Transformers: Armada marks a turning point in the brand almost as large as Beast Wars. After the mixed results of Beast Machines and Robots in Disguise, Armada’s success with children reinvigorated Transformers. Perhaps the most defining characteristic was it’s introduction of Mini-Cons. These were smaller, simpler figures, one of which was packed with each larger toy. Mini-Cons proved phenomenally popular, and in no small part propelled the Armada franchise to occupy it’s exalted place in fandom memory. Armada marked a radical shift in the engineering of toys. From G1 to RID, the general trend had been increases in complexity and articulation. Armada made a different choice: “The early offerings in particular were blocky, easy to transform, sturdy and colorful. Articulation tended to be reduced.”(Seichi) Many of the aesthetic and engineering changes Armada pioneered would have a dramatic impact, not only on the immediate successors Energon and Cybertron lines, but almost every subsequent line.
Armada’s engineering is one of the most distinctive features of the line. Where Beast Era and RID molds had featured intricate transformations and the near omnipresence of ball joints, in Armada,“ball joints largely disappeared from the non-Mini-Con toys in favor of permanently-joined swivels.” (Seichi) Articulation on figures was, as a result, more restricted than it had been on previous figures. Overload in particular is famous for being one of the first ‘bricks’ released since the conclusion of Generation 1. (ItsWalky; Omnisvalidus) Even more traditional figures such as Demolishor feature an absence of bicep and thigh swivels that had appeared regularly on figures in previous lines. (Mendou)
The absence of articulation and the robustness and simplicity that provided allowed HasTak to experiment with much more gimmick laden toys. Almost every figure had some sort of action gimmick, ranging from Demolishor’s spring loaded missiles to Superbase Optimus Prime’s extremely involved auto-transforming trailer. (Mendou; Abates) Above the “Super-con” class, (the new name for the 10 dollar price point), all figures featured sounds, and some of the “Giga-con” figures featured both lights and sounds. (Seichi; Singularity)
Taken together, the simplicity of the figures in terms of transformation schemes and their complexity in terms of gimmicks represent a coherent design philosophy. Where the toys of RID in particular had often been difficult to actually play with, Armada made a conscious decision to make transformers accessible, and indeed attractive. This element of Armada continues to strongly influence the design of contemporary figures, in particular the current Cyberverse line. In some ways, this philosophy is relevant now more than ever, with the resurgence of incredible complexity in figures as a result of the live action movies, and HasTak’s parallel emphasis on one-step changers and the like in lines aimed at kids. In many ways, Armada represents the first real conscious move towards simplicity, not simply because of costs or engineering limitations, but for play value. Whatever your feelings about that kind of figure, that tension between complexity and accessibility has certainly stayed with us.
Many of the gimmicks of Armada figures were intimately linked to Mini-cons. Demolishor’s aforementioned missiles could only be launched by attaching a Mini-con to the specially sculpted port on his arm. (Mendou) Almost every action gimmick was activated in a similar manner. This was tied to the fictional conceit that Mini-cons were able to serve as a source of energy and to unlock powers for larger transformers. (Nova 81426) Much of the action of the cartoon was centered around the various factions trying to gain as many Mini-cons as they could. As a result, there was something of a ‘collect them all’ atmosphere surrounding the Mini-con figures.
Specific elements of their design and marketing also aided this perception. First, and perhaps most importantly, Mini-cons were established to be their own faction, complete with a unique faction symbol. (Derik) Second, the way Mini-cons interacted with larger toys was very specific. Each figure included somewhere on it a ‘powerlinx port’, essentially a five millimeter hole with a peg in the middle, which could be used to attach to a larger toy and activate gimmicks. (Derik) Third, the Mini-cons not included with larger transformers were sold as sets of three, in themed packs. Some of these packs featured figures that could combine, and some merely featured a common gimmick. (Derik) These elements, and others, such as their unified aesthetic of “facial designs [that] tend toward the unorthodox” combine to give the Mini-cons a very strong identity as a class of things, which one could reasonably collect all of. (Derik)
Indeed, not only could one collect all the Mini-cons, there was incentive to as well. Mini-cons, particularly the three packs, featured an incredible diversity of alternate modes. (Derik) Boats, a Saturn-5 styled rocket, and even a skateboard are all represented. These alternate modes were quite unusual, and to employ a normative assessment, many of them are very cool. Independently of collecting all the Mini-cons, it’s cool to have a Saturn-5 transformer. Moreover, their small size makes Mini-cons easy and rewarding to play with, and to own several of. Indeed, this small stature was likely a very conscious decision on the part of HasTak; earlier popular figures such as the Micromasters and Soundwave’s cassettes fit into what HasTak terms the ‘Micro play pattern’, where smaller figures interact with larger ones. (Repowers) Mini-cons proved to be so popular and identifiable that many subsequent uses of this play pattern, though entirely unrelated from a mechanical perspective, continue to use the Mini-con branding. (Derik). Indeed, a new-mold figure with the original Mini-con insignia was released as recently as 2014. (Derik)
Armada also featured some elements of design continuity with previous lines. As with RID and Beast Wars, the show had a smaller core cast, all of whom received figures at retail. Although there were figures that did not appear in the show, these were part of the traditional end of line expansion following its success. These figures were largely retools of existing Beast Wars molds, with some redecos of earlier characters in powered up colors. (Seichi) Like Beast Wars and RID, Armada continued to feature size classes. However, now these were renamed, and prices were slightly adjusted. (Singularity). The Mega class was at this point permanently discontinued. (Singularity) Aesthetically, Armada shifted from the realistic vehicles of RID to designs that were more genericized or cybertronian. For example, Demolishor doesn’t turn into any specific kind of tank, yet is clearly a tank of some sort. (Mendou) Much like RID, Armada Optimus Prime was also capable of combining either with himself or other figures to form a super robot. (Abates) Armada did establish figures like Overlord, which were effectively glorified accessories for Optimus Prime’s super mode, in the modern era, a trend that would be continued well into its successor series Energon. (ItsWalky)
From the perspective of single figures, arguably the most influential figure from Armada was its Unicron. After slightly less than 20 years after the character’s introduction in the 1986 movie, Armada marked the release of the first Unicron figure. (Seichi). Unicron, as befit a robot that turned into a planet, was massive. The toy has a huge number of hidden compartments and play features, like launching missiles and closing jaws. (Deceptitran) This figure was hugely popular, and in some respects paved the way for “other releases like Energon Omega Supreme” and large figures of large characters in general. (Deceptitran) This figure, or some retool of it, is often considered the definitive Unicron. Indeed, it took until 2021 and a special crowdfunding project for a rival to even be developed, in the form of the famously expensive War for Cybertron figure. (Deceptitran) Perhaps the most enduring testament to the figure’s popularity is it’s continued release; A retool of the mold was released as recently 2018. (Lonegamer78)
Transformers: Armada proved to be another breath of fresh air for the brand. After the somewhat notorious complexity of RID figures, Armada made a conscious and enduring return to Transformers as toys for children. Although toylines would again grow extremely complex, Armada demonstrated that simplicity can and does succeed at retail. In many ways, the legacy of Armada has stayed with us through to the contemporary era, and the heavily gimmicked, child focused Cyberverse line. Armada also gave us terminology and concepts to process smaller Transformers, and cemented Mini-cons as an indispensable part of the brand. Although in many ways its reach is less sweeping than that of Beast Wars, Armada is still one of the most influential toylines in the history of Transformers; between its emphasis on toys for kids and the way its tremendous popularity expanded the reach of Transformers, and involved folks who continue to be fans to this day, Armada is one of the biggest lines there is.
Works Cited
Abates et al. “Optimus Prime (Armada)/toys” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Optimus_Prime_(Armada)/toys#Armada Accessed 6/26/2020
Deceptitran et al. “Unicron/toys” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Unicron/toys#Armada Accessed 6/26/2020
Derik et al. “Mini-con” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Mini-con Accessed 6/26/2020
ItsWalky et al. “Overload (Armada)” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Overload_(Armada)#Toys Accessed 6/26/2020
Lonegamer 78 et al. “Unicron of Light” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Unicron_of_Light Accessed 6/26/2020
Mendou et al. “Demolishor (Armada)”TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Demolishor_(Armada)#Armada Accessed 6/26/2020
Nova 81426 et al. “Transformers: Armada (cartoon)” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers:_Armada_(cartoon) Accessed 6/26/2020
Omnisvalidus et al. “Brick (term)” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Brick_(term) Accessed 6/26/2020
Repowers et al. “ Play pattern” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Play_pattern Accessed 6/26/2020
Seichi et al. “Transformers: Armada (toyline)” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers:_Armada_(toyline) Accessed 6/23/2020
Singularity et al. “Size Class” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Size_class Accessed 5/5/2020
Transformers Aesthetics 