00:00If you were a Transformers fan between 2010 and 2012, down in Gamer Fuel, then you probably lived
00:10off of Transformers War for Cybertron and its sequel game Transformers Follow Cybertron.
00:15The two biggest games in Transformers besides Angry Birds, developed by High Moon Studios,
00:20these take place well before the Autobots and Decepticons arrived on Earth, thus the name.
00:25Arguably tied to the Align continuity, or the other game we don't mention,
00:29you can play as many of the iconic Autobots and Decepticons through their journeys.
00:34Using their unique abilities and weapons, not only did the world seem profound and alive as a singular
00:39machine, but these games have the benefit of actually existing. The characters feature designs
00:44and forms that fit into the untapped environment, and so toys were developed through generations.
00:49In this, we're taking a look back at the toys, mostly from generations, in the history of the
00:54War for Cybertron games. Keep in mind, this will be strictly mainline and generation stuff based
00:59on the games alone, and those either based directly on the games, or using the molds.
01:03So with that, let's get gammin'.
01:06Generation started as a sequel to Universe Classics in 2010. Originally mostly focused on
01:11Deluxes, at this point we really only got scraps from War for Cybertron. In the first wave,
01:16starting with the Cybertronian Optimus Prime. This strangely complex Deluxe featured his smooth
01:21truck form, and a small spring-loaded transformative gun. It was packed on its own, but we got a Takara
01:28recolor, a dark side redeco packed with Megatron, and a 2010 tribute set with Orion Pax. The same
01:35wave featured Bumblebee, with his bubbly car, twin swords, handheld blaster, turtle shell,
01:40and this was way too big next to Optimus. This also got a Takara release, and a cliff jumper deco,
01:45that also got a Takara version with a new head. The second wave released Megatron, with a large cannon
01:50launching missile that changes the color inside the cannon, and a tank that can change to a hover
01:55form. This got the Takara treatment, and was also repainted as a dark side redeco. By wave 3,
02:00we got Soundwave, transforming into a savage truck with his blasters stored in the chest. This repeats
02:06the flow of getting the Takara redeco. A partially clear version of Optimus, B, and Megatron was also
02:13released in a Rage Over Cybertron 3 pack. In 2012, Fall of Cybertron had taken over most of the line,
02:21as generations expanded with more classes, and a lot more repaints. Starting in the first wave,
02:26we got the much smaller square and simpler deluxe Optimus Prime. I'm sorry, but that's a downgrade.
02:32This got the Takara treatment as well. Introduced in the wave, we also got Jazz, with his large torso,
02:39loose joints, cool head, and blaster. At least Japan made it look premium. Then we have the sinister
02:46and handsome Shockwave. Now this did get the Takara treatment, but instead this was released
02:51for the Prime's Arms Micron line. As a bonus, Jazz, Optimus, Megatron, and Soundwave got new decos,
02:58guitars, and bands for the retro and fun Knights of Unicron Reunion Tour SDCC pack. Look at that hair,
03:07I love it. Wave 2 focused entirely on the deluxe Combaticons, with the single mainline packs having
03:13weirdly colorful versions of Swindle, Brawl, Vortex, Blast Off, and Onslaught. Combining into the
03:20super wonky looking Bruticus? If those colors aren't working, and I don't blame you,
03:25you could opt out for any of the game accurate redecos. There's an SDCC set, Takara exclusive,
03:32a Platinum set, or you could go hard and get the Eyesore G2 colors that I secretly want.
03:38By Wave 3, the Optimus got repainted with a new head as a bonus Ultra Magnus that got the metallic
03:44Takara version. And for Jazz, the mold was super tweaked with a new head, chest, and giant gun for
03:50Sideswipe. To the shock of the nation, it got a Takara release. The only Insecticon they made was
03:56Kickback, featuring his in-game alien grasshopper form, cause all aliens are like bugs. This has a
04:03massive disc launcher, and yep, Takara. Air Raid was not only a reuse of shockwave, but it was
04:09totally inaccurate, even with the Takara release. Finally, we got Starscream, with his tetra inspired
04:15vehicle, chunky boots, and large guns that when combined, can turn with a gear system. Along with
04:21Takara's release, the two main seekers beside him were made for the thrilling 30 line.
04:25Thundercracker was the typical blue form, along with the Takara release. But Skywarp was weird.
04:30Initially, Takara was the only company to release him as such, and gave it a lighter tone for the
04:35grey. Thankfully, Hasbro did eventually make him in the expected black deco. I'm sure it's not as
04:41accurate, but I just prefer the black. A partial transparent version, called Infiltrator Starscream,
04:47was released as a million publishing exclusive. Although not in-game, to expand on everything,
04:52Wave 5 repainted the Bruticus set as the Wreckers, with new mech-tech style weapons and heads.
04:58Top Spin, Twin Twist, Road Buster, Whirl, and Impactor all could combine to form Ruination.
05:05In addition, there was an ultimate gift set, though that was all just repaints of Reveal the
05:09Shields toys. For the smaller 2-packs, we got disc-shaped figures that can fit in cassette style
05:15cases that pop into the robot minions. For the Decepticons, we got Ravage and Rumble,
05:23Ratbat and Frenzy, then the Autobots got Eject and Ramhorn, and Rewind and Sundor.
05:29But what good is minions without a master? One where you can stuff guys into their boobs.
05:34Three Voyagers were released that can deploy up to three of these discs at once. Initially,
05:40this was made for Soundwave, who included Laserbeak, but to expand off that, they also gave it a black
05:45Deco to reference Sound Blaster packed with Buzzsaw. In addition for the Autobots, we also got the
05:51very first Blaster in Generations, one with the classic Deco, original head sculpt, and packed with
05:56Steeljaw. Soundwave, Sound Blaster, and Blaster all share a Takara variant. Grimlock was huge for
06:03Fallout Sabtron, so he was made, sadly as the only Dinobot, so lonely, for shame Hasbro. He features
06:10a light-up mouth, which could shift into the torso, as well as his new sword and shield that
06:15still get used today. A Platinum version came packed with the entire and in-game colored version of
06:20Bruticus. There's of course the typical Takara variant, a deep red Fire Blast repaint, a target
06:27exclusive Chrome repaint, two Robots in Disguise remakes, and a prototype for a Beast Wars Megatron
06:33reuse. Although this was for the year of the Snake Platinum Edition series, you could tie the Energon Prime
06:38Redeco and Energon Omega Supreme repaint, mostly because the Deco on Omega feels close to the
06:44game. Ignoring the other Aligned Continuity stuff, that's pretty much it. We thought we've seen the
06:49last from the Highmoon Studio designs, but Transformers fans never forget, and Hasbro picked up on that.
06:57In 2023, 13 years after the release of War for Cybertron, Hasbro created a new sub-theme in
07:03Studio series related to video game designs. These were initially listed as Gamer Edition,
07:08and started with a wave of two Deluxes and a Voyager as its starting lineup. The designers
07:13actually got help from the original CAD files to produce these toys. Bumblebee was the first listed,
07:18featuring a very bubbly alt form, and an almost similarly bubbly stomach. The head was amazingly
07:25accurate, and he came with more weapons than usual. This was the first time Barricade had ever been
07:31produced. It was a much larger deluxe in contrast to Bumblebee featuring a savage car and weapon,
07:36but the robot mode was not that good. Speaking of, most accessories could replace the arms,
07:41much like the game. They did Cyberpunk before it was cool. The third listed figure was Optimus Prime
07:47with all the bells and whistles. His power punch truck form, a battle axe that can change, his larger
07:53rifle to swap the arm, a fist hanging off the butt, and even the matrix of leadership, something no other
07:59toy of this design included. After that, he needed a foe, so Megatron was created. This wasn't the
08:05triple changer like the deluxe, but at least he can actually hold things. The fusion cannon can
08:10replace the arm, but it also plugs on the side while he holds his own mace. Who knew they would
08:14make Bumblebee in red? Cliffjumper is essentially the same down to the weapons, but features a prime
08:19style head. Starscream would, of course, start a new brand of seekers, with tiny flippers on the jet,
08:25a sniper that he can hold instead, and a different mace. A new dedicated figure was designed for
08:30Deluxe Class Sideswipe. Though bulked out, his car form was swift. If your Decepticons need some men,
08:37the Soldier is a basic drone that can be bought in multiples. It's a better remold of Barricade,
08:42but you can only fix so much. An ambulance on an alien planet sounds ridiculous, but an alien ambulance,
08:48now that's the ticket. Voyager Class Ratchet was a brand new figure that had never been done before
08:53in this form, featuring an axe and the removable arm gimmick with the arm actually able to store
08:59inside the figure. The first Seeker repaint to be expected was Skywarp, with his dark and purple
09:04deco along with the new blaster piece. Ratchet was followed by Ironhide, with his red and steel deco,
09:10new blaster, head, and defined features such as the shoulders and chest. As far as we know,
09:15there's not much in the cards for rumored listings after, but we do know that the third necessary Seeker,
09:21Thundercracker is planned for a future release. Will we ever see Warpath, Brawl, Shockwave,
09:27or any full of Cybertron bots? Guess we'll have to wait and see.
09:30This was all generations, but a special promotional Starscream was thrown in during
09:34the release of the first game, simply as a repaint of the Legends of Cybertron figure.
09:39It's got me thinking, I'd love to see a Legend-sized War for Cybertron figures. Untap potential there.
09:44Whatever the future is for the toys, or even the games entirely, one thing is for sure,
09:49these designs played a huge part in the fandom. The interactive world shined more interest in the
09:55Cybertronians and their prior nature. There will always be people ready to pick up the controller
09:59to be Optimus Prime or Megatron, but no matter what, and with all due respect,
10:04no game can imitate the feel of owning the genuine physical article right in front of you.
10:09And that's where the toys come to shine.
10:39In the meantime time we're not recording.
10:41future No scoters
10:44Gets
10:45One scoters
10:45One scoters
10:47One scoters
10:49the
10:54A
10:56active
11:01but
11:01one
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