![]() Each image contains multiples of each toy in different stages of transformation, implying that the toys were sent to Eppo and the advert was made in-house based on advice from Ceji. These toys could quite easily have been the early Takara Diaclone samples sent to Ceji for evaluation, meaning that this ad was conceived very early in the Ceji Joustra Diaclone timeline. #TAKARA MICROMAN MATERIAL FORCE DRIVERS#The second is that the cars are shown with Japanese Diaclone drivers which no Joustra Diaclone was released with. There are a number of fascinating points that can be taken from the 1984 advert, the first being that there is no mention of "Joustra" or "Diaclone" anywhere. The signature of the artists now renowned in the fandom for their celebrated artwork:Ĭeji took out ads in various publications to advertise their upcoming/available Diaclone toys including this advert in Dutch comic magazine Eppo in October 1984: This artwork has become legendary within the Diaclone and Transformers collecting community for its style, vivid colour and originality. #TAKARA MICROMAN MATERIAL FORCE DRIVER#The Diaclone driver concept was gone and the robots were now sentient life forms fighting their own good vs evil battle, but more on this story later. The artwork created for the Ceji Joustra Diaclones was exclusive to these releases and derived directly from the mini comic strips included with most Ceji Joustra Diaclones telling the story of the toys and the characters. So Ceji, in partnership with Joustra, enlisted the services of artist twins Paul and Gaetan Brizzi to create the story for these "Diaclones" as well as produce artwork for each character's packaging. The outer packaging was not produced in Japan as Ceji would have to come up with their own marketing and promotion, featuring a representation of the toys more suitable and appropriate to their target markets. Samples of these toys were undoubtedly sent to Ceji in Europe by Takara in Japan, as it has emerged that Ceji received the toys already in their styrofoam inserts with the paperwork (stickersheets) already printed in Japan with the new Ceji Diaclone logo on them. Takara's Japanese Diaclone toys mostly came packaged with a small Diaclone driver or pilot as they were integral to the original Diaclone story. The toys licensed to Ceji were released as "Diaclone" in European countries such as France, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Finland etc, in 1984, and later even imported by retailers in the UK, Greece and Abu Dhabi. The licence for mainland Europe was bought by French toy manufacturer Ceji, who in partnership with another French toy company Joustra ( Jouets de Strasbourg), released the toys under the licensed brand of "Diaclone". Initially, Hasbro released the acquired toys as The Transformers in North America and the UK and GiG (who already had an association with Takara) released their selection of Takara's toys in Italy mostly under the "Trasformer" banner. The process of acquiring licences to release many of the toys produced by Takara for Diaclone, and indeed a significant number of toys from the Microman sub-line "Micro Change Series", began at this fateful show. Takara brought many of these toys to the 1983 Tokyo Toy Show where representatives from toy companies around the world would be attending. The robots in this story were not sentient, they were instead lifeless mecha controlled by human or Waruder pilots/drivers. The name "Diaclone" was an amalgam of " Diamond" and "Cy clone", the strongest material on Earth and a powerful force of nature respectively in reference to the Earth-defending forces. A story of good vs evil was constructed by Takara whereby Earth was defended by the Diaclone forces against the invading alien Waruder army. In the early 1980s, Japanese toy company Takara produced a range of transforming toys called "Diaclone". The facts are as clinical as some of the speculation is vague, but the magic inbetween is undeniable. In this article we will look at the history, conception, evolution and eventual fate of the Joustra Diaclones. This superb toyline was released in Europe in 1984 (Wave 1), with a much rarer second year of toys released in 1985 (Wave 2). With their awe-inspiring exclusive packaging artwork, unique mini-comic chapters, unsolved mysteries and in some cases staggering rarity, they present one of the most irresistible and frightening challenges to a pre-Transformers collector. Whichever it is, the group of releases from Europe known amongst collectors as 'Joustra Diaclones' (or just 'Joustra') are a true jewel in Takara's crown. Maybe you collected them first as a child and now as an adult, wishing to expand that collection to include Diaclone toys sold abroad. Maybe you grew up with The Transformers and have since come to appreciate their ancestors from Japan, or you were lucky enough to have Diaclone toys sold in your country of youth. ![]()
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