I don't own anymore G-1 TF toys,So I can't comment on Hasbro/Takara patent dates stamped on the toys. What I can comment on is as follows: Some 1984 & 1985 TF toys by Hasbro got a short release in 1986 due to Hasbro knowing the demand was still there & the 1986 movie toys+theatre movie would escalate the demand for the 1984-1985 TF toys for 1986 buyers.
I seem to recall various Scamble city toys received Two releases by Hasbro. The first run of some scramble city toys has some diecast metal parts. While the later runs of some scrmable city toys has no diecast metal parts. I suspose it's possible the first run of scramble city toys with diecast parts had the 1985 stamp on the toy. while the later run with no diecast parts had the 1986 date stamp on it.
Yeah, the diecast and non-diecast variants are indeed things that exist. But...
06,If that scramble city toy you mention only has a Takara stamp on it with the 1986,Then it might be the Takara Japanese sold version. Takara was a year behind their TF toy releases. Takara never releases any TF toys in 1984. Takara started releasing TF toys in 1985 & onward. Hasbro's 1985 TF toys,Takara released them in Japan in 1986. At some point in 1986-1987 Takara in Japan did catch up with hasbro but they were still a bit behind the Hasbro usa TF releases.
It wouldn't be a Japanese Onslaught because the Japanese Onslaught had a spring-loaded gimmick in his back. You would attach the chestplate and remove the back cannons, attach the ramp to him for his base mode, and he could launch a smaller vehicle (like Onslaught, Brawl, or any of the Stunticons) a short distance, similar to Roller. I'm not even sure the Bruticus reissue has this feature intact.
And you're partially right--Takara didn't release any Transformers until 1985, but where you're wrong is on where they were the same. The reality is that Takara's 1985 lineup included, for the most part, the entire 1984 lineup as well. That's when Takara "caught up"--right then.
Here's TFWiki's list of every TF toy released by Takara in 1985.
http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Fight!_Super_Rob ... toyline%29
As you can see, for the most part, a lot of the 1984 guys were available in 1985, alongside the entire '85 gang. (Some guys, like Ratchet or Sunstreaker, were only available via mail order or in exclusive multipacks. This makes sense since their toys were probably available in Japan for far longer as Diaclone versions.) Takara's 1986 toyline was Transformers 2010 and based on the third season and movie.
Astrotrain & Blitzwing got diaclone releases years before Hasbro got the TF selling liscense. So Blitzwing & Astrotrain were never cancelled last minute diaclone toys that hasbro used like the scrable city combiners.
I aways thought the 1984-1985 minibots were made by another toy company that wasn't Takara. Hasbro in 1984-1985 bought several other companies selling liscenses to temporaly sell there robot toys under the TF toy banner.
All of the Minibots were made by Takara, including the 85 lineup. Takara didn't release any toys that they didn't make in their toyline, with the exception of Shockwave (who was released in Japan). For example, Omega Supreme was never originally released in Japan, nor were Whirl, Roadbuster, or the Deluxe Insecticons. (Omega Supreme was later reissued, because it turned out Tomy held the moulds all this time.)
And you're half right--Blitzwing was released in Diaclone, but Astrotrain wasn't. He was intended for a Diaclone release but it never happened. See here:
http://www.tf-1.com/articles/reissue/As ... plate.html
EDIT: Also, the Japanese ID numbers go like this:
01 Convoy
02 Hound
03 Wheeljack
04 Lambor
05 Alert
Red Alert is right there at #5. He was released alongside Sideswipe (Lambor).
