COUNTDOWN: Checking out those new Legacy G2 reveals! (part 2)

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…

Be sure to check out part 1 first before continuing below.

#6: Cloudcover (is happening)

When we talk about unexpected colour schemes and niche homages to long-forgotten toys, this must be at the top of that list, right? After all, who had ‘cloud Ramjet’ on their bingo card for potential Legacy updates in 2023? Yet it’s really happening, bringing this obscure toy design to retail at long last! Now identified as ‘Cloudcover’, for years, the prototype original was known simply as another take on Ramjet after the Conehead’s first Generation 2 toy in 1993. The unproduced sample popped up on the internet for auction back in 2000, potentially having derived from a former Hasbro employee’s possession, although scant detail on it has ever been widely available. It’s undoubtedly one of the more unusual colour schemes from the era, but regardless, it’s fun to see it represented at very long last!

#5: Dead End (is supposedly happening)

Generation 2-inspired combiner limb repaints have been a staple of the third-party world for some time now. Still, it was a relative surprise to see Hasbro getting in on the act just last year when they dropped Legacy Shadowstrip, a black, blue and gold re-release of their Drag Strip design modelled after the unproduced G2 toy from 1994. There was chatter online from those who wondered if we’d ever see the rest of the set realised in similar updated form, but according to a rumoured product listing, Dead End is on the way at least. Presumably, the new toy will feature a red and blue colour scheme as a homage to the equivalent ’90s design. 

#4: Sludge & Swoop (could happen)

If we’re discussing hallowed bits of unproduced Generation 2, the conversation would be incomplete without mentioning these delicious Dinos! Only ever publicly seen in the form of unused packaging artwork, Sludge and Swoop would seemingly have rounded off the Dinobot roster and brought all five of the classic characters to life in G2 form back in the day. Sadly, it never came to pass, although both colour schemes have lived on in infamy ever since. With Studio Series currently working its way through updated Dinobot designs, could now be the time for them to see the light of day at long last? After all, if we’re finally getting ‘tiger stripe’ Grimlock, why not these?

#3: Toxitron (is happening)

Full disclosure: this isn’t a Generation 2 release at all. Yes, Toxitron was originally conceived for release in the 2003 Universe line (which arguably featured more garish repaints than G2 ever did back in the ’90s, but I digress). Still, it was a repaint of the G2 Laser Optimus Prime mould, and it’s now being brought back for a new toy in the Legacy line, so it counts well enough. Likewise, this is a re-use of the new Laser Prime design, although now in a sickeningly eye-searing green and purple! It’s not the first time we’ve seen the colour scheme released, mind: an Animated effort was available in 2011, and 2017’s Transformers Figure Subscription Service take used the Combiner Wars Menasor design to great effect, too. Still, expect this Legacy effort to turn heads once it reaches shelves. Love it or hate it, you can’t ignore it. 

#2: The Stunticons (will likely happen)

Following on from Dead End above, it’s fun to speculate if the rest of the Generation 2 Stunticon crew will receive Legacy updates before too long. After all, Shadowstrip is great, Dead End would be something, but the full team? Combining to make a G2-coloured Menasor? Yes, please! The vintage toys have become the stuff of legend over the years, with only Breakdown having seen a release of any real kind as a Botcon 1994 exclusive. For the vast majority, this will be the only opportunity to own an official set of G2 Stunticons, which makes us think Hasbro won’t pass up the opportunity to make such an idea go the distance. 

#1: Laser Cycle Jazz & Soundwave (could happen)

As bizarre as this now sounds, back in 1995, a whole wave of new Generation 2 toys were finished and ready to go. And they were all cancelled. We’ve already mentioned stuff like Combat Hero Optimus Prime, but the list extends far beyond that. G2’s untimely demise meant an unprecedented amount of product never saw the light of day. However, with Legacy now combing those depths for the first time, there may be a chance for ideas such as Laser Cycle Jazz and Soundwave to finally happen! Jazz would be by far the most obvious, given it was to be a repaint of Road Rocket, who has already been seen in Legacy recently. There’s been no Road Pig mould thus far, which makes Soundwave less likely, although some are already speculating that the new Legacy Animated Prowl could be a good base for such an idea. Will it come to pass? Time will tell.

So that’s our list! Which of these toys are you most excited for?

TTFN