Transformers: The Forgotten Playset - Warren Generation 1 Hasbro 1985 

I’m 46 years old and had no idea this existed.

The "Activity Center" is where you drop off your Transformers when you go to work.

At least with the ones that originated in Diaclone, the figures WERE the playsets, as they included 1-inch pilots meant to drive them in both vehicle mode and robot mode. Omitting the pilots leaves vestigial features all over those figures, especially Prime's trailer.

I've been a Transformers fan and collector from day one. This is the first time I've heard of this thing.

"Three Optimi high"...that made me literally laugh out loud! Good one!

whatever you do...DON'T reenact the first time the Dinobots went online with that playset

Even in Japan they had playsets for robot toylines and tv shows. Bandai had multiple playsets based on the hangar bases for their robot toys in the 70s/80s. Why Takara didnt do this for TF or even Hasbro is such a letdown

Funny enough, cause we had many vhs tapes, those served as my Transformers playset. I could stack them in a way like a deck of cards. Flat at the front with sides and stacked as a lid with the back exposed and layered on top of each other. So I had like six empty rooms in the back to place figures with a flat wall in front. Did the job.

I loved learning about this playset. Much like you, my foray into Transformers with short lived, and I always wanted a playset/base for my Autobots. Ah, when toy companies built playsets (even small companies that made them out of cardboard) and didn't need to crowdfund them.

I had this playset in the 80s . All cardboard . We got it from Dollar General in Maryland for 15.00💯💯💯💯💯💯

The 1986 catalogue directly mentions Metroplex as a "city playset" also all the photos of Metroplex and Trypticon have other cars placed onto them so they were supposed to be used as playsets for your trasformers - just some would not fit onto them, but many would. If you are going to talk about playsets for transformer you gotta mention the 1989 Micromaster series and their multiple stations, transprts, command centres and bases. Those were playsets that fit the micromaster transformers and adhered to the transformers theme of transformations - since these were stations hiding as regular gas stations, restaurants or workstations and transforming into battle stations - those were playsets as you could fit multiple micromasters into them and you could combine several playsets and form a micro "city" for your micromasters. I had the decepticon greaspit and it was quite fun, but I sure wish I had more. I couldn't afford many of the bigger transformers but even I could affort a set of 4 micromasters and 1 hidden stations to play.

ive always loved this playset but have never seen anyone review it. So happy you got one to review.

The City Bots can be both and there's... no issue? I don't see the problem with saying they can be both playsets and bots themselves, that's the lines whole gimmick. As for scale, sure, some of the bigger carbots and up don't scale, but the mini bots and especially the Scramble City bots that were made to interact with Metroplex and Trypticon certainly do, and Transformers IN G1 would go on to do an entire line of playsets.

I used to collect transformers but never heard of this playset. Activity center always makes me think about a small kids coloring set with crayons, colored pencils, stickers and stamps.

I received this play set as a kid. Thank you for bringing back some memories.

Transformers fandom needs to pick a lane”….by that logic Scarlett is a play set.😂😂😂😂

I missed out on these cardboard playsets. I remember seeing the STARS and Warren Playsets, I never got them. Still, as a cardboard hobby enthusiast, I LOVE THESE! I really enjoyed this video. FANTASTIC WORK!

I literally just found out about this at BotCon last week when I saw someone selling one. I was tempted to pick it up but ultimately passed. Now thanks to Michael I'm realizing I kind of need it.

I love the combination of positive and negative videos on this channel. Hearing Michael sincerely talk about something he appreciates is just as fun as seeing him rip a product a new one.

Diaclone, the original Japanese Transformers had tiny 1/72 scale action figures that came with the robots and would fit inside of them in vehicle form.

Oh man I remember this clearly years ago! At my Kmart! I wanted it so bad but my parents said no! So I made my own with cardboard and construction paper. Mine was a terrible parody of the factory printed and die cut pieces! Nice to see it again!

My brother and i actually owned this playset back then. And yes it was a fragile cardboard structure. Carelessness eventually led to it's demise when the moments of "cheap crap has another tear" was more often than "just use imagination". Really cool to see it again in this video after all these years. Thank you.

Interesting. I'll be honest, oddly, I didn't know there were toys until the 90s even though I saw the tv show in the 80s. Lol.

As an avid and lifelong G1 collector, I've always wanted Hasbro to give us a playset for our Transformers. I used to imagine a Giant Unicron head as being a playset as an idea. I was never really into cardboard playsets. To me, a real playset is made of plastic and it's far more sturdy and durable than cardboard..

2:25 they could though,as could other figures from the minibot/combiner limb/throttlebot range,and they are playsets in there own right. Takara expanded on this in "car robots 2000" by giving there repaint of fort max a playmat

I forgot about this because I never gave it much credit in the first place. I lumped it in with the non-Hasbro electric racetracks and and microphones. The STARS set seems so junky now, but I sure wanted it back then, because it was official. I still want a STARS shoulder patch, even now. And I also consider the goofy electric racecars legit too, just to make the G1 robot roster even bigger in my mind. My little brothers and I just built a fort in the living room and imagined it was the Ark. A lot of the fun was in the custom construction process anyway. Now they have made an actual Ark spaceship, admittedly at a very small scale, but they had to go and turn it into a transforming robot, too.

Should be golden color like the Ark.

I didn’t have a lot of Transformers, but I did have this set and it got a ton of use - from the few TFs I did have, to the GI Joes I was more focused on primarily, to even my Matchbox/Hot Wheels/Stompers. I loved it, and despite the limited durability of the cardboard construction, I made it last throughout my childhood

i will always be there qwhen retroblasting posts transformers content

I remember seeing this exactly ONCE in a store. I didn't have any money at the time so I never bought it, and never saw it again until now. If my brother hadn't also been present, I wouldn't have even been sure I actually saw it.

Thanks, Michael. I never knew this thing existed. Entertaining and educational as always. 👍

Hasbro's attempt to give Transformers a playset is probably with the legends and then core class figures.

I just assumed that kids would accumulate duplicates of Optimus Prime's trailer and arrange them in a grid pattern across their living room floor so they could allow the Transformers to inhabit a trailer park. I'll show myself out.

I owned this playset. Bought it on clearance at Kmart in 87. I remember spliting it up into about 3 parts and stashing it in living room closet. I want to say it lasted about six months and my parents quietly threw it out.

Confirmation that a childhood fever dream was a reality. Like a Mandela effect in reverse.

Michael in Soundwave's voice: "Rumble, Frenzy, Laserbeak . . . eject. Operation: Playset Track Down." Very nice work, Michael. You always do really in-depth research for your videos--I very much appreciate it!

This is pretty amazing! I had never heard of any of these before this, thanks for sharing!

I made a playset for the Transformers as a child that was the mountain with the Ark crashed into it. Inside of it, it had control panels, a working elevator, and electric lights. It was made out of a school desk and parts of a Zenith VCR.

The logic of the city bots not being playsets just because some larger figures were too big for them is really strained. By that logic Most GI Joe bases failed because they couldn't accommodate all the vehicles. Optimus's trailer was technically a playset. I had an original Scorpinok and while it wasn't the most impressive base ever, it certainly had more play features than this thing.

The Jetfire hanger could also be the Dinobots chamber they would be kept in until a mission required the Autobots to reactivate them for battle:)

When it came to building my own Autobot base I used my extra millennium falcon, and a couple of suitcases to make look like a mountain and took part of another playset That was supposed to be teletraan 1 that's how I compensated for them not making an Autobot playset

I 1000% never heard of this. Sure, never knowing this existed as a kid makes sense because you’re barely coherent in life. But I’ve never come across this being a thing as an adult collector either.

Thank you for doing this video. I had this set as a kid, and it was so great. Haven't thought of it in many years until now.

Excellent video! Never knew of this. I love learning about obscure, forgotten 80’s toys.

I never saw this. Looks interesting. However, I had many cardboard playsets. I made them myself. I had a cardboard USS Flag, Cobra command center (with a snake throne and a brainwave scanner) a space shuttle for GI Joe (that doubled as a Transformers ship and Klingon Bird of Prey), a Unicorn disembodied head (a feature in G1 Season 3), a swamp cabin base for Zartan, and lots of other gizmos and doohickys. A large long box on its end also substituted for the "Extensive Enterprises" tower. Oh yeah, I had probably a dozen Enterprise bridges, but I kept destroying them. Darn self destruct mechanisms and all that. Don't get me wrong, I had a lot of big toys too - the actual Joe command center, helicopters, tanks, and numerous Transformers. But the cardboard playset was usually either something I saw in a comic book, or something I couldn't wait for. I remember being so happy with my four foot long USS Flag substitute that I wasn't interested in the monster Hasbro was selling.

Been buying transformers since 1984 and this is a new one to me.

I have no memory of this. It looks more like something from GI Joe than Transformers. I feel this was repurposed from another toy line.

I cannot believe you put Scarlett in that position, mostly because I used to put her in that position (I was a weird kid) 🤣🤣🤣. Ok this was cool, I have only the Vaguest memory of this existing, and I remember people would tell me I was mistaken. But I also never realized it wasn't a Hasbro product. Now it all makes sense. Thank you, sir.

Very cool video Michael! I had never heard of that play set! It must of been hell for kids trying to keep it intact!

I didn't know this existed till I started to seriously collect Transformers. I've seen 1 boxed but never assembled. I had no idea of the size of this thing.

Good stuff as always!!

I had this as a kid.I got it for Christmas.

You're completely wrong, but I still enjoyed the video. Both Metroplex and Trypticon are playsets (scramble City line). And of Course Fortress Maximus is a huge playset for both minibots and most of the gimmick bot releases... Ah, and good joke about poseability of toys in the eighties (excepting GI Joe, most were bricks) Good to know about this rarity. :)

The old Warren puzzle factory is in Lafayette, Indiana. I would have never imagined they made Autobot bases in there.

Fort Max, Metroplex and other city bots were totally play sets……many smaller bots work with them, plus they were designed to interact with the Micromasters and the transforming Micromaster play sets. Including connectable ramps.

I’ve heard about this set, but I’d quickly forget about it. Thanks for bringing attention to this set, more collectors need to know about this sets existence.

I had both the STARS and the Activity Center. What a blast from the past to see it again.

Metoplex is a play set to be used with scramble city/combiner teams. Originally intended for the Diaclone Jizai Gattai toyline, which consisted of Metroplex, and all the scramble city transformers. The combiner leaders actually have a third mode that connects to the playset.

Great video!

Well if you argue that cityformers can't be playsets due to their size, there IS a third party Fortress Maximus that might be of interest to you regarding how ridiculously gargantuan it's going to be.

The moment you hold megatron in gun mode you become the play set

I loved this set. Could find them in the toy section of the supermarket. And they were cheap enough (only a few bucks) so that a child could likely leave the grocery store with one.

Wow. Thanks for teaching me something new

Wow! I actually first learned about this over 10 years ago from a now defunct RU-vid channel. At the time I thought they were talking about the mail away playset, until I saw this thing sitting next to Michael.

The Pedanticon faction is well represented in this channel.

Fantastic video! I loved it.

Cool! Thanks for this.

I had this! I've been telling people for years about this playset and no one can remember it. I'm glad I ran across this video, I feel vindicated!!!! 😁

I had this as a kid, I mainly used it as a base for my green army men. I did not have a lot of access to the transformer toys, but I did have a lot of the army men lol.

It’s good to see a retroblasting toy/playset review, feels like it’s been awhile.

I was listening to the livestream which you and the others were talking about this. Thanks for making a video about it!

Never heard of this even after seeing self made history videos & reading a lot through the Transformers Wiki a lot in my free time. I guess you learn something new everyday from the most random of places, like a guy who ain’t that big of a Transformers fan. Nice informative video overall! Looks like fan fun play set. Takes advantage of the scale of certain figures pretty well. It might be a tricky one to keep intact due to it being made of cardboard, but it still looks like fun. Maybe people who make reproduction parts can help on that department. I saw someone make reproduction Palitoy Death Star’s, so maybe. Technically Metroplex, Trypticon & Fortress Maximus were advertised as play sets in marketing materials & had Transformers figures that can interact with them. But they just couldn’t work for all of them. Only the mini-bots & combiner teams could properly interact with them. Figures like Prime & Magnus would be quite out of scale for them. And yes, I call them figures. They just ain’t the best when it comes to articulation. At least they ain’t figures stuck in a weirdly specific pose that look dumb when you articulate their limbs outside of said pose. And I find the lack of mention of the Micromasters disturbing. As they had items specifically advertised as play sets in the line.

I had no idea. I used a playset that was for the Incredible Hulk. It folded up into a pyramid

As a three time castle greyskull owner I endorse thise message . So muchhhh fun potential and room for imagination ...plus battle damage

G1 figures were scaled for action figures, 1 inch Dianauts. Decepticons like Megatron and Soundwave were scaled for Microman action figures, the very inspiration for new GI Joe. 🤷 What you featured though? That is a for real playset and cool as hell. I wish more playsets, especially for set pieces from the show came out, like the oil rig that the Decepticons attacked where the Witwickys were introduced. A human city set would have been perfect. I cobbled stuff together as a kid from books and boxes, so the desire for playsets beyond just what the cityformers has was there. I think I started to notice third party accessories too late in the 80s (not to mention the competition - if you could only get ONE toy that might, are you going with the 3P from, like, Arco? Or are you going with the real deal? I always went with the real deal, though we a kid I wish I got the Mad Scientist toys that Arco put out to supplement the Mattel line.

Never knew this playset existed (Australia). I still have my Gen 1 Jetfire & Grapple ☺️

Great stuff. Love the T-shirt too!

Very nicely done!!!

Hasbro could make a killing if they bought the license to this, recreated it and sold it under the Generations Selects line.

I remember having this but i was young and ended up punching all the parts out while my dad was at work, he was never able to put it together, as a result. never got to enjoy it.

Oh my gosh!!! I had this, but I had completely forgotten it. Wow! Thank you for this trip down memory lane! I remember getting mine shortly before Transformers: the Movie came out and continuing to use it through at least 1988 when I got Powermaster Optimus Prime.

I was reading about this the other day! Very cool!

I remember seeing this at my local Dollar General as a kid

I know I'm going to sound like a broken record, but I had no memory of this sets existence. It looks pretty cool. It reminds me a lot of the Palitoy sets. Kid me would have loved this!

Retroblasting posting a new Transformers video. Never thought I'd see the day. Awesome!!

Awesome video, I know of this playset, but I've never got a good look at it till now. Thank you!

Excellent video Michael!

I still have mine, saw it in a McCrorys department store while picking up some Garbage Pail Kids cards. Never saw one anywhere else.

Wow, I remember having Transformers as a kid, and I don't ever recall seeing any playset for them! 😮

I never knew this existed! Thanks for doing this video.

When I grew up, I had a Kenners girder and panel set (the refinery version)a large set of tinkertoys, and an Erector set. Don't forget Mr Machine. Friends had Lincoln log cabin kits, wood burning thingamajig, Indian beadwork craft kits. I'm surely forgetting a few. Many built car and plane models as well. Later on I had a Heathkit electric set from which you could build many simple devices. What do kids do today, if anything? All these things challenged your creativity and made you think.

I love this channel!!!

You just unlocked a core memory. I saw the stairs and immediately remembered having this. Totally forgot I had it.

That scarlet scene made me spit out my soda!!! Good show sir!! Lol

With the pyramid like brick work, this could have been a Yavin 4-ish base. It sort of looks familiar to me but after my 1984 Christmas Transformers I got an insecticon and Jetfire and I was out, I've never even held a Dinobot. That playset looks like a cool base for Cobra too.

Having no official Transformers playset in hand, my friends and I would build some fun bases out of Construx. Many were repurposed for lines like Starcom and also M.A.S.K. since none of us had Boulder Hill. Of course the “blanket method” always worked in a pinch. :-)

Metroplex was meant for the smaller combiner limb characters, including ramps and launchers for those smaller cars, and Fortress Maximus is meant to interaction with the Headmaster minifigures, so they are playsets, just not for the standard Transformers figures like Optimus and Wheeljack.

Oh wow, I had completely forgotten about this, I had one but it is long since gone, thank you for sharing this.

I've never seen or heard about this playset. Thank you Michael for enlightening us all

How cool, I never knew this existed!