Transformers:Classics was released in 2006, to compensate for the delay of the 2007 Transformers film.(Nevermore) It was a hodgepodge of different concepts, demonstrating Hasbro’s reticence to rely entirely on collectors or nostalgia to sell toys, and their desire to include more broadly marketable elements to a line as well. Part of the line, most notably the legends class figures, is reminiscent of the 2003 Universe line, which consisted entirely of redecos of previously released toys.(Fiction Alchemist) Other parts of the line continue successful practices of the Unicron Trilogy lines; Classics released six new mold minicon teams.(Nevermore) However, the most significant part of Classics was the fact that it gave new toys with modern engineering to G1 characters.
The deluxe and Voyager classes were entirely new molds of G1 characters.(Nevermore) Many of these characters, such as Astrotrain and Bumblebee, had not received figures since the end of G1.(ItsWalky;S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47, Astrotrain) More notable still, this is the first time that any G1 characters received toys that were designed to be updated versions of the characters, faithful and evocative of their original appearances while relying on modern toy engineering. This is the main contribution of Classics; it launches the practice of having modern toys of G1 characters on the shelves without any supporting fiction, in contrast to toylines associated with the movies or the current television show. Indeed, the 2008 Universe line was occasionally referred to as Classics 2.0, emphasizing the direct thematic ties between the lines.(Jackpot) Many figures in the Universe line were branded as part of the “Classics Series” subline.(Jackpot) This practice of releasing updated G1 figures has continued, at first haltingly, then more or less continuously since 2012.(DDog)
While it was not uncommon to include nods and references to previous Transformers fiction in figures, such as including a crown for Starscream, a reference to his appearance in the ‘86 movie, Classics introduced references of a novel opacity. Grimlock’s entire figure is a reference to his Pretenders figure. They both break from Grimlock’s traditional transformation scheme and end with him wielding his tail as a sword, and share a blaster with a bayonet.(Abates) Hot Rod features a flip out buzz saw, referencing a scene in the ‘86 movie (the place from which all Transformers references stem).(Rotty) Jetfire includes weapons and accessories to better replicate his original toy, a practice which has become standard on subsequent Jetfire figures.(S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47, Jetfire) Astrotrain is decoed not to reflect his appearance in the cartoon, but his original toy.(S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47, Astrotrain)
What is remarkable about these references is that, while they have significant play value independent of understanding them, they are extremely arcane to the uninitiated. What child in 2006 is going to have ready access to Grimlock’s pretender figure, Jetfire’s original toy, or care enough about the ‘86 movie to scrutinize every frame? These references are clearly intended for adult collectors who remember these things from their own childhoods. Indeed, the very gimmicks of the line reference G1; The line also featured the return of rubsigns instead of regular faction insignias, which the 2010 Reveal the Shield line would also notably do.(S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47, Transformers)
Many characters have updated alternate modes. Grimlock turns into a more scientifically accurate T-Rex (archaeology having come some way since the 80’s), Astrotrain turns into a bullet train rather than a steam locomotive, Optimus Prime has a more aerodynamic cab, and Bumblebee turns into a little hatchback rather than a VW bug. This is evidence of Hasbro’s desire to fuse nostalgia with other elements with broader appeal. Optimus Prime in particular is an excellent example; his new wind vane transforms into a new weapon for him to use, which fuses his new appearance and added play features.(FFN, Optimus)
With the notable exceptions of Grimlock and Starscream, most of the figures feature sleek, rounded alternate modes, with paint applications that are mostly broad stripes of color. This is particularly visible on Astrotrain’s train mode and Optimus and Bumblebee’s alt modes. The palette is generally light and bright. Something else particular to the Classics line is the way the figures are jointed. While the use of ball joints is still reasonably widespread, Classics features an unusual prevalence of strange hinge joints. Of particular note is a kind of joint that appears on Astrotrain and Jetfire. There is one hinge for forward motion of the thigh in the middle of the thigh, rather than at the hip.This is quickly followed by a parallel knee hinge. At the hips, there is another hinge joint that provides the legs with their side to side motion.(S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47, Astrotrain) The same designer is responsible for both toys.(FFN, Takashi)
The Classics Seeker mold is historically significant enough to merit its own discussion. The Classics Seeker mold is widely regarded as the definitive Seeker mold. It takes inspiration from the Masterpiece Seeker mold and translates it to the deluxe size class, giving fans a cartoon accurate Starscream in rough scale with their Megatron and Optimus.(MistaTee) Over the course of its long history, the Seeker mold has been released as no fewer than 13 separate characters, and received a general retail release as recently as 2012, with an exclusive timelines figure as recently as 2015.(MistaTee;Poweredconvoy) Indeed, it is the single most redecoed and retooled mold in the history of the brand, beating out the next closest mold by almost double, 31 uses to 16 (For those of you curious, the next closest is Combiner Wars Dead End).(ZacWilliam) The mold is so popular that, during Transformers: Earthrise, a line famous for creating almost masterpiece level retail figures, the Starscream figure was simply an upscaled version of the Classics seeker mold with more joints. (MistaTee)Even almost 15 years after its initial release, the mold continues to influence subsequent lines.
While the sheer number of uses of the Seeker mold in and of itself constitutes a tremendous impact on the brand, it also gives a taste of things to come in more contemporary Generations lines. This is, in some ways, foreshadowing of Hasbro’s developing and understandable taste for squeezing every drop of money from a mold with retools and redecos. Indeed, this is somewhat evident even Classics itself; the final wave consists of a retool, Ramjet, and a redeco, Cliffjumper.(Nevermore) The primary strategies are using heavy retooling to release another character with the same mold (Starscream into Ramjet) , or using extensive redecos to release new characters or premium versions of existing characters (Starscream into Sunstorm, or G2 Starscream). This tendency was carried to perhaps peak extent in Combiner Wars (CW) and Titans Return (TR), and will be discussed more fully while examining those lines.
Classics established important norms carried on by subsequent CHUG lines. G1 characters were given new, well articulated toys created using modern engineering. Obscure references were also included in these figures, to appeal to adult collectors. The figures all have a unifying but loose visual aesthetic. Neither Classics nor its successor lines, with some exceptions, have featured supporting fiction. The vast majority of Classics figures do not feature action gimmicks. However, while Hasbro was willing to provide a nostalgia element to the line, they were not willing to count on it entirely. While the figures were designed with recreating the G1 cartoon in mind, most of the figures featured updated alternate modes, and also include play features that appeal to children as well as adult collectors. Many figures were included in the line which had nothing to do with the G1 cartoon, being redecos of toys from the then current Cybertron cartoon or direct extensions of popular elements of other lines, namely Minicons. This practice would continue for a few subsequent nostalgia lines, but somewhat fades by the contemporary era.
This is an excellent example of an element of Classics that does not continue to influence other lines; while foundational, Classics was also unique in many respects. Classics figures feature comparatively large amounts of unbroken, solid plastic, a design element that became uncommon in later lines. Classics figures also have unusual jointing, perhaps demonstrating that designers had not yet gotten the hang of crafting these types of figures. Indeed, several examples of this sort of trial and error process are visible in other parts of the line. Astrotrain, his fellow triple-changers, and Grimlock would almost universally recieve Voyager class figures from here on out.(Nevermore) Grimlock is traditionally portrayed as large, and, as Universe Octane demonstrates, it’s quite difficult to make a deluxe triple changer. Grimlock, even in other incarnations, such as the RID 2015 character, would feature transformation schemes much more heavily based on the original toy. Megatron (or anyone else for that matter, see TR Sixshot and Siege Shockwave for examples) would never again receive an above Legends class general retail toy with a gun alternate mode, likely due to laws about toy guns.
Although Classics was a small line, in many respects it has had an outsized impact on the brand at large.Classics is a remarkable moment in the history of the brand. It represents a confluence of ideas, elements and engineering from many previous toylines and franchises. Classics was also the last line before the Transformers movies changed toy engineering forever. Yet at the same time, it laid the groundwork for one of the most important changes that has occurred in Transformers. Before Classics, almost every toyline was of new characters, and supported by a cartoon. After Classics, the release of new mold figures of G1 characters became increasingly commonplace, eventually becoming one of the three pillars of the contemporary Transformers environment. It is no overstatement to say this little line helped to usher in the current form of Transformers.
Works Cited
Abates et al. “Grimlock (G1)/Toys” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Grimlock_(G1)/toys#Classics Accessed 5/11/2020
DDog et al. “Transformers: Generations (toyline)” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers:_Generations_(toyline) Accessed 5/11/2020
Nevermore et al. “Transformers: Classics” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers:_Classics Accessed
5/11/2020
FFN et al. “Optimus Prime (G1)/toys” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Optimus_Prime_(G1)/toys#Classics Accessed 5/11/2020
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Fiction Alchemist et al. “Transformers: Universe (2003 toyline)”TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Transformers:_Universe_(2003_toyline) Accessed 5/11/20204
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Accessed 5/7/2020
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Poweredconvoy et al. “Nacelle (G1)” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Nacelle_(G1)#Timelines Accessed 5/11/2020
Rotty et al. “Hot Rod (G1)/toys” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Hot_Rod_(G1)/toys#Classics Accessed 5/11/2020
S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47 et al. “Astrotrain (G1)/toys” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Astrotrain_(G1)/toys Accessed 5/11/2020
S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47 et al. “Jetfire (G1)/toys” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Jetfire_(G1)/toys#Classics Accessed 5/11/2020
S.H.I.E.L.D Agent 47 et al. “Transformers (2010 toyline)” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Reveal_the_Shield#Hasbro_Reveal_the_Shield_subline Accessed 5/11/2020
ZacWilliam et al. “Dead End (G1)” TFwiki. https://tfwiki.net/wiki/Dead_End_(G1)#Combiner_Wars Accessed 5/11/2020
Transformers Aesthetics 