COLLECTING THOUGHTS: Rise of the Machine Wars (part 1)

The 1990s was a period of significant reinvention for Transformers.

First, the original toy line was infamously halted in at least most of North America in 1990, where it went on hiatus for the next couple of years. Despite continuing to put out some all-time franchise classics across Europe and other territories, it wouldn’t return to its homeland until 1992, in the form of Generation 2. The reboot featured a mix of garishly repainted moulds and all-new designs with memorable gimmicks and ultimately failed to land with the same impact before being summarily brought to an end just three years later.

Feeling that Transformers needed an even more significant overhaul, Hasbro handed it over to their recently-acquired Kenner subsidiary, which launched Beast Wars in 1996. Entirely eschewing the familiar vehicle forms of Transformers’ heyday, the new line was initially controversial with diehard older fans but proved a major hit elsewhere and boasted a supporting cartoon that more than helped to win over even the harshest critics in time. Transformers was back, even if it looked very little like it used to.

Yet even then, some yearned for the return of more traditional robots in disguise, including the days of cars, jets, trucks and helicopters, though it wasn’t much of a wait. It’s sometimes erroneously suggested that Machine Wars debuted alongside Beast Wars to see which would result in better sales and ultimately ‘survive’ on shelves, but the truth is that the rise of the machines was at least on the horizon in 1996. At Botcon, Kenner reps George Boznos and Anthony Gaud told the audience of a coming Generation 1 ‘revival’, which naturally caused a lot of excitement. That Machine Wars rather disappointed when it arrived just a year later in 1997 is a shame, although it’s perhaps not hard to see why.

By this point, Beast Wars was in full swing, firmly finding its feet in its second year, regularly ripping up the Transformers rule book as it went and throwing all kinds of ideas into a melting pot of creativity and fun. Compared to those bold strides, Machine Wars took some very cautious steps that even objectively didn’t help it from day one. Not least of those was having the entire line debut as a K·B Toys exclusive and without any kind of supporting fiction or a big marketing push.

Besides that, more confusing choices were made, such as using both traditional and Generation 2 faction symbols on the toys and packaging, not to mention recycling artwork from older releases that didn’t match the toys in this new line. Some have also cited the ‘realistic’ (for want of a better word) colour palettes for making the designs look drab in comparison to the more vibrant Beast Wars line-up (and, in the case of the four larger toys, their original use during the latter days of European-exclusive G1).

Really, whatever the reality, the fact is that Machine Wars landed with a bit of a dull thud rather than a big splash and failed to connect with audiences that had already fallen in love with Beast Wars. Consequently, this line-up of toys has often been lumbered with an unfortunate reputation, as though Machine Wars is simply not worthy of your time – the poor cousin between Generation 2 and the franchise’s real eventual vehicle revival, Car Robots in 2000.

That’s perhaps best exemplified by how easy the toys are to find in pristine or sealed condition, even today. They were notorious shelfwarmers at the time of release, even after some of them were distributed beyond K·B Toys, so it’s little surprise to see them pop up as regular sightings on today’s aftermarket. Indeed, I managed to pick up MOSC copies of all eight carded Basics in just one evening, and for a collective price less than you’d pay for just one slightly larger toy these days.

So here’s something I’ve been working on. pic.twitter.com/zIxBVIQbvJ

— Sixo (@SixoTF) June 25, 2020

And yet, prices are rising, which likely represents a renewed interest in this oft-forgotten period of the franchise’s history. Last month at TFNation, I saw various sealed copies going for sums above what I’d previously associated with these toys, and even better, a palpable sense of excitement by people there to witness them. It was as if Machine Wars was finally something to be looked back on fondly, which makes sense when you consider that a fair number of collectors these days grew up with this line as “their Transformers”, no matter how brief it was. I’ve spoken to at least a few fellow fans who fondly remember Machine Wars Optimus Prime from their childhood, much like 1988’s Powermaster was my preferred version.

It’s fantastic to see, as actually, there’s a lot to love about this small roster of toys, despite whatever mistakes may have been made in the overall execution of the line. They may not have the lavish hot pink of their G1 counterparts (specialising more in ‘strangely brown’ than anything), but the larger figures on offer here still look fantastic to my eye and represent some of the best from the early days of the franchise. Moreover, the small carded figures are all newly-released designs, initially developed for Generation 2 but never used at the time.

Across these eight releases, four distinct moulds are used twice. They employ a similar flipchanger gimmick to what would become synonymous with early Basic class Beast Wars toys, though given their origins, these presumably predate that by at least a year or so. The two Autobot designs would eventually find new life again in Car Robots, receiving significantly different paint jobs as Indy Heat and Wrecker Hook (later known as Skid-Z and Towline in Hasbro’s Robots in Disguise in 2001), before popping up again in lines such as Robotmasters.

Without a doubt, one of my personal favourites is Mirage, which I vividly remember picking up on release. In the days long before the almost relentless rehashing of G1 we know now, a toy like this was incredible to perceive back in 1997, as it synced up the name of an iconic Autobot with an exceptionally appropriate vehicle mode and a good stab at the colour scheme too. True, some of the details were different, but as much as I adored Beast Wars, this was electrifying at the time.

More than just a passing resemblance to G1 Mirage, the head design on offer even looks close to how he’s typically portrayed, making this a delectable homage for those hungry for that fabled G1 revival. True, the design has its quirks, along with a pair of protruding front wheels that rather significantly hamper the range of poseability on offer, but still, there’s enough good stuff going on here to make this design sing.

No doubt a much less obvious character choice for the second use of the mould, Prowl still brings his own charm, boasting a very different look to Mirage overall. Ultimately the off-white plastic can’t help but be a little underwhelming by comparison (to say nothing of the weird olive-green noggin in robot mode), but still, the colourful stickers add a slight touch of something that still makes this one a bit of fun to see.

The other thing I remember being very impressed by at the time was the clever weapons storage on offer, with the gun and barrel splitting apart and stowing away inside the legs for vehicle mode. It’s astonishingly creative, despite being so simple, and almost reads as an evolution on Beast Wars’ own use of such a gimmick despite presumably being designed before it.

The other Autobot Basic design is a tow truck, with Hoist being my favourite of the two colour schemes on offer. It’s strange to see the black with yellow and red stripes as it feels like an all-too-obvious nod towards the character’s classic mouldmate, Trailbreaker, but still, this reinvention works nicely. The alternate form is great despite the obvious presence of robot mode arms towards the rear, and this version’s automotive sticker design is especially catching (with the name used apparently a nod towards Hasbro’s Brian Wilk).

A quick flip of the towing hook and you’re left with an attractive robot mode, even if the dark colour scheme makes some details a little tricky to fully make in hand. I’ve always admired the almost alienesque head sculpt on offer here, especially as it vaguely resembles Trailbreaker’s original 1984 toy yet again. We have no way of knowing which characters these designs were intended to represent in Generation 2 (nor indeed if these were the original colour schemes, though it seems possible), but I could fully see this as being an intentional homage towards the classic Autobot.

Hubcap is this mould’s second Machine Wars outing, and it keeps that character’s traditional yellow colour scheme if little else. If anything, the yellow is a little gaudy here, washing out a lot of the nice moudled detail inherent in the design. However, it makes for an eye-catching addition to the overall Autobot line-up, especially with those orange hazard decals.

Hubcap’s robot mode is a similar story, looking just a bit too overwhelmingly yellow for my tastes, yet this design cannot help but still delight. Once again, there’s some impressive weapons storage on offer, with the front grill popping off to reveal a hidden blaster that can be unfolded and pegged in palm.

Moving onto the two larger Autobot offerings, we have Sandstorm, who is a repaint of 1992’s Turbomaster Rotorstorm. Whereas that release boasted an electric blue and hot pink paint job, the colour scheme here is much more muted, with a camouflaged green and brown over much of the body. This is probably the most widely used example of Machine Wars dialling it down just a bit too much, but I think the result works surprisingly well!

That’s primarily thanks to the attractive blue highlights, seen in areas such as the translucent canopy and rotor blades. They add a welcome pop to the proceedings and help to elevate this otherwise muted appearance quite a bit. Even then, it all adds up to a very different appearance to a toy I loved to begin with, and for my money, there’s intrigue to be had there.

Besides, this design has lost none of its charms on the way to being released in Machine Wars. I recently had the pleasure of meeting Andy Couzens, who oversaw this toy’s original development as part of his role with Hasbro Europe back in the 1990s, and he talked proudly of their mission to make it as satisfying as possible, with a discernable precision ‘click’ to the transformation. I doubt he’d be as enthusiastic about the colour scheme versus its original outing, but that craftsmanship-like design is still very evident here.

That said, there are some compromises, mainly in relation to Sandstorm’s weapons. Gone are the signature turbo-missiles so memorably found on Rotorstorm, leaving his dual-cannons without anything to fire here. They continue to look great in hand (and can still be deployed from the sides of the helicopter mode for a bit of fun), but it’s a shame such a key feature was lost, even if it was in the name of safety standards.

Still, Sandstorm looks terrific overall, in my opinion, with that translucent blue making a welcome return for the intensely light-piped eyes. If anything, I like how much this release feels like the ultimate counterpart to Rotorstorm, as though a similarly vibrant-hued redeco might have been just a smidge too much. Sandstorm may be understated in his way, but he’s just as appealing.

Finally, we come to the big dog himself, Optimus Prime. No doubt the lynchpin of this entire operation, Optimus is undoubtedly the first toy most will think of when you mention the name Machine Wars. Again, it makes the most of amping up the nostalgia by having an appropriate vehicular form yet manages to throw in a lot of new stuff, too, allowing it to stick out as particularly memorable.

Optimus is, of course, a repaint of 1992’s Turbomaster commander, Thunderclash, who has since gone on to carve his own identity in the franchise. Still, for many who had never seen the G1 release, and for all those since who have been put off by its unfortunate gold plastic reputation, Optimus Prime is perhaps most synonymous with the design. Yes, some of the colour choices are a little bizarre, but he still looks great, all the same.

First things first, that impressive truck mode is a true thing of beauty, instantly catching the eye for how the cab is so sunken into the overall design. Then it has the ultimate roof rack of doom, complete with various mechanical elements and the most overwhelmingly mahoosive set of cannons known until 2007’s Ironhide stepped up to the plate. True, the brown highlights are a definite choice. Still, the colour scheme is surprisingly cohesive despite them here, with a translucent blue windshield being the ultimate finishing touch.

Like Sandstorm, the missile gimmick found on the G1 release is gone, although this time, it’s been replaced with a new solution, at least. A newly-moulded set of projectiles can be seen proudly protruding from the front of the truck mode’s two launchers, and whilst they may lack the subtlety of their classic equivalents, at least they give you something to fire across the living room and out of view under the sofa.

Transforming Optimus into robot mode is every bit as satisfying as with Sandstorm, ably demonstrating that precision click yet again. The result is the Autobot leader as you’ve arguably never known him before, nor indeed since, especially as he looks surprisingly little like his classic depiction overall. Still, in my opinion, this toy maintains enough presence to allow the franchise’s most iconic character name to not feel too out of place.

Just as impressive is the way the trailer section unfolds into a surprisingly massive battle platform, complete with a combat deck for Optimus himself to be positioned on. It boasts tons of artillery, including the two firing cannons seen in vehicle mode, making this very much the cornerstone of the entire Autobot line-up.

Even now, I get a genuine thrill from seeing Optimus positioned atop the battle platform, with little touches such as the handles that peg into his hands never failing to delight. It may lack the original release’s more inventive missile gimmick, but this is a true beast of a thing and delightful to handle on a copy that doesn’t have you worried about GPS all the while.

What remains a sticking point for many, though, is the toy’s face design, especially as it was marketed using a recycled bit of character artwork from Generation 2’s Laser Optimus Prime figure, which had a faceplate. Words cannot express the disappointment felt by a generation of Transformers fans excited for the first toy of the Autobot leader in a while as they tore open the box to find out that the figure inside looked very little like what they were expecting. It’s a bit like when your dad suddenly shaves his beard off!

Still, with his gorgeous light-piped baby blue eyes and his M. Bison energy, I rate this as a knockout Optimus Prime release overall, despite whatever curiosities were thrown into the mix. Yes, these toys aren’t as shockingly vivid as their G1 counterparts, but they’re still extraordinary to see and experience.

If anything, it leaves me feeling rather sad that Machine Wars never lasted beyond the initial one-wave assortment, as who knows how it could have developed from there or which other classic toys it might have brought back for a makeover. As it stands, it’s a real curiosity of the time, especially given how overlooked it continues to be to this day.

If you need more evidence of that, then be sure to join us for part 2, when we’ll be taking a look at the Decepticon roster in detail!

TTFN