Variant

A variant is a product, usually a toy (in recent years, also often a comic), that is available in more than one version, but is technically considered the "same" product from a manufacturing standpoint. Each version differs from the other(s) in one or more ways. The exact definition of a variant is not cut-and-dry and varies from person to person. Though a variant is generally different from a redeco or re-release, even that line is blurry in some cases.

The distinction between an error and a variant is equally unclear: A variant is something that someone might want; an error is something people usually don't want. However, if the error becomes widespread, some people might start considering it a genuine variant. Generally, a variant does require some quantity of each version: Isolated one-of-a-kind freak incidents are not variants.

There are several possible causes for variants: In some instances, the manufacturer creates variants on purpose with the intention to sell more product to completists; in other cases, a variation is the result of an effort to improve the product by altering it in some way in the middle of its production run, with some quantities of the unaltered version having been produced (and possibly already distributed) before the alteration was implemented. This is also referred to as a "running change". In some drastic cases, errors have been found during quality control which then have to be corrected. Sometimes these changes aren't even a conscious decision, but the by-product of subtle changes in the manufacturing process, minor differences in the materials used for different batches of the production run, etc. In the case of toys, variants aren't just limited to the toys themselves, but can also occur with their packaging or the paperwork included.

Many collectors enjoy finding variants. It can be fun to discover some difference in two supposedly-identical toys, and some differences are quite major. Some collectors make a hobby of collecting all variants of a particular toy, which can lead to impecunious insanity if this toy is one like Generation 1 Ultra Magnus.

Contents 1 Collector-incentive variants 2 Market-specific variants 3 Running changes 3.1 Tooling 3.2 Materials 3.3 Colors and deco 3.4 Packaging and paperwork 3.5 Planned but unfulfilled running changes 4 Variants from gang-molding 5 Borderline cases 5.1 Variant or different product? 5.2 Errors 6 Not variants 6.1 An isolated incident does not a variant make 6.2 Pre-release items 7 References 8 External links

Collector-incentive variants

Companies want to sell their products. Sometimes they try to sell multiples of the same product to the same buyer. One way to achieve this is by offering variants:

• Generation 1 Bumblebee and Cliffjumper were both available in yellow and red versions well into the 1985 assortments. According to former Hasbro R&D Vice President George Dunsay, this was a conscious decision to "make the line look bigger".^[1] Less clear is the case of Bumper, an entirely different sculpt who was also sold in "Cliffjumper" packaging.
• Takara has offered quite a few simultaneously released variants of Transformers toys, usually marketed as such. Sometimes they are just color swaps using the same paint masks and tampographs, while occasionally, they are outright simultaneously released redecos:
  • Binaltech Smokescreen and his retool "Smokescreen GT" were both available in two slightly different decos, with two different driver-specific sets of decals each, based on the real-life rally cars the toys were based on. Similarly, Binaltech Meister was available in both white and red versions, and Prowl was even available with mold differences, as a black and white police car including a lightbar and as a blue civilian vehicle with a different rear spoiler. Tracks was also available in yellow and blue versions, but the blue version was released months after the yellow one and shipped all by itself, unlike the other Binaltech variants, each of which shipped in mixed cases.
    

    

    Buy me six times!
  • Similarly, Galaxy Force Rumble was simultaneously available in red, blue and yellow versions.
  • Also, let's not forget the chase figures from various blind-packed assortments like Micromaster or the JUSCO exclusive Spychangers.
• Sometimes stores also get exclusive variants of toys that include bonus non-toy accessories, such as DVDs (e.g. Cybertron Deluxes at Walmart), posters (e.g. Movie Deluxe "preview figures" at Walmart) or comic books (e.g. Movie Unleashed Bumblebee at Kmart). Occasionally the exclusive version is released in redesigned packaging (arguably making it a different product, see below), but not always.
• While variant covers have been a common staple in the comic book industry since the early 1990s, usually reserved for the first issue of a new series or special occasions (issue numbers like 500, 333 etc., major story-based events), former Transformers comic publishers Dreamwave Productions and IDW Publishing took the concept to the max, with nearly every single Transformers comic published to date having been released with more than one cover.

Market-specific variants

Sometimes a toy is available in different versions in different markets. This mostly affects the toys' packaging, but differences between the toys themselves can also happen:

• The most common difference is between Hasbro and Takara versions of a toy. These can range from minor differences in the plastic colors to different plastic color layouts, different paint masks, different tampographs and fully-blown different decos.
• Material differences can also occur, such as the die-cast metal parts used for Takara's Binaltech toys versus Hasbro's mostly-plastic Alternators versions, Movie Landmine's Japanese version sporting rubber tires instead of the Hasbro version's plastic wheels, or the soft, flexible plastic used for pointy parts on Hasbro's toys in the place of the harder plastic used on Takara's versions. (See also unpaintable plastic.)
• In some cases there are even mold differences, such as some Binaltech toys having their steering wheels on the right side of their dashboards, whereas Hasbro's Alternators usually had the steering wheel on the left side. In addition, Hasbro's Windcharger lacked the long gun barrel his Binaltech counterpart Overdrive came with, and Prowl sported several changes with his car shell reflecting the differences between the real-life Acura RSX (Alternators Prowl) and the Honda Integra Type R (Binaltech Prowl).

• Packaging differences can range from "Hasbro-derived packaging with additional stickers for the Japanese market" (USA Editions, Movie and Revenge of the Fallen toys) to entirely different Japanese packaging for the Takara versions. Likewise, Japanese toys traditionally come with their own (oftentimes superior) instructions.
• Hasbro themselves also have packaging differences between different markets: Whereas the United States market (as well as Australia, New Zealand and some other English-speaking countries) typically gets toys in English-only packaging, Canada and Latin America used to be stuck with English/French/Spanish trilingual packaging and instructions and recently moved on to quadrilingual packaging including Portuguese, and Europe has to deal with an increasing number of languages on their packaging (currently thirteen), and even more in the accompanying instructions.
• The European versions also replaced the US versions' package art with stock photos of the toys themselves for undisclosed reasons between the tail end of Energon and the launch of Animated and the second Universe line.

• Packaging shapes and sizes can also differ between markets, such as the smaller European version of the Classics "Ultimate Battle" two-pack without excessive space for the DVD case or the smaller Revenge of the Fallen Human Alliance packaging Australia got.
• Toys may even be distributed in packaging attributed to different franchises in different Hasbro markets: For example, the original Universe line's Micromaster combiner waves (originally KB Toys exclusives in the USA) were released in Energon (Protectobots, Constructicons) and Cybertron (Railbots, Aerialbots) packaging in European markets, but retained the same product code numbers. More complicated are the Superion and Bruticus Maximus combiner giftsets that were originally intended for the second Universe line and were released in some markets (Australia, Singapore) in intended-for-the-US-market Universe packaging, but were released in Revenge of the Fallen packaging in the USA. Since the Revenge versions sported different product codes than their Universe counterparts, this raises the question whether they are to be considered "packaging variants" or different products (see below).
• Name variants mostly exist between Hasbro and Takara versions of toys; however, in the 1980s and 1990s, European releases could even have different names on the toys' packaging for different markets (such as the Turbomasters aka "Cannonmasters" and the Predators). This practice has been abandoned with the introduction of uniform multilingual European packaging. The occasional name change of a gimmick still exists, though: Transformers: Prime Beast Hunters Battlemaster Class "Talking Bumblebee" was renamed into "SFX Bumblebee" for European markets, with the sound chip changed from containing voice clips to generic sound effects, and Age of Extinction "Mega 1-Step Bumblebee" was renamed into "Mega Flip Bumblebee" for European markets.
• A particularly odd case: In 2012, Hasbro's Asian division released several redecos and retools of older toys in Generations packaging in markets such as China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Malaysia, with all the various texts on the packaging being kept in English. Several months later, Hasbro's US division released those toys in the United States and Canada as Toys"R"Us exclusives, with the toys now sporting bilingual English/Chinese texts on their packaging. In addition, the Deluxe Class toys were now packaged in vehicle mode rather than in robot mode.

Running changes

When companies come up with a way to slightly tweak and improve their product, they sometimes do so in the middle of the production run. This creates "running change" variants, but as far as the company is concerned, the later version is usually considered the "superior" product that is supposed to "replace" the earlier, "inferior" version. This can be an improved tooling of a toy, allowing for more stability of joints or pegs or higher plastic tolerances improving the toy's articulation; it can be minor changes to the coloration or deco, occasionally in an attempt to make the toy more show-accurate; or it can be limited to the packaging and/or paperwork included with the toy. Whether these changes are to be considered fixes to a perceived flaw or "error", cosmetic improvements or equally valid "alternate versions" with neither version being superior to the other one depends from case to case, and sometimes also from person to person (see "errors" below for more).

Sometimes, the changes of a toy's colors are very noticeable, suggesting other intentions than cosmetic improvements.

Tooling

• Many Generation 1 toys were available both with and without rubsign indents.
• Generation 1 Optimus Prime had retooled fist holes so that he could better hold his ion blaster. Furthermore, the weapon was also available with a larger barrel than the standard version.
• Transmetal Rattrap's neck-hinge was retooled to include a "catch" that keeps his head upright better in robot mode.
• The first wave containing Alternators Silverstreak had the toy sport its steering wheel on the right side of the dashboard, a carry-over from the Japanese Binaltech release of the toy. Subsequent shipments replaced the interior with the tooling from its (earlier released) retool Smokescreen, with the steering wheel on the left side.^[2][3]
• Classics Bumblebee's air scoop on the roof of his car mode was made a touch bigger after the first half of his run when it was found that the rubsign did not fit on top of the scoop itself. Later redecos would continue to use this version of the mold.
• Movie Deluxe Class Classic Camaro Bumblebee saw two changes to his mold during its production run: The initial version had even tabs on its Automorph gimmick; the first modification saw that changed to an uneven tab, which frequently caused the gimmick to break, which in turn resulted in the toy refusing to stay in its vehicle mode; the second modification, which was only available with the UK exclusive "Towed to Safety" two-pack with Longarm and with the more widely available "Evolution of a Hero" two-pack with Concept Camaro Bumblebee, saw the addition of another small tab which fixed the gimmick's fragility.^[4] All three versions are, by definition, "variants", since they were intentional changes on behalf of the factory; but since the intermediate version worsened the toy, not all fans interested in collecting variants would want it.
• Later versions of Dark of the Moon Cyberverse Legion Class Soundwave figures featured sculpted "grill" details on the front, sides, and hood of the vehicle, whereas the initial production run had left those areas smooth.^[5]
• The Prime Cyberverse Legion Class Vehicon figure had a molding variation with his included weapon: In the initial run of figures, the "shield" piece on the side was thicker. Later waves thinned the shield a bit, tapered the ends and added a few more sculpted details.
• In 2012, Hasbro released minor redecos of 2010 Transformers "Reveal the Shield" Legends Class Optimus Prime and Starscream (sporting the same decos as TakaraTomy's Chronicle EZ Collection releases of those sculpts) in generic 2010 Transformers packaging as "Dollar store" exclusives. Later shipments saw Optimus and Starscream sporting retooled hands, holes compatible with 3mm ports and additional weapon accessories, all of which originated with the Generations Motorbreath and Thundercracker retools of those sculpts, respectively.
• Initial shipments of Prime: Beast Hunters Cyberverse Legion Class Hun-Gurrr were unable to fold the claws over all the way in both directions due to problems with the plastic tolerances. This was amended by a running change, which also affected international releases of the figure. (All subsequent releases and redecos of the sculpt came with the same problem-free claws as the running change version.)
• Initial releases of Kre-O Custom Kreon Optimus Prime had an unsculpted helmet (either opaque or transparent, depending on the various samples) on his right side, while his left side is sculpted. However, this problem was solved by giving two perfect helmets via a running change in later releases.
• Later releases of Combiner Wars Swindle featured two sets of nubs on his gun that could clip over either of his shoulders (meant for his retool, Hound), whereas initial releases lacked the aforementioned nubs.
• Titans Return Trypticon originally featured symmetrical towers; the right tower was later redesigned to mimic the original asymmetrical towers on the original toy.

Materials

• The "gray Roller" version of Generation 1 Optimus Prime (see below) had metal plates on the insides of his trailer/Combat Deck instead of stickers.
• Generation 1 Ultra Magnus, Rodimus Prime and Metroplex were all originally available with rubber tires, while later shipments saw them replaced with plastic wheels. In addition, the first version of Rodimus Prime had toes made of die-cast metal, which were also replaced with plastic toes on the later version, and the second version of Metroplex replaced the vacuum-metallized legs with flat white plastic legs.
• Some Generation 1 Scramble City-style combiner components were alternatively available with metal parts or in all-plastic versions.

Colors and deco

• Generation 1 Optimus Prime was available with a gray Roller and gray missiles for his Combat Deck, and with a blue Roller and black missiles. Furthermore, the second version also had an additional variant with a lighter shade of blue for both Roller and the Combat Deck components.
• The initial Japanese release of Generation 1 Astrotrain sported different colors than his Hasbro counterpart, resulting in a black steam locomotive mode and a mostly white Space Shuttle mode complete with NASA decals. The following year, Takara re-released Astrotrain, now sporting the same colors as the Hasbro version.
• The Generation 2 Dinobots, Grimlock, Snarl, and Slag, were all available in three different color variants, each released in sequence.
• Some toys with vacuum-metallized parts were available in slightly different shades, such as Generation 2 Seaspray or Beast Wars Optimal Optimus (both with either "blue" or "purple" parts).
• The Beast Wars Transmetal 2 toys Dinobot and Prowl were some of Hasbro's early attempts at same-character redecos: The first few waves featured Dinobot in a bone-tan and purple coloration, whereas Prowl was white, turquoise, and red; several waves in, Dinobot's colors were changed to bright white with blue, and Prowl was now black, blue, and red. Neither toy's packaging made mention of the change, and both toys' packaging retained the same individual SKU rather than having them as completely new releases, as later lines would do with redecos.
• Beast Wars Transmetal Rampage had an extremely limited variant release that had silver paint apps on the chest and head. It is still unclear whether it came before or after the far more common version with orange paint on the chest and head.

• Early shipments of Energon Unicron also had the toy still sporting the same colors as the original Armada release, eventually being replaced by an all-new redeco.
• Movie Legends Class Autobot Ratchet was originally released in a very saturated green color, but later shipments had his color changed to a lime-ish tone closer to the character's larger Voyager Class toy.

• Similarly, Power Core Combiners Huffer originally had his truck mode hood painted in a notably different shade of orange than the orange plastic used for the rest of the truck body. Later shipments changed the paint operation to a different shade that matched the plastic much better.
• Revenge of the Fallen Breakaway,^[6] Sideways,^[7] and Scattorshot^[8] all had their colors changed to slightly darker tones in later shipments. It's possible that this change wasn't actually intentional, but just the result of slightly differently mixed colors for the batch.
• Revenge of the Fallen Deluxe Class Mudflap initially came with a license plate that referenced his car model, "Trax."^[9] A later variant enlarged the license plate and changed it to "Mudflap".^[10]
• The initial production run of Revenge of the Fallen Deluxe Class Cannon Bumblebee featured nearly opaque blue windows. Later cases then featured translucent blue windows instead.^[11]
• Dark of the Moon Human Alliance Roadbuster initially sported his tampographed "88" driver numbers in a generic font, "NASCAR" decals behind the headlights and a missile made out of clear yellow plastic. A later variant saw the "88" numbers changed to resemble the font used for the real-life Dale Earnhardt, Jr. Sprint Cup Chevy Impala (including black and white outlines) and replaced the "NASCAR" decals with Sprint Cup Series logos and the clear yellow missile with an opaque yellow one.^[12]
• Some variants even omit deco present on previous production runs. The second, Toys"R"Us exclusive run of Prime: First Edition Voyager Class Optimus Prime omitted the red paint on, beside, and below the truck side windows, revealing the patch of brown plastic underneath.
• Transformers: Prime/Beast Hunters Cyberverse Legion Class Soundwave originally had his head including the mouthplate as well as the "collar" around the head all painted in flat black. Coupled with the purple paint operations on each side of the mouthplate, this made it look as if Soundwave had a huge black head with two purple eyes. This was later amended to some degree by a running change that gave the face a slightly darker, more glossy paint job.
• Transformers: Prime/Beast Hunters Deluxe Class Windrazor was originally released in colors that were very close to those of his wave-mate Twinstrike. A later running change replaced nearly all plastic and paint colors, most notably splitting up the formerly bright yellow plastic parts into gray and gold. This was effectively the most significant color variant officially marketed and sold as the same product since the Beast Wars Transmetal 2 Dinobot and Prowl variants.^[13]
• One of the most infamous cases: The original production run of Power of the Primes Deluxe Class Autobot Jazz became the center of a minor controversy when it was discovered that the figure's deco featured a tampograph with the letters "MAGA" in tiny Cybertronix text underneath Jazz's Autobot insignia (with "MAGA" being the acronym for the 2016 presidential campain of a very controversial person). When reached for questioning, Hasbro responded that they had not sanctioned the political message and would address the issue with the "vendor" (corporate language for "freelance artist") responsible.^[14] A few months later, Jazz was re-released as part of wave 3 of the Power of the Primes Deluxe Class assortment. Hasbro took this as an opportunity to remove the "MAGA" text, leaving only a conspicuously large blank black space underneath the Autobot insignia.

Packaging and paperwork

• Early versions of carded Beast Wars Basic and Deluxe figures when sold in the United States featured a craggy, rock-like plastic bubble, but later versions instead came packaged in a more traditional, rounded ("smooth") bubble. Toys from the first few waves that still shipped after the change had been implemented were thus available in a running change packaging variant with the new bubble style.
• Meanwhile, over in Europe, early releases in trilingual English/Spanish/Italian packaging simply featured the Beast Wars branding and the standard English names for the individual toys, but a running change saw that changed to a double Beast Wars/Biocombat branding, and additional names for each individual toy for the Italian market underneath the English name.
• The Beast Wars Transmetals 2 originally used a Roman numeral, "Transmetal II", but later changed it to an Arabic number, "Transmetal 2".
• The Walmart exclusive Dinobots line had the name "Swoop" changed to "Terranotron" on the toy's character card after initial shipments.
• Similarly, early versions of Cybertron Defense Red Alert were also available with the "Cybertron Defense" prefix missing on the packaging.
• Dark of the Moon Cyberverse "Bolt" Bumblebee was released under the simple name "Bumblebee" in the United States. The European packaging initially also simply used the name "Bumblebee" everywhere on the packaging, but replaced it with a variant in later shipments that identified the toy as "Bolt Bumblebee". Conversely, Dark of the Moon Cyberverse Stealth Bumblebee was consistently named "Stealth Bumblebee" on the European packaging, whereas the United States version was once again initially named "Bumblebee", only to be followed by a variant that now also sported the name "Stealth Bumblebee".^[15]
• Lines that run longer than a year often see the introduction of a subline imprint such as the Unicron Battles for Armada, The Powerlinx Battles for Energon, Primus Unleashed for Cybertron or AllSpark Power for the Movie line. This often coincides with a slight change of the packaging design. Sometimes, toys originally released before the packaging design change will also be available in the new design.
• The packaging size can also change. For example, some Cybertron Mini-Con two-packs were also available in slightly smaller packaging at Walmart stores. Likewise, Revenge of the Fallen Human Alliance packaging was severely shrunk down for the Australian market following Bumblebee's initial release, with a running change for Bumblebee himself.
• Some toys were available alternatively packaged in robot or alternate mode. Examples include the 1984 Generation 1 Mini-Cars for the 1985 lineup, or assorted Movie and Revenge of the Fallen Deluxe and Voyager Class toys. In the latter case, the packaging's orientation was also flipped sideways to keep the same dimensions. However, most of those alternate versions have only been released in Asia, so they might rather fall under "market-specific variants".
• Dark of the Moon Deluxe Class Laserbeak was initially packaged with the toy pointing diagonally to the left (like all Dark of the Moon Deluxe Class toys), with his guns placed to the right, pointing in the same direction as Laserbeak. A later variant saw Laserbeak pointing diagonally to the right, with the guns placed to the left, pointing straight up.^[16]
• Various Generations toys came with instructions that depicted different heads and other sculpt differences compared to the actual toys, hinting at planned retools for those toys. The line art for Generations Thunderwing's instructions, for example, depicted the head and chest that would later be used for Sky Shadow. However, a running change version of the instructions changed the head (but not the chest) to Thunderwing's.
• Prime Voyager Class Megatron's packaging initially featured a larger Decepticon insignia cutting into the box window, whereas a later variant not only featured a smaller insignia, but also an additional "Glowing fusion cannon!" call-out.^[17]
• The Beast Hunters redeco/retool of Prime Voyager Class Megatron was originally identified as simply "Megatron" by his packaging, and his weapon was referred to as the "Tartarex Warp Sword", whereas the instructions call the toy "Sharkticon Megatron" and his weapon the "Sharktooth Spear". Later shipments had the packaging changed to match the instructions in both instances.^[18]
• The single pack version of the Robots in Disguise Mini-Con Back was named "Decepticon Forth" on his packaging when available from US-based online retailers but "Decepticon Back" when released in Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. Eventually, both versions were even found side by side in the same store at US retail.
• 2023's Transformers: Legacy Deluxe Class Breakdown was deliberately released in the original 2022 Legacy packaging design in order to maintain a cohesive look for the entire Stunticon team, even though he was released in a wave with figures that otherwise featured the updated packaging design of the 2023 Evolution subline imprint. His instructions, however, came in both flavors, alternatively featuring the "vanilla" Legacy branding and a purple color scheme or the Legacy: Evolution branding and a green color scheme.

Planned but unfulfilled running changes

Sometimes Hasbro states plans for a running change in an official capacity that ultimately never come to pass:

• At OTFCC 2003, Hasbro noted they had vague plans to release a running change variant of Armada Wheeljack using the deco of his Takara counterpart, Legends of the Microns Rampage. This never materialized, however.
• In their then-weekly Hasbro.com website Q&A, Hasbro contemplated releasing the #7 Binaltech variant of Smokescreen (see above) as part of their Alternators line "in late 2004 or early 2005". This idea was likely dropped due to the original #8 version of Smokescreen ending up as a major shelfwarmer.
• Following fan complaints about Universe Deluxe Class Ironhide's face being painted blue, Hasbro promised that a running change would see the face color changed to silver,^[19] which never happened.
• When Hasbro originally revealed Generations Combiner Wars Voyager Class Onslaught at BotCon 2015, he was advertised as having a tan Bruticus chestplate for a Generation 1 Onslaught-accurate color scheme as the first release and a silver chestplate for a Generation 1 Bruticus-accurate color scheme as a running change. Instead, only the version with a silver chest plate ever made it to retail, while the version with a tan chestplate has never surfaced at all.

Chances are that when Hasbro actually announces a running change in advance, it will most likely never happen, as all the running changes listed above that did happen were never announced at all.

Variants from gang-molding

In some rare cases, toys that were gang-molded with other toys were available in unintentional variants when the toys they were gang-molded with were redecoed for a subsequent wave:

• The Generation 2 Go-Bots Gearhead and Motormouth were both available with either clear or solid plastic parts. The clear plastic parts corresponded with the clear car shells of their wave-mates Firecracker and Blowout, the solid plastic parts with the car shells of Go-Bot Optimus Prime and Megatron (redecos of Firecracker and Blowout, respectively).

Borderline cases

Variant or different product?

Following Beast Wars Transmetal 2 Dinobot II and Prowl, Hasbro decided to become more straightforward about same-character redecos, which have been treated as separate products since then:

• The "new style" redecos of 2001 Robots in Disguise Prowl, Side Burn and X-Brawn sported different product code numbers, as did the red and yellow versions of Cybertron Scrapmetal. Still, all of them were released under the same names as the originals, without a prefix or suffix like most same-character redecos have.
• Likewise, the limited edition version of Cybertron Primus with the Unicron head accessory also had different product code and assortment numbers than the regular, bonus-free release.
• The same applies to store exclusive versions of toys containing "Bonus" figures such as Mini-Cons or Legends Class toys. Officially, they are separate products; but some collectors might consider them "variants".

• Furthermore, various Energon and Cybertron toys were re-released in rebranded Universe packaging as "Dollar store" exclusives, again sporting different product code numbers than their initial releases.
• The Target-exclusive Revenge of the Fallen Superion and Bruticus Maximus combiner giftsets sported different product code numbers than their Universe counterparts released in Australia and Singapore, though the Target versions were originally intended to be released in Universe packaging as well. (One might argue that the different-franchise packaging makes them different characters, though chances are the marketing department didn't put nearly as much thought into this as fans do.)
• On the other hand, there are things like the re-release of Armada Unicron in Universe packaging (exclusive to Toys"R"Us) five years after his Armada release, but sporting the same product code number (the fact that he sports minor color differences compared to the Armada version doesn't help either).
• Alternators are particularly complicated: On the one hand, when Prowl, Meister and Autobot Tracks were re-released as part of a "rebooted" assortment for the North American market in the new "bubble" style packaging, they all sported different product code and assortment numbers than their initial releases. On the other hand, Silverstreak and Swindle were also re-released in the new "bubble" style packaging for the European market only, where both of them had previously been available in one of the older packaging styles... and retained the same product code numbers as those earlier releases. On top of that, Europe also saw a release of Dead End, Shockblast and Decepticharge in the new "bubble" style packaging, none of whom had previously been available in multilingual packaging in Europe. (Shockblast and Dead End had been available as gray imports in American packaging via Argos stores in the United Kingdom and via Toys"R"Us stores in Denmark and Sweden, respectively.) All of them sported the same product code numbers as their initial American releases in one of the older packaging styles. Needless to say, the line between "variant" and "different product" gets very blurry here.
• Another example of European market release with no direct American counterparts operating under different rules were redecos of Movie Legends Class Autobot Jazz and Barricade (a minor, yet distinct redeco in Jazz's case). In the United States, these two were released in "Allspark Battles" two-packs (possibly part of the AllSpark Power subline imprint, based on the similar packaging design) with a new Legends Class sculpt of Bonecrusher and Legends Bumblebee's redeco Cliffjumper, respectively. While the two-packs are clearly different products to most collectors, the Jazz and Barricade redecos (as well as Bonecrusher and Cliffjumper) were released as single packs in Europe, with both of them sporting the same product codes as their original releases... even though Barricade not only sported an entirely different deco, but also a modified name, "Recon Barricade".
• Confusingly, all three Robots in Disguise Mini-Con 4-Packs were not only released under the same product code number, but even retained the same UPC barcode in non-European markets (as well as retaining the same EAN barcode in Europe, which is less unusual)... despite each of them containing an almost entirely different lineup of figures! In fact, Undertone is the only sculpt actually shared between two of the sets.
• The 2014 Transformers line's Legion Class Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and Starscream figures were re-released in different packaging in 2015. All three sported different Hasbro product code numbers and UPC barcodes than their 2014 counterparts, despite being released under the same assortment number. In 2017, they were released again in minor variants of their 2014 packaging, this time again with the original Hasbro product code numbers and UPC barcodes.

Errors

Sometimes running changes do not simply tweak the toys slightly, but are actually intended to fix errors that were caught during quality control, but not until some quantities of the flawed version had already shipped. In some cases the difference between outright "errors" and genuine "variants" is blurry (see the examples for Movie Legends Class Autobot Ratchet or Power Core Combiners Huffer above), but even in instances where something is objectively a defect, some collectors still consider the earlier, faulty versions as "variants":

• Considerable quantities of the Generation 1 Jumpstarters were available with each other's character artwork depicted in the Tech Spec/bio strips.
• Generation 1 Targetmaster Hot Rod's packaging contained the erroneous blurb "Firebolt transforms into Misfire's weapon!"^[20] Targetmaster Scourge's box contains the same error, only replacing Firebolt's name with "Fracas" but still incorrectly mentioning Misfire.^[21] For Hot Rod, this was fixed in two steps: first Misfire's name was covered with a sticker that contained the correct name "Hot Rod" and later shipments came in boxes that had the correct name printed on them.^[22] A fixed version for Scourge's box supposedly also exists, but is said to be much rarer than the fixed Hot Rod box.
• Early shipments of Cybertron Deluxe Class Optimus Prime (a redeco of the Armada Super-Con Optimus Prime toy) had incorrectly assembled and therefore less poseable arms, just like the Universe Battle in a Box Ultra Magnus release of the sculpt before it. In Prime's case, some people consider the incorrectly assembled version an "error" because it was done unintentionally; others, however, consider it a "variant", because it has been released in considerable quantities, and the later, corrected version was an intentional change.
• The European version of Revenge of the Fallen Scout Class Dead End was initially released with the name "Detour", an early working name of the toy, on the cardboard insert inside the packaging's blister bubble^[23] (though the back of the card and the instructions correctly identified him as "Dead End"). Later shipments replaced the cardboard insert with a corrected "Dead End" version.^[24] In at least one case, the European "Detour" name insert was accidentally even included with a US Dead End packaging.^[25]
• Initial batches of Generations Dirge lacked the white center of the head crest for all three tampographed Decepticon faction symbols, which was later fixed by a running change.^[26]
• A particularly odd case: Revenge of the Fallen Fast Action Battlers Grapple Grip Mudflap had his name spelled as "Grappel Grip Mudflap" all over his European packaging, whereas the North American version had it corrected into "Grapple". However, considering that the spelling was also used on Hasbro's public website,^[27] and is repeated with 2010 Transformers "Solar Storm Grappel", this raises the question which version is officially to be considered the "incorrect" one, and whether the "Grappel" (mis)spelling is in fact intentionally used for trademark reasons...
• While less common, running changes can also occur in comics: The original printing run of IDW Publishing's Movie Prequel issue 1 featured a printing error, with the text captions from page 2 repeated on page 5. The shipment was recalled by IDW, and a second printing run with the error corrected was shipped to retailers. Some fans kept the flawed version of the comic instead of exchanging it for the fixed version, considering it a "variant".

Not variants

An isolated incident does not a variant make

While the errors listed above are considered genuine variants by some collectors, there are lots of other cases where the common consensus is that these are not variants: Every collector has probably encountered at least one one-of-a-kind freak error over the years (Cybertron Red Alert assembled without a head, a toy lacking some of its paint operations, a toy with a cardboard insert featuring the wrong name inside the packaging etc.). Unless this error affected considerable quantities of the production run, and is found on all specimens of the same toy packed in multiple cases, this isn't considered a "variant" by the vast majority of the fandom.

Likewise, if a single specimen contains an entirely different toy (or at least an entirely different deco of the toy) than depicted on the packaging, this was most likely done by somebody who didn't want to pay for the toy and thus returned the packaging to the store with another toy inside. This is a case of toy swapping (simply put, a variety of store theft), and no more a "variant" than a fan-made custom. A genuine variant requires something to occur at the factory stage.

Another bizarre variety are toys designed with an alternate head sculpt that is gang-molded with the original head, intended for a potential future redeco/retool. Sometimes, a small number (possibly even a single specimen) is accidentally assembled with the wrong head sculpt and makes it to retail. These occurrences often end up being isolated incidents, and can thus be assumed to be unusual manufacturing errors that result in a unique toy, rather than a genuine defect. Some notable examples:

• Prime Cyberverse Commander Class Optimus Prime had an alternate head sculpt that was based on the mouthplate-less face as seen on the show. Said alternate sculpt was eventually used for the Nightwatch Optimus Prime, but before that was even announced, a specimen sporting the mouthplate-less head was found at retail and immediately reported as a "variant".^[28]
• In 2017, multiple specimens of Titans Return Deluxe Class Chromedome were found at US retail that included the TakaraTomy Legends counterpart's "Headmaster" figure rather than the Hasbro version's normal Titan Master Stylor figure, complete with the different show-accurate Chromedome face sculpt, additional paint operations for the Titan Master figure itself and a black screw otherwise unique to the TakaraTomy versions. In total, less than a dozen specimens were confirmed between two or three different stores.^[29]
• Also in 2017, a single specimen of Robots in Disguise Warrior Class Soundwave was found with an alternate head sculpt that featured a mouthplate. This alternate head has thus far never actually been officially used.^[30]
• A single specimen of Siege Micromaster Blackjack was found at US retail with the chest and head of the previously released Swindler. Despite the tireless efforts of the original finder to have this reported as a "variant", no other specimens were found, and the consensus was reached that this was simply a one-off factory error.^[31]
• Kingdom Leader Class Megatron (Beast) had an alternate head sculpt with grinning teeth rather than closed lips, which was intended for T-Wrecks, who ultimately feaured the original Megatron head instead due to a widespread manufacturing error. However, a single specimen of Megatron was found with the intended T-Wrecks head sculpt.^[32]

Pre-release items

Pre-release items such as prototypes, test shots and packaged samples that differ from the final products in sculpt, plastic color, paint, deco or packaging details do not count as "variants" either. True variants only exist between different specimens of officially released and distributed products. So unless the pre-release version has been officially released in some quantities before a running change replaced it with the more common version, it's not a variant. Stolen prototypes do not count. Some examples of samples that differ from the final product include:

• Alternators Sunstreaker features a rear license plate sporting an Autobot insignia followed by his full name, " SUNSTREAKER", but an earlier sample only featured an abbreviated form of the name in a different font, with an Autobot insignia in the middle, "SUN STRK".
• At one stage shortly before mass production, Universe (2008) Deluxe Class Cyclonus (depicted at the right) had his alternate mode's nosecone as well as the included Nighstick Targetmaster figure cast in beige plastic. Because Hasbro's promotional photos that depict both a pre-release sample and a packaged sample featured these colors, it created some fandom angst in its wake. The plastic color was fixed to purple before the figure went into mass production, and thus far only one packaged sample sporting the beige plastic color has surfaced.^[33]
• The mass-produced version of the 2013 Transformers: Generations/Fall of Cybertron Deluxe Class Impactor figure features a tampographed light blue version of the "Wreckers" insignia, while Topspin from the same wave, a retool of Blast Off, features a retooling for the hinged section that covers his head in vehicle mode to sport an additional 5 mm peg hole for his new weapon accessory. However, at least one person in Taiwan got his hands on a specimen of Impactor that features a light blue regular Autobot insignia instead,^[34] thus matching the sample on display at Toy Fair 2013 ^[35], as well as a specimen of Topspin that features am unchanged tooling for the hinged section that covers his head (including different paint operations as well),^[34] which matches Hasbro's stock photos for the figure.

References

External links

• Fred's Complete Variants Page—Very thorough online variant resource.