Transformers: Titanium

Last updated September 28, 2019

Transformers: Titanium is a sub-line of toys debuted in 2006 from Hasbro as an expansion of their existing Star Wars: Titanium line of die cast action figures.

Hasbro, Inc. is an American worldwide toy and board game company. It is the largest toy maker in the world in terms of stock market value, and third largest with revenues of approximately $5.12 billion. Hasbro owns the trademarks and products of Kenner, Parker Brothers, and Milton Bradley, among others.

Star Wars is an American epic space-opera media franchise created by George Lucas. The franchise began with the eponymous 1977 film and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The original film, later subtitled Episode IV – A New Hope, was followed by the sequels Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Episode VI – Return of the Jedi (1983), forming what is collectively referred to as the original trilogy. A prequel trilogy was later released, consisting of Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999), Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) and Episode III – Revenge of the Sith (2005). Years later, a sequel trilogy began with Episode VII – The Force Awakens (2015), continued with Episode VIII – The Last Jedi (2017), and will conclude with Episode IX – The Rise of Skywalker (2019). The first eight films were nominated for Academy Awards and were commercially successful. Together with the theatrical anthology films Rogue One (2016) and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), the combined box office revenue of the films equates to over US$9 billion, and is currently the second-highest-grossing film franchise.

An action figure is a poseable character doll made most commonly of plastic, and often based upon characters from a film, comic book, military, video game, or television program—fictional or historical. These figures are usually marketed toward boys and adult collectors. The term was coined by Hasbro in 1964 to market G.I. Joe to boys.

Transformers: Alternators is a series of Transformers toys that were released in 2003. Alternators were produced by Hasbro in North America and Europe, and produced by Takara in Japan. Alternators are 1:24 scale versions of officially licensed vehicles. Each vehicle has two versions, the base model and the sport model.

Transformers: Cybertron, known as Transformers: Galaxy Force in Japan, is a 52-episode series co-produced by Hasbro and Takara, set in the Transformers universe. A corresponding toy line was released with the series.

Transformable 6" Cybertron Heroes

Name	Release wave	Notes
Optimus Prime	2006 wave 1 (August)	The War Within - Re-released as a 2-pack with The War Within Megatron as a Toys R' Us Exclusive
Megatron	2006 wave 1 (August)	Generation 2 / G.I. Joe crossover
Thundercracker	2006 wave 2 (September )	The War Within
Jetfire	2006 wave 2 (September )	The War Within
Scourge	2006 wave 3 (October)	Generation 1
Optimal Optimus	2006 wave 3 (October)	Beast Wars
Rodimus Prime	2007 wave 1	Generation 1
Soundwave with Laserbeak	2007 wave 1	Generation 1
Optimus Prime	2007 wave 2	Robots in Disguise
The Fallen	2007 wave 2	The War Within
Cheetor	2007 wave 3	Beast Machines
Starscream	2007 wave 3	repaint of War Within Thundercracker
Ultra Magnus	2007 wave 4	Generation 1
Megatron	2007 wave 4	The War Within - Re-released as a 2-pack with The War Within Optimus Prime as a Toys R' Us Exclusive
Sunstorm	2007 wave 5 (May)	repaint of War Within Thundercracker
Ultra Magnus	2007 wave 5 (May)	repaint of War Within Optimus Prime
Menasor	N/A	repaint of Rodimus Prime; exclusive to 2007 Comic-Con International
Prowl	2008 wave 6 (Fall)	War Within; exclusive to Toys'R'Us fall 2008^[1]
Grimlock	2008 wave 6 (Fall)	The War Within; exclusive to Toys'R'Us fall 2008^[2]
Soundblaster with Ravage	Unknown	likely repaint of Soundwave; status unknown
Primal Prime	Unknown	likely repaint of Optimal Optimus; status unknown
Skywarp	N/A	repaint of War Within Thundercracker; exclusive to 2008 Comic-Con International
Thrust	N/A	repaint of War Within Thundercracker; Target store exclusive
Hot Zone	N/A	repaint of RID Optimus Prime; Target store exclusive
Optimus	N/A	repaint of The War Within Optimus Prime painted to resemble Optimus from Movie; Target store exclusive

Non-transformable 3" Robot Masters

Name	Release wave	Notes
Megatron	1	Beast Wars original T-Rex
Optimus Prime	1	The War Within
Unicron	1	Generation 1 holding one of Cybertron's moons
Jazz	2	Alternators
Sideswipe	2	Alternators
Starscream	2	Generation 1
Ark	3	Generation 1
Megatron	3	Cybertron
Optimus Primal	3	Beast Wars original gorilla
Bumblebee	4	Generation 1
Optimus Prime	4	Generation 1
Smokescreen	4	Alternators
Grimlock	5	Generation 1
Predaking	5	Generation 1
Scorponok	5	Energon
Rodimus	6	Generation 1 Hot Rod
Thundercracker	6	repaint of Starscream
Galvatron	7	Generation 1
Optimus Prime	7	Generation 1 battle-damaged variant
Cliffjumper	8	repaint of Bumblebee
Sunstreaker	8	repaint of Sideswipe
Optimus Prime	N/A	2007 movie; triple pack: robot, truck and protoform; Target exclusive.
Bumblebee	9	2007 movie ('74 Camero)
Optimus Prime	9	2007 movie
Blackout	9	2007 movie
Megatron	10	2007 movie
Jazz	10	2007 movie
Ironhide	10	2007 movie
Brawl	11	2007 movie
Ratchet	11	2007 movie
Soundwave	?	Generation 1
Nemesis Prime	?	repaint of War Within Optimus

Pricing error

When the first series of the 6" Titanium series figures was released in August 2006, Target stores initially sold them for their suggested retail price, but then shortly afterwards their computer systems started swapping the prices for the 6" and 3" figures. This resulted in the prices ringing up for 6" figures at one third their normal price, and the 3" figures ringing up at three times their normal price. After a few weeks the problem was fixed. The 3" figures soon returned to their original price, and also sported a sign saying they were "reduced".

Target Corporation is the eighth-largest retailer in the United States, and is a component of the S&P 500 Index. Founded by George Dayton and headquartered in Minneapolis, the company was originally named Goodfellow Dry Goods in June 1902 before being renamed the Dayton's Dry Goods Company in 1903 and later the Dayton Company in 1910. The first Target store opened in Roseville, Minnesota in 1962 while the parent company was renamed the Dayton Corporation in 1967. It became the Dayton-Hudson Corporation after merging with the J.L. Hudson Company in 1969 and held ownership of several department store chains including Dayton's, Hudson's, Marshall Field's, and Mervyn's. It is unrelated to Target Australia.

Future releases

A pamphlet included with The Fallen and Cheetor lists many new 3" Robot Masters. They include characters from the 2007 movie (Decepticon Brawl, Autobot Ratchet) as well as the following: War Within Megatron, Jetfire, Soundblaster, Skywarp, Silverstreak, Black Rodimus, Shockwave, Ultra Magnus, and Grimlock. It is unknown at this time if any of these new figures are repaints of existing molds.^[3] Apart from the movie characters, these have not seen a release yet.

<i>Transformers</i> (film) 2007 science fiction film directed by Michael Bay

Transformers is a 2007 American science fiction action film based on the Transformers toy line. The film, which combines computer animation with live-action filming, was directed by Michael Bay, with Steven Spielberg serving as executive producer. It was produced by Don Murphy and Tom DeSanto, and is the first installment in the live-action Transformers film series. The film stars Shia LaBeouf as Sam Witwicky, a teenager who gets caught up in a war between the heroic Autobots and the villainous Decepticons, two factions of alien robots who can disguise themselves by transforming into everyday machinery, primarily vehicles. The Autobots intend to retrieve and use the AllSpark, the object that created their robotic race that is on Earth, to rebuild their home planet Cybertron and end the war, while the Decepticons have the intention of using it to build an army by giving life to the machines of Earth. Tyrese Gibson, Josh Duhamel, Anthony Anderson, Megan Fox, Rachael Taylor, John Turturro, and Jon Voight also star, while voice actors Peter Cullen and Hugo Weaving voice Optimus Prime and Megatron respectively.

The 6" line has been canceled and Grimlock and Prowl are said to be the final new molds released, though no schedule has been revealed. Molds for several unreleased figures were on display at the 2007 BotCon, and it is possible they may be released as part of other toy lines. They included Cosmos, Arcee, Shockwave, Silverstreak and War Within Bumblebee (along with a Cliffjumper head).^[4]

BotCon, briefly known as "The Official Transformers Collectors' Convention", was an annual convention for Transformers fans and collectors. BotCon has been held annually since 1994. BotCon is a syllabic abbreviation for "Robot Convention" but also refers to "Autobot" and "Decepticon", the protagonist and antagonist robot factions in the many continuities in the Transformers franchise.

Arcee is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers franchise. They are female Autobots, usually pink or blue in color. Being the most famous of the Female Autobots, she has made more appearances and has had several more incarnations than any other female Transformer. Originally she turned into a car, however, later incarnations have turned into motorcycles. The character has gained much notability upon appearing in Transformers: Prime, even though that incarnation is significantly altered than the others. Arcee's design, alternate mode, and personality vary depending on continuity. Usually colored pink and white, she has also been depicted as a blue-colored character, and Botcon storyline saw her reformatted into a Maximal spider.

Shockwave is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers robot superhero franchise. Throughout his incarnations, he is usually distinguished by a laser cannon instead of one of his hands and his distinctive face, which is featureless save for a single robotic eye. He is also commonly portrayed as a cold, emotionless Decepticon that serves as Megatron's "mad scientist". Due to issues with Hasbro's trademark of the name Shockwave, some products were also released under the name Shockblast or "Shockblast the Great".

Grimlock and Prowl where released in August 2008 as ToysRUs exclusives. A Thundercracker redeco for Skywarp was released as a SDCC exclusive also available from Hasbrotoyshop.com.

Currently this is the end of the 6-inch (150 mm) Titanium line with all other prototypes being shelved by Hasbro.

During a panel discussion at BotCon 2009, a Hasbro employee stated that there are plans for more figures in the Titanium line to be released. 2009 saw the release of 3 redeco 6-inch (150 mm) figures as Target store exclusives, under the name label Transformers: Universe Titanium Series.

Related Research Articles

Grimlock is the name of several fictional robot characters in the Transformers robot franchise. He is usually portrayed as the leader of the Dinobots, a subfaction of Autobots that can transform into dinosaurs. In 2007, USA Today polled people as to which Transformer they want to appear in the second installment in the Transformers film series; Grimlock came in tied for second with Devastator.

Jazz is a fictional robot superhero character from the Transformers robot superhero franchise. He is usually portrayed as a music-loving robot and speaks in slang. He is also Optimus Prime's good friend and right-hand man.

Dinobots are a type of character in the fictional Transformers Universe. The Dinobots group consists of several subgroups of robots, each of whose transformed mode is that of a dinosaur or similar prehistoric animal. Dinobots are referred to as Dinotrons in the Japanese version, and Dinobots in the Japanese dub of Transformers Animated. They were named among the top selling toys in 1985 by Playthings magazine.

Jetfire is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers franchise. He is almost always depicted as an Autobot with jet or space shuttle alternate mode.

Dirge is the name of several different fictional characters from the Transformers series. He was first introduced in 1985 as a villain in the Transformers series, appearing in the comic book by Marvel Comics and voiced by Bud Davis in the animated television series. Since then the name Dirge was also used by several other Transformers characters. In 2007 a limited edition Dirge toy was sold at the Transformers convention Botcon.

Machine Wars was a short-lived toy series in the Transformers toyline, introduced in 1997. The series was initially exclusive to KB Toys and its subsidiaries, although overstock/unsold surplus eventually appeared at other retailers.

Sideswipe is a fictional robot superhero character in the Transformers franchise. Because of trademark restrictions, toys of the character are sometimes marketed as SideSwipe.

Ramjet is the name of several fictional characters in the Transformers toy-based robot superhero media franchise. All have been Decepticon-aligned characters who turn into jets, usually white in color.

Cliffjumper is the name of several fictional robot superhero characters from the Transformers robot superhero franchise. His name is usually associated with an Autobot whose toys are often red repaints or remold of Bumblebee toys.

Transformers Classics is a line of Transformers toys based on and resembling the first generation (G1) characters introduced in the 1980s. The toy line was created to fill the gap in Transformers product releases between the end of the Transformers: Cybertron series and the start of 2007 live-action movie; as well as tie-in to the release of the Transformers: The Movie 20th Anniversary Special Edition DVD edition, and later Transformers Animated, then in Transformers Universe Classics / Henkei.

Legends is a Transformers toy line introduced in 2005.

Kickback is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers series.

Roadbuster is the name of three fictional characters from the various Transformers series in the Transformers robot superhero franchise.

Rodimus Prime is a fictional robot superhero character from the Transformers franchise. He was formerly known as Hot Rod and in The Transformers: The Movie, he was reformatted into Rodimus Prime when he received the Autobot Matrix of Leadership and assumed the role of the movie's protagonist. Hasbro has used the names Autobot Hot Rod, and Rodimus as replacements for later characters, due to trademark issues with the name Hot Rod. His alternate mode varies between depictions, but usually possesses a red, yellow, and silver paint job.

Mindwipe is the name of two fictional characters in the Transformers toy line and fictional series by Hasbro. Both are Decepticons.

Transformers: Generations is a 2010 toy line by Hasbro. Much like the preceding Universe toy line, Generations covers different eras of Transformers; here, the toys are based upon characters from Generation 1 and the video game Transformers: War for Cybertron, as well as the Transformers comics by IDW Publishing. The figures consist of new molds as well as redecos of ones originally used in the Classics and Universe lines. These Deluxe Class figures stand at about 5.5 to 6 inches tall and feature intermediate to moderate transformation levels.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon is a film which has an associated toy line released in 2011 by Hasbro. The film, and thus the toy line, is based on the original Transformers media franchise. The first toy in this line is Cyberverse Commander Optimus Prime, which was released on March 2011. The official launch date of the toy line was May 16, 2011.

References

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[1] ttp://www.hasbro.com/transformers/default.cfm?page=News/Item&newsid=96872B75-D56F-E112-45BE7604DC0B8D78

[2] ttp://www.hasbro.com/transformers/default.cfm?page=News/Item&newsid=96872B75-D56F-E112-45BE7604DC0B8D78

[3] "New 3 inch Titaniums".

[4] "BotCon 2007: Hasbro Tour - Transformers Event".