USA Edition

USA Edition (USAエディション) is a label under which American Transformers toys are released in Japan, usually (but not always) as exclusives through special outlets.

These toys are usually identical to their Hasbro counterparts down to the packaging (other than additional stickers on the packaging identifying them as "USA Edition" and providing legal information in Japanese), but there are a few examples where the "USA Edition" releases feature notable differences from their Hasbro counterparts.

There is no clear rule as to what constitutes a "USA Edition" other than the word of Takara, and as some cases from more recent years have shown, "USA Edition" is essentially an all-encompassing term that translates as "We feel like doing whatever we want with these toys as long as we don't have to create our own packaging" (although Superlink Unicron, officially recognized as a "USA Edition" by Takara, even broke the "Hasbro packaging" rule). And of course, now that the two companies are putting out nigh-identical product in the main toylines down the the same packaging design (a practice starting during the Prime Wars Trilogy), the "USA Edition" label has basically faded away.

Characteristics of USA Edition toys

Not released in the USA.

"USA Edition" toys are typically released in American Hasbro packaging with a sticker containing Japanese legal information, possibly with the figure's name (which might be different from the Hasbro one). Sometimes there are minor variations between the USA Edition and the United States release, such as slightly different paint or plastic color, but this is rare. The most notable exceptions were Armada Powerlinx Thrust, which was sold in modified packaging in a color scheme that never received an American release (but did come out in Europe), and the Henkei! Henkei! versions of Powerglide, Silverbolt and Onslaught, which sport different colors and decos from their Hasbro counterparts (most notably Powerglide). The (possibly never released) "USA Edition" version of Alternators/Binaltech Prowl was also supposed to sport "Satellite Patrol" markings on his doors instead of the Hasbro version's "Highway Patrol" markings. Furthermore, the "USA Edition" version of Robots in Disguise Cryotek featured a new "spark pilot" figure inside the cockpit that was omitted from the Hasbro release.

The Japanese mass retail release of Energon Unicron, which was the Hasbro version in the original Legends of the Microns Unicron's packaging, is also officially recognized as a "USA Edition" by Takara.

Many USA Edition toys are redecos that were released in the United States, but not in the main Japanese line, such as Powerlinx Cyclonus, Powerlinx Jetfire, and the Armada Beast Wars redecos. Some are also intended as American-exclusive sculpts, like Energon Sharkticon and Tow-Line, while others, such as Cybertron Menasor and Quickmix, were initially planned for a regular Takara release but ultimately only saw limited release as USA Edition toys.

Other USA Edition releases are toys that had previously been released in Japan, but the Hasbro version sported notable differences, and the USA Edition release reflected those changes (but wasn't always entirely identical to the Hasbro version either). This applies to Masterpiece Convoy/20th Anniversary Optimus Prime, Masterpiece Starscream and Alternators Prowl.

Most USA Edition toys were available either at e-HOBBY or the Japanese branch of Toys"R"Us. Other stores carrying USA Edition toys in the past were JUSCO, Laox, Toy's Dream Project/Toycard and selected stores participating in the "TF Station" program. In some instances, "USA Edition" releases aren't even exclusive at all, but available at general retail.

What's NOT a USA Edition

Other toys have been released in Japan in a similar fashion (i.e. in mostly unchanged Hasbro-derived packaging, and often with little to no difference from the Hasbro releases) over the first few decades of the franchise, but not branded "USA Edition". In the first few years of the line, Takara offered multiple toys as mail-away items, including Hasbro-exclusive decos, which were even marked on the mail-away pamphlets as "American" toys. Gnaw was notably available only as part of a lottery in the Beastformers sub-line, coming in Hasbro packaging with a special gold sicker attached. At normal retail, many toys were also released in bestickered Hasbro packaging, including the European NMotorvators, Thunder Clash, Skyquake, the Generation 2 Go-Bots, Takara's "EZ Collection" versions of the Legends of Cybertron toys of Optimus Prime, Megatron and Starscream (which came on Hasbro cardbacks, but with new, Japanese-language blister bubble inserts) or the 2007 live-action movie and Revenge of the Fallen main line toys. However, only toys officially declared as "USA Edition" by Takara are actually considered as such by fans.

USA Edition toys should also not be confused with imports of Hasbro toys released in Japan through Tomy Direct, an outlet that already existed prior to the Takara/Tomy merger and is now handled by the former Tomy part of the company. Unlike USA Edition figures, which often sport minor (sometimes even major) differences from their Hasbro counterparts, Tomy Direct releases are direct, unchanged imports. Transformers-related toys released through Tomy Direct are presumably limited to toys that have been designed by Hasbro without Takara's involvement, which includes the Star Wars Transformers (since the line was handled by the Star Wars team at Hasbro, and Tomy was releasing Star Wars toys in Japan prior to the Takara/Tomy merger), its successor, Transformers: Crossovers, Titanium Series figures and some toys from the 2007 live-action movie and Revenge of the Fallen toy lines, such as Ultimate Bumblebee, various role-play accessories, the Robot Replicas, the Robot Heroes figures, the Cyber Stompin' Robots, the Power Bots and the RPM vehicles.

List of USA Edition toys

Beast Machines

Robots in Disguise (2001)

Cryotek

SpyChanger X-Brawn

Destructicon Bludgeon

Armada / Legends of the Microns

Cheetor

Powerlinx Cyclonus

Universe (2003)

Optimus Primal

Autobot Ratchet

Nemesis Strika

Energon / Super Link

"Signal Flare USA Edition"

Slugslinger ("Storm Jet")

Masterpiece / 20th Anniversary

Starscream

Alternators / Binaltech

Prowl

Cybertron / Galaxy Force

Hardtop

Universe (2008) / Henkei! Henkei!

Powerglide

Platinum Edition