Pictures of transformers in toy stores or collections from the 80's
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Pictures of transformers in toy stores or collections from the 80's
Anyone have pictures from the 80's of transformers in toy stores or if not than pictures of your toy collections in the 80's (not toys pictures you take now of stuff you still have, bat pictures you take in the 80's).
Hope someone still have stuff like that.[/b]
Hope someone still have stuff like that.[/b]
- newgen1
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Re: Pictures of transformers in toy stores or collections from the 80's
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newgen1 wrote:Anyone have pictures from the 80's of transformers in toy stores or if not than pictures of your toy collections in the 80's (not toys pictures you take now of stuff you still have, bat pictures you take in the 80's).
Hope someone still have stuff like that.[/b]
It will be very hard to find pics taken by collectors of their stuff when they were kids. I have also looked for pics of toy store displays of '80 TFs on shelf with no success. VVVHTF!
BWOP: "Die-cast construction...It's a lost art!"
Longs for the days of G1 where we only had to worry about Megatron, Soundwave and Laserbeak wanting to be Autobots, Swoop calling himself Tracks and Slingshot calling himself Slingslot!
Longs for the days of G1 where we only had to worry about Megatron, Soundwave and Laserbeak wanting to be Autobots, Swoop calling himself Tracks and Slingshot calling himself Slingslot!
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There have been pictures posted and I do have an 80's Sears catalog scan that I found on one of the boards.
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5kywarp wrote:like this: -
I think that the poster was asking for actual pics of the toys from the 80s on store shelves. I have tried looking for these too as all I have is what I remember seeing as a kid. If someone can post a link to where these pics are it would be appreciated.
Oh the memories

BWOP: "Die-cast construction...It's a lost art!"
Longs for the days of G1 where we only had to worry about Megatron, Soundwave and Laserbeak wanting to be Autobots, Swoop calling himself Tracks and Slingshot calling himself Slingslot!
Longs for the days of G1 where we only had to worry about Megatron, Soundwave and Laserbeak wanting to be Autobots, Swoop calling himself Tracks and Slingshot calling himself Slingslot!
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Zeds - Gestalt
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I swear someone posted something like this awhile ago. Oh wait. maybe that was the 90's when TRU had a bunch of those reissues and alternators..
hmmm... I can still remember going to Woolworths (when we had them in Canada) and seeing constructicons and seekers and dinobots.. ohhhh the time I spent in those toy aisles.
Then one day I stole a Micromaster car from Zellers. Haha, what a bad kid.
hmmm... I can still remember going to Woolworths (when we had them in Canada) and seeing constructicons and seekers and dinobots.. ohhhh the time I spent in those toy aisles.
Then one day I stole a Micromaster car from Zellers. Haha, what a bad kid.
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I remember going to Hamleys in London, at the height of the craze, and my recollection is that literally the whole basement floor was devoted to transformers.
I was just 5 at the time. I was so amazed by everything that my dad let me stay there all morning. I have vivid memories of it and of playing with an Ultra Magnus that was on display, and thinking it was the best thing ever. I got £6 to spend, and like an idiot, I bought a gobot.
Crazy, naive, out-of town folks that we were, he not only let me stay there, he left me there, while he went off to go look in a market that I would've found boring. I guess you don't leave unaccompanied kids alone in a big city like London, because I got hauled off to the police station.
I remember sitting in the police canteen, and seeing someone up against the wall getting patted down. The police were quite friendly to me, but they asked if I'd taken Cy-kill from the shop. Of course I was adamant I had paid.
I never saw my family again... Just kidding, my dad showed up, and I guess he must've been relieved, and a bit embarrassed for being irresponsible.
I was just 5 at the time. I was so amazed by everything that my dad let me stay there all morning. I have vivid memories of it and of playing with an Ultra Magnus that was on display, and thinking it was the best thing ever. I got £6 to spend, and like an idiot, I bought a gobot.
Crazy, naive, out-of town folks that we were, he not only let me stay there, he left me there, while he went off to go look in a market that I would've found boring. I guess you don't leave unaccompanied kids alone in a big city like London, because I got hauled off to the police station.
I remember sitting in the police canteen, and seeing someone up against the wall getting patted down. The police were quite friendly to me, but they asked if I'd taken Cy-kill from the shop. Of course I was adamant I had paid.
I never saw my family again... Just kidding, my dad showed up, and I guess he must've been relieved, and a bit embarrassed for being irresponsible.
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Not quite like Bumblethumper's story but it did remind me of what happened to me once.
I'd gone in to the local toy shop, it was just before closing time in fact. Anyway, this shop was packed, the aisles were close together and piled high. I ended up right down the back looking at TF's and lost track of time.
Suffice to say I ended up at the locked front door waving at my mother who was on the outside. Luckily there were still workers inside who kindly let me out.
I'd gone in to the local toy shop, it was just before closing time in fact. Anyway, this shop was packed, the aisles were close together and piled high. I ended up right down the back looking at TF's and lost track of time.
Suffice to say I ended up at the locked front door waving at my mother who was on the outside. Luckily there were still workers inside who kindly let me out.
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Thanks to who oever originally scanned these:
- Attachments
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- Searscat8.jpg (155.69 KiB) Viewed 747 times
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- Searscat9.jpg (152.75 KiB) Viewed 747 times
- GetterDragun
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Burn wrote:Not quite like Bumblethumper's story but it did remind me of what happened to me once.
I'd gone in to the local toy shop, it was just before closing time in fact. Anyway, this shop was packed, the aisles were close together and piled high. I ended up right down the back looking at TF's and lost track of time.
Suffice to say I ended up at the locked front door waving at my mother who was on the outside. Luckily there were still workers inside who kindly let me out.
Great story.

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I believe my folks may still have a photo I took, when I turned eight, of my collection just after my first TF Christmas. It was taken outside near the back step, and at the time my collection consisted of Prime, Huffer, Gears, Soundwave and Buzzsaw...
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Thanks GetterDragun. These pics reminded me of some cuttings I took from the Consumer's Distributing (now closed Canadian retail store) Christmas catalogue when I was a kid in 1985. See pics below. I especially like the mistransformed Grimlock
and TYCO Electric Train Set!
ENJOY!

ENJOY!
- Attachments
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- Dinobots and Seekers. Always loved these as a kid. Snarl and Skywarp RULE! Look at the mistransformed Grimlock. LOL!
- PICT0006.JPG (75.3 KiB) Viewed 690 times
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- Deluxe Insecticons. Never really liked them as a kid as they were not in the show but I have grown fond of them in adulthood.
- PICT0005.JPG (73.89 KiB) Viewed 689 times
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- Perceptor, Blaster and Soundwave. Never wanted these but but I have grown fond of them in adulthood.
- PICT0004.JPG (71.98 KiB) Viewed 689 times
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- Omega Supreme. Never wanted him but but I have grown fond of him in adulthood.
- PICT0003.JPG (74.84 KiB) Viewed 689 times
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- OP and Megs. Never wanted these but but I have grown fond of them in adulthood.
- PICT0002.JPG (78.03 KiB) Viewed 689 times
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- Back of pictures to show costumes and other TF items. No interest as a child in these.
- PICT0001.JPG (77.79 KiB) Viewed 689 times
Last edited by Zeds on Sat Nov 03, 2007 8:40 pm, edited 2 times in total.
BWOP: "Die-cast construction...It's a lost art!"
Longs for the days of G1 where we only had to worry about Megatron, Soundwave and Laserbeak wanting to be Autobots, Swoop calling himself Tracks and Slingshot calling himself Slingslot!
Longs for the days of G1 where we only had to worry about Megatron, Soundwave and Laserbeak wanting to be Autobots, Swoop calling himself Tracks and Slingshot calling himself Slingslot!
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Zeds - Gestalt
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Great scans Zeds. I actually scored a MIB train set 100% complete and barely used for 49.99 on EBAy a couple years ago. The seller had no idea what it went for so he listed it with a BIN for what the original price tag had listed.
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JBrock wrote:Great scans Zeds. I actually scored a MIB train set 100% complete and barely used for 49.99 on EBAy a couple years ago. The seller had no idea what it went for so he listed it with a BIN for what the original price tag had listed.
Well done and good score on that Train Set. Wish I picked it up as a kid

BWOP: "Die-cast construction...It's a lost art!"
Longs for the days of G1 where we only had to worry about Megatron, Soundwave and Laserbeak wanting to be Autobots, Swoop calling himself Tracks and Slingshot calling himself Slingslot!
Longs for the days of G1 where we only had to worry about Megatron, Soundwave and Laserbeak wanting to be Autobots, Swoop calling himself Tracks and Slingshot calling himself Slingslot!
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Zeds wrote:Thanks GetterDragun. These pics reminded me of some cuttings I took from the Consumer's Distributing (now closed Canadian retail store) Christmas catalogue when I was a kid in 1985. See pics below. I especially like the mistransformed Grimlockand TYCO Electric Train Set!
ENJOY!
I got the rest of the catalog if you want to see it; the main focus seems to be Star Wars, but it as GI Joe and Go-Bots as well.
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The pics in this thread take me back to being a kid again!!
What an awesome sight.. THanks for that!

- Deceptiwho?
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I always loved seeing these type of creative toy layouts in catalogs. They always added a little extra to make the displays look cooler, no matter if it was He-Man, Transformer, GI Joe, or Lego. Seeing these scans reminded me of some of the more obscure Transformers stuff that I owned once when I was younger.
I got the Autobot Dress-Up Set (most unmasculine name they could give something) one year for Christmas.
I did have one of the remote control Transformer cars. The remote had a very short cord and the car Transformed kind of slow. I believe it could have been a knock off. I don't remember it being an officially licensed Transformer product.
I also had that voice changer. I believe adults called it by it's real name, "The device that can take the already annoying voice of a child and make it even more annoying and louder." I remember the device kind of made you sound like you were talking into a fan like Chris Farley did in Tommy Boy.
I also had the colorforms set for Transformers. Basically it had a generic background and you stuck various vinyl cutouts of different characters or explosions or whatever in all different scales to make your own scenes.
I think it's also worth noting that Astrotrain in one of the scans is completely different than what was released in stores. He looks more like the E-Hobby Anime version.
I got the Autobot Dress-Up Set (most unmasculine name they could give something) one year for Christmas.
I did have one of the remote control Transformer cars. The remote had a very short cord and the car Transformed kind of slow. I believe it could have been a knock off. I don't remember it being an officially licensed Transformer product.
I also had that voice changer. I believe adults called it by it's real name, "The device that can take the already annoying voice of a child and make it even more annoying and louder." I remember the device kind of made you sound like you were talking into a fan like Chris Farley did in Tommy Boy.
I also had the colorforms set for Transformers. Basically it had a generic background and you stuck various vinyl cutouts of different characters or explosions or whatever in all different scales to make your own scenes.
I think it's also worth noting that Astrotrain in one of the scans is completely different than what was released in stores. He looks more like the E-Hobby Anime version.
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Swerve wrote:I also had that voice changer. I believe adults called it by it's real name, "The device that can take the already annoying voice of a child and make it even more annoying and louder."
OMG that is hilarious you gotta let me sig quote that!

- Deceptiwho?
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Deceptiwho? wrote:Swerve wrote:I also had that voice changer. I believe adults called it by it's real name, "The device that can take the already annoying voice of a child and make it even more annoying and louder."
OMG that is hilarious you gotta let me sig quote that!
Make it so.

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I remember somewhat towards the end of the G1 transformer craze, late 86 (6th grade) I believe? I had grown tired of merely watching my twin bro transform megatron back and forth from robot to gun and begged my dad to get me one. I don't know why I remember that trip to Sears so well? I think I couldn't actually believe I was really getting into the car to go down and get my very own!!! Just me and my dad sitting on fake leather seats driving with the soul purpose of buying Megatron? WOW!
I remember distinctly how the strip mall just outside of Sears looked at the time. There were these cement dolphins and turtles that kids could play on with quarter sized indents all over them and dirty fountains with mostly pennies in them. My bro and I always used to think of ways we could get them when no one was looking. Anyway...
I remember walking in and heading straight towards the toys section which was located right next to tools. At the time I remember slim pickings but did mange to find many, many megatrons. I recall towards the end of the crazy that megatron was sort of a shelf warmer, however that did not deter me in the least. Weird part, I remember rubbing the front, outside of the box for part of the ride home and by the time I finally reached home megatron was freed and in my hands.
Another part that I will always remember was that within the first hour of getting him home my brother had taken and switched the black two inch part of megatron's stock with his megatron because his was loose!!! I could not understand how it could have fit so tightly on the drive home and then suddenly it did not fit at all?! Luckily, my parents forced it out of him a short time later.
Interesting side note. The Sears where I bought megatron in 86 has long since been torn down and replaced by Fred Meyers. I swear that the old Sears' toy department is in the exact same spot as Fred Meyer's toy aisles?? Well, I'm sure it could be off by a few hundred feet...still a nice feeling though.
I remember distinctly how the strip mall just outside of Sears looked at the time. There were these cement dolphins and turtles that kids could play on with quarter sized indents all over them and dirty fountains with mostly pennies in them. My bro and I always used to think of ways we could get them when no one was looking. Anyway...
I remember walking in and heading straight towards the toys section which was located right next to tools. At the time I remember slim pickings but did mange to find many, many megatrons. I recall towards the end of the crazy that megatron was sort of a shelf warmer, however that did not deter me in the least. Weird part, I remember rubbing the front, outside of the box for part of the ride home and by the time I finally reached home megatron was freed and in my hands.
Another part that I will always remember was that within the first hour of getting him home my brother had taken and switched the black two inch part of megatron's stock with his megatron because his was loose!!! I could not understand how it could have fit so tightly on the drive home and then suddenly it did not fit at all?! Luckily, my parents forced it out of him a short time later.
Interesting side note. The Sears where I bought megatron in 86 has long since been torn down and replaced by Fred Meyers. I swear that the old Sears' toy department is in the exact same spot as Fred Meyer's toy aisles?? Well, I'm sure it could be off by a few hundred feet...still a nice feeling though.
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GetterDragun wrote:Thanks to who oever originally scanned these:
Ahh, I spent long hours looking at that page. I wanted so many of those. I ended up getting 2 Grimlocks and a Swoop, and trading one Grimlock and Swoop to my brothers, who got other TFs but no Dinobots (this was at Christmas).
I really wish I'd kept that Swoop...
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skyblast wrote:I remember somewhat towards the end of the G1 transformer craze, late 86 (6th grade) I believe? I had grown tired of merely watching my twin bro transform megatron back and forth from robot to gun and begged my dad to get me one. I don't know why I remember that trip to Sears so well? I think I couldn't actually believe I was really getting into the car to go down and get my very own!!! Just me and my dad sitting on fake leather seats driving with the soul purpose of buying Megatron? WOW!
I remember distinctly how the strip mall just outside of Sears looked at the time. There were these cement dolphins and turtles that kids could play on with quarter sized indents all over them and dirty fountains with mostly pennies in them. My bro and I always used to think of ways we could get them when no one was looking. Anyway...
I remember walking in and heading straight towards the toys section which was located right next to tools. At the time I remember slim pickings but did mange to find many, many megatrons. I recall towards the end of the crazy that megatron was sort of a shelf warmer, however that did not deter me in the least. Weird part, I remember rubbing the front, outside of the box for part of the ride home and by the time I finally reached home megatron was freed and in my hands.
Another part that I will always remember was that within the first hour of getting him home my brother had taken and switched the black two inch part of megatron's stock with his megatron because his was loose!!! I could not understand how it could have fit so tightly on the drive home and then suddenly it did not fit at all?! Luckily, my parents forced it out of him a short time later.
Interesting side note. The Sears where I bought megatron in 86 has long since been torn down and replaced by Fred Meyers. I swear that the old Sears' toy department is in the exact same spot as Fred Meyer's toy aisles?? Well, I'm sure it could be off by a few hundred feet...still a nice feeling though.
Your story makes me want a new megatron.

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gogleman374 wrote:skyblast wrote:I remember somewhat towards the end of the G1 transformer craze, late 86 (6th grade) I believe? I had grown tired of merely watching my twin bro transform megatron back and forth from robot to gun and begged my dad to get me one. I don't know why I remember that trip to Sears so well? I think I couldn't actually believe I was really getting into the car to go down and get my very own!!! Just me and my dad sitting on fake leather seats driving with the soul purpose of buying Megatron? WOW!
I remember distinctly how the strip mall just outside of Sears looked at the time. There were these cement dolphins and turtles that kids could play on with quarter sized indents all over them and dirty fountains with mostly pennies in them. My bro and I always used to think of ways we could get them when no one was looking. Anyway...
I remember walking in and heading straight towards the toys section which was located right next to tools. At the time I remember slim pickings but did mange to find many, many megatrons. I recall towards the end of the crazy that megatron was sort of a shelf warmer, however that did not deter me in the least. Weird part, I remember rubbing the front, outside of the box for part of the ride home and by the time I finally reached home megatron was freed and in my hands.
Another part that I will always remember was that within the first hour of getting him home my brother had taken and switched the black two inch part of megatron's stock with his megatron because his was loose!!! I could not understand how it could have fit so tightly on the drive home and then suddenly it did not fit at all?! Luckily, my parents forced it out of him a short time later.
Interesting side note. The Sears where I bought megatron in 86 has long since been torn down and replaced by Fred Meyers. I swear that the old Sears' toy department is in the exact same spot as Fred Meyer's toy aisles?? Well, I'm sure it could be off by a few hundred feet...still a nice feeling though.
Your story makes me want a new megatron.
Same here, and I hate him for it...

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