Big Bot Books: The Total Package in Transformers Legacy!

WHEN the Transformers Generation 1 toys first came out from Hasbro in 1984, I fell in love with the idea of toys that turned into another toy. There was just something about the ingenuity of action figures that turned into vehicles or other machines that sparked interest with the coherent themes of subterfuge and duality. But as the years went on, I came to a stunning conclusion: As much as I loved the toys, what I really loved was the packaging! The packaging for the G1 TF line was just perfect. The boxes or cardback were coded red for heroic Autobots and purple for evil Decepticons, with that splashy and iconic Transformers logo. On the front was this amazing depiction of the robot poised to attack, on the back was a sweeping battle scene with so many TFs transforming to face their counterparts, the tech specs (which could “only” be decoded by the provided red plastic strip, and, of course, the bio complete with motto, function and personality (provided by, among others, Marvel comics writer Bud Budiansky).