General Information:
Release Date: August 2024
Price Point: $24.99 (depending on retailer)
Retailer: Target Exclusive
Accessories: None
Special thanks to the kind folks at Hasbro for providing Ben's World of Transformers with this set of figures for review!
Official images and product description in italics below are from Target.com:
Fisher-Price Little People Collector Transformers Animated TV Show Special Edition Set - 4pk
- Special edition Little People Collector set commemorates the 40th anniversary of the Transformers animated TV series
- Includes Autobots Optimus Prime & Bumblebee; Decepticons Megatron & Soundwave holding Laserbeak
- Each detailed figure stands over 2.5 inches tall and is styled in the character’s signature look
- Display your fandom! Set arrives in a decorative window box package featuring unique Transformers illustrations & hidden details to explore
- For adults, Transformers fans, and collectors
Fans of Robots In Disguise can celebrate the 40th anniversary of the hit animated television series Transformers with this Little People Collector set from Fisher-Price. This special edition collectable set commemorates the popular franchise with 4 detailed Little People figures representing the Autobots with Optimus Prime and his trusted lieutenant Bumblebee, and the Decepticons with Megatron and Soundwave holding Laserbeak. The set arrives in a window box package styled with unique illustrations for Transformers fans of all ages to enjoy!
Background:
The Fisher-Price Little People line began life as "Play Family People" in the 1959 and became one of the company's best selling lines. According to Toy Tales, the line has sold over 2 billion Little People figures since 1959. When the line began, the figures were very generic. There were fire fighters, bus drivers and pilots. In recent years, Mattel (the parent company of Fisher-Price) has taken to creating collaborations, licensing brands to become Little People figures. These brands include Batman and Voltron! As part of the 40th Anniversary of Transformers, 2024 saw the Transformers become a Target exclusive set of Little People.
Packaging:
This 4 pack of Little People Transformers is an impressive window box. The outer box is solid cardboard with a variety of mechanical designs on them in silver and blue. In the middle towards the bottom is the classic Transformers logo and to the right is the 40th Anniversary logo. The figures themselves sit in a plastic container set against a grid background featuring the classic G1 Autobot (red, black and yellow) and Decepticon (purple, black and yellow) backgrounds. Above the figures are Autobot and Decepticon symbols. The front also has a "Little People Collector" sticker on it, indicating this is a special collaboration.
The back of the box features cartoon styled art with Optimus facing off against Megatron while Bumblebee, Soundwave and Laserbeak charge at each other in the back. The setting is the desert outside the Ark and in a corner is Unicron appearing in the sky! This is a really cute piece of art and now I want a Unicron as a Little People figure!
General Thoughts:
The Fisher-Price Little People Collector Transformers Animated TV Show Special Edition Set focuses on the original G1 cartoon as its inspiration. The set includes four figures: Bumblebee, Megatron, Optimus Prime and Soundwave (with Laserbeak). In general, each figure has the same basic design. These are non-articulated figures made of PVC plastic. They are about 2.75" tall (about 6.9cm). Each figure is sculpted in a "T" pose, almost like they're going to give someone a hug and their proportions are very "super deformed" including large heads with medium sized bodies and large feet. The bottom of each figure features a wide port that allows them to connect to vehicles in the Little People toy line.
Bumblebee:
Using the G1 cartoon as the reference for this design, Bumblebee features a cartoon inspired head sculpt complete with a very large crest, horns sticking out the sides and a face featuring hard angles on the sides and cheeks. His face is set in a happy expression with wide eyes and a big smile. The body features some of the key elements of G1 Bumblebee including windows on his torso, curved "Y" shaped details on the waist and a circle on the back (a detail that itself references part of the sculpt of the original G1 action figure). His feet are curved, alluding to his Volkswagon Beetle alt-mode.
This figure is made of yellow plastic with silver, light blue, black and red paint details. Since the figure has no articulation and it does not transform, Fisher-Price was able to really give him all the deco he deserves including black on the hands and elbows and silver on the fenders on his feet. The Little People logo is stampled onto the side of his left foot.
Megatron:
Megatron does not get to be "cute" very often, but here we are. The sculpt features many of the key design elements of the G1 cartoon character including his distinctive head design with his wrap around "helmet" over the face. He also has a blocky set of details on his body and the middle has the small section that looks like some type of control panel. I'm going to give the designers of this set credit - they did not shy away from the character's destructive nature. Sculpted on to his right arm is the classic Fusion Cannon, a detail they could have easily left out. I'm impressed.
Megatron is made of a metallic grey plastic with silver, red, blue, yellow, black, purple and white paint. The silver is used heavily on parts like his torso, head and feet. I really appreciate the smaller details like his red eyes with white dots on them and the red, blue and yellow used on the "control panel" in the middle of his body. Black is used to draw a frowning mouth on him which somehow manages to look cute. The Little People logo is printed in white on the left foot.
Optimus Prime:
Talk about iconic designs, we have seen so many variations of the core Optimus Prime design it is always fun to see a "back to basics" design. Right out of the cartoon, this figure features Prime's iconic head design with a large crest, antennae on the sides and mouth plate. His arms have smokestacks on the back and his torso features windows on the chest and a grille over the abdominal area. His legs feature horizontal line designs and the sides of his legs have the rectangular storage tanks sculpted on them.
Optimus is made of blue plastic with silver, red, light blue, white and yellow paint. The silver is used on the head, smokestacks and lower body. The light blue is used on the eyes and chest windows. I was happy to see the yellow over the raised details on his waist area. The Little People logo is stamped in white on the side of the left foot.
Soundwave:
Soundwave may just be my favorite of the set. His design is also iconic with his distinctive head design (which inspired the Decepticon symbol itself), his chest featuring his "cassette window" and the buttons for his alt-mode around his waist area. I was also thrilled to see G1 toy inspired details on the back of his legs. The left leg has a dial on it while the right has a slider button. Two more brilliant design elements can be seen best in front. Right under his left cheek(?) is his shoulder cannon peeking out! Then in his right hand? A tiny Laserbeak! Laserbeak is adorable, with his wings pulled in, his head looking forward and his weapons prominently displayed, but all scrunched into a super deformed style.
Soundwave is made of blue plastic. He has a ton of paint colors including red, silver, yellow, light blue, purple and white. Silver is used for a lot of details including his mouth plate, thighs, feet and Laserbeak's weapons. Red is found on Laserbeak and Soundwave's eyes. Yellow is used for a lot of the trim on his body and a purple Decepticon symbol is right in the center of his chest. He looks fantastic!
Final Thoughts:
If you are a fan of the Little People figures and Transformers this is a no brainer, especially for $25 USD. If you have younger fans who aren't ready for transforming figures yet, this is a fun way to give them some Transformers that won't be a danger to them. These figures are not for hardcore collectors who only want Generations and Masterpiece style figures. As cute little curiosities however these are fantastic and recommended!
