Beast Wars

Talk about a comeback! TRANSFORMERS is riding high again with the introduction of the BEAST WARS line. The idea is that the TRANSFORMERS are stranded back in the past - on Earth. Back then, the story goes, Earth was full of Energon, a substance that causes the TRANSFORMERS to overload their circuits. To avoid this, they have to assume beast forms. In this incarnation, the MAXIMALS (descendants of the AUTOBOTS) battle the PREDACONS (descendants of the DECEPTICONS). The heroic OPTIMUS PRIMAL, a gorilla, leads his crew against MEGATRON, a tyrannosaurus rex who eventually evolves into a terrifying dragon! With the help of an awesome new animated TV series, the BEAST WARS are an instant smash hit!
A milestone in TRANSFORMERS history is marked in 1996 with the debut of the BLACKARACHNIA figure, the first mass-produced female Transformer!

In 1998, the BEAST WARS line gets a twist with the introduction of the FUZORS and TRANSMETALS figures. FUZORS are robots whose beast modes are a combination of two different animals. The story behind the TRANSMETALS is that the TRANSFORMERS develop metal superstructures after an energy wave hits Earth.