Remembering Transformers Universe 1.0

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Time for a retrospective of the (kinda) original Transformers repaint line!
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Outro Music: Ginger Grant by Derek R. Audette
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License
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#Transformers

[@rudyproductions4557]

To quote the great Scott McNeil! Silverbolt: “Looks like Unicron’s been recruiting again!” Rattrap: “Eh, yeah, that or Walmart’s released another bunch a’ exclusives.”

[@Endangeredworlds]

That's golden

[@AJUniverse]

I honestly love these repaint lines. The shapes of the characters are instantly recognizable, so you know what they're going for in terms of who these guys are, if they aren't just the same character in new colors, yet the aesthetic is such a contrast to what we usually get. It's so interesting to me.

[@masterfarr8265]

does Legacy count as a repaint line?

[@AJUniverse]

@@masterfarr8265 I would say no. Some of its sub-lines might tho

[@prismstar438]

​@@masterfarr8265Velocitron 500 and Shattered Glass probably do (Even with some standouts like Override). Probably not the main Legacy line, though.

[@thesadistor-hl7lw]

@@masterfarr8265 hi dude how are you

[@orcciezaj]

I used to be *obsessed* with this toyline when I first discovered TFWiki and began digging into its articles. In a way, this could be called the predecessor to Thrilling 30 or Legacy, trying to actively span the then-current whole history of Transformers. I just love Transformers material that represents and indeed embodies the era in which it was made, its almost historical.

[@MrMajorasmask101]

I spend way too much time on that web site

[@Bokobling]

Except this is all just repaints lol

[@aaronmosteller2997]

Crazy how I was just thinking about Universe 2003!! I really miss this line, lots of good repaints in this series. Very nostalgic for me, grew up during the Unicron Trilogy days

[@stevebazin127]

As an Armada kid, I don't think I would have had a problem with King Atlas

[@yuwu585]

I remember this toyline from when I was young and I watched the toy galleries. I knew most transformers series that existed and this one caught me off guard because I didn't know there was a show named "Transformers Universe". I then figured out there was a comic book and assumed that's where the toys came from. This reasoning also lead me to belive there was a Transformers show called "Collection Club Exclusive" but that's besides the point

[@Cdr2002]

I actually really liked the storyline that accompanied this toyline, it helped start up that multiverse fiction stuff and I was always personally into that

[@Tez_Kiryu]

A lot of these I skipped, but I always loved the Armada Overload repainted into ultra magnus. It really shows how a clever recolor can breathe new life into an older mold

[@burkeperrotta4495]

Universe 1.0 and Energon were my G1. They captured my imagination as a kid and made me fall in love with Transformers. I’m still collecting universe to this day!

[@_jiratena7113]

easily my favorite line. secret wars but with transformers? a bunch of unique characters and molds that hadn't been seen in the US like big convoy? two devastators?? it was so cool.

[@Kirby0189]

I actually had that Ratchet repaint as a kid. It was the first Ratchet I ever knew about since I was still familiar with Red Alert being the Autobot medic in Armada.

[@dialNforNinja]

Hasbro loves their low-effort recolors, for sure. Generations Selects is pretty much the same thing now, but with the "collector exclusives" factor turned up even higher, since they do often get a new head or accessory.

[@Rabbitlord108]

Heck in Transformers Cybertron they had things come full circle in a sense with what happened to Megatron. When he became Galvatron he adopted a similar color scheme to G1 Megatron (Except his face which became purple for some reason) and in his last battle with Optimus he said "I still function" which is directly taken from Transformers The Movie.

[@treebotreviews]

Your review of universe Nemesis prime is the reason I'm in love with that mold. So thank you for that.🤣🤣 and I'll never forget when I walked into DG and found almost all of the cybertron scouts in universe packaging. Lol

[@TFormers2002]

The Backstop dollar store refresh figures were some of my first TFs I ever got. I ended up with all the spychanger figures. The spychanger G1 colored Laser Prime was my first ever Prime toy I got and I still have and cherish it to this day. Needless to say the final years of Universe 1.0 going into 2.0 were very nostalgic for me

[@yequari]

I always appreciate the retrospectives you give on collecting in the late 90s and early 00s. I was a kid just getting into Transformers back then and it's cool to hear about the collector perspective of that time.

[@windsweeper8002]

I loved the Universe line, both the toys and comics. I still have some of the figures: Inferno Ratchet Frostbite Reptillion Defensor Construction coloured Build Team Yellow Build Teams Tap Out Shadow Striker Roulette There are a few grails from the line I'd like to get eventually: King Atlas Ransack Battle Unicorn Razorclaw Tankor Obsidian

[@lyokomajor]

I can assure you that Universe Ultra Magnus does not use black. It's a very dark blue.

[@TomMSTie1138]

Thank you TJ, this is yet another section of the Transformers franchise I know nothing about.

[@iodaspark]

Ah, loads of nostalgia with this wonderful line! Great flashback sharing here! You will be happy to know that Nemesis Prime is still on active display and the subtle retooling on Depthcharge makes it a friendlier toy to play with. That Silverbolt is rabidly pre-pandemic (but has a certain 'charm' nonetheless), while Razorclaw & NS Cheetor are still fine after years of active play. King Atlas is still holding up pretty well too. I am only very careful when handing Magna Stampede due to some of his thinner connection points being made of transparent plastics. There were really so many options on shelves to choose from back then; a time when folks were more sensible and repaints & redecos were generally not considered worth buying as opposed to fresh moulds in general (the then new Alternators being far more awesome options when compared side by side, truth be told), not to mension Robot Masters & Energon which were all becoming active circa that time. Those G1 homages filled a lacuna that many could only dream off back then when in general, when so few TF moulds were actually being produced annually, and that was a plus for sales. So were Mini-Con redecos for Armada enthusiasts. One of the only ones that I really wanted but could never find back then was Universe Blastcharge. How about yourself?

[@MichaelAlexKawa]

I loved this line, I really loved all the repaints. Strange fact, I was just looking up this line on the TFwiki just yesterday.

[@Guatdefook]

Universe Nemesis Prime, Frostbite, Reptilion, Blastcharge, Razorclaw, Fireflight, Silverbolt and Optimus Primal are my favorites of the line. I just loooove the garish colors so much.

[@Noizemaze4]

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh the OG Universe ~~~~ good times ~~~ I recall them fondly :P sure ppl hated em back then but now they all look back at it with nostalgia ~~~

[@RialVestro]

Depth Charge, Night Slash Cheetor, and the Constructicons were the best figures in the entire toy line. I actually have that Depth Charge. I missed out on the original and the repaint was actually decent with the more organic colors. Night Slash Cheetor also in a weird turn of events came out in his show accurate colors which the original version of the mold never did. I don't know why they still called it night slash when that name made mode sense on the black version but I actually think Universe Cheetor is the best toy based on the Beast Machines design. The Constructicons are the only figures that actually had some retooling done to them. Razorclaw not only didn't remove the Maximal insignia but actually specifically painted it in despite the fact the character isn't a Maximal. The Constructicons went the extra mile to alter the molded Autobot insignia into Decepticon insignias.

[@Undrave]

Man I love my Crystal Widow! Deep purple and orange is an amazing color scheme and I wish there were more toys in that color!

[@fishpop]

My brother came up with an interesting idea about that mammoth Nemesis Prime. New series where Optimus Primal and Leo Convoy are working together. Nemesis shows up as a major threat who gores someone, resulting in the red tusks. (perhaps someone who was in Beast Mode, so as to explain why it's blood, not Energon) Nemesis turns out to have been a Maximal Protoform stolen and corrupted by Galvatron/Unicron. Eventually he's purified, likely by Matrix power, into being Big Convoy who has major grief over who he killed as Nemesis but he redeems himself in self-sacrifice to take down Galvatron/Unicron.

[@esaunothing6336]

Universe 2003 skywarp and skydive were some of my first figures and that nemesis big convoy is a grail for me rn

[@vriderch1360]

The new Velocitron Galaxy Shuttle gave me some major Universe vibes.

[@tonyjackson4078]

I got a lot of toys from this line. Mainly because I got into BW near the end, and there were a lot of RiD and BM repaints that just worked for me.

[@Heroduothecomedian]

universe nemesis prime...oh owwww, that stills hurts me to this day. i knew of beast wars neo back in the day but i didn't have the money to get the real big convoy and me and my mom where at walmarts and i saw it and begged for her to get it for me as it was the only one there (foreshadow,never showed up again after that day) but she said no, its just a repaint and its of a transformer i know little about and im sure most in area wouldn't ether so wait till it goes down in price and maybe then she will...well sadly he never showed up again and it still hurts me that i missed out of him even though i do have the original big convoy now as an adult,there still a hole in my heart for nemesis primal as i liked to call him.

[@mjlee29]

As a guy who grew up with Beast Wars and has stuck with it ever since, I loved Universe. It allowed me to get distinct versions of molds that I already liked or perhaps missed during the initial run of whatever series. Even now I still like to look back and see the vast variety of molds in those interesting color schemes. As of 2023 I feel like Legacy and Legacy Evolution are doing what Universe tried to do but just a little bit more successfully by bringing in multiple universe incarnations of Autobots, Maximals, Predacons and Decepticons. Do you want a guy from Prime, Armada, Beast Wars and the G2 comics? We are covered.

[@mockery_finn]

I hope you get to cover Universe 2.0. It’s one of my favorite toylines ever and I have so many figures from that line like Inferno and Countdown. So many memories

[@christiantaylor3446]

Honestly, I’m glad this line existed back in the day. Saw a lot of the figures when I was a kid, obviously couldn’t get them all at the time, but for me as a collector hunting down figures today universe line allows me to find at least the rereleased molds to mess with.

[@Avarstia_Owain]

Me and my friend Jonah are out here going like: "Can we get Universe 3.0 a version closer to 1.0"

[@EricTHughes13]

G2 started out as a repaint line before Machine wars.

[@MrDoctorVK]

While Machine Wars was first repaint toyline; in way 2003 TF: Universe was semi genesis for 2008 TF: Universe line but less old molds be repainted and more new molds. Though some old 2003 TF: Universe released sets or characters were planned to be characterize or set in official timelines, for example Space Case and Soundwave were planned to be females and set in 2001RID timeline.

[@davidtierney7941]

Oh and the “ransack” is mistransformed!

[@Ranma_Leopard]

Very enjoyable video

[@RenjiAbarai777]

I'd adore a Universe Primal Repaint using Kingdom Primal.

[@KodyCrimson]

Oh hey, I actually got the Smokescreen and Ransack pack. I still have these guys. Ooh, and the Spy Changer repaints, we had all 6 of those. Don't have those anymore though.

[@bigman88zz]

I regret not getting Micromaster Devastator after all of those times I passed by each member in the toy aisle.

[@KRBrickBot]

It's unusual Smokescreen and Refute are packaged in a mid-transforming state.

[@SuperMutant2099]

I remember picking up universe figure one year at Epcot in Japan area

[@flamekaizer8476]

15:27 Fun fact about that optimus mold, it's the first (And only) canonically Female Optimus Prime.

[@benjaminwiseman6567]

I didn't expect you to mention every Universe toy, but I thought you'd at least mention the Optimus Primal. I'm still hoping we get a repaint of Kingdom or Rise of the Beasts Primal in his colors. His weapons were banana-colored. :) If I had to rank my top 5 Universe 1.0 repaints: 5. Silverbolt 4. Tankor 3. Skywarp (Jetstorm mold) 2. Blastcharge 1. Reptilion

[@kamenrider5ds60]

Honestly no joke that I wanted the Nemesis Prime/Big Convoy Repaint but I found out about it like eh 3 or 4 years after its been removed from shelves so only other choice was like Ebay after market prices (And for Exclusives at that time yea over priced like now so nothing changed on that part.) So I never got it BUT I now want them to do with the Legacy branding a new Leader Class version of Big Convoy (under whatever prime name they wish to given him, Frostemus Prime? Glacier Prime?) then if lucky get a gen-select version of that theoratical new leader mold into a new Nemesis Prime. oh to dream.

[@thedizzydervish1314]

I have almost all of these. Some are in my display shelves

[@iodaspark]

RE-WATCHED!

[@RKStrikerJK5]

Oh, wow. I haven't thought of Universe 1.0 in so long!

[@CORE1.8MINISTERIES]

I remember that line!!!!

[@EternityKingdomsHeadHoncho]

Universe Depth Charge, aka “Bomb Pop Manta” I really wish Legacy took more cues from Universe 1.0 in regards to its setup. There’s really not much of a reason for these universes to collide other than “just go with it”. Kinda wish we had something akin to the whole “Unicron summons a bunch of Cybertronians from across the multiverse and makes them fight so he can feed off their hatred” plot again. Also, where are Primus and Unicron in Legacy? Maybe they could make Primus from Siege Refraktor (new head based on IDW Rung and new chest based on the Matrix) and Unicron from the rumored Bludgeon retool of Tarn (new head; big homage to Cybertron Unicron). I dunno, something new that still pays tribute to the franchise’s past.

[@SunSwipePrime]

Hearing this, to me, it echoes a lot of what seems to be transpiring with current TFs, and Hasbro products in general, exclusives galor, low effort product, with the added Hasbro Pulse /crowdfunding stuff. Just seems like history repeating itself.

[@SkyStarNova]

Love the comics! Too bad both Wreckers and Universe last issues were never produced. Would love to read those.

[@RialVestro]

I was just watching a video on Mask prop replicas from the Jim Carrey movie which is kind of a Holy Grail of mine. I actually have a list of costumes and prop replicas from movies and telivision I would love to own and that got me thinking... You've done videos on Holy Grails before but I don't think you've ever talked specifically about props and things from your favorite movies. What if anything would you want to own. My personal list on top of the Mask, Picard's jacket from The Next Generation, the Nuralizer from Men in Black, and Darth Sidious' Lightsaber.

[@skybite]

I repurposed several of them as Unicron Trilogy characters save a few for 2001 Robots in Disguise characters

[@awesomeguy9513]

I hope we could get something universe like in the future but with a bit more effort, like new characters or continuation of characters told through repaints. There’s generations selects but that’s more odd repaints that make sense like toy versions or character throw backs it could go a route universe but idk hasbro plan with that line and how much they wanna use it Also I’m one of the few people that like the smokescreen vs ransack back cause I like those armada figures/characters smokescreen while almost useless in possibility is fun to fiddle with and he’s got a pretty cool minicon, and hope we see an update for them soon in legacy

[@jeepdino7353]

Call me crazy, but I would love a Transformers Universe colors on the new Optimus Primal molds. I don't have any of them, but I'd get that one. I had that color scheme figure when I was kid. Still have it actually.

[@bequiet5373]

there's a universe redeco of BW jawbreaker called frostbite, and I kinda want frostbite but I haven't seen one on ebay.

[@MrMajorasmask101]

As a kid that grew up with armada the universe toy threw me off. I remember freaking out that optimus prime was a monkey but of course l didn’t know he was a different character. I remember getting ratchet and the oil slick vs crystal set later that Christmas

[@charperalta9489]

some repaints were sh*t some were awsome

[@masterfarr8265]

you know that snow cat could work as the fallen.

[@nnemov22]

I still have mine.

[@Jazzer995]

Nemesis Prime / Big Convoy is / was the figure I always think of when I hear Transformers Universe. I would not have minded that black Snowcat, the mini Raiden set as well, err they did make a Raiden right???

[@silentone3357]

tbh Buzzworthy line is in a way a Universe line under new name.

[@eobardthawne3333]

So magmatron was released in the US as a maximal and big convoy was released in the us as a decepticon.

[@eobardthawne3333]

@@willisjackson7029 in the fluff, magmatron was serving in the maximal's cause in the US continuity. See the wreckers comic.

[@diegodankquixote-wry3242]

Know that I am Razorclaw! And know that I was the cause for Tidalwave for being green!

[@marcusallen35]

Universe 3.0 AKA Generations Selects

[@masterfarr8265]

so it’s kinda like Legacy? Mostly repaints

[@fatenabu1]

Wasn't the all yellow landfill suppose to be g2 Devastator? I could be nuts though on that assumption.

[@robrice7246]

1:37 I know that someone on Twitter took that concept and made it a new character with werewolf and bat wing like features. Don't remember who it was though?

[@TheSharkKing45]

I think things would have been better if some of the final waves of Universe 1.0 would have been in either waves 2 or 3 of either Energon or Cybertron

[@grayj7441]

Wrecker Skywarp

[@Deceptiwolf]

AH yes, King Atlas. You have to be of a certain frame of mind, or a particular sense of humor, to fully enjoy that figure.

[@diegodankquixote-wry3242]

What wrong with the mold?

[@zoltanperei4789]

@@diegodankquixote-wry3242 it was very outdated at that point.

[@Deceptiwolf]

@@diegodankquixote-wry3242 Nothing, it's just very basic, since it's a euro g1. You have to be in the mood for that, and know the dai atlas reference it's making.

[@diegodankquixote-wry3242]

The first transformer figure remember seeing in a store was universe Triceradon in a Meijer. I got him recently and he's perfectly mediocre.

[@jessehorn6180]

Hope they'll be revamped fo Legacy.

[@diegodankquixote-wry3242]

Kinda would rather see the original figures get new molds before their universe counterparts (most of them anyway).

[@autobotzapof0002]

18:49 I got mine at a DOLLAR TREE. You know, back when it was cool. Now it’s a damned Christian arts and crafts store. Wack!

[@samrentfro858]

amogus

[@AJUniverse]

This comment seems sus

[@diegodankquixote-wry3242]

I dunno Tigerhawk, you're seeming kinda sus lately. I think there must be a herald of Unicron amongus.

[@JacobHillSBD]

Can’t wait until we get Universe figures in Legacy! They’ll announce Universe Universe Side Burn and I’ll buy a whole Universe worth of them.

[@yuwu585]

Not to be confused with Universe 2.0 also known as Classics 2.0

[@joshuachristian5443]

I hated every Univers toy, except the KB toy store 6 combiners.