Transformers Toy Evolution History

The movie version of "Transformers" has been with us for 10 years.

However, as the tenth anniversary of the "Transformers" film, the film's reality is not so friendly. Rotten tomato 15% freshness, IMDB score 5.4 points, lower than the previously spit out of the "new mummies", in the North American "Transformers" on the first day only 15 million US dollars, is the lowest in the series.

All this seems to prove that "Transformers 5" will bring this series into the trough, is that true?

Of course not, and regardless of the contrast between the film and the North American contrast in the film, Transformers alone is one of the most successful commercials in the history of film, and the wide range of commercial profits behind it is enough to support the continued development of the Transformers series. Go on. From toys to animation, from TV to movies, Transformers has been carrying more than just emotions for more than 30 years, and there are more business opportunities.

If you don't say anything else, you can see it from the shape of the characters in the film. Perhaps many viewers have discovered that the current movie version is so different from the previous cartoons.

In fact, Transformers played the role of “microscope” in the historical development process. From the technical level of robots and their role in the works, they can read the development direction of science and technology and the future technology of the public. determination. The most direct representation is the shape of the robot.

Generally speaking, the robot image in "Transformers" is mainly affected by two factors, one is the design process, and the other is the aesthetic trend. These two aspects can be unified under the meaning of "commercial drive".

Although Transformers is not conceptually a "Robot" in the traditional sense, both designers and the general public will count them as a member of the robot army, flaunting the image of the robot to accept them. Because since their birth, from the appearance of the shape or design ideas, it represents the inherent image of the robot on the big screen under the trend of the times.

From the cartoons of the 1980s to the current movie version, these aliens have turned from iron cans into metal fashion models with a mechanical beauty. This is the evolution of robots on the big screen, and the mutations in the shape. The leap in detail is closely related to the concept of human beings and the scientific and technological style of human beings in various eras.

Who gave inspiration to who: toys are the primary productive force

Don't look at the fact that many viewers today vomit too many ads in the "Transformers" movie. But I am afraid it is rare to know that Transformers itself is an advertisement. They are the first toys and then animated.

Transformers are the signature toys of the famous American toy manufacturer Hasbro, but they originally did not belong to the United States.

In 1974, Hasbro’s toy soldiers series (the predecessor of Special Forces) entered the Japanese market, but they ate a closed door. Japanese players were not interested in this rough American soldier, but they found inspiration for Japanese toy manufacturer Takara. Developed the "MSI Small Superman" series, which is about 10 cm high and movable. The story content is two small-scale warriors. It can enlarge/reduce objects for their own use, and then it is very popular. Of course, this time" MSI Little Superman has nothing to do with deformation and robots.

In the 1980s, the "MSI Small Superman" series has evolved and evolved, and robot characters have emerged, which can be easily transformed into vehicles such as aircraft. They are collectively called Micro Change.

At the same time, Takara also separates the concept of robot and deformation, and develops new series, such as a series that becomes a car, a series of dinosaurs, and a series of small appliances such as radios. This independent branch is called Diaclone. However, at this time, these robots have cockpits and must be driven by people. In a sense, they are more like mechs (Takaratomy reproduced the Diaclone series last year, as shown below).

These two variants were not well sold in Japan. They were heavily suppressed by another series of transformable animated toys, The Macross, which they produced in the same period, but they gained good reputation internationally and caused children. The focus of the company. At the Tokyo Comic Con, 1983, Hasbro and Takara have begun to study cooperation.

In 1984, Hasbro officially purchased the two variants of Micro Change and Diaclone, and modified them to eliminate the robot's acceptance of human control settings and turn it into a living entity, and named it "Transformers." I set up a set of plots, and Marvel was responsible for brand promotion comics, and in order to match the sales of toys, I also produced three episodes of animated ads, which are the first three episodes of "Transformers" cartoons. I didn't expect animated broadcasts. Popular, Hasbro simply produced a long series of episodes, which formed the 98 episodes of an animated series that we later saw.

Where is the source of Transformers?

As for the origin of Transformers, there are still two factions. One party thinks that it is the production time of Japan's Micro Change and Diaclone series in 1983. Without them, there is no Transformers. This is the original root of Transformers. The other party believes that after the purchase of copyright in Hasbro in 1984, the setting was changed and the new name of "Transformers" was adopted. This is the true origin of Transformers. The debate between the two factions has continued from the last century. Today, it’s almost going to fight.

Second, you seem to be a bit square: craft determines the image

As can be seen from the above history, Transformers first had toys and animations, which created a precedent for brands to drive multi-field productivity. Moreover, Transformers was driven by animation and later movies, which gave birth to better toy sales. It is also typical of anti-customers. It is not difficult to understand why the King Kongs at that time were all square.

First of all, limited to the level of toy production at that time, the deformation of the toy is very simple, nothing more than "arm bending, leg backwards, front chest flipping, etc." deformation mode, whether it is a car or an airplane, the outline of the product defines the appearance of the robot So that the latter can hardly avoid the 80s-style car/aircraft craftsmanship.

For example, Optimus Prime and Red Spider, as representatives of cars and airplanes, both robot images are closely related to their transformed products. The windows on the chest of Optimus Prime and the wings behind the spiders cannot be eliminated. The iconic appearance of this car/aircraft is lost.

Secondly, the animation of the year was only to match the sales of toys. I didn’t think that the animation was more popular than the toys. Even some of the animated characters could not become the corresponding products at the time.

For example, Megatron, a Walter P38 pistol, the prototype robot is not very ideal. In the animation, as the leader of the Decepticons, the designer has greatly modified the character, making him less "ugly". Therefore, compared with the toy of the same name, Megatron in the animation, if you do not tell the player that this is the same paragraph, it is estimated that many people can not recognize it. For this reason, Megatron Toys shipped very little at the time and is now the top collection on the market.

At the same time, there were not many robot characters in Takara's toy series purchased by Hasbro. With the popularity of Transformers, manufacturers also considered adding more robot characters to deal with the development of animation plots and toy sales, in addition to Takara inventory. Some toys, Hasbro also got a lot of foreign aid, such as skyfire and shock waves.

The prototype of Skyfire is the VF-1 fighter in "The Macross". After Hasbro bought the right to use the toy design, he found that he could not add it to the animation, because "The Macross" had an animation and then a toy. So I had to re-set the image in the animation.

The shock wave is a space gun belonging to Toyco of Japan, so you can understand why the image of the two is not the same as the rest of the Transformers in the "Transformers" animation. The two brothers originally represented other toy companies. design concept.

Why is Optimus Prime wearing a mask?

This is due to the “incompetence” of the designers of the year. As the leader of the automaker, Optimus Prime’s position is the image of “just right, not angry, and strong-minded elders”, but the designers found that they are designing When the face of the column, in any case, can not reflect the above characteristics, simply put a mask on him, and later in the official IDW comics, also to understand this question, because Optimus Prime's face is quite fierce, its The creator of the titanium master gave him an iron mask to cover up the edge. Obviously you can't design it, but fortunately, I didn't put a beard on the pillar.

Third, the United States and Japan are separated from each other: see the transition period of the wind and the rudder

When the rich stocks were bottomed out, it was time to go to 1986. Hasbro discovered that the brand robots that were purchased in the year were finally used up. The development of the animation story entered the bottleneck. The market urgently needed a new toy to replace the old characters. The Transformers Movie was born.

In the movie, a large number of old characters led by Optimus Prime chose to die. The new generation took over the clothes and there were a lot of futuristic new robots. Their deformation products were no longer limited to the current transportation, but they chose the space fighter. The sci-fi product of the future sports car, more importantly, does not have to spend a lot of money to buy the model copyright from the car company.

This change is not innovative for robot modeling, but there have been some corresponding changes.

The shape of the robot is no longer limited to the current technology products, and has a futuristic design style.

First of all, according to their deformed form, the robot itself is no longer square, and there are more arc-shaped, streamlined design schemes, such as the pros and cons leader, Tian Tianshi and the shocking day, their deformed future truck/photon gun The style is integrated into the robot form, which makes the robot shape more ergonomic. At least the car windshield on the Tianshi is missing, and the streamlined silhouette replaces Megatron's square face.

But these two toys are very eye-popping, because the Transformers toy design after the big movie was commissioned by the Japanese Takara company to design, in order to prevent the film's plot from leaking, Hasbro puts the Tianshi and the shocking design. When the case was handed over to Takara, the two characters were not told that the two characters were the new generation of leaders, and the designers did not put a lot of effort into designing the toys according to the leader's image. As a result, many players were disappointed after the launch of the toy.

After 1986, the United States lost interest in animation production and placed its focus on comics. Japan’s Takara bought the right to use the Transformers brand and the right to create animations, and continued to make animations. In 1987-1989, the leader of the warrior was hidden. The Warrior" "The Victory of Victory" three animations represent the Japanese version of Transformers and launch related toys.

Because Japanese animation and American comics are very different in design style and plot, there are also different styles of toys. In fact, comparing the differences between the US and Japan cars, the American design style focuses on the whole, highlighting the solidity and durability, while the Japanese design focuses on the details, highlighting the structure and exquisiteness.

Soon after, the US version of the Japanese version of the toy completely parted ways.

The above is called the Transformers G1 era.

Although the shape of the movie version of Transformers has become the mainstream of toys, neither Hasbro nor Takaratomy can forget the image of the former animated version of Transformers, and also to take care of the old players, thus launching the MP series toys.

MP, the full name of the Transformers Masterpiece, translated, is the "master masterpiece", is the series of Transformers 20th Anniversary Edition, the main is retro animation. With the advancement of today's toy craftsmanship, MP-class toys have achieved the ultimate restoration of the animated image that could not be restored on toys.

The most typical example is Megatron. Now the image of MP36 Megatron is not the same as that of G1 Megatron. The MP toy almost completely restored the shape of the animation, and it can also be turned into a P38 pistol. Of course, it is a very creative deformation design, and a high price (market price is 1600 yuan)

Fourth, the pursuit of high-precision technology: the future of the King Kong

In 1992, Transformers was again launched in the United States under the name "Transformers 2nd Generation" (G2). In addition to the brighter color configuration, the first appearance of the "ball occlusion joint" on the toy was made by the "father of Transformers". ——Takara Company, the designer of Megatron, Sonic and others, was invented.

Transformers are no longer hard bricks. As the metal parts increase and decrease, the spherical joints increase, making the shape of the toy more full and more movable.

At this time, whether it is the toy itself or the animation based on new toys, Transformers has initially got rid of the square image of the year.

I believe that most people will not be resistant to items with good texture and line. Therefore, in the history of the transformation of the image of Transformers in the future, whether it is a series of "Fighting Beast" that was later introduced into the animal, or the United States and Japan producers jointly launched The "Fleet" and "Galaxy Power" series, although the robot shape still has the appearance of "deformation shape determines shape", the robot that pursues the futuristic becomes the design concept that continues to this day, and as time goes by, Transformers Toys not only have further changes in technology, but their audiences have also changed accordingly.

"Transformers" was one of the earliest foreign cartoons introduced by China in the 1980s. When the foreigner of Hasbro sold the "Transformers" cartoon at the Shanghai Fine Arts Studio, he had a closed door because of the high price. "Transformers" are all free to Shanghai TV broadcast, who is free? As a result, after the animation was broadcast, it caused a frenzy of viewing.

However, the "free lunch" has also ended here. With the fiery state, Hasbro's Transformers toys have entered the Chinese market, and the profits have been countless, and it has been fired to this day. The Chinese market is like this. The animation attracted a toy that wanted money.

5. Explosive deformation: a leap in the quality of the film version

"Transformers" as a brand that has continued from the 1980s to the new century, many fans of Transformers have grown from children to adults, and their audience is no longer limited to children, but to more adult players. On the one hand, we can continue to serve the loyalty of the year, and on the other hand, we also introduce toys for different ages in toys.

For example, the "Class D" for children of young age is similar to the toys of the 1980s, and the deformation is simple. There are also advanced "V-class", suitable for adult players, larger size, more prominent details, and some difficulties in deformation; there are also special "L-level" and "U-level" for collectors, etc. Or the film's shape and the restoration of the model reached a realistic level, and also added a photoelectric sound effect, the deformation is extremely complicated, such as the L-class noise in the 2007 movie version, the advanced toy wants to completely become the tank/robot form, no Half an hour is not a task.

The 2007 movie version is an innovation for Transformers. The style of the movie version is not in the same dimension as the traditional Transformers. This change has made many old players angry and launched a public boycott of the movie version. .

However, Hasbro’s move is actually to use the global prestige of the film to further promote its own brand. The new Transformers’ style is unique and completely out of the old design style. It is to break the Transformers for more than 20 years. The design concept of the "shape" first has a robot form that conforms to the trend of the times and the current aesthetic taste, and then turns it into various traffic/military tools. At this time, the level of toy design has made great progress to meet the complexities in the movie. Deformation requirements.

This breakthrough has pushed Transformers' design style to a new level. The Transformers have no longer the square shape of the past, and have become an American-style superhero animated style. This change has also attracted A large number of new generation players are more satisfied with the consumption needs of the new century.

For toys, it means subversion in design and start over. In the era of the "Transformers" movie, toy craftsmanship and technology have made great progress. The introduction of spring gears, trapezoidal snaps, and axial joints has increased the stability and playability of toys, and has also allowed the deformation design to be further developed.

Guo Honggao, a designer from Takaratomy, has a black-and-white look on the basis of only the human-shaped concept map of Optimus Prime and the existing models. He only designed the "explosive" deformation with the toy of the brain Optimus Prime. I think it is a miracle that I think it is very similar to the morphing concept of Optimus Prime in the movie.

Such an explosive deformation, in addition to the aesthetics of the new era, is a large increase in the number of toy parts compared to the previous block-like "block movement", which brings about an increase in cost and a soaring price.

For example, in 2009, L-class Optimus Prime, when it once soared to 2,000 yuan, the Hornet is a strange commodity. Behind all of this is driven by commercial interests.

At this point, the shape of Transformers has been reborn, and the future development of the brand will become closer to the times.

Why didn't Megatron in the later stage become a pistol?

Megatron, which was transformed into a pistol form, appeared only in the first generation of Transformers. Since then, regardless of other related animations and toys, or in movies, whether it is a cannon, a tank or an airplane, Laowei has never appeared in the form of a pistol.

This is because in the early 1990s, the United States enacted a new "Toy Safety Laws and Regulations", one of which stipulated that "the production of simulated firearms is prohibited in toy production."

At this point, Megatron said thoroughly with the pistol, and the deformation of the pistol into a robot is extremely wonderful. It is estimated that this is a very supportive manufacturer of Transformers.

6. Technology determines industry: era aesthetics and robot manufacturing

The sense of the times is an element that has to be said. The transformation of Transformers has been going on for 30 years. The change of their shapes represents the cognitive process of the robot image in an era. Cultural characteristics and aesthetic views.

In the 1980s, sci-fi movies were surging, and the number of robots on the screen suddenly increased. A group of stylists specialized in mechanical design were born. They were deeply influenced by hard-line industrialized machinery. Murphy in the "Mechanical Warriors" in the same period. The T-800 image in "Terminator" all reflects the industrialized design image.

These robots often highlight the beauty of the material of the machine itself, and the pursuit of form, scale, strength, and cold ice and ice texture is strong. Among them, the shape of the robot of Transformers also has such a feature, and the fight is full of sparks and collisions.

Moreover, the design features of Transformers incorporate the characteristics of Japan's popular mech combat suits at the time, such as "Gundam" and "The Macross". They focus on the decomposition, deformation, and combination of the body. For example, the combination of Hercules is inspired by Japan. The train combination robot evolved. The shape of these robots is extremely demanding for the designer's industrial design, and there is no shortage of rigorous structural engineering and ergonomics in the design.

As time goes by, the robotic design gradually converges. A large number of homogenized robot images are full of screens, and the freshness is not enough. The period of the lowest tide of Transformers history also started from this period. The robot disappeared on the big screen. time.

At this time, the robots such as "Temperature 2" T-1000 and Japanese anime "Evangelion" represented by "Liquid Humanoid" and "Soft Mecha" appeared, which marked the significant occurrence of robot modeling. Change.

A group of new designers have paid more attention to the new wave technology. The robot model pursues alienation, individuality and fashion, which reduces the taste of machinery and steel, and increases the composition of biology, genetics, bionics and even humanities. The Transformers that became an organism such as animals in "Super Warrior" appeared during this period.

In the new century, new words such as artificial intelligence and cloning are increasingly filled with science fiction movies. At this time, high-intelligence robots with human and mechanical creatures have appeared. Japanese animated film "Ghost in the Shell" and American movie "I" In the "Robot", the humanoid robot is simulated as the carrier of the machine, the combination of man-machine, biological robot, artificial man, etc., and the center of gravity and aesthetic taste of the robot are transferred to the level of "people", so that the audience feels familiar and Unfamiliar, full of temptation and fear of unknown technology.

At this time, the "Transformers" in the movie version is a different kind, as a product of the animation and toys of the year, the Transformers design concept, combined with the design style of different periods. Including the industrial design of the 80s, the machine is complex in shape, the surface is convex, and the metal texture is strong. There are also software and bionic designs in the 1990s, such as the fallen King Kong in the second episode, and also joined the times to join the new era of bionics. The concept of robots, in which robots that fully simulate humans appear, these symbols indicate that the most representative design of Transformers has been a model of art and technology.

With the release of "Transformers 5", perhaps with the aesthetic fatigue caused by the unchanging style of the movie version, when the fourth part is connected, the audience vomits the movie while waving the banknotes to buy tickets. This situation will be Reappeared.

In fact, the charm of Transformers is here. The cultural impact and commercial charm brought by robot modeling make it a highly specialized discipline, including the thoughts on the history of the development of science fiction, including Transformers. It represents the process of robotic modeling change from the 1980s to today, and has become the most representative, brand and influential representative in the history of science fiction. It is also one of the most direct representations of science fiction robots.

Source: 澎湃News

Author: raven dream

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