1984 to 1985

The 1984-85 lines are, arguably, the most memorable and popular editions to come out of the Generation 1 series. All the classic characters and ideas are introduced here. The two years actually comprise one single run, story-wise and thematically. This is most evident in the first and second seasons of the animated series.

The toys made use of molds and designs primarily from the Microman and Diaclone lines. Others were used from Dorvack and Beetras toys. 1985 introduced the idea of special subgroup teams like the Dinobots, Constructicons and Insecticons. Toward the end of the animated series’ second season, several characters from the 1986 line are introduced, particularly the Combiner teams.

1986
The year of 1986 saw the last of the Microman and Diaclone molds used and Hasbro began using original designs for many characters. This was a banner year for the toy line as the tie-in movie, The Transformers: The Movie, was finally released. While the movie was not the blockbuster as it was hoped, it marked a change in the direction the series in general was taking.
New characters Rodimus Prime and Galvatron replaced Optimus Prime and Megatron in their respective roles. Subgroup teams became prevalent. The number of new characters increased from this year on. The TV series follows the movie and is now set in the future while the comics’ storyline continue to be set in the present time.

1987

As Transformers went on, new characters needed new gimmicks to stand out. The number of Combiner teams have been reduced, the Headmasters and Targetmasters are introduced. Fortress Maximus and Scorponok become leaders of the Autobot and Decepticon forces respectively. The animated series had one more season but only three episodes were produced in America, leaving only the comics to support the toy line.

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