The Batman The Never Was

[Werewolf]

Hasbro is bringing back Gobots with a comic from IDW. But unfortunately it doesn't look to share the Transformers universe or the Hanna Barbara cartoon.

https://www.idwpublishing.com/category/go-bots/

[Mr.Marion]

I recently picked up alot of Toy Biz Batman figures. I'm debating whether I try to collect the set. I got Batman, Robin, Riddler, and Bob so far.

[B-Lister]

So true. I would love to see Hasbro acquire the rights to Go-Bots and incorporate them into the Transformers universe.

Gobotron could be a planet colonized by refugees from Cybertron.

Hasbro owns the rights to all trademark and character names. What they DON'T own is the rights to the Machine Robo toys, that the characters were based upon.

But they've already started incorporating them. I have a figure of Crasher. It was a repaint of Classics Mirage.

[B-Lister]

Mego had a working relationship with Marvel with Microman/Micronauts, which was a companion line to Diaclone. There is no reason to believe that would not extend to Transformers.

The people who developed Transformers for Hasbro were formerly Mego people.

There is every indication that Transformers could have saved Mego. Alas, we'll never know for certain.

[enyawd72]

I totally agree. But we also can't overlook Hasbro's contribution in the formation of Transformers as they had already picked out all the toys to be used for the characters like the Diaclone Battle Convoy for the main hero and Microman Gun Robo as the main villain. Mego even with help from Marvel would have just had a few imported transforming Microman toys and maybe a comic book tie in. You take away Hasbro and the Transformers phenomenon doesn't happen.

So true. I would love to see Hasbro acquire the rights to Go-Bots and incorporate them into the Transformers universe.

Gobotron could be a planet colonized by refugees from Cybertron.

[Werewolf]

Or technically, Marvel, as they mostly created the names, characters and background story for the Transformers.

I totally agree. But we also can't overlook Hasbro's contribution in the formation of Transformers as they had already picked out all the toys to be used for the characters like the Diaclone Battle Convoy for the main hero and Microman Gun Robo as the main villain. Mego even with help from Marvel would have just had a few imported transforming Microman toys and maybe a comic book tie in. You take away Hasbro and the Transformers phenomenon doesn't happen.

[cjefferys]

But without Hasbro there's no Optimus Prime, Megatron, Bumblebee, Starscream or Transformers animated series. They might have imported some of the toys but without Hasbro's characters and animated series there's no Transformers pop culture phenomenon. Other companies had imported some of the toys before Hasbro but they never took off.

Or technically, Marvel, as they mostly created the names, characters and background story for the Transformers. But yes I agree, if Mego ended up doing these but didn't go to Marvel like Hasbro did (which was a great decision on Hasbro's part) then Mego would have just had some odd transforming robots that most likely wouldn't have been anywhere near as popular as Transformers ended up being, probably nothing more than a minor success.

[Werewolf]

Star Wars devastated them, but Transformers quite possibly could have saved them.

But without Hasbro there's no Optimus Prime, Megatron, Bumblebee, Starscream or Transformers animated series. They might have imported some of the toys but without Hasbro's characters and animated series there's no Transformers pop culture phenomenon. Other companies had imported some of the toys before Hasbro but they never took off.

[B-Lister]

If Mego had been able to survive just one more year, it's likely they would've pulled through.

Star Wars devastated them, but Transformers quite possibly could have saved them. And it would've been Mego that did it. The only reason it was Hasbro was because Mego had gone under.

It would've been an interesting landscape. Literally all of entertainment might have been rewritten.

[Earth 2 Chris]

They are really nice looking figures. Unfortunately Kenner went with movie characters only, and so began the never-ending cycle of nutty Batman variants.

Chris

[EmergencyIan]

I remember these Dark Knight figures, now, because a couple of much younger cousins had them when they must have been very young. Until now, I had completely forgotten about them. I can see why they were popular as Kenner had a great foundation to work from.

- Ian

[Earth 2 Chris]

I just noticed in my post above, Kenner was still using the Super Powers mold in promo shots. Look at the Dark Knight Collection catalog page, and take a gander at Iron Winch Batman.



This figure did come out in traditional blue and gray Batman colors, but used the standard DKC Michael Keaton body.

Chris

[TrekStar]

That Joker van is very cool, I never seen that in any Toys-R-Us stores at the time, I would have bought it since I had the figure.

[JWLJN]

I never realized the Joker Van has some value. I was thinking of selling the Toybiz/Dark Knight/Suoer Powers stuff on eBay just because for me, as a child, it was always just placeholder stuff since no '66 toys existed. But a Mattel Cesar might be pretty cool displayed with that van...

-J\/\/

[PNGwynne]

That Estrela version is sharp.