COUNTDOWN: 10 new dream G1 projects now that Retro Hot Rod exists! (part 2)

Welcome back to our list of 10 dream G1 projects to consider in the wake of a pink Retro Hot Rod now being released!

Be sure to check out part 1 first in case you missed it.

#5: Broadside

Photo credit: TFWiki

Even more than Hot Rod and Astrotrain, there’s little doubt that Broadside is one of the most bizarre inclusions in some of those vintage Transformers toy catalogues from the 1980s. This isn’t just a case of a varied colour scheme or something similar; it’s an entirely different toy, although one clearly based on the same initial idea, at least! The jet and aircraft carrier modes bear some resemblance to what we eventually saw in plastic, but the robot mode really couldn’t be more different.

Evidently, the reason for this was the original designer left the company halfway through the toy’s development, leading to a complete overhaul of the design before it actually made it to market. Why the initial prototype was still used in catalogues is anyone’s guess, although again, this sort of thing was far from unusual at the time! The situation led to two different character models being created for Broadside in fiction, with the Marvel comic basing their depiction after the original prototype design and the cartoon rather strangely featuring both, depending on which episode you watch! Though the 1986 Broadside toy is already fantastic (you will not convince me otherwise!), it would still be tremendously exciting to see that initial prototype revisited in some fashion, no matter how unlikely that is! I did say these were dream projects, yes?

#4: New Rodimus

Conceived for Takara’s 1991 Return of Convoy line, this design for a so-called ‘New Rodimus’ was eventually unearthed in a Transformers Generations book, looking hot as all hell! It’s a striking makeover for the Autobot commander, reimagining him as a fire engine long before Optimus Prime got in on the act, and could have made for an incredible toy back in the day. It’s been frequently speculated that the Takara Brave toy known as Duke Fire was based on this concept, although that’s now debunked after it turned out that the designer had never seen the original effort. That leaves New Rodimus as lost to time, makes it a true dream project to revisit someday. No? ANYONE?

#3: Arcee

The G1 Arcee design has gone down in legend as one of the most high-profile unproduced toys of the era. Conspicuously absent from the 1986 line, the character was left as a screen-only presence due to nervousness that a female character would sell amongst a presumptively boys’ toy line. Things may have changed a lot in the decades since, but one thing remains the same; that original Arcee toy is still on the shelf. Well, not a collection shelf, you understand. A metaphorical shelf. Meaning it’s never happened! Of course, there have been many other attempts at the character over the years, but still, this one would be a true dream to revisit at some point, as it would be fabulous to see such a thing prociuded in authentic G1-style to stand alongside the rest of the gang. Given the early stage at which the prototype seems to have been halted, it feels tremendously unlikely to ever happen, but still, one can’t help but wonder.

Alternatively, a more feasible option might be the concept for a pink and white repaint of G1 Chromedome that popped up in a Transformers Generations book, which was also intended to represent Arcee in Headmaster form. The robot mode has never been seen, but this one could be a suitable alternative for anyone hoping for some Retro Arcee love!

#2: Hyperdrive

The year is 1992. The Generation 1 Predator jets have been released. They feature a nifty ‘Megavisor’ gimmick whereby the smaller toys can be attached to their leader, Skyquake, and a small slide image is revealed inside a scope mechanism. Sixo’s little eyes look through the scope and witness the sight of an awesome hulking Autobot, who seems a little like Optimus Prime but somehow bigger and more brutal! But who is it?

This question wouldn’t be answered for decades to come, as it turned out the unproduced G1 Turbomaster known as Hyperdrive was the toy many of us hyped for at the time, without even knowing what it was we were looking at! This guy has only ever been seen in concept artwork but was conceived as being even larger than Thunderclash and would have presumably been just as colourful. I know I said we were talking outright wish fulfilment here, but this one may be pushing it, even! Still… imagine…

#1: Unicron

Photo credit: seibertron.com

Come on, you knew this was coming. It’s the one and only planet-sized beach ball lad himself. Yep, it’s prototype G1 Unicron! Y’know, that toy some kid at school definitely had, but you were never allowed to see? We’ve covered off why this one didn’t happen more than once already, yet still, it remains the stuff of complete legend and would be an epic project to revisit in modern form in one way or another. Currently, only two of the original toys exist, one in the possession of Hasbro and one in collector hands. Whilst those deserve to remain as their own thing, a new design based on this classic prototype could pay respects to it whilst still being different and worthwhile in its own right.

I even had the chance to float this idea to a rep from Hasbro recently, and whilst it was very far from being anything definitive, it did seem like there was at least some enthusiasm for such a concept, so maybe it’s not entirely out there, after all? Stranger things have happened…

So that’s our list! Which of these projects would you be most excited about?

TTFN