COUNTDOWN: 6 ways to bring back Pretenders

Of all the many gimmicks introduced during Transformers’ earliest years, has any of them proven quite as divisive or tricky to recreate as Pretenders?

Though maligned by many during their own time, it’s also fair to say the 1988 and ’89 bots have been through something of a renaissance in fans’ minds since, as plenty of collectors are now viewing the classic toys with renewed interest. That could be partly down to how no subsequent take on the characters has ever managed to recreate the original shell-themed feature of Pretenders in quite the same fashion, always choosing to find a new way to interpret the old play pattern for better or worse.

So today, let’s examine the options available and see which of them might be the best route forward should a potential Pretender resurgence come to pass!

#6: The classic solution!

We may only be getting going, but this list would be incomplete without suggesting the traditional take on the Pretender gimmick could be revisited in a far more straight-up fashion than we’ve thus far seen. A simple but memorable magic comes from seeing inner robots emerge out of their outer shells, especially when those disguised forms look so weird and wonderful standing next to your more typical Transformers. Of all the many toys in my collection, this vintage 1988 roster is one my son repeatedly revisits when selecting which items he might like to investigate, and that’s for good reason – they stoke the imagination in quite a unique way! It’s also not hard to see how such a solution could feasibly work in modern form, even if it likely means a trade-off regarding how articulated the shells might be. Still, perhaps that’s acceptable if it means seeing such a return to form and all the other benefits it brings!

#5: Just inner robots

Another way a recreation of Pretenders could happen – and has happened! – is simply ditching the entire gimmick and making straightforward recreations of the classic inner robot designs that transform into alternate forms. We’ve seen this most recently with Legacy Metalhawk, and it’s not hard to understand why there is some appeal here. After all, as neat as the vintage Pretender toys were, even ardent supporters like me would acknowledge that the robot modes and transformations had some compromise baked in. Thus, seeing them a little more ‘fleshed out’ and given proper due is a tempting prospect. Yet, as enjoyable as the robots could be, it’s still a shame to imagine line-wide representations of these characters without their most appealing aspect, leaving this solution feeling underwhelming if employed wholesale.

#4: Just outer shells

Counter to the above, another idea that could work – and again, has been done already! – is by eliminating the inner robots altogether and opting for detailed and articulated takes on the classic outer shells instead. It’s hard to imagine this ever happening as part of a Generations line-up. Yet, examples such as Super7 Bludgeon show the way forward here, delivering an uber-accurate take on the 1980s designs in a way we’ve never seen on more modern toys. It certainly wouldn’t be for everyone, but imagine this solution applied to characters like Submarauder, Octopunch or even Autobots such as Cloudburst! Now tell me it wouldn’t be exciting to see.

#3: Just outer shells… but they transform!

The next idea is an extension of the above, except, weirdly, it’s also what we’re currently getting as part of the Legacy line! Skullgrin, Bomb Burst and Iguanus have all been realised as transformable designs, replicating their traditional alternate forms to a degree, although here with robot modes that pay homage to the outer shell designs of the vintage toys. It’s a solution which has been used before, most notably on releases such as Generations Thunderwing in 2010 or Titans Return Sky Shadow in 2017 (assuming you count Black Shadow as a Pretender!). However, whilst it works well and does at least utilise each character’s more colourful outer appearance, there’s no denying it still abandons the entire core concept that makes Pretenders so unique. It’s also hard to imagine this working as well on the human-styled disguises adopted by the Autobots.

#2: Inner robots with wearable armour

Moving onto some of the more creative options imaginable, here’s one that has only recently been debuted by third-party outfit Fans Hobby but is already shaping up as quite a promising idea. Basically, their upcoming Metalhawk takes a fully transformable robot form, which itself looks remarkably close to the original design except that it’s now super poseable, and then adds a series of wearable armour pieces to bulk it out and change its appearance, bringing it closer to the classic outer shell aesthetic. This includes a helmet resembling the character’s human-esque face, which we’re intrigued to see fully painted! It delivers on several fronts in that it allows for articulation in all guises, maintains the concept of a shell-like disguise as the core gimmick, and represents a fun spin on the vintage figure. Perhaps the only (minor?) downside is that it doesn’t account for the fact Metalhawk and his Masterforce comrades were traditionally portrayed as regular human size once in their disguised forms as part of the corresponding cartoon. Still, surely that’s a nitpick!

#1: Miniature shells with transformable robots!

And for our final entry, we have something entirely different! However, this fan-made idea – created here by @RobotsShiny – is one that manages to satisfy on a surprising number of fronts despite not adhering to the classic toy gimmick at all.

Autobot pretenders from Masterforce!Metalhawk, Diver, Lander, and Phoenix. The heads of the robots become the un-armored human forms that then fit into the pretender shells armor! pic.twitter.com/cps81uHKNG

— Shiny Robots (@RobotsShiny) January 15, 2025

So what we have here is the transformable inner robot solution from #4, but also incorporating the miniature Prime Master outer shells featured during 2017’s Power of the Primes line. This means you get transformable robots with decent alternate forms, except you can also represent human-sized disguises as per the scale set by the Masterforce cartoon. In the case above, the creator has opted for the heads to be painted up to resemble the character’s de-armoured human appearances, meaning that they can then ride inside the vehicle modes in each case (something which has happened in fiction!). The only aspect this misses is the tactile thrill of the classic 1988 toys, but in terms of bringing the weird but wonderful fictional explanation of Pretenders to life, there’s a lot to be said for this!

So that’s our list! Which of the options would you prefer?

TTFN