When the live-action Transformers film was pushed back from November 2006 to July 2007, Hasbro needed to create a filler line to bridge the gap in their product offerings. That bridge was a revisitation of the original Generation 1 characters, dubbed Classics. The line featured many original toy designs as well as some Mini-Cons which were originally meant for the end of the Cybertron franchise. A handful of redecoed Legends-class figures rounded out the selection.
Although no cartoon or comic book were planned for the line by Hasbro, Fun Publications picked up the ball for their Official Transformers Fan Club Magazine comic, making Classics the basis of their 2007 story-arc. They used the old Marvel Generation 1 comic as backstory, but disregarded the Marvel UK material and the Generation 2 comic that followed, taking things in a new direction instead. Even after the magazine comic moved on to a different focus, Fun Publications continued to utilize Classics elements in other stories.
Toys
Legends class
Mini-Cons
Scout class
- Huffer (BotCon 2007 exclusive)
Deluxe class
Wave 1
Wave 2
Wave 3
BotCon 2007 exclusives
Voyager class
Wave 1
Wave 2
Box sets
- Optimus Prime vs Megatron: The Ultimate Battle (versus 2-pack w/DVD)
- Ultra Magnus vs Skywarp: Battle for Autobot City (versus 2-pack, Target exclusive)
- Constructicon Devastator (Wal-Mart exclusive giftset)
- "Games of Deception" BotCon exclusive, featuring:
Miscellaneous
- Optimus Prime (20th Anniversary redeco with talking base)
- Soundwave with Laserbeak and Battle Ravage (Generation 1 reissue; uses the Soundblaster version of the mold, which had a remolded door that can hold two cassettes.)
- Masterpiece Starscream (G1-colored redeco)
Universe 2008
What counts as Classics?
The term "Classics" is universally accepted and used by both fans and Hasbro, but it appears with surprising irregularity around the toys themselves. The first year of packaging only labeled them "Transformers," with "Classic" appearing solely as a prefix to some of the size classes (such as "Classic Deluxe" or "Classic Voyager"). Some toys, such as the Magnus/Skywarp two-pack, have no "Classic" label at all. The one unifying factor was the distinctive design of the packaging, which spread to even the Soundwave re-release. This has become the commonly-accepted delineator of the Classics line, which brings the following toys into the fold even though they don't self-identify as such:
- Prime vs. Megatron Ultimate Battle set
- Magnus vs. Skywarp Battle for Autobot City set
- 20th Anniversary Prime redeco
- Mini-Cons (the Mini-Con sets have been referred to as Classics toys on Hasbro's website, but not on the packaging)
- Toys "R" Us exclusive reissue Soundwave
- BotCon 2007 exclusives
- Optimus Prime & Ultra Magnus (Asian market exclusive two-pack, 2007)
- Jetfire & Grimlock (Asian market exclusive two-pack, 2007)
- Masterpiece Starscream Hasbro release
Complicating things further, Classics would later be subsumed by the relaunched Universe franchise (which also engulfed Robot Heroes). As new toys came out, the defining Classics packaging style vanished in favor of the Universe design. Only a small "Classic Series" label on their bios maintained the connection to the previous Classics toys and separated them from the Robot Heroes they were suddenly rubbing elbows with.
Henkei! Henkei! Transformers
Henkei! Henkei! Transformers is the name of the Japanese version of the Classics toyline. Like the Beast Wars Returns toyline before it, this line features several redecoes of existing figures to make them look more like the original character models than their American counterparts. For example, Megatron is silver and black instead of neon green and gray, Starscream and Grimlock are colored closer to their show models, Convoy/Prime and Bumble/Bumblebee have less white paint, and Astrotrain has a more show-inspired deco of dark gray and purple instead of white and violet. In addition to these tweaks, every toy has various areas cast in chrome, seemingly for no other reason than to create a line-wide commonality.
Fiction
Unlike the U.S. version of this line, the Henkei line comes with a mini-manga featuring Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Grimlock, Megatron, and Starscream. This short story starts off in the 21st Century with Megatron attacking Tokyo, planning to steal its energy and enslave the humans. Then the Autobots arrive to stop the Decepticons, saying they will always find the Decepticons and stop them thanks to the humans' information lines. Starscream is taken out by Bumblebee and Grimlock, while Megatron fights Optimus Prime. The Decepticons then retreat, and the humans thank the Autobots. The story continues with the release of the Henkei Astrotrain toy. The second part begins with Astrotrain in train mode attempting to derail a train at Shinjuku Station until Mirage and Grimlock show up. Astrotrain transforms to space shuttle mode to escape from Mirage, and then transforms again, this time into his robot mode. While Optimus Prime and Bumblebee attempt to guard the citizens from Astrotrain, it is revealed that the attack is all part of a Decepticon plan. While Astrotrain creates a distraction, Megatron and the other Decepticons are slowly collecting energon. Megatron is then attacked by a new Autobot warrior...
Toys
Autobots
- C-01 Convoy (Voyager Optimus Prime)
- C-02 Bumble (Deluxe Bumblebee)
- C-03 Grimlock (Deluxe Grimlock)
- C-04 Rijie (Deluxe Mirage)
- C-05 Hot Rodimus (Deluxe Rodimus/"Hot Rod")
- C-06 Skyfire (Voyager Jetfire)
- C-07 Sunstreaker (Universe Deluxe Sunstreaker)
- C-08 Prowl (Universe Deluxe Prowl)
- C-09 Lambor (Universe Deluxe Sideswipe)
- C-10 Streak (Universe Deluxe Silverstreak/"Bluestreak")
- C-11 Ironhide (Universe Deluxe Ironhide)
- C-12 Ratchet (Universe Deluxe Ironhide redeco)
- Crystal Convoy (Translucent Voyager Optimus Prime / Takara Hobby Store Exclusive)
- Powerglide (Universe Ultra Powerglide / USA Packaging)
- Silverbolt (Universe Ultra Silverbolt / USA Packaging)
- Skyglide (Mini-Con Steel Wind redeco / Toys "R" Us exclusive promotional Mini-Con)
Decepticons
- D-01 Megatron (Voyager Megatron)
- D-02 Starscream (Deluxe Starscream)
- D-03 Astrotrain (Deluxe Astrotrain)
- D-04 Ramjet (Deluxe Ramjet)
- D-05 Octane (Universe Deluxe Tankor/"Octane")
- D-06 Galvatron (Universe Deluxe Galvatron)
- Thundercracker (Classics Deluxe Starscream redeco/ Takara Hobby Store Exclusive)
- Skywarp (Classics Deluxe Starscream redeco / Takara Hobby Store Exclusive)
- Onslaught (Universe Ultra Onslaught / USA Packaging)
- Wildrider (C3xHobby Convention Exclusive)