G1 Decoys
In the mid-1980s Transformers introduced the Decoys, small rubber figures representing mainline Transformers, but now in much smaller forms. These smaller toys were meant to be accessories to the much larger city-formers like Metroplex, Trypticon, and Fortress Maximus. In Japan, small rubber figures are widespread and often called Keshi, meaning Eraser. Just about every major franchise in Japan has had a Keshi series of some sort. These little figures have become incredibly popular and very hard to find as time goes on. That's where this guide comes in, to shed a little light on the subject and present a visual guide for collectors looking to complete their collections.
There were a total of four major series of Keshi figures released for the Transformers toyline: Kayaba's Milk Caramel series (1985-1988), the Decoys (1985-1986), Transformers Ramune series (1986), and the Forms Robo series (1987). The hardest of these to find and collect is the Milk Caramel figures, and few fans will ever see a figure from this obscure line. Figures from the Decoy line are much easier to find. The Ramune series is often forgotten and can be easily mistaken for the first two series of toys. Finally, the Forms Robo series of figures are semi-common and fetch a decent price, but are still within the grasp of a novice collector.
For this guide, we will try our best to detail each line and provide quality pictures when possible. Due to many of these series having figures released in multiple colors, we will only be showing a figure in a single color. Many figures in this guide use their original Japanese names. Finally, all prices in this guide are for loose figures only, unless noted otherwise.
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This series of toys is what comes to mind when fans talk about G1 Decoys, and ironically, they never had a designated name. The Decoys were produced by Takara and Hasbro and released across the world. In Japan, these were released in box sets, a board game, and in capsules sold in vending machines. In other countries, they were sold with carded figures and in vending machines. In Japan, they were available in blue, green, orange, pink, red, sky blue, tan, white, and yellow. A company called Seven released the entire run in peach as well. In North America, the Autobots were in red and the Decepticons in purple; the entire run of Decepticons (#32-#52) were also available in red but are much rarer and highly sought after. Add that up across 53 figures and you'd have over 600 figures to collect!
Color does not seem to affect the Japanese figure values. We did notice that the color white was much rarer in online listings. Any carded Transformer that has a Decoy fetches a high premium compared to the same figure without the Decoy. What figure came with what toy seems to be completely random. A final note should be made about the numbers that appear on the back of these toys. Japan had a different numbering system on their backs compared to other countries. In Japan, the numbers on the back are based on their combined stats found on the original toys. As an example, Bumblebee in Japan has a “46” on his back, but so does Cliffjumper. Non-Japanese versions of these toys were numbered “26” and “28” respectively. These do not change the price of the toy as most collectors and sellers may be unaware of these differences.
In Japan, the numbers on the back were for several mini-games that kids could play. One was as simple as grabbing two various figures from a pile, the highest number wins (a similar mechanic was used in Monster in My Pocket). The second was to use small launchers included with the box sets to fling your figure at your opponents and try to knock down as many as possible. Finally, one box set included a set of 55 very tiny playing cards. This set included 52 figure cards, 2 joker cards, and a blank card. These cards were sorted into four colors (blue, red, purple, and yellow) and covered the basic playing card numbering of Ace through King. They also include a small hand symbol for either Rock, Paper, or Scissors. That's a LOT of playing options for such a small toy line. Since there were more Autobots Decoys than Decepticons, all the Dinobots except Grimlock appeared with the Decepticon cards. Sunstreaker was not included in the cards to keep the count correct for a full-playing deck.
The figures below are listed based on their North American numbering with their Japanese number listed in parentheses. Figures may show slight discoloration from the sun and many will have slightly warped pieces; these are common flaws and should not affect the value. Laserbeak was only available in Japan and can fetch a premium compared to other Decoys, all versions of this toy will have slightly warped wings.
Decoys (1985-1986)
Some of these figures have ".5" in their Japanese numbering, this is not an error. The Japanese numbering system is the combined score from their stats on their tech specs. Starscream incorrectly has his number from the American lineup and should read "59" not "35". It seems all versions of Ravage read "52" and there is no American "49" version. Collectors are advised to buy these figures in lots vs individual pieces; you'll end up getting a much better deal per figure.
1 (67) Grimlock: $13
2 (44) Snarl: $10
3 (53) Swoop: $10
4 (43) Sludge: $10
5 (50) Slag: $10
6 (52) Ratchet: $10
7 (52) Ironhide: $10
8 (53) Smokescreen: $10
9 (53) Grapple: $10
10 (53) Trailbreaker: $10
11 (51.5) Sunstreaker: $10
12 (53) Skids: $10
13 (60) Jazz: $10
14 (53) Inferno: $10
15 (54) Tracks: $10
16 (51) Red Alert: $10
17 (53) Hound: $10
18 (49) Sideswipe: $10
19 (65) Prowl: $10
20 (55) Mirage: $10
21 (51) Hoist: $10
22 (62.5) Wheeljack: $10
23 (51) Bluestreak: $10
24 (45) Brawn: $10
25 (49) Windcharger: $10
26 (46) Bumblebee: $10
27 (51) Huffer: $10
28 (46) Cliffjumper: $10
29 (57) Blaster: $10
30 (56) Perceptor: $10
31 (76) Optimus Prime: $15
32 (70) (Purple) Megatron: $15
32 (Red) Megatron: $20+
33 (63) (Purple) Skywarp: $10
33 (Red) Skywarp: $15+
34 (53) (Purple) Thundercracker: $10
34 (Red) Thundercracker: $15+
35 (59*) (Purple) Starscream: $10
35 (Red) Starscream: $15+
36 (53.5) (Purple) Soundwave: $10
36 (Red) Soundwave: $15+
37 (56) (Purple) Blitzwing: $10
37 (Red) Blitzwing: $15+
38 (60) (Purple) Astrotrain: $10
38 (Red) Astrotrain: $15+
39 (45) (Purple) Kickback: $10
39 (Red) Kickback: $15+
40 (50) (Purple) Shrapnel: $10
40 (Red) Shrapnel: $15+
41 (47) (Purple) Bombshell: $10
41 (Red) Bombshell: $15+
42 (50) (Purple) Hook: $10
42 (Red) Hook: $15+
43 (43) (Purple) Scavenger: $10
43 (Red) Scavenger: $15+
44 (40) (Purple) Bonecrusher: $10
44 (Red) Bonecrusher: $15+
45 (47) (Purple) Long Haul: $10
45 (Red) Long Haul: $15+
46 (43) (Purple) Mixmaster: $10
46 (Red) Mixmaster: $15+
47 (41) (Purple) Scrapper: $10
47 (Red) Scrapper: $15+
48 (50) (Purple) Devastator: $10
48 (Red) Devastator: $15+
49* (52) (Purple) Ravage: $25+
49 (Red) Ravage: $50+*
50 (47) (Purple) Frenzy: $10
50 (Red) Frenzy: $15+
51 (67) (Purple) Shockwave: $13
51 (Red) Shockwave: $20+
52 (46) (Purple) Reflector: $10
52 (Red) Reflector: $15+
(49) Laserbeak: $40+*
Japanese Sets and Exclusives
Several of these sets (underlined) were created by Seven and are part of their vinyl figure line that crossed over with their decoy releases. Prices are for complete examples.
Cybertron Hero Collection 22 (Set 1) (Blaster, Bluestreak, Brawn, Grapple, Hoist, Hound, Huffer, Ironhide, Jazz, Mirage, Optimus Prime, Perceptor, Ratchet, Red Alert, Sideswipe, Skids, Smokescreen, Sunstreaker, Swoop, Tracks, Wheeljack, Windcharger, & launcher): $125
Destron Hero Collection 22 (Set 2) (Astrotrain, Blitzwing, Bombshell, Bonecrusher, Devastator, Frenzy, Hook, Kickback, Laserbeak, Long Haul, Megatron, Mixmaster, Ravage, Reflector, Scavenger, Scrapper, Shockwave, Shrapnel, Skywarp, Soundwave, Starscream, Thundercracker, & launcher): $125
Cybertron Hero Collection 9 (Set 3) (Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, Grimlock, Inferno, Prowl, Slag, Sludge, Snarl, Trailbreaker, launcher, & card deck): $75
Dinosaurer Destruction Operation Game (Bluestreak, Bumblebee, Cliffjumper, Mirage, Optimus Prime, Wheeljack, 2 random Decepticons; misc game pieces): $225+
Scramble City Gun Set (v1) (includes four peach decoys, gun, vinyl Optimus Prime, extras): $300+
Scramble City Gun Set (v2) (includes four peach decoys, gun, vinyl Ultra Magnus, extras): $300+
Water Gun Set (includes two peach decoys, vinyl Metroplex figure, water pistol): Unknown (no record of sales)
Mini-Mini Collection (includes 12 peach decoys): Unknown (no record of sales)
Carded Multi-Pack: Unknown (no record of sales)
Transformers Ramune (Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers 2010)
This was the smallest release of the Decoy-related toys with a mere eight figures. Part of an overall series created by Kayaba and packaged with their fizzy candy based on the popular Ramune soft drink. This series of toys also included key chains and miniature model kits. These eight figures are slightly softer than the Decoys and have a slimmer look. They were available in blue, red, and yellow. As with the other sets, color does not affect the value.
Bruticus: $40*
Galvatron: $40*
Guardian: $40*
Menasor: $40*
Metroflex: $40*
Rodimus Convoy: $40*
Superion: $40*
Ultra Magnus: $40*
Forms Robo
Forms Robo was the last venture into the G1 Decoys and was produced by Takara. This set of figures was almost twice the size of regular Decoys and was made of much harder rubber. They came in blue, green, red, and yellow. You may also find early "test shot" pre-production examples in colors like dark green or gray, like the ones pictured here. These early non-production pieces may fetch a slight premium of 10-15% more than a regular figure but seem common enough that the prices are sometimes the same.
Bruticus: $55
Dinosaurer: $55
Galvatron: $55
Guardian: $55
Menasor: $55
Metroflex: $55
Predaking: $55
Rodimus Convoy: $55
Superion: $55
Ultra Magnus: $55
