Sunday, September 13, 2020

1985 Japanese Takara Transformers Menko - Checklist Update

About 4 years ago I posted about some 1985 Transformers menko I had picked upGregory over at Nine Pockets recently asked if my checklist had grown any since he had picked up some doubles along the way and wanted to see if we could expand the checklist.  I had to go back and check since it has been a while since I browsed my collection and sure enough it looks like I have picked up a few since I last posted.  I've occasionally run across these on auction sites and I think there must be between 30-50 in the set.  Here are the ones I have along with the current checklist.  This set marked just about the end of the menko re-boom era that had restarted in the early 1970s and ended around 1985.  Before that the big menko boom happened from the 1930s to 1964 when it suddenly died off due to television.  Nostalgia kicked in and the re-boom era lasted about 12 or so years petering out in the mid 1980s when kids turned their attention to NES!





Cybertron:
- Alert
- Blaster
- Bumblebee
- Convoy (Optimus Prime)
- Grimlock
- Hound
- Inferno
- Optimus Prime (Solo Card)
- Perceptro
- Prowl
- Sideswipe
- Slog
- Sludge
- Smokescreen
- Snarl
- Swoop
- Trailbreaker
- Wheeljack

Decepticon:
- Bombshell
- Bonecrusher
- Condor
- Devastator
- Frenzy
- Glen (Crane)
- Jaguar
- Kickback
- Long Haul
- Megatron
- Mixmaster
- Reflector
- Rumble
- Scavenger
- Scapper
- Shrapnel
- Skywarp
- Soundwave
- Starscream
- Thundercracker
- Walter P-38

11 comments:

  1. I always loved the Transformers art on their packaging. I'm amazed how many I recognized before seeing the names listed.

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    1. That is cool...the comics were really cool to read and the box art was captivating for sure.

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  2. Thanks for posting the updated checklist! I'll look through my collection and send you a list of cards I can add.

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    1. Sweet. I'll update the checklist above. Thanks!

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    2. Thanks very much! (You can add Inferno to the Cybertron list, too)

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  3. Are these popular with collectors? Seems like they would be.

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    1. I don’t think extremely popular, but it seems like some people still collect them at the moment.

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  4. Those are awesome, nice job with the checklist. I had some of those guys (the toys, not the menko) as a kid.

    I think Amada also made a Transformers mini card set around the same time (like 1984 or 1985).

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    1. I have some of the mini cards as well. Should do a post on those.

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