The Autobots Have a Special Mission for:

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WILL HE SUCCEED?!
"The Autobots Have a Special Mission for:"
Publisher	Hasbro
Cover date	1986

"The Autobots Have a Special Mission for:" is a direct-mail flyer promoting The Transformers: The Movie. It also offers a handful of toys which had either been discontinued from the main line or had never been available in retail. The reader can join S.T.A.R.S. as well, and in keeping with the S.T.A.R.S.-related pack-in flyers, the text is written as though the Autobots are directly recruiting the reader on a "special mission."

Synopsis

That's an order, soldier.

The message begins with its titular announcement, telling the recipient that they have a special mission from the Autobots. But before the mission is revealed, first they are told of the deadly threat of Unicron in the year 2005. The only way to find out if Unicron will destroy all the Transformers, the message claims, is to see Transformers: The Movie in theaters. Descriptions are given of several individuals:

• Unicron, whose origins are unknown but whose "appetite for power" has led him to consume any world he encounters―and Cybertron may be next.
• Megatron, who has conquered Cybertron and set his sights on Earth, seeking to use Unicron to aid his goals.
• Optimus Prime, who is wise and brave but still may not be able to stop Megatron. And if he can't, then his "Autobot Matrix of Power" might fall into the wrong hands.
• The Chosen One, an unknown individual who will be the only one able to unlock the Matrix of Power and unite the Autobots and Decepticons against Unicron. However, since no one knows who the Chosen One is―not even the Chosen One himself―this salvation may come too late.

Honestly, I think I'm ready for more responsibility than this in the Autobot army.

If the Autobots are sending these to the usual sort, the whole "friends" thing could be a major hitch in their plan.

Following this are more details about Megatron and Optimus Prime, as well as a description of Reflector and an invitation to join S.T.A.R.S. But most importantly, at last the special mission is revealed: The recipient is to give coupons to three of their "very best friends". Each coupon can then be sent to the Autobots (along with a Transformers: The Movie ticket stub and $1) in return for a poster. This poster is also included with the original message, so the recipient can provoke the envy and greed of their friends. "Aren't your friends lucky to have a friend like you?", the message asks.

The answer remains unknown.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Notes

On nobody's bedroom wall.

• This flyer establishes the S.T.A.R.S. continuity as a universe wherein The Transformers: The Movie is an actual movie, possibly a documentary, put out by the Autobots. Other real-world elements like the fact that the reader is ordering toys can be separated from the fiction, but the nature of the movie is undeniable: "You have been chosen by the Autobots to spread the word about their action-packed movie."
• The name "Autobot Matrix of Power" is unique to this continuity.
• This is the only known Transformers-specific direct-mail promotion. All other flyers and suchlike have been pack-in items included with toys.
• This "special mission" is basically a multi-level marketing scheme, except that the participants aren't even promised a cut from all those $1 payments they're getting their friends to make.
• The "postage paid" square on the front of the mailer is designed to look like a blocky little robot, complete with a sheepish facial expression. Cute!
• Prices include:
  • Optimus Prime: $21.50 + 5 Robot Points or 1 ticket stub
  • Megatron: $21.50 + 5 Robot Points or 1 ticket stub
  • Reflector: $10 + 2 Robot Points
  • S.T.A.R.S. membership: $6.50
• This was the first time Reflector was sold in the US. However, he had already been sold in Japan at retail for a year at this point.
• It's.... it's really a terrible poster.