Sunday 17 July 2022

Uncovered Mysteries: The first version of Blaster's tapes

A script released to the public via the Archive this month has revealed an interesting twist in the development of the 1986 Transformers toyline.  As anyone familiar with the G1 toyline will know, 1986 saw Autobot boombox Blaster paired up with his own quartet of transforming cassettes: Rewind (robot), Eject (robot), Ramhorn (rhino), Steeljaw (lion).  To have parity with 1984 Decepticon tapedeck Soundwave and his well-established cassette force.  The Autobot quartet made their US media debut in The Transformers The Movie, fighting their Decepticon counterparts in The Battle Of Autobot City.

However, mounting evidence shows an earlier version of the tapes that very nearly appeared in two pieces of fiction.  The earliest mention coming at the end of March 1985, in the outline for the second script for TFTM.  Handed to Ron Friedman by Sunbow and detailing new product he was required to work into his script.


The outline lists the tapes (without names) as a lion, a tiger, a scorpion and a robot.  Friedman carries out the task and includes the four in his script with placeholder names (Hasbro would have final say on the names for new product).  Last revision dated 2nd May 1985:


For the 12 years that this script has been in the public eye, it seemed to be the only place where this version of the Autobot cassettes could be found.  Leading many to believe they were creations of Ron Friedman's imagination.

However the script for the season 2 episode Auto-Bop - submitted by David Wise a month after the movie script - reveals that the team were scheduled to be the earliest 1986 product included in the series.  Preceding the four combiner teams who would be showcased in the last ten episodes of the season.




The script makes clear these are Transformer products that had undergone enough development that Hasbro required them to be promoted early.  While the fourth cassette - the unnamed robot - does not appear in the script, a model sheet was drawn up by Marvel's model design team (reposted with permission of Jim Sorenson):


As the Auto-Bop script is David Wise' first draft, it is unknown at this time how far the cassettes' appearance made it through the production process.  Whether they were removed in story-editing, or were retained long enough to be included in the first draft storyboards and simply be cut for time.

If it was indeed the latter scenario, it was most fortuitous that the Auto-Bop script ran 52 pages (roughly 26 minutes) and thus required much material to be cut.  As the early team's inclusion in The Transformers The Movie survived through the many revisions undertaken by Story Consultant Flint Dille over the summer of 1985.  The changeover to the finalised team coming during the Autumn, in time for the movie to be storyboarded.  There could have been a possible scenario where the early dropped team would have appeared on television nearly a year before the actual product debuted in the movie.


As for the questions of how far the Lion/Tiger/Scorpion/Robot team progressed through development at Takara, and what prompted the late change to the Lion/Rhino/Robot/Robot Team?  Those remain unanswered.  As Optimus Prime once said: "Every answer just led to a bigger question..."

For the Auto-Bop script, along with all other season 1 and 2 material, head to The Transformers, Part 1
For the movie material, head to The Transformers: The Movie








Transformers storyboards: Atlantis, Arise!

With thanks to Rich Helscher, the Archive now hosts the full storyboard set for Transformers season 2 episode Atlantis, Arise!

Drawn not by Marvel Productions, but outsourced to Toei Animation.  This 143-page set was sold off by the episode's writer Doug Booth.

View the full boards at: The Transformers, Part 1




Monday 27 June 2022

Transformers Script Collection: Volumes 5 and 6 (COMPLETE)


(Update 12/07/22: The Search For Alpha Trion, The Girl Who Loved Powerglide and Hoist Goes Hollywood added)

In 2008, super-collectors and Botcon founders, the Hartman Bros. sold a set of 7 script binders originally belonging to Bryce Malek.  These binders contained first draft copies of the 62 scripts he worked on as story editor for The Transformers during seasons 1 and 2.

The owner of Volumes 5 and 6, Marco Van Leeuwen, has kindly agreed to contribute scans of the scripts contained within to the Archive. 

To read them all, go to The Transformers, Part 1

Volume 5.

MP#700-36 Desertion of the Dinobots – Part One
MP#700-37 Desertion of the Dinobots – Part Two
MP#700-38 Blaster Blues
MP#700-39 A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur’s Court
MP#700-40 The Golden Lagoon
MP#700-41 The God Gambit (already included at the Archive via other sources, included for completeness)
MP#700-42 Make Tracks
MP#700-43 Child’s Play
MP#700-44 Quest for Survival
MP#700-45 The Secret of Omega Supreme


Volume 6.

MP#700-46 The Gambler
MP#700-47 Kremzeek!
MP#700-48 Sea Change (revised)

MP#700-49 Triple Takeover
MP#700-50 Prime Target (formerly: Welcome to My Parlor)
MP#700-51 Auto-Bop

MP#700-52 The Search for Alpha Trion
MP#700-53 The Girl Who Loved Powerglide
MP#700-54 Hoist Goes Hollywood

































Thursday 23 June 2022

Conan The Adventurer: new page and script

Between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis and the rise of the sons of Aryas, there was an age undreamed of. And unto this, Conan, destined to wear the jeweled crown of Aquilonia upon a troubled brow. It is I, his chronicler, who alone can tell thee of his saga. Let me tell you of the days of high adventure!

A new addition to the Archive is the page for Conan The Adventurer.  The 1992-1993 series which saw Sunbow co-produce first with Graz Entertainment on the initial season of 13 episodes.  Then with Jean Chalopin's C&D and Jetlag Studios for the 52 episode second season.  Unfortunately, in order to obtain subsidies from the French government, Jean Chalopin claimed writing credit for all 52 episodes.

The Archive is now able to present its first script from the series: Doug Booth's Dregs-Amon The Great.  Which sees Conan's enemy - the serpent wizard Wrath-Amon - enter a regenerative hibernation.  While he is out, his toadying minion Dregs steals the source of Wrath-Amon's power: The Black Ring.  Hijinks and havoc ensue.


Go to  Conan The Adventurer

Tuesday 21 June 2022

Two Transformers storyboard sets: S.O.S Dinobots and Sea Change

Hot on the heels of the City Of Steel storyboard set come two more, from the collections of Brian Ray and Doug Booth respectively.

With thanks to Ryan King, Rich Helsher and Jim Sorenson.

Go to The Transformers, Part 1

First up is the season 1 episode S.O.S Dinobots.  Clearly a rush job, requiring six artists (David Russell, Doug Lefler, Gerald Moeller, Lindsay Dawson, Bob Smith and Brian Ray).  This 141-page set chronicles the construction of the Dinobots and their subsequent rescue of the Autobots after an attempt to stop the Decepticons stealing hydro-electric energy goes wrong.



Next up is Sea Change, Doug Booth's story of love between Seaspray and the alien mermaid Alana.  Drawn by the mysterious "K", this massive 160-page set is packed with deleted scenes, carried over from the first draft script added to the Archive earlier this month.  Those of you who have read the first draft script may be disappointed (or relieved) to learn that Baby Bumblebee and his parents will not be making an appearance in these boards.




Monday 13 June 2022

Third anniversary

Saturday June 11th marked the three year anniversary of starting the Sunbow Marvel Archive.  Originally conceived as an alternative to promoting Google Drive links on message boards, containing material sourced from out-of-print DVDs.  The site has now grown to encompass 20 TV shows and 2 movies, spanning 15 years of animation history.

A big thanks to all the visitors and especially to those who have contributed material, for making the Archive what it is today.  As we enter year 4, there are still many untold stories - both in-universe and in real life - I hope to uncover in the history of both Sunbow Productions and Marvel Productions.

Saturday 11 June 2022

Transformers storyboards: City Of Steel

Thanks to Marco Van Leeuwen, the Archive now hosts the storyboards for The Transformers season 2 episode City Of Steel.  Previously owned by show director Nelson Shin, the episode went to his notoriously low-budget studio AKOM to be animated.  Are the storyboards visually superior to the finished product?  You be the judge.

Go to The Transformers, Part 1