[TFW2005]

Originally posted by: Sol Fury @ TFW2005.com

Quote:

2004 was the 20th anniversary year of the Transformers and also a disastrous year for the brand. Toys were poorly distributed leading to a long period where very little new product made it to shelves, and two major licensors – Dreamwave Comics and 3H who ran the official convention – folded. On the positive side Hasbro and Takara pressed ahead with the Alternators / Binaltech line, a well-received collector-oriented line that reimagined classic Transformers are real cars with realistic detailing and interiors, and the 20th anniversary was marked with a special 20th anniversary Optimus Prime, whose production was aided by a fan poll hosted on this website! In Japan, the 20th anniversary Optimus Prime was released as Masterpiece MP-1 Convoy, kicking off the popular Masterpiece line.

Original Source: 30 Years of Transformers in 30 Days - 2004 @ Transformers - TFW2005.com.