This was the first line of Transformers to be jointly created and produced by Takara... usually one company would let the other develop the line, then import it as it's own. A lot of these figures sacrificed poseablility for the sake of their gimmicks, which are activated by plugging a Minicon into a port or "Powerlinx" ont he figure. The story revolves around the Minicons, a third faction, possessing some new power...
I consider Minicons to be Micromasters MK II, and considering that I think Micromasters rocked, you can guess what I think of Minicons. ;)
Autobots
This Optimus Prime has a Matrix hidden udner his chestplate in robot mode. He also has a new feature... when you transform the cab, the trailer automatically transforms to match! In cab mode it's jsut a trailer, but when in Robot mode, it becomes a Minicon base. Finally, when you transform the upper half to Super mode, the trailer automatically becomes his "pants". His yellow car Minicon partner is anmed Sparkplug.
Jetfire is the Autobot's second in command. In shuttle mode his bay can hold a Minicon. He can also transform into another set of "pants" for Optimus, forming Jet Convoy. His Minicon is named Comettor.
Overload is a mobile artillery piece. he can be towed around by Rollout or by Optimus Prime with or without his regular trailer. He can also transport Jetfire around in vehicle mode and act as a mobile launch platform, or transform and combine with Prime's base as a gun platform. He can even transform into a large back-mounted gun battery for Jet Convoy, forming Magna Jet Convoy. On top of all that, he's a neo-Headmaster, as his chest and head is formed from Rollout who is himself larger than other Minicons. One last bonus is that if you push Rollout in just a bit farther, he plays the old G1 transformation sound.
To the left is Smokescreen with Liftor, while on the right is Hot Shot with his Minicon Jolt. You can tell by the look on his face Hot Shot is thinking about JaAm...
On the left is the Supercon, Matrix-less version of Optimus Prime with his Minicon jet Overrun who can become a gun for him. On the other side is Blurr, a kick-ass Autobot warrior, with his Minicon Incinerator. It's too bad he doesn't talk as fast as the original.
Decepticons
Galvatron is the powered-up from of Megatron. He has a ton of features, and can also combine with Tidal Wave, aka Shockwave. His Minicon is also powered up now, no longer Leader-1 but Clench.
Shockwave aka Tidal Wave is like the old Duocons, in that he consists of three vehicles that combine to form one robot. They can also combine to form a space-going battleship, one that heavily reminds me of the old SDF Macross actually. He can combine with Galvatron to power him up.(Not Shown) His Minicon is named Ramjet.
Armada brought with it a new set of Seekers, twins to the old Seeker group of G1 fame. In the left image are Thundercracker and Starscream with their partners Zapmaster and Swindle, while the right one shows Skywarp and Thunderclash. Besides their robot and jet modes, there is an unofficial "gerwalk" mode possible.
The other two Decepticons who went to Earth at first with Megatron and Starscream are Demolishor and Cyclonus. Their Minicons(Blackout and Crumplezone respectively) actually enhance their vehicle modes, filling the gap in Demolishor's front and giving Cyclonus a better cockpit.
Wheeljack is an ex-Autobot, who joined the Decepticons after being abandoned by his unit and rescued by Megatron. He seems to have teleportation powers similar to G1 Skywarp. His Minicon partner is named Windsheer.
Minicons
There are three teams of Minicons that can combine to form powerful artifacts. Jetstorm, Runway, and Sonar are blue and white jets that combine to form the Star Saber, a deadly sword. Astroscope the satelite, Payload the truck and Sky Blast the spaceship unite to create the Requim Blaster, a powerful cannon.
Finally, the three car minicons Mirage, Dirt Boss and Downshift merge into the Skyboom Shield.
Of course who can say what will happen when teh irresistable force meets the immoveable object?
2 more teams of MInicons hearken back to the days of Targetmasters. Rather than combining as the above teams do, they transform into individual weapons. The Air Military team of Gunbarrel, Thunderwing and Terradive looks very Decepticon-like, while the team in front of them of Prowl, Makeshift and Firebot have an Autobot feel to them.
These Minicons have a self-sufficient gimmick, not dependant on a larger figure. The Sea Team of Stormcloud, Waterlog and Oceanglide share this gimmick of launching projectiles with the Land Military team of Wreckage, Knockout, and Bonecrusher.
These Minicons on the other hand have a gimmick that requires a specific larger figure. They have an "action feature" operated by a gear on the underside. The Destruction team of Buzzsaw, Dualor, and Drill bit usually go with Cyclonus's gear, while Dune Runner, Iceberg and Ransack would see to go better with Hoist's gear, although they are all interchangeable between the two.
With no special gimmick, these Minicons jsut got the full array of poseability possible in such small figures. Their names are Spiral, Oval and Backtrack.
Unicron
Transformers: The Movie started the legend, and now 17 years later his figure has finally been released. UNICRON, the Dark God of Destruction and Chaos has come to put an end to Cybertron, Earth, and worlds beyond, with the help of his Minicon herald Dead End. Will the Matrix be able to light our darkest hour?
