Following up from his auction for the Clear Collectors Edition Mini-bots and the Chrome Soundwave, Yahoo Japan Auctions seller Sharbicc has now listed some more of these "Lunchtime special" toys for sale. The latest auctions are for clear versions of Smokescreen, Megaplex and Sideswipe. The figures have somewhat yellowed from their original clear colour, probably due to the conditions in which they have been kept.
If you want to see more images of these, as well as other clear Collectors Edition figures then you can find lots of them within the prototype Transformers area of the website. The seller will probably have more clears for sale over the coming weeks, so you may be interested in knowing who they could be. Here is a list of the known clear toys many of which you cna find galleries within the prototype Transformers area. Optimus Prime, Megatron, Soundwave, Starscream, Sunstorm, Smokescreen, Prowl, Jazz, Sideswipe, Inferno, Grapple, Tracks, Skids, Astrotrain, Hotrod, Hound, Stepper, The Minibots, Aramda STD Prime, Armada Sideswipe.
Some readers may not have heard of the term "Lunchtime specials" before so we will give you a brief history. The term Lunchtime Special was coined by the Autocon group during the Transformers Collectors Edition period of releases and was used to attach to any figure that the group did not know about and believed was fake. Most of these figures were clear,some where chrome, and others have been proved as Lucky Draw campaign prize toys. The story they used was that the figures were being put together at the Takara factories by workers during their lunch breaks and after hours. These figures, they went on to claim, were then being sold to local stores and direct to oversea collectors via auction sites such as Ebay. One of the best known sellers of these toys went by the eBay username of TinTinHappy.
There are, however, at least three other explanations that have been given for the existence of these toys which have come from fans/collectors who have later gone on to be connected to Hasbro, the Transformers Collectors Club and other Transformers Conventions.
The second story is that the items are simply testshot which have been produced in clear or chrome plastic, in varying colours, in order to highlight any flaws within the mould. It has been suggested that every toy, or recent toy, goes through this process.
The third story suggest that the items are produced as "Staff Items" by Takara and given to their employees as rewards. The items are never intended for the general public.
The final story is that the toys are produced as samples by Takara / Hasbro and offered to stores / magazines as potential exclusives / prizes. The figures are said to be produced in clear and chrome and if true, would explain the origin of the Lucky Draw Transformers.
The one thing that hasn't helped is the production of higher quality fake Transformers in clear and alternative colour schemes. One of the most well known of these was the clear Optimus Prime that was producd in 2007. You can find a gallery of that figure, along with comparison images to the "Lunchtime" clear Optimus Prime on this website.
Box and loose versions of many of the toys have been seen, along with variations on the amount of clear plastic that was used.
Which of these stories, if any, is the genuine origin of these toys no body can say for sure. Until Hasbro or Takara come forward and make an official statement regarding these figures you simply have to make up your own mind.
| Discuss: 
