Chase figure
From Transformers Wiki
A chase figure is a toy that is released in highly limited amounts relative to the rest of an assortment, often something like "one chase figure per every X number of cases of regular product". The name comes from the assumption that collectors, in their need to "collect them all" will put in more effort than usual to "chase" down said toys. Although they are fairly common in other collectors' series, especially with the rising popularity of blind-packed collectibles in the West, chase figures are relatively rare in the Transformers toylines. They are rarely part of "normal" retail assortments, with most cases relegated to side-lines and merchandise that utilize blindpacking to varying degrees... and the overwhelming majority of them are only released in Japan.
Of course, these definitions are fuzzy, and in some circumstances the distinction between a chase figure and a "shortpacked" figure (generally considered a toy found in every case of the assortment but typically only one per case where others are 2 or more) is blurred, particularly if the toyline itself makes a big deal out of specific toys' rarity.
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Toylines with "chase" figures
Super Collection Figure
- Main article: Super Collection Figure
- The first Transformers toy/merchandise line to use the chase figure concept, Takara's Super Collection Figure line is a series of blindpacked soft-plastic PVC figurines faithfully based on the animation models of characters from across the series, a fairly rare thing at the time. Each display case has twelve figures, with six full-color figurines, then those six again in either all-clear or pewter-painted variation. Two out of every ten cases, however, would replace one of the full-color figures with one of two different "Secret Figures", typically a redeco of one of the other figures in the assortment. Often these were just fancier versions of characters in metallic paint, or in a very scene-specific deco, and/or holding a new accessory of some sort, but a few were new characters or extensively reworked with new parts, making them highly desirable to collectors.
- Acts 3 through 8 also had "build a figure" parts added into the mix, where pieces to a larger figure were split up and packed with multiple figures in the case. While most of these appeared in roughly four cases out of ten per Act, a few can definitely be considered chases: the full-color and clear Fortress Maximus figures were each only in one in ten cases, pewter Grand Maximus in only two out of ten, and the pewter Victory Saber add-on parts also in only two of ten cases.
- When Hasbro brought the figures over as Heroes of Cybertron, several of the more notable/desirable chase figures got released as normal figures. However, the Heroes releases are all different from the SCF versions to varying degrees (the fundamental difference being painted-over clear-plastic rather than solid colored plastic), so while this did drop the demand for the original chases in the West, it didn't really do a lot to the prices for the originals anyway.
| Act 1 (12–2000) Sortie! Cybertrons chapter |
Act 2 (3–2001) 2010 chapter |
Act 3 (6–2001) The Headmasters chapter
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Act 4 (9–2001) Resurrection of Convoy chapter
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| Act 5 (12–2001) Super-God Masterforce chapter
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Act 6 (2–2002) Road to Earth chapter
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Act 7 (5–2002) Victory chapter
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Act 8 (8–2002) Overseers of Justice chapter[1]
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| Act 9 (12-27-2002) Legends of the Microns Series 1 chapter |
Act 10 (3–2003) Legends of the Microns Series 2 chapter
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MyClone
- Main article: MyClone
| Released in 2002, Takara's MyClone line is a multi-brand series of "buildable" figures based around a common core body, similar to how Minimates figures work, only far less hideous than Minimates. As one of these other lines was "adorable animals", this could result in some hilarious and/or adorable parts combinations.
Three series of Transformers figures were released, each one with two chase figures. Unfortunately, at present we do not have hard numbers on case assortments and rarity. The third wave of figures, however, reportedly have much harder to find chases than the prior two. |
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| TF AS-01 | TF AS-02
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TF AS-03 | ||||||||||||
Smallest Transforming Transformers
- Main article: Smallest Transforming Transformers
| Another one of Takara's early-2000s nostalgia-based merch lines, 2002's Smallest Transforming Transformers is exactly what it says on the box: incredibly tiny, simplified versions of original-series toys that actually transform. And we mean tiny: these figures typically stood a mere two inches tall in robot mode, with a few like Bumblebee coming in at just one inch.
Two-and-a-half waves of product were released, with a third wave ultimately canceled. As with MyClone, we unfortunately do not have a breakdown of case ratios and chase figure rarity. |
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Wave 1
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Wave 2
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Wave 2.5
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Micromaster
- Main article: The Transformers: Micromaster
- Running from 2002 to 2003, Takara's Micromaster series consists of six assortments of redecoes/re-releases of Micromaster combiner teams (and one "DX Micromaster" set of not-actually-Micromasters), sold mainly through convenience stores. Each case of twelve individually-boxed figures had six characters at two apiece, but starting with the second assortment, two of the toys in each case would be "chase" color variants, and all six toys were available in said variants, which meant a lot of looking.
- Making things slightly easier though is that the toys are not actually blindpacked like many other Takara convenience-store series: a small hole in the front of each box shows off a part of the pack-in instructions that reveals a number, telling you who's in the box (the box-sides displaying the numbers next to the corresponding figure). So while you knew who was in the box, you still couldn't see the figures proper until you opened the boxes and removed them from the opaque bags inside, so it was still a crap shoot as to which two chases you'd get when you bought a complete case, but at least if you only needed a few chases you could narrow the search.
| Turbo Team (December 25, 2003) | Wing Team (February 2003)
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Build Team (March 2003)
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Train Team (July 24, 2003) |  | ||||
| Multiforce (December 25, 2003) |
Car Robots
- Main article: Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 toyline)
| One of the more inexplicable entries in this list, Takara released a series of blindpacked Spychangers in new "super mode" decos in 2003, well over two years after the Car Robots line had ended, largely based on the more elaborate Hasbro Robots in Disguise-release paint layouts.
Once again sold mainly in convenience stores, each case had twelve individually-boxed Spychangers, two each of the six characters. But every case also had two of those figures replaced with chase colorless-clear-plastic versions of the toys. So there's two more whole sets of Spychanger redecoes on top of aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall the other versions of these molds. |
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| Super Spychangers (3-??-2003) | ||||||||||||||
Micron Booster
- Main article: Micron Booster
| Takara's Micron Booster line was a series of redecoed Mini-Cons (called "Microns" in Japan), sold in blindpacked boxes primarily through convenience stores from 2003 to 2007, intended to "boost" your army of tiny little power-enhancing robots. While the first two assortments had an even one-per-case of every Mini-Con, the third (labeled "Vol.2", just go with it) introduced a one-per-two cases chase figure, which continued into the following waves, the last assortment going a step further with two chase figures, each at one per two cases. |  | |||||||||||||
| Vol.2 (Super Link) (June 7, 2004) | Ver.3 (Galaxy Force) (March 10, 2005) | Ver.4 (The Transformers) (July 2007) | ||||||||||||
Due to some manufacturing kerfuffles, it was possible to buy a solid case of Micron Booster Ver.3 and not even get all the non-chase figures: some of the Microns were doubled up rather than the usual one-per-case, presumably because they were gang-molded with other toys sold at normal retail and Takara wanted/needed to get rid of their larger numbers somehow. No pattern so far has been determined as to who got replaced in any given case. So while none of the other figures in that assortment are technically chases, several of them kind could be considered chases by accident.
BotBots
- Main article: Transformers: BotBots
- As Hasbro's 2018 BotBots line is directly modeled after the trade-encouraging, multi-packed and partially-blind-packed mini-collectible figurine lines that were very popular in the mid-to-late 2010s (Shopkins being the big one), this line plays up the figures' relative rarity to the point where many of its figures can be considered "chase" toys. While buying a full case of each assortment will guarantee one of every possible figure, in most cases that's not strictly necessary: most figures in any given Series will be in two to three (and on rare occasion four!) different packages, leading to a lot of redundancy, and a "recommended minimum buy" scheme has been worked out for each Series so you can skip buying a good number of the packs but still net you at least one of every BotBot, including all the ones who only appear in a single package.
- For Series 1 through 3, the supposed "chase" figures were the Lost Bots, who could only be found in the blind-packed portions of the varying packages. However, most of these were found in multiple different packs, so they don't quite count. In Series 4, they were replaced with the Winner's Circle Bots, who truly were rarer, with only one of each golden trophy Bot found in only one blindpacked section across the entire Series, with some "common" BotBots showing up in the blindpacked bubbles as well. These were followed by the multicolored Oil Slicks in Series 6. The contents of these bubbles are not randomized though, making the task of collecting them all a bit easier.
- There are also single-Bot blindpacks, which arrive in cases of twenty-four, and each one is a different BotBot, no multiples. In each series, there are several BotBots who are found only in the single-pack assortment, including characters from the aforementioned "rare" teams, so yeah, under those circumstances, we're gonna call 'em chase figures. Luckily, each package has a small, easily-missed code on the back that tells you what's in the package (if you know the code), so at least that frustration is lessened somewhat as well.
- We're... not going to go over every one-per-entire Series figure here. It's a lot. Quite a lot. Triple-digits easy. Best to check the main BotBots toyline page for a complete breakdown.
The Loyal Subjects
- Main article: The Loyal Subjects
| Collectibles company The Loyal Subjects acquired the Transformers license in 2020, creating a series of 3-inch vinyl figurines in a big-headed, squat, cartoony style, with swappable parts. They are primarily sold in cases of sixteen blindpacked figures. There are multiple chase figures per wave, with the rarity ratio of every figure in the set given on the packaging (though the exact decos of the chases are often kept a mystery, another common thing among this kind of collectible).
Common figures generally come two per case, but there are a small number one-per-case toys. Chase figures come in three rarities: 1/24 (or one packed in per every 1.5 cases), 1/48 (one per three cases), and 1/96 (one per six cases). Good luck! |
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Wave 1
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Variant Wave 1
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Wave 2 | Wave 2 Hot Topic Variant
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Wave 3
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Wave 3.5 "Power Pak" (Hot Topic)
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Notes
- Jeez, Dirge gets relegated to chase figure status a lot, don't he? While this makes some degree of sense in Japan, where Dirge was one of several figures only available as a mail-away item in the original toyline... what's The Loyal Subjects's rationale?
See also
References
- ↑ 正義を統べる者編
