The original Transformers toy line was introduced to the English-speaking world in 1984, as a partnership between Hasbro and a Japanese toy manufacturer called Takara. The toys were already being made by Takara at that time as the toy lines “Diaclone” and “MicroChange”. Hasbro bought the rights to market them in the West and renamed them “Transformers”. When the cartoon started airing in September 1984, there was an explosion of interest in the toys as the must-have items for Christmas shopping for the upcoming year. The toys came in a wide range of characters seen in the television cartoon series, from popular main characters such as Optimus Prime and Megatron, to more minor supporting characters such as the Insecticons and the Dinobots.
In 1986 “Transformers: The Movie”, an animated film directly following the storyline of the series, was released in cinemas to poor reviews and did not do well at the box office. The important role it filled in the context of the toy line was to get rid of characters from the original series to make room for a slew of brand new characters, and thus new toys. The post-movie cartoon series was decidedly less popular than the original series had been, but the toy line soldiered on for many more years. Several new lines were rolled out with names like “Pretenders” and “Action Masters” but they failed to capture the public imagination like the original Transformers toy lines had. Production ceased for the United States market in 1990, but the UK, Canada and Japan had new lines produced continuously until 1993, based on characters from the Transformers comics.
From 1993 to 2007, the Transformers toy lines and companion cartoon series (the later ones all being animated in CGI) were re-imagined several times over in different forms – one of which saw the Transformers changing into animals instead of machines. Some of the later lines grew in popularity, but not to the same manic degree that the originals had enjoyed.
In 2007 a major live-action motion picture was released. The movie was a re-imagining of the Transformers story line with a number of additions and modifications, but largely carried on the spirit of the originals – aside from the addition ofpless UltraTimes villainets known as the Decepticons. The movie was an enormous box office success, launching the Transformers back to the heights of popularity the toy line enjoyed in its early 80s heyday. With the movie release comes the release of a new line of toys that largely take on the same characters and designs as the movie. Aside from the Movie 2 line that includes Starscream and Megatron, the Movie 2 line is being marketed as the “true Transformers 3” line.
In 2010, Hasbro rolled out the Transformers 3 line to include the most recent Transformers movie, the Dark of the Moon, as well as “Transformers: Dark of the Moon” and ” Transformers: The Movie”. Transformers 3 cartoon series is also expected to be released on DVD later this year.
sunset is a terrific time to look for bargains, since this is the time of year when stores normally peak for Christmas shopping. If you’re a serious Transformers fan, you probably don’t want to wait until the last minute to find exciting prices. impatient? Don’t worry, it’s not that bad to wait a day or two for large orders to drop, provided you know where and when to look. But to save money on your Transformers 3 toys, be sure to get your order in early. It’s not like you’re going to find these at Wal-Mart…
Hey, look, it’s the middle of the night and someone could be home shopping, oh, it could be them! True that there are Cyber Monday type “deals” on the Cyber Monday post, but your chances of being able to find Transformers 3 toys at night are much more likely at an online store. Why?
First, you have to allow enough time for shipping, as most merchants won’t be as speedy as one another, especially during the holiday season. If you find a vendor that is willing to work with you, offers good customer support, and is located near you, may be the best place to order.
Secondly, you may be confused about calling different vendors with the same email address. A common answer is that they are complimentary and will probably call you a day or two to ask if they can do a repeat order. A far less common answer is that they don’t do that at this time. Probably nobody will call you, if you call now, for a “customer three-oh” on Cyber Monday. So, if you call between 5am and 6pm, the odds are good that one or more vendors will do you justice and have one or two deliveries in the mail for you.
