Astro Magnum: a History/Electronic Magnum: the Missing Link

Pre-reading on this topic:

Spark Man: the forgotten pre-Transformer

File Notes - Astro Magnum, Shockwave, Patent, Design Registration

File Notes - Astro Magnum, Toyco, Intecs, Shockwave, Galactic Man

Part 1 - Electronic Magnum: the Missing Link

About two years ago I discovered that the ‘Shockwave-like’ transforming toy - Spark Man, by Intecs, Ltd., Korea - was the legitimate successor to the original Astro Magnum (アストロマグナム) by Toyco, Ltd., Japan (株式会社トイコー).

Two years before that, I noted another possible incarnation of the figure that was also assumed by casual observers to be a knockoff (albeit being so obscure that it probably was accepted at face value as a KO without second thought). This figure was Electronic Magnum by Royal Condor – which I suspected could also be of the same ilk as Spark Man, as it shared some key features with Spark Man. With the recent revelations, the original Soundwave variant bible, Soundwaves Oblivion, has moved Electronic Magnum and Spark Man from the KO list to official variant list. At the time there were only a few internet photos to go by. For four years I have been hoping to get my hands on Electronic Magnum to have a closer look. Well, now I have one.

Immediately, the box provides information that was not in the existing photographs of the time - the back displays similar patent pending information that was found on the Spark Man box. Spark Man was made by Intecs, who also made Shockwave for Hasbro. The Japan design registration number has been carried across from Toyco’s Astro Magnum box, to Spark Man’s box, and now to the Electronic Magnum box. Further to that, the patent numbers for the other geographies (US, UK/HK, Taiwan) are the same with the exception of USA, which is absent. The back of box instructions are identical, except that Electronic Magnum has an additional customized drawing (copied from step (7)), illustrating the 9V battery instruction. Like Spark Man, this toy was made in Korea. These factors indicate the toy was made by Intecs and at roughly the same time as Spark Man (but likely slightly later).

The leg is still stamped with the ‘Toyco TRADEMARK’ logo, which is an essential hallmark, but it does not have the ‘© 1983’ that is visible on Shockwave (and Galactic Man), placing this at least next door to non-copyrighted Spark Man but earlier than Shockwave.

Now here’s the kicker - the leg has been modified to have the dowels that connect into holes on the backpack, and a newly cast battery cover that is not like Spark Man/Astro Magnum. Given the absence of ‘© 1983’, the first time these features appear on this toy is on Electronic Magnum.

Like Astro Magnum and Spark Man, Electronic Magnum has a smooth right wrist – Shockwave and Galactic Man have a ridge that allows the gun barrel to stay on better.

Finally, any figure cast from this injection mold shares the same defective panel line on the right side of the chest.

1. Toyco Astro Magnum (Toyco)*
2. Smooth wrist. Dowel on backpack that fits into recesses on top of legs when joined together.
3. Symmetrical battery cover, fits flush into body. MADE IN JAPAN.
4. No date Toyco trademark.
5. The vertical panel line on side of chest has defects from injection mold (die). This defect can be seen on all figures indicating they are cast from the same die.
6. Horizontal slit on backpack above the dowels.
7. (Hidden) no battery ejection ribbon.
*Spark Man (Intecs) images inlaid for their similarities (MADE IN KOREA) taken from facebook.com/tfperu

1. Royal Condor Electronic Magnum (Intecs) and Village Toys N-4-SR (Intecs) looks the same
2. Smooth wrist (Later ridge is added). Dowel on legs that fit into holes on backpack, when joined together.
3. Asymmetrical battery cover, not flush-fitted. MADE IN KOREA.
4. No date Toyco trademark. (Later - © 1983 is added).
5. The vertical panel line on side of chest has defects from injection mold (die). This defect can be seen on all figures indicating they are cast from the same die.
6. No horizontal slit on backpack above the holes.
7. (Hidden) no battery ejection ribbon. (Later - hole for ribbon added, but ribbon not added).

1. Hasbro/Takara Shockwave (Intecs)
2. Ridged wrist. Dowel on legs that fit into holes on backpack, when joined together.
3. Asymmetrical battery cover, not flush-fitted. MADE IN KOREA.
4. © 1983 Toyco trademark.
5. The vertical panel line on side of chest has defects from injection mold (die). This defect can be seen on all figures indicating they are cast from the same die.
6. No horizontal slit on backpack above the holes.
7. (Hidden) battery ejection ribbon.

1. Radio Shack/Tandy Galactic Man (Intecs)
2. Ridged wrist. Dowel on legs that fit into holes on backpack, when joined together.
3. Asymmetrical battery cover, not flush-fitted. MADE IN KOREA.
4. © 1983 Toyco trademark.
5. The vertical panel line on side of chest has defects from injection mold (die). This defect can be seen on all figures indicating they are cast from the same die.
6. No horizontal slit on backpack above the holes.
7. (Hidden) battery ejection ribbon.

Summarized thusly, these major hallmarks occurred in this order: ‘Toyco TRADEMARK’ logo, and smooth wrist, and dowel on backpack, and holes in legs, and symmetrical flush battery cover, and no battery ejection ribbon, and horizontal backpack slit, and ‘MADE IN JAPAN’ > ‘MADE IN KOREA’ > leg dowels, and backpack holes, and asymmetric non-flush battery cover, and removal of backpack slit > ridge on right wrist and hole-fixture in battery cavity to attach ribbon > and addition of ‘© 1983’ to inner right leg and battery ejection ribbon (Shockwave/Galactic Man only).

This means in terms of manufacturing order, aka injection mold lineage, Electronic Magnum is the transitional figure between Spark Man and Shockwave.

On Soundwaves Oblivion, the Electronic Magnum figure documented has the ‘© 1983’ added to the stamp, and the ridge is added to the wrist, making that particular specimen identical to Galactic Man, which came out the following year in 1985. So this means that Electronic Magnum was produced when the injection mold was undergoing tooling changes, and transitional variants can be seen within Electronic Magnum's specific lifespan! See Part 2 for the reason for these changes.

Electronic Magnum is not a knock off, but yet another official license by Intecs Ltd., to a toy brand (Royal Condor).

Electronic Magnum looks to be identical to Village Toys N-4-SR release of 1984.

Part 2 - Astro Magnum: a History

The Silver Shocker

About 4 years ago I made a blog entry here reiterating that Toyco - the inventor of the Astro Magnum figure – was and is a Japanese company, in opposition to the often repeated (in Transformer's circles) 'myth' that it's Korean. In July 2018, Toyco joined twitter (https://twitter.com/toyco_ltd) and began tweeting about their toys, old and new. So, from this point forward, there can never be any doubt about Toyco again!

Anyway, a few choice tweets were made about the Astro Magnum toy, which as you may have guessed, is a favorite topic of mine.

The Tweets

On November 20^th, 2020, they shared an advert or flyer dated 1983/Oct/11 promising an October 1983 release of the figure with a RRP of 3,980 Yen. This advert actually appeared in the October 1983 issue of Toy Journal.

(https://twitter.com/toyco_ltd/status/1329618690678001665) 

Toy Journal 1983.10

In April 2021, they uncovered a silver (vacuum metalized) Astro Magnum figure somewhere in their company premises, which they described as, “not for sale at the time” and “a corporate treasure”. They've posted a short video of the item (https://twitter.com/toyco_ltd/status/1385341789758844929), in gun and robot modes, and a still photo.  

(https://twitter.com/toyco_ltd/status/1385341223787843587/photo/1)

Of course, Transformers fans were excited. Toyco makes a public acknowledgement of a toy that disappeared in the late 80s. It is a toy that everyone wants re-issued and the idea that Toyco has re-discovered some vestiges of that figure ignites dreams of a re-release. But alas, in 2008,Toyco reps had stated that the rights were transferred to other companies (precluding Toyco from being able to sell it even if they wanted to, and by inference HasTak could not either). A key part of their statement was that they knew the molds were in South Korea for Transformers production and finally ended up in China before being lost to the world.

The Twist

THE SILVER FIGURE IS ACTUALLY GALACTIC MAN.

Let’s get down to some toy geekery here.

The ‘© 1983’ can be seen on the leg under the Toyco company mark, consistent with Galactic Man and not Astro Magnum (no copyright). The back of the leg has protruding dowels that fit into 2 holes on the backpack in gun mode, consistent with Galactic Man and not Astro Magnum (the legs have holes that accommodate a dowel on the backpack). 

The wrist has a friction ridge for securing the detachable gun barrel in gun mode, consistent with Galactic Man and not Astro Magnum (has a smooth wrist).

The battery hatch is not flush with the back, instead sits over the battery compartment, consistent with Galactic Man and not Astro Magnum (flush). 

A savvy aficionado might recognize it has a clear (now yellowed) fist and laser barrel, crosshair panel, chest panel etc, consistent with Galactic Man and not Astro Magnum (pink). Well, this is a tricky one. Most Astro Magnums have pink, but there are clear versions as well that came with multi-lingual instructions in both V1 (blue box) and V2 (red box). These are very rare toys and it is not a widely known fact.

So why does Toyco have a silver version of Galactic Man that was made in Korea? Well, I have to throw some milestones into the mix to set the scene, and then try to join some dots.

Blast from the Past

1. Astro Magnum was released by Toyco in October 1983 (十月旬発売). 

  (https://twitter.com/toyco_ltd/status/1329618690678001665/photo/1)

2. The Tokyo Toy Show video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqiQdw1zmuM) taken June 18^th, 1983, shows: Diaclone (1:29) and Micro Change toys that would be part of 1984 Transformers line up. I assume at this time there are figures that are already on sale and figures that are being showcased to be released in the near future. Ligier’s (Mirage) plaque states it will be on sale from August 1983, in roughly 2 months. The video also shows Takatoku (7:43) 1/55 scale Macross Valkyries already in market (since November 1982) that would later become Transformer’s Jetfire in late 1984, but not part of the inaugural Transformers catalogue line up. I didn't see a Toyco presence at the 1983 show. Bear in mind, if the Twitter is anything to go by, in 1983 Toyco was still in its infancy and only had a handful of toys for sale.

4. Shockwave was on sale as early as November 1 1984 according to archived print ads. Another early  advert on 18^th November, 1984.  He was on sale until late 1986 but was not actually part of the 1986 US TF catalogue. 

1985 Toy Fair Catalog

1985 Pre-Toy Fair Catalog

5. Galactic Man was sold at Radio Shack before Christmas 1985, according to a Christmas TV spot for 1985 (https://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/videos.htm). Galactic Man is not in the yearly catalogues (from the same site) 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, but these catalogues only feature 2 or 4 pages of toys anyway. According to PSMR, there was a advert for Galactic man in print on 24th November, 1985. Another print ad on November 27th 1985. The trademark for Galactic Man was registered October 18th 1984.

(https://www.radioshackcatalogs.com/videos.htm)

5. Cross referencing with other sources, it seems reasonable that Galactic Man was available prior to 1985 Christmas and up to and around 1986 Christmas. The evidence for this is PSMR cites Galactic Man print ads from November 1985 to December 1985. The 1987 Radio Shack catalogue introduces the robot Robie Jr. as new for 1987 catalogue (which was printed in 1986) for $79.95 (1987 Catalogue page 108). Robie Jr. shared a Christmas Flyer with Galactic Man, so this Christmas Catalog could have been for Christmas 1986. Some online resources suggest that Robie Jr. was available in 1986, so I think it was probably released late 1986 then added to the 1987 catalogue. Also, there is no date on the flyer but the calendar has Christmas day landing on Thursday, which was true of 1986 but not 1985 or 1987.

(https://www.flickr.com/photos/67954715@N05/44795532861)

So where am I going with this?

A Magnum Story (Opus)

Toyco creates Astro Magnum, ready for release in October 1983, in Japan.

The original.

The toy wasn't available in June 1983 to show off at the toy show. Anyhow, the Hasbro people in attendance probably were so entirely enamored with the comprehensive cohort of reconfigurable toy robots from Takara (Diaclone/Micro Change), that they didn't go looking for other transforming toys per se (such as the 1/55 Valkyrie). So, they return to Pawtucket with news of this amazing product line(s) from Takara with a transforming gimmick and set in motion events leading to the November 1^st, 1983 agreement between Takara and Hasbro, and 'The Transformers' are launched in early 1984. You can read more about this on my timeline post.

Meanwhile in Japan, Toyco is selling Astro Magnum for 3,980 JPY, at the time about $17 (USD). They've got a patent application pending in Japan. The toy is being manufactured in Japan. Who knows if it was a big hit or not? Surely the tooling for this toy was not cheap. It's as large as a 1/55 Valkyrie, the same store price, but heavier and full of electronics. It does not have the benefit of marketing, merchandising and cartoon tie-in that Macross has. Plus, for the same tooling, Takatoku is squeezing out 6 different color decos (6 different figures to collect) and selling hundreds of thousands of units within months. 

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oOjAP4sdGPM)

Toyco attempts to distribute Astro Magnum overseas (the red box). We see an English Language box with emphasis on the robot mode of the toy, and multi-lingual instructions for various geographies. With no story around the toy, does it fail to arouse interest in overseas markets the way Diakron failed in the US? Who knows? The overseas market route seems to be a desperation move.

The red box version.

Let's say, the toy is not doing great. Toyco realises it needs to cut production costs, or increase distribution in other markets, or both. The relatively new toy company hasn't been able to successfully market the figure and get the return on investment (injection mold tooling costs for a figure this size was very expensive, and they were probably contracting a domestic fabricator). So, they shop around and find a fabricator in Korean outfit Intecs Ltd. Toyco transfers the tooling and associated collateral like instructions, stock photos, packaging dies etc., to Intecs.

Intecs immediately starts manufacturing the toy and exports it as Spark Man, © 1983 Intecs Ltd. - it says so right on the box and figure. The Transfer could have been done as early as before the end of 1983, but this could also just indicate the date the Japanese patent application was filed by Toyco. The November 21 1986 JPO Design Gazette indicates that the design registration process (not patent) was begun by Toyco on January 27th 1984 (Showa 59). Toyco maintains rights to the figure as they have the design registration in Japan and the toy mold retains the Toyco trademark. Instead of removing the trademark, Intecs registers the trademark in Korea (as such I may refer equally to both Intecs and Toyco and licensors). The Sparkman figure is identical to the final version of Astro Magnum that Toyco manufactured e.g., clear parts. All the tooling is the same (following the tooling is key in this story). Intecs appears to have some distribution network, with plans to distribute this toy in UK, US, HK, Korea, Taiwan (as indicated by patent applications on the box).

This is Intec's figure.

(facebook.com/tfperu)

Now, around this time, Hasbro is high on the trade preview success of Transformers. It is early 1984 (US Toy Fair is Feb 1984). They are looking again to Japan for more transforming toys, anything they can get their hands on to bolster the ranks as they are already planning the 1985 product catalogue (as well as refining their character biographies and developing the cartoon series). Note that the toys hit the shelves in May 1984, with the Marvel comic, and the cartoon show screens in September 1985. Of particular interest to this story, they secure a supply deal with Takatoku Toys (later Matsushiro, then Bandai - long story) and licensing from Tatsunoko Productions to use the 1/55 Super Valkyrie figure (released in Japan in February 1984) for Autobot Jetfire (but not in Japan, that's Macross/Big West territory). That's a big, deluxe good guy figure that every kid will want for Christmas (Sales are paramount, even though they plan to only use the character sparingly in the cartoon, due to legal issues). They need a big, deluxe bad guy too. Hasbro leaving no stone unturned, gets wind of the Japanese Astro Magnum and looks up Toyco in Tokyo. Since the design registration ('patent') is the second application by Toyco, it is reasonable to assume it was required by Hasbro's interest, so they may have been making a deal on the figure as early as January 1984. Intecs sends Hasbro samples of their Spark Man toy from Korea. 

The original cartoon character color scheme for Shockwave is nearly identical to Spark Man: dark grey body with light grey accents, the metal parts are gold, the clear parts light blue and he has a red eye. See Jim and Bill's panel here (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ucbX1MY4K8).

(https://twitter.com/jessewittenrich/status/1107973728179290112)

(https://twitter.com/jessewittenrich/status/1107973728179290112)

In March 1984, he is already in the cartoon pilot script as Flash Beam.

This means that as early as March 13^th, 1984, Hasbro had already incorporated the figure into their cartoon narrative and planned 1985 toyline, meaning Intecs was already the fabricator of the toy mold in Q1 1984. The 1985 product brief entry dated April 5^th provides a biography of the Decepticon codename: Shockwave, references "SPARK MAN" which means 'the toy that is the physical sample for this character'. 

The same was found for Autobot codename: Jetfire, referencing "VALKYRIE" in the same typeface and position in the same binder, meaning the Macross 1/55 Super Valkyrie figure licensed from Tatsunoko Pro/Takatoku Toys.

If Shockwave is predicated on the Spark Man toy, then the earliest references to Shockwave or Flash Beam in the developmental literature would indicate the approximate time that Hasbro received Spark Man toy samples from Intecs. By 4^th May 1984, the color scheme has been revised (to purple). Hasbro uses the Spark Man figure to mockup some purple figures and take photography for the catalog and toybox. At this point, the box photography shows that the Spark Man figure has been painted purple. You can see the lack of copyright, flush battery cover and leg holes in the photos. A hand cut Decepticon sticker has been added to chest. The clear parts have been painted a lighter purple. The trigger has been replaced with a prototype of the flat trigger. 

This can also be seen on the manual, the new drawings are based on the Hasbro mockup.

(http://www.unicron.com/tfitem/itemimage_view.php?mode=instructions&itemID=1037&imageID=700)

There are some changes Hasbro requests of Intecs that requires retooling of the mold - "Fix the legs so they clip into the backpack, change the battery cover - kids need to be able to open this, put a ridge on the wrist to stop the barrel falling off. The trigger is a little provocative, tone that down please. Oh, and can you please put a copyright ‘©1983’ on the figure and ‘MADE IN KOREA’ too?" Hasbro had made similar requests of Takara, such as requiring copyright stamps, country of manufacture, and altered parts for improved safety and/or function.

At the same time, another company, Royal Condor which is a trademark of SR Mickelberg Co. Inc. (USA) (https://trademark.trademarkia.com/royal-condor-73332663.html) sources the toy for sale in USA, probably via their asia-regional arm SRM COMPANY LTD of Hong Kong (later SRM Toys LTD) in 1984 as well (https://www.hkgbusiness.com/en/company/Srm-Entertainment-Limited). It is called Electronic Magnum. By the time they receive their stock, the figure has received some of the modifications that Intecs have done for Hasbro, and within that stock there are variations as the injection mold gets progressively updated. The toy packaging is in the same format as Spark Man - upright, robot mode with a window and flap. The toy photography is not the re-used Astro Magnum photography seen on the Spark Man box, but newly taken photos of a regular Spark Man, sourced from Intecs prior to the Hasbro requested changes to the tooling. Village Toys also licensed the toy from Intecs (evidenced on the packaging that is made in Korea), and distributes in their Convert-A-Bots line, as N-4-SR (this figure share the same hallmarks as the Royal Condor version). 

Electronic Magnum packaging photography

Intecs finalises the injection mold changes and Decepticon Shockwave is born. Of all the versions, Shockwave is the most different to Astro Magnum, as it embodies every deviation from the original molding. Intecs manufacture the figure, print the box and papers and export the finished article from Seoul to Pawtucket.

USA Shockwave

Made and printed in Korea. Manufactured by Intecs, Ltd., Seoul.

The printed in Korea 1984 catalog that accompanied Shockwave features an Autobot themed Decepticon logo.

Shockwave starts appearing on US shelves in November 1984, just in time for Christmas. Shockwave's RRP is around $29.99 give or take depending on the toy store flyers. Contrast this with galactic Man being $14.95 at Radio Shack the following year. Is Shockwave this pricey because of the marketing costs surrounding the Transformers brand? Was there some retooling cost associated with this figure that Hasbro had to factor into the price?

Takara released Laserwave (レーザーウェーブ) in 1985 in Japan. What makes this toy extra special, is it is the only toy not manufactured by Takara to be sold under the Takara brand with Transformers marketing. This is because Toyco's Astro Magnum was no longer being sold and not in direct competition with Takara, and Takara would never ask the direct competition to supply toys for them. Putting other intellectual property concerns aside, none of the Takatoku/Matsushiro/Bandai associated toys (Jetfire, Roadbuster, Whirl, Chop Shop, Venom, Barrage, Ransack) were released in Japan. Bandai (who ended up owning these toys) was a major Japanese competitor. Similarly, the Toybox toys that were manufactured by Tomy (Sky Lynx and Omega Supreme) were never released in Japan under Transformers. Takara would have never asked their major competitors to supply toys for Transformers for sale in Japan, nor allow them to benefit from their exclusive agreement with Hasbro.

Later Tandy/Radio Shack decide they need a Spark Man of their own. They too, like Hasbro and Royal Condor before them, reach out to Intecs. Tandy can only have the grey version (because the purple characterization of the figure is Hasbro intellectual property), and it is packed like Spark Man but with a windowless box with no flap. Ready for sale in 1985, and appearing to be the last chapter of the Korean story, it is essentially a Shockwave casting with the original trigger, combined with the Astro Magnum deco. Tandy never disclose Intecs as manufacturer, only that it was 'custom made in Korea'. Tandy had a subsidiary called A&A International that was tasked with their manufacturing and purchasing operations in HK, Korea, Japan and Taiwan (according to their annual reports). Galactic man uses the original Astro Magnum stock photography on the back of the box. The front of box photo is not Galactic man, it is an Astro Magnum figure, with 'Astro Magnum' text cleaned off the chest sticker, and Tandy sticker added to the hip. Given that of all the releases, Galactic Man is the only figure to sport Astro Magnum-esque stickers, it's probable that Astro Magnum itself was the figure A&A discovered, possibly in Japan or in neighboring countries, and Astro Magnum was the visual template for Galactic Man.

Galactic Man

Galactic Man packaging photography

Astro Magnum packaging photography

So, back to Toyco. It is 1985 or 1986. By the end of story, the figure that resides with Intecs in Korea has undergone modifications, forever separating it from the original Astro Magnum figure that debuted in 1983. Most notably, leg, backpack, wrist and battery cover changes, ‘MADE IN KOREA’, and a ‘©1983 stamp’. Intecs vac metallizes some Galactic Man figures and sends them to Toyco, or maybe Toyco had them chromed domestically. Seemingly at this stage Toyco and Intecs still have close commercial ties, and Toyco asked for some figures to hand out to staff in recognition of the toy they created after seeing it reborn again as Destron Laserwave on Japanese shelves in 1985 as part of the world-wide hit Transformers. The figures they received for this purpose were the current version and very much different from the original Astro Magnum. For those who follow the history of Transformer toys and their associated rarities, it would be evident that there appears to be a culture of handing out gold and silver figures as competition/campaign prizes and internal company gifts. See Takara, in particular.

Whatever the reason, for a brief moment, the prodigal son returns home, shiny and chrome.

Afterword: Some time after these events, the ownership of the mold changed, again. It is then transferred to a factory in China, and maybe even remains there today, lost, in disrepair, or maybe by now a powdery rust lingering in a decrepit industrial ruin. The mold was used to produce the N-4-SR toy (the stamp is 'Toyco ©1983' - from a vintage green test shot)., sold under the Village Toys brand as Convert-a-bots. This is a very obscure figure and difficult to locate. This appears to have been sold in 1984, as expected from its mold chronology. The Village Toys version was made in Korea, around the same time as Electronic Magnum was being produced. After Intecs was done with Galactic Man, the mold was transferred to a Chinese factory, where N-4-SR continued to be produced for and packaged in Village Toys or generic packaging. Here the componenets changed dramatically, for instance silver screws and PVC hose. This is corroborated by the Toyco rep's comments in 2008, that after South Korea, it went to China and then was lost. Watch towards the end of the video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKDVKCMqeWY. From what is visible, this one is indeed a post Galactic Man version of the figure.

Village Toys N-4-SR- identical to Electronic Magnum

Village Toys N-4-SR - new deco

Made in China version - different components, materials etc.

Another afterword: Most Transformers fans are aware that on the periphery, their favorite toys have an off-brand counterpart, usually an ancestor - the original article - the pre-Transformer. The majority of the 1984 and 1985 product line are descended from Takara's Diaclone and Micro Change toys. Also contributing to the early lines were toys from Takatoku Toys, Toybox and of course Toyco. Many of these pre-Transformers sported color schemes unique to the pre-Transformer versions, which in turn over the years elevated those toys to legendary status. In the 21st century, in recognition of the origins of the Transformers franchise, these figures were paid homage to in the modern lines, in the form of reissues, special versions, and sometimes became characters in their own right. Think of the blue Bluestreaks, the red Road Rages, the yellow Tiger Tracks, the black Loud Pedals, the silver Streaks, the gold Jazzes etc. Hasbro/Takara looked to the past to expand and enrich the present toy lines, and this provides a context for present day collectors to learn about the history of the brand, a history that is soon approaching 40 years!

In 2019, a variant of the WFC Siege Shockwave figure was produced. A grey version, it was released under Generations Selects as Galactic Man Shockwave.

https://hasbropulse.com/products/transformers-generations-selects-wfc-gs03-galactic-man-shockwave

According to the the Hasbro Pulse page, Generations Selects is a fan-dedicated line of figures featuring special edition versions of characters that can’t be found in the main line. This 7-inch Generations Selects WFC-GS03 Galactic Man Shockwave figure features special edition deco inspired by a 1985 version of Shockwave, called Galactic Man.

As a fan-dedicated figure, I imagine that for most fans, there are, and were, only two Shockwave toys: Shockwave and Shackwave. Shockwave is purple and everything else grey is Radio Shack's 'Shackwave' Galactic Man. Indeed, any vintage figure that is grey and not Galactic Man is considered a bootleg figure, an inferior imitation. The Astro Magnum origin has never been hammered into the collector consciousness the way Diaclone and Micro Change have because the figure was never Takara's to begin with - Takara have released Diaclone reissues and Masterpiece homages to their own figures that strengthens their origin mythos. In contrast the Shockwave mold disappeared and the rights are unknown, no reissues have or will ever be made, so this figure's story ended back in the 80s. The collective memory rests almost entirely with fans (Hasbro understands little more about this figure than the fans), and so their truth is the truth - the only possible name for this figure is Galactic Man. The only counterpart to Shockwave that ever existed was on Radio Shack shelves. The truth is black and white. The truth is grey and purple.

However, Galactic Man had nothing to do with Takara or Hasbro at all in 1985. The clues had been floating around for the past decade, unconnected, in disparate collections and abandoned inquiries. Apart from this blog, no-one has ever definitively linked the Intecs Spark Man figure directly to the origin story of Shockwave in the Hasbro offices of early 1984. To pay homage to Galactic Man and not recognize Spark Man's contribution to the Shockwave story is sadly, a missed opportunity. 

There is always next time...

Spark Man: the forgotten pre-Transformer

Today I had the pleasure of seeing a prediction fulfilled. Thanks to a fortuitous conversation with a wonderful collector and person, a mystery has been solved regarding the iconic Shockwave toy.

To keep the background brief, basically the accepted history is that Toyco first manufactured the Astro Magnum figure in Japan in 1983. Hasbro and Tandy licensed the figure as Shockwave and Galactic Man and sold those for a couple of years, and there was a spate of bootlegs in that period coming out of Taiwan.

The original Toyco Astro Magnum

I've previously tried to clean up some of the history regarding Toyco, and in doing so had actually suggested the handover of the toy from Toyco of Japan to Intecs of Korea. Every piece of the puzzle was strewn across the internet, and one of my goals as the writer of this blog was to make the connections from disparate information that others had surfaced and shared, but never systemised.

Firstly, in 2010 Jim Sorenson released scans of, and auctioned Ron Friedman's briefing binder. In it there was a reference to Shockwave as 'Spark Man'. This was presumed to be a discarded moniker for the cartoon character that never made final development. Unfortunately the scans are no longer online as they were saved to Megaupload, but the tfwiki makes reference to it here.

Spark Man was right under our noses this whole time

Secondly, the G1 Shockwave toy states that it was made in Korea by Intecs, Ltd. Note that this figure features 'Toyco Trademark' and '© 1983' stamped on the inside right leg.

Transformers Shockwave (Hasbro, 1984)

Shockwave was made in Korea by Intecs, Ltd. 

Third, Galactic Man is also made in Korea and has the identical stamping 'Toyco Trademark' and '© 1983' on the inside right leg.

Tandy's Galactic Man

Galactic Man was made in Korea

Toyco undated and dated stampings

Finally, the seminal Shockwave variant blog describes a bootleg figure called 'Spark Man'. The image was from an ebay auction, and it was presumed to be bootleg.

Source

In my previous post, I pointed out that this was an Intecs made figure, and having made the connection to Shockwave, speculated that it contained a Toyco stamped figure.

Speculation that Intecs, Ltd. owned the toy and licensed it to Hasbro

Today, that prediction was confirmed.

By pure chance, the actual owner of the Spark Man figure from that very auction, Michael Trujillo, shared his specimen in a Facebook discussion regarding one of the other bootleg figures*. I immediately asked if he could answer some questions, and being an equally curious variant-hunter, he agreed to inspect if from the outside, as he assumed it was tape sealed. In fact, it wasn't sealed, so upon carefully removing the foam tray from the box for the very first time, the truth was revealed...

The figure was a Toyco stamped figure. As I'd predicted, but more importantly, it was an undated figure, meaning it predates both Galactic Man and Shockwave, and is second only to Astro Magnum by lineage. In fact, what this confirms, is that Intecs, Ltd. acquired the mold from Toyco, brought it over to Korea, and were already manufacturing this toy in Korea as Spark Man before Hasbro struck a deal to add the figure to the Transformers line in early 1984, and as Tandy had done for Galactic Man. On the face, it appears Hasbro licensed Spark Man from Intecs, not Astro Magnum from Toyco, however seeing as the Toyco logo remains on the toy, Toyco may have stuck their own deal to offshore the production of this toy in order to lower production costs. This is why Spark Man was in Ron Friedman's briefing binder instead of Astro Magnum. It is likely that the Hasbro deal required a copyright notice to be added to the toy, '© 1983' (as they had done with Takara - see article for details about copyright notices).

I cannot thank Michael enough for his time and willingness to humor me and I co-credit him for this discovery. And I hope he can find a Spark Man for me!

The spirit of discovery

_ _____________________________________ _

*What was I discussing? Basically, this toy does not have a Toyco stamp (confirmed by the owner and contrary to online documentation), and is actually a KO most similar to '4 Changeable Super Gun'.

Sketch - G1 Gears Fanart

Autobot Gears
The Transformers, Hasbro Industries, Inc., 1984

Micro Robot Car 4WD Offroad
Microman Micro Change, Takara Co., Ltd., 1983

Japan 1983 Release

The Bumblejumper Question

One of the fascinating mysteries of the G1 Transformers toyline surrounds the so called 'Bumblejumper' figure that appeared briefly on Cliffjumper cards in 1984.

Micro Change Mazda Familia 1500XG (left)
Transformers 'Bumblejumper' (right)

I'll discuss my thoughts on the figure in the context of my previous entries on toy hallmarks.

'Bumblejumper' is the fandom ascribed name to the G1 appearance of the Micro Change Microrobot Car - Mazda Familia 1500XG. The figure is understood now to have only appeared on Cliffjumper cards in the color yellow, even though the name originated from the misconception that he appeared on Bumblebee and Cliffjumper cards equally. He was only ever a prerub and only came packed on ™ cards in car mode. It is important to note, for reason that become clear in this article, that Bumblejumper only ever appeared with the dated Takara-only copyright notice (stamp) on the underside.

'Bumblejumper' on Cliffjumper card (ASST 5700)

The Micro Change Microrobot Car figures (that originated the original six Transformers Minibots) were first released in Japan in 1983, in two types of packaging:

• Large 'Coffin' box (1st release)(Bot mode) - where the Mazda came in Red, Yellow and Blue
• Small box (2nd release)(Car mode) - where the Mazda came in Red and Yellow

I will digress further at this point to state that the Mazda figure was licensed by Hasbro Bradley as 'Sedan' to Estrela, for their Brazilian Transformers 'Robocar' line, that included the original six minibots, with the exception of Huffer who was replaced by Bumblejumper. With this release, it surfaced that a character artwork of the figure in a white color-scheme existed, in the hallmark style of artist Mark Watts, who was responsible for of 1984's minibot artwork. However, Mark has never laid claim to this artwork and it is possible that it is a bespoke piece organised by Estrela itself.

Brazilian Estrela Sedan

The existence of the artwork led to speculation that Bumblejumper was intended for a Hasbro release. Consistent with the G1 artwork for Bumblebee, Bumblejumper's rendition includes the roof sticker from the Micro Change versions of the toy that was not featured on the G1 figures. A possibility is that the artist was given Micro Change references or samples by Hasbro to create artwork from, very early in the development of the product line. Alternatively, as the Sedan artwork does not allow any room for inclusion of the Autobot insignia, and all of Mark's art feature this, this piece may well have not been produced at Hasbro's direction, and thus was never intended for inclusion in the G1 toyline, and is in fact an original Estrela piece.

If the figure was planned for inclusion in the toyline, it appears to have never made it further than a consideration at worst and an artwork at best. Hasbro obviously had the option to select the figure from the Micro Change catalog, however, by the time the toyline was unveiled at the 1984 Toy Fair, six figures has been decided upon - Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, Huffer, Gears, Brawn and Windcharger - and they were to appear four apiece in the 5700 assortment case containing 24 figures. This left no room nor need for a seventh figure. Perhaps the figure was too similar to Cliffjumper to be worth developing further as a catalog figure at that price point, and thus his characterization was never fully developed or committed to the comic and cartoon canon (which were marketing tools to sell the toys). Instead, Hasbro gave the impression of a larger minibot line by simply including red and yellow variants of both Bee and Cliff, which would have been two apiece per case. These ratios were maintained in the 5709 assortment that introduced rubsigns and minispy companions.

Hasbro Toy Fair Catalog 1984

The next question is how did the figure end up on Cliffjumper cards in 1984? Some hypotheses suggest that it was Takara overstock from the Micro Change line. There are several reasons why I don't agree with this. Firstly, the Micro Change figure is a different color plastic from the G1. Secondly, the Micro Change figure is circle stamped ('TAKARA JAPAN'), and there are no circle stamped Bumblejumpers in existence. It can't be overstock if it features the copyright stamp that Hasbro instructed Takara to add to the toy (I will get to this). Thirdly, Takara didn't produce surplus figures just to sit on them until a partner came along. Once made, they were out of the factory door. George Dunsay recalled, "Remember, we originally were limited to Takara's original, complete tooling. There was no Takara overstock. The line became so hot they diverted some of their domestic production for us." That is to say, production time, not product. Hasbro found themselves with 100 million dollars of preorders by March 1984 and only forecast to meet 75 to 80 percent of that by the end of the year. Therefore Takara was under the proverbial gun to fulfil their contract and put Hasbro product as top priority.

Micro Change Mazda Familia 1500XG (left)
Transformers 'Bumblejumper' (right)

It is precisely the diversion of time that leads me to my answer.

When Hasbro struck The Agreement with Takara, one of the stipulations was that Takara was to update the existing products with manufacturer notations as Hasbro saw fit. In the course of modifying the toys to meet Hasbro's specifications, Takara designed new molds that contained a copyright notice; at the same time, it added a copyright notice to its old molds. Takara had never used these for their domestic product. They used a maker's mark but not a copyright notice. However, we find almost all of 1984's G1 line-up to have specimens with only the maker's mark and no copyright notice, which are accepted to be the earliest G1 releases. This is where if we understand that Takara diverted their own domestic production to meet Hasbro's demand, then they began fulfilling Hasbro orders before they had the opportunity to update the existing toy molds.

This is why we have 'Diaclone' or 'Micro Change' stamped toys with no copyright notice. Hence, we find all six initial prerub Minibots in the 5700 assortment with a maker's mark or circle stamp. And then later, the same six prerubs with a dated Takara-only copyright stamp, in the same assortment.

However Bumblejumper only ever has the dated Takara-only copyright stamp.

My conclusion is, when all the injection molds were swept up for retooling to add the copyright stamp, the Micro Change Mazda mold was one of them. Takara was under time pressure to keep the production lines chugging and mistakes were made in the hustle and bustle. And what happened to any mold after it was retooled? Obviously they went back to the production line to be used to produce more toys. The Mazda mold itself ended up on the factory floor, being injected with yellow and black plastic in order to make... yellow Cliffjumpers! I firmly believe that the mold was mistaken for Cliffjumper and tossed into the production line for a short period, churning out Mazda figures that ended up in Cliffjumper packaging. And, it was the copyright stamp retooling event that caused the Mazda mold to enter production. This is further supported by the fact that Bumblejumper wears the same rear sticker that belongs to Cliffjumper. 

Bumblejumper sports Cliff's rear sticker, not Bee's.

It was obviously a mistake that was detected and rectified, because Cliffjumper was packed correctly ever since, including immediately after Bumblejumper's limited appearance, as the prerub dated Takara-only stamped Cliffjumpers that only appeared in that assortment. However one can only guess at what stage the error was discovered - during parts harvesting, assembly, or packaging. The error was deemed acceptable enough to pass QC, eventually reaching retail display racks to delight, confuse and fascinate fans and collectors for the next three decades.

File Notes - Astro Magnum, Shockwave, Patent, Design Registration

It's been almost a year since I last contributed to the blog. I'd only recently acquired an original Toyco Astro Magnum, and I felt the need to revisit its origins again.

I've been largely obsessed with finding the patent for the toy, but so far it has been a fruitless investigation. On the back of the packaging there is 意匠登録 58-037528 which is a 'design registration' number.

The Japan Platform for Patent Information allows a search of the design number. Punching in the details, we return that in Showa 58 (1983), a design application was made with the Japan Patent Office (JPO).

The JPO Design Gazette published November 1986, with a different design registration S59-002579 shows photographs of the Astro Magnum figure. The Design Gazette publishes design applications, which in the case of this figure began in January 1984 and was registered in July 1986. It credits Katsumi Suzuki as the inventor of this design, who was certainly an employee at Toyco and very likely the founder/CEO, as he has many designs owned by Toyco at the JPO. I'm a bit skeptical of the extent of his involvement in as much as the planning of the toy rests with Toyco however, I think most of the heavy lifting for the sculpt, transformation, circuitry and die creation was outsourced to a design firm and/or fabricator as with Takatoku's Valkyrie. Notably, Mr. Matsushiro has the inventor credit for the Valkyrie even though we understand that roles Kawamori and Watanabe had in the design and prototyping. Note that there are several categories that the JPO deals with - patents are concerned the invention/innovation, designs are concerned with the appearance and trademarks are obviously the logo/brand.

I'm still hoping to track down an actual patent/utility model with drawn schematics buried in the JPO or USPTO. Have to shake a LEG. The search continues...

Quick Look - Commemorative Series I Reissue Optimus Prime Prototype Prize

I saw this go under the radar on auction in August 2017, under title:
 アメリカ版　試作　景品用　コンボイ　オプティマス
(American version prototype for prize Convoy Optimus)

My gut feel was that it was a legitimate prototype/prize figure. I've read previously about similar items - clear plastic versions of reissue figures, and vacuum metallized reissue Seekers - that either served as test-shots (for inspection, fault-finding) or created for promotional prize draws, (or utilised ultimately for both purposes). Read about them here, here, here and here. When it comes to purpose, hearsay is involved, but there is definite, albeit scattered documentation of these types of figures themselves, and they appear to be truly scarce, which actually supports legitimacy (as in not mass produced counterfeits). At the very worst, this is a 'lunchtime special', a clandestine product borne outside official factory hours. At best, this an extremely rare and possibly unique prototype figure that received some extra preparation - custom decal application, additional accessories - in order to be offered as a prize figure

This item was auctioned by the same seller sharbicc who had sold what appear to be contemporary prototypes nearly 10 years ago. Many other signs pointed to it being a legitimate reissue figure, that is it has all the hallmarks of an official reissue Optimus Prime, from the unique wheel pins, bumper moldings and sticker cut, down to the part stamping, and none of the hallmarks of a KO figure (which all are based on a T2/#3 French or Japanese Prime). Also there are no short-stacked counterfeits on the market, so I jumped. Fortunately, nobody else bid and I got it for a song.

The figure comes in Hasbro Commemorative Series 1 packaging. The mass retail figure was released in 2002.

Opening up the clamshell, you can see that it is the US version cab, with the shortened smoke-stacks for safety. The cab forgoes the die-cast chassis and leg parts, replaced with plastic. The cab is almost entirely a translucent amber plastic. The typically chrome parts remain - wheels, stacks, grill. The trailer is rendered in standard grey plastic, and the amber plastic replaces all the trailer parts that are normally blue. Across the cab and trailer is a glossy chrome sticker trim. Tyres are standard black rubber. I've had discussions with other collectors on Facebook on whether this is intentionally an amber plastic, or it is a clear plastic that has yellowed over the past 15 or so years, which is extremely common (but not omnipresent) among clear toys from this era. On the one hand, it isn't a particularly flattering or attractive choice of plastic. On the other hand it is unusual that roller and the other accessories shown in the baggie are not discolored at all.

Zooming in a little, one can see the Autobot logo on the trailer has been hand-cut and placed on top of the chrome decal. Roller is a clear plastic, and the standard rifle is amber.

Taking a look at the baggie, we have clear plastic wheels for Roller, clear missiles, gas pump and nozzle. There is also a clear bloated rifle and an amber matrix, which were included with the Japanese release 2002 New Year Special Convoy. The hose is a regular black flexible plastic. What is interesting is that a set of 4 black 'safety' missiles are included, which are the longer version exclusive to the US release. This would allow the prototype figure to be potentially offered to different markets, but perhaps the parts considered less safe would have been removed if the figure was used as a prize in the US. Let me tell you, the trailer launcher is absolutely nerfed - there is no spring installed in the launcher at all.

What else was included? The sticker sheet that originated with the 15th Anniversary Convoy of 2000, and a US instruction sheet. I believe this is the standard set-up for the Commemorative Reissue of 2002. I haven't actually owned one until now!

So, it turns out that a figure like this has been sighted somewhere. A photograph of the same setup (but different specimen) is on Fred's page, here. This photograph itself may have been taken as early as 2002, though unsure from where it has been sourced. Though he describes it as a clear trailer, which it isn't, you can see it has the same mirror trailer sticker. This one looks like the cab is clear. Like mine, it hasn't been belted in with wire twists. It has a color break on the flap spine facing the camera, meaning it is not a photograph of my specimen, which has never been opened on that end. Mine was tape sealed both ends and then tape-cut and opened on the far end.

File Notes - Astro Magnum, Toyco, Intecs, Shockwave, Galactic Man

Many websites that discuss Shockwave's origins state that the original manufacturer, Toyco was and still is a Korean company, and infer that Shockwave is notable for being somewhat of a 'Korean' Transformer, often due to the fact that there is a Toyco Korea website in existence today*. It is true that Shockwave was manufactured in Korea for the Hasbro toyline, among others, however we will explore the history of the toy in more detail here.

In fact, the Toyco in question was and still is a Japanese company. This is the actual website http://www.toyco.co.jp/company.html.

*UPDATE Sept 2024: Note that in 2017 the Toyco Korea URL was operating as Toycomall, and has since rebranded the site around 2022 or so, claiming a 1991 establishment and now displaying the Japanese Toyco logo, which will only reignite confusion for G1 toy freaks. Upon inspection of KIPRIS, the trademark has been registered to the CEO of Toyco Korea, since 1998, when it was wrestled away from Intecs in a judgment around 1996-1997.

Toyco was established in Tokyo, November 20, 1981 and its operations are the business planning, manufacturing and sale of boy's toys. A bit of Trivia, though the head office address has changed several times, Toyco is still located in Tokyo, and has maintained the same telephone number until today, as per the original Astro Magnum packaging of 1983. The initial trademark registration was made on December 9th, 1981, by Katsumi Suzuki, It seems reasonable that he was the initial founder/CEO.

The original Astro Magnum clearly shows a Toyco head office address in Tokyo on the packaging, and both the original 'laser gun' packed version, and the latter 'robot' packed version were manufactured in Japan (as per the box and stamping on the battery cover). The trademark is of course, unmistakable.

The Astro Magnum toys were manufactured in Japan and distributed by Toyco. The original realease bore a maker's mark, 'Toyco', with no copyright notice.

The figure was then licensed to other parties. As we know, Shockwave was initially released to western markets as a Transformer by Hasbro prior to Christmas 1984, and was part of the Japanese toyline in 1985. Radio Shack, a subsidiary of Tandy, also released a version known as Galactic Man at roughly the same time internationally through its network of stores. When the figures were licensed to Hasbro and Tandy, (as well as other US toy companies), it appears that manufacture was off-shored to Seoul, to a manufacturing partner called Intecs, Ltd.. Both Shockwave and Galactic Man are stamped 'Toyco, © 1983' and 'MADE IN KOREA', and there are references to being made in Korea on the packaging and papers included. However only on the back of G1 Shockwave is it clear that the manufacturing partner Intecs, Ltd..

I can only surmise that the manufacturing was moved to Korea for reasons of production capacity or economics. No doubt the contracts with American companies called for high volume at low cost. It is typical that copyrights are sought for legal reasons when a figure is planned to be distributed outside of Japan. Domestic release toys often featured a maker's mark but not a copyright notice. So, it's apparent to me that the appearance of the copyright notice '© 1983' on the toy indicates the involvement of non-Japanese market companies. 

It becomes unclear at this point, who is the licensor to Hasbro and Radio Shack (*see next paragraph), as while Toyco is responsible for the design and manufacture of the original toy, and have acknowledged it here in a roundabout way, there are questions as to what parties have rights to produce and market the toy today, even if the mold's whereabouts were known. Paperwork only refers to Intecs and never Toyco, but Toyco remains the maker's mark on the figures. (Fast forward to today - Hasbro of course would have strong interests in the intellectual property and likeness of Shockwave, though it does not have exclusive rights to the Toyco-G1 toy itself. Hasbro/Takara continues to make toys in the likeness of Shockwave today. And of course, the mold appears to be missing.) Indeed in 1985, Intecs sought to register the Toyco trademark inside South Korea, and held it until about 1997.

*There is a little known variant that has been described (possibly erroneously) as a knock-off called '4 Changeable Spark Man'. It looks like an off-brand Galactic Man, however like G1 Shockwave, it bears the Intecs mark on the packaging, '­© 1983 Intecs Ltd.' and is made in Korea. It also features the Japanese patent registration number as seen on the original Toyco Astro Magnum, as well as patent pending application numbers for other regions: UK/HK, Taiwan, Korea, and USA. (These are not searchable today in patent databases as they are not the the same as the published patent numbers.) This is the key detail that suggests the figure may be a legitimate figure. I believe if I were to find a specimen, it would be a Toyco marked figure. It looks identical to Galactic Man, and has the same foam packaging. It appears that Intecs may have (a) registered copyright on the mold (as a good partner), or (b) was acting as a licensor and/or supplying the figure in grey-market off-brand packaging, (c) actually legally acquired the rights from Toyco to license the figure and was the primary licensor for all figures produced in Korea (being Shockwave and Galactic Man.)

A further knock-off figure called 'Electronic Magnum' looks to have been copyrighted in 1984 by an American entity called S.R. Mickelberg Co., Inc. in PA, USA, who owned the Royal Condor trademark from 1981 to 2005. It appears to be identical to the Spark Man figure, down to the foam and packaging format.

This may offer a clue into the ambiguity of ownership. Several parties appear to have asserted their rights to the toy. Unfortunately, I can not confirm anything until I hold specimens in my hands and perform detailed mold analysis to determine lineage.

Afterword:
During the 80s Japanese toy companies generally made toys in Japan, for Japan. The Takara-developed Transformer toys were all initially made in Japan, and in accordance with the operational and financial realities of distributing the toyline internationally in partnership with Hasbro, certain toys were produced in countries such as Korea, Thailand, Taiwan, Macau, France, and eventually predominantly in China and recently Vietnam. The idea that Toyco is Korean seems to be the result of flawed deduction supported (understandably) by a single piece of erroneous data - the website. 

However, what often isn't discussed is the manufacturing partners that are often responsible for mold tooling and/or manufacture, done on behalf of the toy designer. This adds complexity to understanding the history of some figures. The figure known as G1 Jetfire is one such example, conceived by the legendary Shoji Kawamori and first sold by Watanabe Giken, and commercialized/manufactured by Matsushiro (patented by Yukimitsu Matsushiro in 1984). The Toybox Mechabot-1 figure and its Hasbro-licensed G1 Omega Supreme, were actually designed and manufactured by Tomy on Toybox's behalf. This only became apparent when after Takara-Tomy's merger in the mid 2000s, it was discovered Tomy still had the molds for Omega Supreme and Sky Lynx.