Transformers Legacy: The Art of Transformers Packaging Hardcover – 21 Oct. 2014

I love transformers but sometimes I feel like I've reached saturation point and I wonder whether I'll ever be truly excited by the brand again. TF:Legacy is JUST what I needed to blow away the cobwebs and bring back my enthusiasm.The book is so much more than I expected and so much more than a collection of packing art. For starters I was honestly expecting somewhere in the region of 100 pieces... not the 750 which the book just hurled at me with great gusto. I can't even begin to imagine how the authors managed to track all those images down. It feels like a lifetime's worth of work.The hi-res scans of the original paintings look mind-blowingly crisp; it's evident a huge amount of work has gone into restoring them and they really do look pristine. Some are higher quality than others, granted; but even the lowest quality images are way beyond passable. (A pleasant surprise, as I imagined I'd see some pixellation).Perhaps not the first thing people will notice, but I've got a huge appreciation for the backgrounds which have been made to sit behind these images. It would have been easy to sit them on plain backgrounds, but the pages have been made to resemble the iconic box art of the various ages of the brand, without detracting from the images themselves which are front and centre. It's clever really. This feels like an art book first and a packaging collection second.As for the physical book itself, for those who are interested in such things, the quality feels great. Thick pages and a gorgeous hardback cover. It is very heavy though, which may be a concern for parents buying the book for small children.I really want to list something negative so I don't sound like I'm being overly supportive, but honestly I'm really struggling. This is probably my favourite Transformers related item that I have bought in the last 5 years.Would I like to see other similar books? Yes and no. Yes because this is so successful. But I'm not certain as to whether any other era of Transformers has such evocative box art, meaning this could be best left as a one off item. But if the material is there for new books, I'd buy them in a heartbeat. I'm much more inclined to buy something like this, than something like the Covenant of Primus which... I just don't need that in my life. This however, I've wanted since it was first announced.Fans will love this and get the most joy from it, but it's a nice coffee table book for anybody who likes robots, the 80s, sci fi, or anyone who has a found memory of playing with the toys. If you know somebody who likes transformers, but you're not sure what to buy them as a gift, I'd say this is a great place to start... actually there's my one negative... I had to buy it for myself!Love it.

Remember the joy of waking up on Christmas morning and getting a new Transformer? Or looking up in the toy store at the amazing artwork on the front of each and every box? Well every day can be like Christmas morning now... this amazing book catalogues (nearly) all of the box art from the Generation 1 toys from 1984 through to the end of the series in mid-90s Japan. Everything is taken from either original art or negatives, with no box scans, so the quality of the images is absolutely superb. It's great fun (if you're a nerd like I am!) poring over the pictures and picking up differences between different versions of the art (who knew that Blitzwing was the only triple changer with official art for all 3 modes? not me!), and just getting lost in the pictures from years gone by when the packaging wasn't just a photo of the toy...I have two minor gripes: 1 - as commented by another reviewer, some of the double page spreads have bits of the artwork lost in the spine, which is a shame. 2 - it's a shame that some bits of art are missing (dino-cassettes, some of the euro G1.5 bits) but at the same time it's testament to Jim and Bill that they'd prefer to issue an incomplete tome than use lower quality images!All in all, if you're a fan of G1 Transformers, this is definitely a "must buy"!

This is a beautifully bound, printed and presented book - a coffee table Transformers book if ever there was one.I am delighted with the book - even though it wasn't what I thought I was getting.As other reviews describe accurately, it is a visual feast the authors have worked hard to collate... But it is not, as I mistakenly thought, a look at the art of Transformers packaging. It is a look at the art. But not the packaging. If you see what I mean.As collectors it is all about the beauty, creativity and pristine condition of the whole Transformer from the mint condition character inside to the carefully taped edges of the box or card design via the incredible artwork and graphics. So whereas I thought this would be a celebration of the way Transformers was put together as a toy line, it is in fact a catalogue of the individual toy artwork. I suppose the clue is in the title...I would still recommend this book, especially for G1 enthusiasts, of which I am one. But if you are looking for more of a read, or even a gift for a Transformer fan who is into the whole franchise, then I would recommend The Vault by Hidalgo.A stunning book nonetheless.Roll out!

Transformers Legacy is exactly what it claims to be - a visual history of Transformers art throughout the ages.The book is a large 'magazine' style format hardcover filled with a couple of hundred glossy pages displaying the box art for pretty much every Transformers toy ever released for the original G1 series in 1984, to Generation 2, the Japanese toy line, and even some oddities such as art from the 'Diaclone' series of toys which Hasbro purchased and used as the basis for most of their initial Transformers line.Also included is concept art for several toys, all of those fold out catalogs displaying this seasons new released engaged in a gigantic battle above the Earth, as well as art for puzzles, board games and other items from the Transformers franchise.In terms of criticism - if you can call it such - 'art' is pretty much all this title offers. Its a coffee table style picture book with almost no text whatsoever, so if you are purchasing it for any reason other than to refresh your nostalgic memories of the toys you had as a child, then you'll probably be disappointed. It probably could have been improved with the inclusion of the 'tech specs' that could be found on the back of every Transformers box for example.Other than that, the only criticism I can point at it is the fact that there are relatively few images of the Transformers alt modes.

Another amazing art book about the toys I grew up with.I wish these bots were real so I could make friends with them and go on adventures with them.Good writing, great layout and fantastic art. Will buy it again for a friend during the holidays.My 3 all-time best Amazon purchases:- Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein- Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse- Great Fighter Jets of the Galaxy 1 byTim Gibson

Muchas gracias por el excelente servicio. ¡Es el libro que estaba buscando!

Libro a todo color con muchísimos diseños de Transformers. Lo compré para mi sobrino, fan de esta saga de super robots, pero bien me lo habría quedado yo. Impresión y papel de calidad.

O livro é muito legal mas a Amazon embrulhou sem nenhum cuidado. Mais uma vez recebi um livro caro com a capa avariada. Nota 10 para o livro e 0 para a Amazon.

Che dire... ho tentennato fino all'ultimo, ma finalmente stringo questo compendio tra le mani.Non mi ritengo un "fanboy" dei TRANSFORMERS (per nulla, direi, tanto che credo di essere stato influenzato da ben altra animazione robotica) ma questo volume è letteralmente strepitoso! Uno dei dedicati meglio riusciti in assoluto, insieme a quello di "He-Man & The Masters of The Universe".Precisiamo una cosa fondamentale: come da titolo, questa è la raccolta degli "art of" che accompagnavano i blister americani dei giocattoli Hasbro/Takara, quasi tutte replicate nelle confezioni nostrane venduti da GIG.Non ci sono illustrazioni originali o sketchbook esplicativi dei Formers. Solo ed unicamente le illustrazioni delle confezioni vintage dei giocattoli.Personalmente cercavo proprio questo e mi ritengo più che soddisfatto, anche in virtù della bellezza dell'opera e del prodotto in sé. Non mi vergogno a negare che l'effetto nostalgico mi abbia fatto scendere qualche lacrimuccia. Dovendo forzatamente muovere qualche critica, si potrebbe dire che qualora avessero dedicato una sezione fotografica ai giocattoli veri e propri della linea... avremmo potuto apostrofarla come "l'opera definitiva" sui Transformers. Perché in effetti, dedicare una simile struttura enciclopedica "ai disegni delle confezioni di giocattoli", tralasciando i giocattoli stessi... mi pare quantomeno buffo e discutibile.Resta un librone strepitoso che si merita senza ombra di dubbio 5 STELLE e che consiglierei a tutti, anche ai meno interessati. Una perla rara di fine editoria da possedere assolutamente e ammirare!UNA SOLA AVVERTENZA: ...non è necessario scivolare nella pignoleria collezionistica come la mia, ma visto il valore prettamente materiale dell'oggetto, personalmente consiglio di sfogliarlo con dei guanti appositi. La stampa è idilliaca, ma la carta utilizzata è talmente e squisitamente "patinata" che rischiate di macchiarla in tempo-zero con le vostre impronte digitali. E vi assicuro che basta pochissimo. Prestate semplicemente molta cura e attenzione, nei confronti di un volume di alta editoria.CARATTERISTICHE ►►►Il libro è di 512 pagine ed è in lingua INGLESE.Carattere di scrittura utilizzato medio (3/4 mm.), ma c'è poco da leggere e tanto da ammirare!L'ingombro fisico è: 25 cm. x 32,5 cm. (costa brossurata di 3 cm.)E' piuttosto ingombrante e potreste fare fatica a trovargli una collocazione fisica "verticale" nella vostra libreria. Prendete bene le misure, qualora siete indecisi.