collection, et de celle de Maz :














Lionel

J'ai oublié ces deux là :






Lionel

Voici pour Jazz :

Ooh just my kind of thread

Hopefully I can be of some use. First of all, not everything released in gold packaging is technically "Classic" or "Classic Heroes", which were basically a first reissue series. They began in 1989 and were available in the early 90s in a number of countries including the UK, France, Holland, Germany, Spain, Italy, Cyprus and even Canada I think (you can find bilingual French/English packaging). On eBay now you see a lot of the Spanish ones, they do not actually say "Classic" anywhere, just "Autobot" etc in the top right corner.

Also, notice in my picture above the Optimus Prime does not say "Classic", it says "Original". That is a very rare release. I remember it was everywhere when I was young, but now in English packaging (not the more typical Spanish release) it is very rare. Now look at the cars next to him, can you see the gold on the box is not the same colour? That's because there were 2 main waves of Classics.

1989/1990:
- Jazz
- Ironhide
- Sunstreaker
- Wheeljack
- Prowl (with "Diaclone" on the stickers, different kind of paint on the robot head)
- Inferno
- Motormaster
- Wildrider
- Drag Strip
- Breakdown
- Dead End
- Silverbolt
- Slingshot
- Air Raid
- Fireflight
- Skydive


1991:
- Optimus Prime
- Sideswipe
- Tracks (black shins instead of silver)
- Astrotrain
- Springer
- Sandstorm
- Octane
- Grimlock
- Snarl (black Dino head instead of clear, later versions had 'sawn off' flat missile heads)
- Sludge
- Onslaught
- Blast Off
- Vortex
- Swindle
- Brawl
- Hot Spot
- Blades
- First Aid
- Streetwise
- Groove
- Rollbar
- Searchlight
- Freeway
- Goldbug
- Chase

All of these toys have the "JAPAN" section of their copyrights removed or blocked over, implying European manufacture.

I bought my Optimus Prime MISB from the ex-Hasbro director of boys toys for Europe. I asked him why they only released these Autobot Cars and not other ones like Hound, Trailbreaker etc, he said:

"If I remember it was simply that these items had sold so well and therefore to release them as 'Classics' some years later made a lot of sense because the cost was repackaging only. Tooling new products costs a huge amount, add the development cost, man hours, photography etc. The other thing that must be considered is the rest of the Hasbro folio of product and the new lines that need development! So I'm pretty sure its it was an amalgam of things."

There are other new toys that were released in gold packaging, toys like Overlord, Pretenders etc, in Italy they even released Devastator and Defensor giftsets again in G1-style packaging, and there was a free gold box Dinobot attached for free. Lots of countries doing different things at that time. Apparently, if it wasn;t for Europeans and mainly UK customers buying Transformers in the early 90s and through G2, there would not have been a Transformers continued after that in the US and North America.

I find this period of G1 Classics absolutely fascinating, I hope to have a complete collection of cars one day, in UK English packaging.

All the best
Maz

Awesome job and great informations !

Slag never released in classic edition !?

Just one question, is your Optimus Made in France ? Because nearly all the G1 Optimus sold in France were Made in France.


Lionel

lionel a écrit:

Just one question, is your Optimus Made in France ? Because nearly all the G1 Optimus sold in France were Made in France.


Lionel

Well the Optimus Prime I have in the gold box is MISB, so it's never been opened. I would imagine it just says Hasbro 1980 1984 with a big block on everything else.

The Made In France Optimus Primes are from 1985 to 1986 when Ceji was helping to do the manufacturing for Milton Bradley/Hasbro in European countries like France, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands, Austria, Spain, Luxembourg and Scandinavia. Some Made In France Optimus Primes (blue foot and red foot) made it to the UK as well and were sold in our chain store "Argos". They also did Megatron, Insecticons (with orange chests), Starscream, Ramjet, Thrust and Dirge (hard plastic nosecone, black plastic wheels), Constructicons (yellow), Pipes (really just a blue/white Huffer). Can't remember what others Ceji manufactured as well.

All the best
Maz

Thanks for those informations.
Now, I know where my blue Huffer comes from.


Lionel

Premier topic que je lit de l'année, je sens que je vais me remettre plus sérieusement aux Tfs!

J'ai longtemps cru, du temps où je collectionnais dans mon coin, qu'il s'agissait simplement de packaging euro pur et simple, car étant petit je n'ai eu que des boites/blisters dorées. (Springer, Sandstorm, Prowl, plusieurs trottlebots, First Aid, Bludgeon..)

Merci à vous tous pour les infos!

lionel a écrit:

Thanks for those informations.
Now, I know where my blue Huffer comes from.


Lionel

My pleasure!

Be careful though, not all blue Huffers are the same. If yours is light blue with a rubsign and no copyright, it is the Ceji Euro version.

If it is dark sparkly blue with copyright, it could be the Mexican "Pipes".

I had written an article with pictures here:
http://www.tf-1.com/articles/mini_frame.php?art=puffer

All the best
Maz

Thanks. Mine is the euro one then :




Lionel

Yep, 100% European one! Let me know if you ever get tired of it

I remember LuluBerlu had a MOSC one in early 2000s, back then they were much more common.

All the best
Maz

Et un petit Grimlok en boite Classic...

Le pote à Grimlok, Snarl :

Le voilà ce topic sur les boîtes TF dorées

Je bave devant le WheelJack de Lionel

Il n'est pas à moi, mais à Maz. J'ai juste Astrotrain, Onslaught et Hot Spot.


Lionel

Quand les Classics étaient sortis vers 89-90, je m'étais bien gavé, j'avais pris Jazz, Wheeljack, Sunstreaker, Ironhide, Prowl, Inferno, les Aerialbots et les Stunticons. Il y avait aussi des triple changers mais ils m'intéressaient moins. Je remercie bien Hasbro pour cette session de rattrapage.

Maz: correct me if I'm wrong, but the first wave ones all had rubsigns whereas the second wave ones didn't?

Not 100% correct JB. In the UK at least, wave 2 Classic figures like Tracks, Optimus Prime, Sideswipe and Throttlebots had rubsigns. The Throttlebots then had the rubsign replaced with a Autobot sticker, and finally they were re-moulded and the indentation for the rubsign was gone and only a sticker remained.

I think all the Spanish CLassics are without rubsigns though. Their wave 1 toys come in wave 2 style classic boxes.

I did publish this recently
http://tfsource.com/blog/oldies-but-goldies-classic-transformers/

All the best
Maz

Wow, cool article. No "Slags" in the UK, lol
I see Wave 2 with rubsigns indeed.

My Aerialbots and Stunticons all have them, there were the other two combiners in shops too and I don't remember if they did, but all those I have seen sealed as an adult collector don't.

Very interesting one on Finnish Diaclones as well!

Je poste les photos de sandstorm (jouet rescellé)