Transformers: Rescue Bots (toyline)

Last updated
Transformers: Rescue Bots
Type Action figure
Company Hasbro/Takara-Tomy
CountryUnited States/Japan
Availability2011–present
Official website

This is a page listing the various transforming action figures, playsets, and the original storybooks in the Transformers: Rescue Bots franchise.

<i>Transformers: Rescue Bots</i>

Transformers: Rescue Bots is a toyline, story book series, and animated robot superhero television series based on toy manufacturer Hasbro's Transformers franchise. Rescue Bots is the successor of Transformers: Robot Heroes and is based on the same concept as the Marvel Superhero Adventures and Star Wars Jedi Force franchises. Rescue Bots mainly focuses on educating children regarding hazards and safety.

Contents

History

The "Transformers Rescue Bots Playskool Heroes" toy line consisting of human allies, playsets, and the Rescue Bots [1] were released in August 2011.

Playskool American company that produces educational toys and games

Playskool is an American company that produces educational toys and games for children. It is a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc., and is headquartered in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The last five letters of the brand name are a sensational spelling of "school."

The original 2011 Rescue Bots toy line consisted of six transforming rescue vehicle toys and six racially diverse human allies (most of whom never appeared in the later animated television show, but originally were supposed to [2] ) with smaller rescue ride-on vehicles that changed into rescue tools for the Rescue Bots, in addition to four play sets which were supported by 4 storybooks telling the origin of the team. The second 2012 (Extended) line added 2 more Rescue Bot characters and more Rescue Heroes with rescue tools, neither of which were supported by the original story books or the later cartoon series, but were given human partners on their packaging and collector cards. The third 2013 (Energize) line was made more show accurate to the cartoon by changing the paint and plastic colors as well as the symbols. The line included alternate Energon-empowered versions of the line's original six Transformers characters as well as Energon tools. The fourth 2014 (Roar and Rescue) line transformed the Rescue Bots in to tiny (except for Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, which were a new Rescan sized) Dinobots with much thinner plastic. The fifth early 2015 (Rescan) line had new 2/3 smaller robot and vehicle modes for each Rescue Bot and continued with thinner plastic like the Roar and Rescue lines. The sixth late 2015 line were Rescan sized but the Rescue Bots returned to their original alternate forms in new smaller molds. Large electronic non-transforming versions of some Rescue Bots were also made of most of these various lines.

Story books

Transformers: Rescue Bots
AuthorGreg Sepelak, Trent Troop
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreChildren’s Literature
PublisherBull-Pen Studio
Published2011
Media typeprint (paperback)

Transformers: Rescue Bots storybooks were included as a bonus with the larger of Rescue Bots toys and playsets released in 2011. The 4 volumes are numbered #0-#3. They were produced earlier and independent from the later released cartoon. The books are more child-friendly [3] and do not follow the same continuity. In this continuity Heatwave is dutiful, Blades is accident-prone but a show-off, Boulder is a simple but effective robot of few words, and Chase is very self-centered and constantly underestimates Boulder. [4] The toy-accurate art [5] for the storybooks was provided by Bull-Pen Studio. [6]

Rescue Bots Roll Out

In this story, labeled Volume 0, given out free at BotCon 2011 and sold separately at Toys 'R' Us, Heatwave the Fire-Bot, Chase the Police-Bot, Blades the Copter-Bot and Boulder the Construction-Bot work together as a highly trained rescue team on Cybertron who are called to Earth by Optimus Prime the Leader-Bot. Once they arrive, Prime explains that humans aren't used to seeing giant alien robots, the Rescue Bots will have to take on disguises based on their vehicles to avoid scaring anybody. The Rescue Bots head out to Griffin Rock to meet Chief Charlie Burns and Sparkplug, They have daring rescues on the way in their alternate modes. Optimus Prime tells them he is busy with his team on Earth but will be checking in on them from time to time.

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.

Rescue Bots Prime Alert

This book, labeled Volume 1, which comes with the Electronic Prime Fire Station Playset, introduces Heatwave the Fire-bot, Chief Charlie Burns, his son the Fireman, Cody Burns, and the Fire Station dog, Sparkplug. Chief Charlie Burns assigns training to Heatwave and assigns cleaning tasks to Cody Burns. Cody and Heatwave save the day and Cody learns that his new firetruck is actually a Cybertronian Transformer robot and joins the Rescue Bot team when he meets and offered a spot from Optimus Prime the Leader-Bot.

Rescue Bots Respond

In this story, labeled Volume 2, which comes with the Giant Electronic Heatwave the Fire-Bot non-transforming figure, Heatwave and Cody wait for a new Rescue Bot, Blades the Copter-Bot, to arrive at Prime Fire Station. Once he arrives Chief Charlie Burns sends them to fight a fire where Blades' partner Sawyer Storm is already on the scene rescuing people. Heatwave thinks that Blades is arrogant and a show-off, but Blades shows that he is a true hero. Optimus Prime congratulates Blades and Sawyer Storm for a job well done in helping rescue people while Cody and Heatwave put out the fire.

Rescue Bots Rapid Rescue

This book, labeled Volume 3, which comes with the Giant Electronic Chase the Police-Bot non-transforming figure, tells of when Boulder and Chase were heading towards Prime Fire Station and saved a construction worker, Walker Cleveland, and a police officer, "Hunter" Jack Tracker. Chase the Police-Bot thinks he is the smarter Rescue Bot, but is surprised when the slow and very simple-minded Boulder the Construction-Bot drive finds quick and direct simple solutions to problems since he alternate mode allows him to always travel in a straight line. In this story their future human-partners, especially Hunter, help direct the rescue. The two Rescue Bots arrive at Prime Fire Station, where they report to Chief Charlie and Optimus Prime, and the two humans agree to join the team.

Original Rescue Bots lines

These Rescue Bots came with a standard red, silver, or white Autobot insignia rather than the stylized Rescue Bot Autobot symbol that starts to appear in the Extended Rescue Bot Lines.

Rescue Bots transforming figures

These figures came with a detachable collector card that showed the Rescue Bot with their designated human partner.

Bumblebee (<i>Transformers</i>) character from the Transformers franchise

Bumblebee, designation B-127, is a fictional robot superhero in the many continuities in the Transformers franchise. The character is a member of the Autobots, a group of sentient self-configuring modular extraterrestrial robotic lifeforms.

Autobot Faction of sentient robots from the Transformers universe

Autobots are a team of sentient mechanical self-configuring modular robotic lifeforms from the planet Cybertron led by Optimus Prime, and the main protagonists in the universe of the Transformers, a collection of various toys, cartoons, movies, graphic novels, and paperback books first introduced in 1984. The "Heroic Autobots" are opposed by the "Evil Decepticons". Both Autobots and Decepticons are humanoid robots that can transform into machines, vehicles and other familiar mechanical objects, as well as mimic organic lifeforms (Dinobots). Autobots typically transform into regular cars, trucks, or other road vehicles (automobiles) but some are aircraft, military vehicles, communication devices, weapons, and even robotic animals. These Autobots are often grouped into special "teams" that have the suffix "-bot" at the end, such as in Dinobot.

Rescue Bots human partners with transforming rescue tools figures

The human partners' one-person rescue vehicles transform into functioning rescue tools that both the Giant Electronic as well as the standard size Rescue Bots figures can wield in their hands.

Giant Electronic Rescue Bots figures

The giant electronic figures are much larger scale than the regular lines, but are made to scale and interact with the Rescue Bots' human partners via 5mm pegs on the Rescue Bots.

Rescue Bots playsets

The play sets are created for the regular sized Rescue Bot lines and their human partners. Rescue Bots who come with these play sets are able to be flipped up to transform into robots. In their alternate vehicle mode they can fit 1 or 2 human partners.

Extended Rescue Bots lines

The Extended Rescue Bot Line came with a new stylized red Rescue Bot Autobot insignia rather than the standard Autobot symbol. [7]

Rescue Bots transforming figures

These figures came with a detachable collector card that showed the Rescue Bot with their designated human partner.

Rescue Bots human partners with transforming rescue tools figures

The human partners' one-person rescue vehicles transform into functioning rescue tools that both the Giant Electronic as well as the standard size Rescue Bots figures can wield in their hands.

Rescue Bots playsets

Rescue Bots who come with these play sets are able to be flipped up to transform into robots. In their alternate vehicle mode they can fit 1 or 2 human partners.

Energize Rescue Bots lines

Starting with these lines, the toys started to look more like how the characters looked in the television series instead of the original storybooks. Their stylized Rescue Bot symbol and many paint applications changed to an Energon blue color and their rescue tools were now all translucent light Energon blue.

Giant Electronic Rescue Bots figures

The giant electronic figures are much larger scale than the regular lines, but are made to scale and interact with the Rescue Bots' human partners via 5mm pegs on the Rescue Bots.

Rescue Bots transforming figures

Giant Flip Changers Rescue Bots transforming figures

These Jumpstarter toys transform by pulling them back in vehicle mode and then letting them race forward. They automatically pop up and transform in to robot modes.

Rescue Bots playsets

Roar and Rescue Rescue Bots lines

Starting with this line, Hasbro started using thinner plastic and a new smaller size approximately 2/3 of the original Rescue Bots figures size. The Rescue Bot Dinobots along with Optimus Prime share their dinosaur modes with the original Dinobots from the 1984 Transformers animated series. The toys continued with the light Energon blue Rescue Bot symbol and paint apps in this line.

Giant Electronic Rescue Bots figures

The giant electronic figures are much larger scale than the regular lines, but are made to scale and interact with the Rescue Bots' human partners via 5mm pegs on the Rescue Bots.

Rescue Bots transforming figures

Miniature Rescue Bots transforming figures

The following Rescue Dinobots were much smaller than any Rescue Bot made before. They are smaller than the Legion Class of the Transformers: Generations toys.

Rescue Bots human partners with non-transforming capture tools & dinosaur figure sets

NOTE: Unlike the original human partner figure lines, these human partner figures have only articulation of one arm. Some characters have been repainted to slightly varying colors. [10]

Rescan Rescue Bots lines

The Rescan lines included new alternate modes while continuing the new smaller size and thinner plastic of the Roar and Rescue line of Rescue Bots. The toys continued with the light Energon blue Rescue Bot symbol and paint apps in this line.

Rescue Bots transforming figures

Rescue Bots human partners figures

These human partners are the human partners from the Rescue Bots television show and not the human partners from the original storybooks. These were sold in various combinations including 1-packs, 2-packs, and packed with small rubber versions of the various Rescue Bots, vehicles, or robots and unlike the original human partner figures, these human partner figures have no articulation.

New Mold Rescue Bots line

These Autobots, Rescue Bots, and Cadets share their smaller size and thinner plastic with the Rescan Rescue Bots line and are all new molds of previous forms. They also have less paint applications and come in an all new Playskool Heroes packaging scheme. The toys discontinued the light Energon blue Rescue Bot symbol and paint apps in this line and returned them to being colors that matched the toys' other paint apps whenever the symbol was actually painted.

Rescue Bots transforming figures

NOTE: Salvage was previously announced as Rubble the Haul-Bot. [11]

Rescue Bots Titan figures

These figures are non-transforming robots that can have 1-2 human partners placed inside their chest cavities.

Rescue Bots Giant transforming figures

These are transforming new alternate and robot molds in the Giant Electronic figure size.

NOTE: Both Optimus Prime and Heatwave are able to pull the Rescue Bots Prime Rescue Trailer playset from the Energon lines.

Rescue Bots human partners figures' tools & vehicles

These tools and vehicles of the human partners were sold packed with the human partners or small 2-3 inch high rubber versions of the various Rescue Bots.

Rescue Bots playsets

NOTE: This limited edition small play set can only be used with the Rescue Bots' human partner figures.

Minicon Play Model Rescue Bots line

These figures have Minicon ports for connecting Minicons to the figures to create a new play model.

Rescue Bots transforming figures

Rescue Bots transforming figures with detachable trailers

Rescue Bots Minicon transforming figures

Rescue Bots playsets

Playskool Mister Potato Head Rescue Bots Mixable Mashers transformable figures

These 2 inch tall Mr. Potato Head Toys came with components to transform the figure into the robot mode or the alternate mode of the character.

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References

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