Nine Christmas Gifts for Transformers Fans
As November comes to a close, many out there are starting their Christmas shopping and stocking up on gifts for kids of all ages. If one of the people on your list is a fan of Hasbro’s Transformers series, especially if the person happens to be an adult who grew up with the toyline, then this short shopping list should prove highly useful and save you some time selecting the perfect present or two.
Transformers Legacy*
Published by IDW, this beautiful hardcover artbook is the only item on this list that is a must-buy for the Transformers fan in your life. Collecting the classic toy packaging artwork of the eighties, Transformers Legacy* is certain to bring back memories for those who were given Transformers toys for Christmas back in the eighties.
I own many Transformers artbooks, including a few Japanese titles, and none of them quite measure up to this Transformers Legacy* hardcover. 300-pages of classic artwork and well worth the price. Seriously, if you buy a Transformers fan just one Christmas gift, this is the one to choose.
Transformers Titan Masters Toys*
Hasbro’s latest Transformers toy series, Titans Return, are the absolute best Transformers toys the company has produced in the last five or six years. Playable and fun, these newer toys are easy to transform and should be in every Transformers collection out there.
The Transformers Titan Masters toys* themselves are the smaller releases in the line, priced between $5 and $8/each and offering up a little robot and a transforming vehicle. These are adorable and wonderful and I have them all! Worst of all, I want more! Trust me, these are toys for kids and even those kids who have had tough times with Transformers in the past will understand how these toys work.
Transformers Vault*
Published in 2011, the Transformers Vault* book comes in a close second to Transformers Legacy* in terms of a “must buy” item. More artwork, yes, but what’s even better is that this book is a history of the Transformers, stretching all of the way from the pre-Transformers lines in Japan up to the live-action movies of the late 2000s. Numerous inserts add some spice to the book’s design, while photos of prototypes and unproduced toys make this a treasure for those who love a behind-the-scenes peek at things.
Transformers Vault* offers a lot in the way of fun reading, and anyone spending a day or two with this title is sure to learn things about the Transformers line and expand their overall knowledge of the toys, cartoons, and comics.
Fortress Maximus*
Wanna go for a big and crazy gift that will be the centerpiece of Christmas? The new Titans Return Fortress Maximus* stands 2-feet tall and works perfectly with the small Titans Return toys. This is a beast of a gift, priced between $100 and $150 depending on what sales are happening, and any kid opening this toy — regardless of age — won’t soon forget the Christmas when they received a giant Transformers toy.
Transformers Masterpiece Bumblebee (G2)*
Hasbro and Takara’s Transformers Masterpiece series is the toyline built for adult collectors, and every collection needs a Bumblebee, right? This Transformers Masterpiece Bumblebee (G2)* is metallic and awesome, and the one danger of this toy is that it leads directly into the larger Masterpiece toys . . . which cost more than the Transformers toys you usually find at Target or Walmart. The added cost is worth it — these toys are better quality than the mass-run smaller toys — but you may want to skip this unless you’re okay with soon seeing a wall of attractive and fun Transformers toys.
Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Volume 1*
IDW has been publishing Transformers comics for over a decade now, and in that time no series has been as enjoyable as their More Than Meets the Eye comics. The first collection, Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye Volume 1*, introduces us to the crew of the Lost Light, a spaceship with a mission: Find the fabled Knights of Cybertron and bring a new era of peace and happiness to the Transformers. The series is violent, funny, emotional, and presents the characters as individuals operating together for their own separate reasons.
I’m personally a bit behind on this series — I last read the sixth volume — but maybe I’ll get caught up over the holiday break. The art is great, storytelling the best we’ve probably seen in any Transformers comic, and this is a great introduction to today’s comic universe. Recommended!
Transformers Masterpiece Shockwave*
Wanna really surprise a Transformers fan of the eighties on Christmas morning? Especially someone who hasn’t been collecting toys for years now and likely doesn’t know of the newer stuff? This Transformers Masterpiece Shockwave* brings one of the classic characters — featured in the old comics and appearing in the cartoons — to life in a bigger and better way than the toy we had back in 1985. Shockwave is a flying purple space gun, and the robot’s design with a single eye and gun in place of a hand is just different enough from many Transformers to make this a memorable and well-loved character.
Pricey, yes, but totally awesome.
Transformers Combiner Wars Bruticus*
Another big box, the Transformers Combiner Wars Bruticus* is about $100 and includes six robots in the box that can be played with alone or combined to make one big robot. The entire Combiner Wars series is a pretty cool idea, but this one toy stands out because it’s a series of cool military vehicles. What kid doesn’t love tanks and planes?
There are multiple versions of this character in different colors and sizes (search Amazon.com*), but the box shown above is currently the best mass-produced option. For a really deep and expensive option, check out the Warbotron Bruticus toys*, but these do get very expensive if you’re not careful. Unless you’re experienced with Transformers toys, I suggest sticking to the Transformers Combiner Wars Bruticus* toy if you want to give someone this character.
Transformers Titans Return Optimus Prime*
The last item on our list of Transformers Christmas gift ideas, this Transformers Titans Return Optimus Prime* was released earlier in the year and is fun to transform and play with. It would have likely been wrong to not include an Optimus Prime on a list of gift ideas, and after thinking things over I selected this design because it’s newer, fun for kids (and I enjoyed the design), and offers up both a large robot and a tiny robot. Two robots in one box!
There are many different Optimus Prime toys out there, but not all of them include a trailer and have the ability to transform into a base, a robot, and a truck. What kid could say no to a robot that transforms into a truck?
And that’s it, nine different Transformers gift ideas for the kids on your Christmas list. I still say that the Transformers Legacy* book is the one guaranteed winner on the list, but any one of the nine toys/books listed will make a Transformers fan smile on Christmas morning.
Good luck with the shopping, and feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions or would like more advice.