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Transformers Beast Machines

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Japan Equivalent: Beast Wars Returns

Beast Machines: Transformers was the 1999 sequel series to the impressively successful Beast Wars. Though much shorter-lived, it continued the same storyline, while turning it in a new direction.

Though the structure of the toys was very similar to its predecessor, Beast Machines introduced the concept of a faction of beasts fighting a faction of machines. Both sides were highly stylized. In the case of the heroic Maximals, sleek sculpting coupled with bright colors, translucent plastics, and a variety of action features to create a futuristic biomechanical look. The rival Vehicons were largely military vehicles of Cybertronian origin, mostly blocky and ungraceful despite their in-fiction portrayals. A common thread through the line is the “Spark Crystal” (pioneered in Beast Wars’s Transmetals 2 line), a translucent plastic dome showing the figure’s allegiance a-la the rubsigns of Generation 1.

The line featured one spin-off subseries, “Dinobots,” comprised primarily of molds borrowed from Japan’s Beast Wars Neo. Another new marketing concept was pioneered in a more organized fashion. A series-wide package overhaul “refreshed” the look of the series in 2000, branding the toys as &ldquo:Battle of the Spark”. There is no primary change to the toys correlating to this aesthetic update.

Beast Machines ended later in 2000, barely outlasting the straggling final releases of its predecessor series, Beast Wars. Unfortunately, the line presided over a decline of interest in the “Beast Era” concept, which would lead to a series of rapid-fire brand overhauls for Transformers, and a shift to short series and constant resets or package updates. An interesting footnote to this was that Takara completely skipped this series at the time it was released in the US, and later added it as an addendum in 2004. The series, titled Beast Wars Returns, became a low-production Toys “Я” Us Japan exclusive release.

 

Basic Class

Battle Unicorn

Buzzsaw

Geckobot

Hammerstrike

Longhorn

Mirage

Motorcycle Drone

Night Viper

Obsidian

Quickstrike

Scavenger

Silverbolt

Spy Streak

Tank Drone

Beast Riders

Che

Che (redeco)

Mechatron

Mechatron (redeco)

Deluxe Class

Airraptor
Dinobots

Beast Changer

Blackarachnia

Blastcharge

Dinotron
Dinobots

Jetstorm

Night Slash Cheetor

Optimus Primal

Rapticon
Dinobots

Skydive

Snarl

Sonic Attack Jet

Strika

Striker
Dinobots

Terranotron
Dinobots

Thrust

Triceradon
Dinobots

Deployers

Dillo

Dillo (redeco)

Mol

Mol (redeco)

Rav

Rav (Chro, redeco)

McDonald's Happy Meal

Blackarachnia

Cheetor

Jetstorm

Megatron

Nightscream

Optimus Primal

Rattrap

Tankor

Thrust

Mega Class

Blast Punch Optimus Primal

Cheetor

Megatron

Rattrap

Tankor

Supreme Class

Cheetor

Primal Prime

Ultra Class

Jetstorm

Magmatron
Dinobots
Target Exclusive

Nightscream

T-Wrecks
Dinobots