COUNTDOWN: Checking out those new Legacy G2 reveals! (part 1)

If there’s one thing that’s undoubtedly been established by now, it’s that the people calling the shots on the current era of the Transformers line have a deep-rooted love for the franchise and all its many oddities from over the years.

That’s clear when you see products such as the new Buzzworthy Bumblebee Deluxe Origin Jazz, a reference so niche that it amounts to mere seconds of screen time in a cartoon from almost four decades ago.

However, nothing says ‘deep cut’ quite like some of the most recent Legacy Evolution reveals as part of what’s called the Toxitron Collection, all of which serve up homages to the most obscure unproduced parts of the 1990s Generation 2 line you could imagine. So today, we’re diving in to see what they’re all about and speculating on a few other nuggets that could be on the horizon soon…

#12: Jazz (is happening)

First up is a homage that’s had multiple mentions in various articles on this blog over the last however many years! Yes, it’s the entirely orange Generation 2 Jazz! Titled ‘G2 Universe Autobot Jazz’ on the packaging, this isn’t the classic white, blue and green version from 1993 that most fans might be thinking of, however. Instead, it’s an exceptionally niche nod towards an unproduced vintage repaint that never was, whose existence we only know about thanks to the artwork below. Though it’s undoubtedly the case that a prototype of the original exists somewhere in some form (although no one knows where!), the new figure is the first instance of this colour scheme making it to retail. What’s really weird about this one is it appears to feature the weapons due to come with a Buzzworthy Hound figure that was revealed in the middle of last year but has yet to see the light of day. At least Jazz here is finally making it after all these years!

#11: Mirage (is supposedly happening)

Though we have yet to see it, a new Walmart listing has confirmed that a homage to Generation 2 Mirage is also on the horizon! What does that mean? Expect an eye-searing pink and green F1 car with a somewhat inexplicable crocodile theme. ‘Watermelon’ Mirage, as he’s often nicknamed, has never made all that much sense, but it’s still a paint job that many of us are devastated to never see properly realised over the years. We have glimpsed the prototype of the unreleased original in this case, but the artwork above gives us our best demonstration of what this toy would have looked like at the time. Presumably, this will be a repaint of the Kingdom Mirage mould, officially bringing to life this infamous ’90s design for the first time ever. Exciting.

#10: Combat Hero Optimus Prime (could happen)

As long as we’re looking at the G2-related stuff currently up for release in Legacy, why not speculate on what might soon be to join it? After all, with Hasbro already having confirmed that their recent Holiday Optimus Prime design will receive at least one further use further down the line, it could be time for the unreleased Generation 2 Combat Hero take on the character to see the light of day. The original toy would have been part of the shelved 1995 line-up of toys, having even made it as far as the packaging stage of production at the time. Sadly, it was never to be, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be granted a comeback with the new design all these years later, especially with the equivalent Combat Hero Megatron colour scheme already referenced in Generation Selects. I’d be amazed if this doesn’t come to be. 

#9: Tiger Stripe Grimlock (is happening)

Of all the recent toy reveals that have knocked me on my arse, this is undoubtedly the one that packed the biggest punch. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve written about the original ‘Tiger Stripe’ Grimlock artwork, whether in blog articles or on social media, as it’s always been a standout piece of unproduced Generation 2 lore in my mind. It’s almost up there with stuff like pink Hot Rod, blue Bluestreak or the original Broadside prototype for me in terms of desirability, and it’s often boggled my brain that the colour scheme has thus far been underutilised on modern toys. That looks set to change, with Hasbro having leapfrogged the more traditional blue and turquoise G2 Grimlock schemes in favour of a yellow repaint of the Studio Series mould, finally bringing this beloved concept to life at long last. We’ve only glimpsed the box art thus far, and there are at least a few variations in the palette application versus the original, but still, this is one I’m thrilled to see. 

#8: Sideswipe (is supposedly happening)

Alongside the pink Mirage, another Generation 2 recolour that never saw the light of day at the time was a further Sideswipe release, following on from the 1993 black and red original. Again, a prototype of this has surfaced since, though the unused artwork fills in the blanks for how this was going to look at the time, and it’s all kinds of synth-styled loveliness. Though we haven’t glimpsed it yet, this colour scheme will now finally have its time to shine, no doubt applied to the recent Kingdom Sideswipe mould. Again, this will be the first time any official toy will pay homage to this idea, so seeing it brought to life after so many years will be fascinating! 

#7: Blackout (could happen)

With so many niche Generation 2 references flying around the place, why not seek out a few more, eh? An obvious candidate for that is the current WFC Seeker mould (yes, again!), which could be repurposed as Blackout. No, not the one you’re thinking of – G2 Blackout! This unproduced design was first glimpsed when a black vintage Seeker prototype popped up online years ago with the words ‘Black Death’ written on the nosecone. It was only when more polished artwork popped up much later that the character was revealed to be known as Blackout, a name which has, of course, been used many times since.

Failing that, what about the infamous ‘Jungle Starscream’ prototype that popped up online circa 2007? As another classic bit of unreleased G2, this could be intriguing to see made real at long last!

Be sure to join us for part 2 soon!

TTFN