COUNTDOWN: Just 8 random Transformers toys that were sadly never made!

I’ve written many times about my undying love for the endless stream of weird and wonderful unproduced Transformers toys from over the years.

Whether in the form of unfinished prototypes, early concept sketches or even finalised retail samples, there’s an innate fascination in seeing items that ultimately never made it – a peek behind the curtain into what could have been. Although a few areas of the brand’s history are particularly notorious for producing a plethora of unreleased items, there are plenty of examples from across the last forty years by this point.

So today, very simply, here are 8 entirely random Transformers toys that, for whatever reason, were sadly never made!

#8: Generation 2 Defensor

Let’s ease ourselves in gently with an item we have discussed on this blog before, but one which has yet to lose its desirability! Generation 2 is a known treasure trove of unproduced toys, with likely the most significant share of abandoned prototypes and concept work of any line in Transformers history. What’s especially noteworthy about these intensely-coloured Prototectobots is how close they came to being released, with carded specimens of the four limbs popping up in the years since and proving they were given the chop right before the finish line. Despite that, they remain some of the rarest and most sought-after such items from the 1990s range and will easily pull in eye-watering sums whenever they infrequently pop up for sale, as evidenced by the (since sold) listing below…

Hey, does anyone fancy buying these G2 Protectobots on eBay for me? Anyone? Hello? pic.twitter.com/fpQFOn4RoQ

— Sixo (@SixoTF) April 18, 2020

It’s fair to assume most of us will never claim such a prize for our collections outside of a custom reproduction, which is a pity because that palette is truly something to behold!

#8: Beast Wars dragon Megatron

Image credit: Transformers Generations 2017 via TFWiki

Before anyone lurches to the keyboard, I am well aware of the many dragon Megatron toys which exist out there already! That idea has become exceedingly popular with fans since first being realised on the Ultra Transmetal 2 figure from 1999, as evidenced by last year’s Legacy update. However, it turns out it wasn’t the first time Hasbro and Takara considered such a concept, as here’s a proposed retool of the original Tyrannosaurus rex toy from 1996, now with a new beast-mode head, tail and articulated wings to resemble an organic dragon! It’s hard to imagine now, but the more you look at that classic design, the more it seems it could have worked extraordinarily well! The idea was a pre-Transmetal consideration, which Hasbro presumably abandoned after the line went a different way. Although we know little of the plan here, a 1997 interview by Hooks with Beast Wars cartoon story editor Bob Forward might give us a clue. In it, the show’s creator says, “For a while there, Hasbro was planning to make the Inferno toy the new Megatron. We were going to kill Megatron and bring him back as Inferno.“ It might be a significant stretch, but could this original dragon concept have formed the basis for such a plot point and been folded into the story under the name ‘Inferno’ instead? Stranger things have happened!

#6: Beast Wars Transmetal Dinobot

Again, here’s an idea that ultimately went on to find new life in another form (in this case, with the later Transmetal 2 take on Dinobot’s clone), yet could have worked out very differently based on the initial concept. Although the original Dinobot character retained his organic beast form until his on-screen end in season 2, this concept for a Transmetal toy of the character would presumably have debuted alongside other names such as Rattrap, Cheetor and Rhinox. We’ve never publicly seen the robot mode, but we have the artwork for both the raptor and the third vehicular form of sorts, and they give an idea of what the finalised toy may have looked like!

As noted over the years, these images showcase a strong vibe of Transmetal Terrorsaur, so you can easily imagine this design coming to life somehow! It would have been a fascinating twist to the established character and maybe meant we didn’t get the finalised Transmetal 2 design that became a memorable part of the following year’s line-up.

#5: Beast Wars green Transmetal 2 Ramulus

Here we have another specimen that, like the Protectobots above, made it exceedingly close to being realised! The 1998 Transmetal 2 Ramulus toy is well known for its cool blue-grey, brown and chromed red colour scheme. Yet, Hasbro initially intended to release this lively green variant as a running change alongside similar finalised repaints, including the black Transmetal 2 Prowl and white Dinobot variant. It is unclear why they abandoned it, although packaged samples have emerged since, showing it was all but ready to go. At least this take on the character popped up in fiction, appearing in 3H Productions comics such as Transformers: The Wreckers and its Beast Wars: Primeval Dawn backup strip.

#4: Beast Machines Megatron

Image credit: Rarebots

That Beast Machines is much-maligned in terms of its general fandom appraisal is a true shame because, for all its apparent faults, the cartoon and corresponding toy line took some significant swings in a way not often seen in the modern Transformers era. Amongst those was the idea of Megatron’s ‘Grand Mal’ body, featured prominently during the show’s second season as a giant floating head that also served as a sometime-base of operations for the Vehicons. Although pretty out there as concepts go, it found its way into toy form as the 2002 Megatron Megabolt figure (and its subsequent repaints), which was eventually released as part of Robots in Disguise after Hasbro curtailed the end of the Beast Machines line. However, there was also a prototype of a significantly larger figure based on the same idea, which would have realised the head mode in much greater detail and transformed into a very different-looking robot form. Thanks to Ras at Rarebots, we can see how this take would have eschewed the spider-like legs of the Deluxe figure in favour of a more show-accurate set of underside boosters and a moveable jaw.

Image credit: Rarebots

Moreover, the design boasts a working cog gimmick seen in the translucent parts of the chest, whereby the mechanism moves as the toy is transformed. Sadly, the prototype is a fragile affair and cannot be fully converted to its robot mode for fear of breakage, which perhaps explains why Hasbro ultimately shelved it at the time. That said, they seemingly considered it for release in 2000, as BigBadToyStore put up a listing for an Ultra class Beast Machines Megatron toy, which would have been amongst the final releases of the line. Could that be this same prototype?

#3: Animated Goldfire Grimlock

Much like Generation 2 and Beast Machines, Transformers Animated is a plentiful stockpile of unreleased toys, primarily because of the line’s premature end as Hasbro suddenly changed their plans and prioritised pastures anew. Many of those are repaints of existing designs which have been glimpsed in seemingly final form, some even with retail-ready packaged samples in existence or having been freely showcased at conventions or on marketing material from the time.

Image credit: Seibertron.com

One of the more unusual examples is this recoloured spin on the 2008 Voyager Grimlock toy, which would have swapped out the traditional Dinobot grey and red for a fairly uniformly black and gold ensemble, making for quite the varied look overall! Before anyone panics, no, it’s not *that* type of gold plastic, but there’s no point in worrying either way as, sadly, this one was never to be after Hasbro summarily cancelled it in early 2009.

#2: Animated Marauder Megatron

Image credit: Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac Vol. 2 via TFWiki

It’s time for a big one now, and it’s another ultimately cancelled bit of late-era Transformers Animated goodness that sadly leaves us wondering what could have been. Along with the toy line’s abrupt end, the cartoon was wrapped up fairly swiftly as plans for a fourth season were squashed in favour of Hasbro taking more creative control via their co-created channel, The Hub, leading to Transformers: Prime. However, there’s a surprising amount that has since been unearthed regarding what may well have taken place had Animated continued (meticulously compiled by Keyan Carlile), with one of the key consistent ideas being an upgrade for the Decepticon leader to a triple-changing form known as ‘Marauder Megatron’. This new body would have come about in the show due to Blackarachnia experimenting on him, but like Blitzwing, it was due to take a significant toll on his sanity. Megatron’s new modes include a Cybertronian-styled tank and a sleek-looking spaceship form, alongside twin arm-mounted fusion cannons and a pair of deployable weapons on his chest. The plans were far enough along for a fairly faithful resin prototype to have been produced. However, sadly, Hasbro abandoned the whole endeavour before this ever went any further, leaving it as one of the most notorious cases of “what might have been” from the brand’s history.

Animated Marauder Megatron concept, image credit: posted by Keyan Carlile with artwork by Josh Perez

Although it has never been used in an official capacity, Transformers artist Josh Perez, a friend and collaborator of Derrick J. Wyatt who worked on the book Transformers Animated: The Complete AllSpark Almanac, has since provided an idea of how this concept would have looked in animation, with the colours based on Derrick’s notes. The design was heavily influenced by Super Megatron from Battlestars, with a nod towards Beast Machines in the muzzled mouth, an idea to be incorporated in the cartoon after the character’s incarceration during season 4. Seeing this colour scheme played out and imagining it on the corresponding toy is a little heartbreaking, to say the least!

For much more info on Animated season 4, be sure to check out Keyan’s exhaustive video!

#1: Universe Menasor

Universe Menasor colour layout guide, image credit: The Spacebridge

Our final entry would have occurred during the repaint-heavy 2003 Universe line, and again, it looks like it was fairly far through production before being sadly halted! Initially envisaged as an update on the classic Decepticon truck Motormaster, trademark issues seemingly meant this was revised to be that character’s gestalt form, Menasor, using the fan-favourite 1992 G1 Thunderclash mould (or, more specifically, the slight retool of Machine Wars Optimus Prime). A toy prototype exists and has made its way into collector hands on the secondary market, alongside various bits of concept art and colour layouts which have emerged thanks to The Spacebridge, alongside seemingly finalised box artwork for the character.

As with all the entries here, it’s a crying shame such a colourful and creative idea was never realised, especially as it would have made for an exceptional last hurrah of an inherently brilliant toy design.

So that’s our list! Would you like to have seen any of these toys made real?

TTFN