Transformers
Animated Toys
In the
summer of 2008, Hasbro reinvented Transformers yet again-- this time not
only with a new continuity, but with a radical change in the look of Transformers,
as well. Transformers Animated features a very exaggerated, smooth styling
that is far more "cartoonish" than any Transformers series before it, and
did no less than change in the eyes of fans (again) what aesthetics worked
with the alien robots we've all grown to love. Animated was, as a whole,
accepted quite well by the fandom, likely in part due to the exceptional
writing of the television series, the homages from nearly all previous
eras of Transformers, and the incredibly unique sculpts of each toy. However,
due to a combination of the popularity of the movie lines and Hasbro creating
its own channel, the show was cancelled slightly earlier than planned,
and sadly some of the later waves of toys either became store exclusives
or went unreleased.
In addition
to the "normal" transforming toys, Animated also had a few sublines. One
was the "Activators", which were Scout class-priced ($7 U.S.) toys which
were smaller representations of many of the characters in the show, not
to be in scale with the "normal" figures, and which could transform from
vehicle mode to robot mode with little more than the pressing of a button.
In addition were the "Bumper Battlers", deluxe-priced ($10 U.S.) toys meant
for very young kids, which transformed by pressing the bumper in a style
similar to the Cyber Slammers of the Transformers
Movie toyline. However, Bumper Battlers also featured electronics,
with a host of myriad phrases and sounds that could emit from the toy when
the allegiance symbol was pressed. Finally, there were a few releases in
the "Power Bots" line, which were non-transformable large representations
of a few characters in the show who also had electronic sounds and lights.
Listed
below are the toys in the various Animated lines, listed in alphabetical
order by subline. Power Bots, due to their non-transformable nature, are
NOT reviewed on this site. Animated Legends figures, due to the packaging,
are reviewed in the Transformers Universe 2.0 toy review page. (A few Animated
product tie-ins, such as board or video games, may be found reviewed in
the Storage Closet.)
Main Line Toys
Arcee
[Toys "R" Us Exclusive]
Autobot
Jazz
Autobot
Jazz (Freeway)
Autobot
Ratchet
Autobot
Ratchet (Cybertron Mode) [Toys "R" Us Exclusive]
Autobot
Ratchet (Rescue) w/ Legends Prowl & Starscream [Target Exclusive]
Blackarachnia
Blitzwing
Blurr
Bulkhead
(Voyager)
Bulkhead
(Leader)
Bumblebee
Bumblebee
(Elite Guard)
Grimlock
Ironhide
(Cybertron Mode) [Toys "R" Us Exclusive]
Jetfire
& Jetstorm
Lockdown
Lockdown
(Blazing)
Lockdown
(Stealth) w/ Legends Bumblebee & Optimus Prime [Target Exclusive]
Lugnut
Lugnut
(Atomic)
Megatron
(Battle Begins)
Megatron
(Leader)
Megatron
(Shadow Blade)
Megatron
(Cybertron Mode, Voyager)
Oil
Slick
Optimus
Prime (Battle Begins)
Optimus
Prime (Cybertron Mode)
Optimus
Prime (Roll Out & Command)
Optimus
Prime (Voyager)
Prowl
Prowl
(Samurai)
Rodimus
Minor [Toys "R" Us Exclusive]
Sentinel
Prime
Shockwave
Shockwave
(True Colors) w/ Activators Bumblebee [Target Exclusive]
Skywarp
Snarl
Soundwave
w/ Laserbeak
Soundwave
w/ Ratbat (Electrostatic)
Starscream
Sunstorm
w/ Activators Ratchet [Target Exclusive]
Swindle
Swoop
Ultra
Magnus
Ultra
Magnus (Roadbuster)
Waspinator
Wreck-Gar
Activators
Autobot
Ratchet
Bulkhead
Bumblebee
Bumblebee
(Battlefield)
Bumblebee
(Patrol)
Cliffjumper
Dirge
Grimlock
Grimlock
(Fireblast)
Lockdown
Lockdown
(Bandit)
Megatron
Optimus
Prime
Optimus
Prime (Armor Up)
Soundwave
Starscream
Thundercracker
Bumper Battlers
Autobot
Jazz
Autobot
Ratchet
Bulkhead
Bumblebee
Bumblebee
(Sting Racer)
Lockdown
Optimus
Prime
Optimus
Prime (Nightwatch)
Soundwave
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