Transformers: Generation 1 to create names and profiles for the characters. When the toy line was released, it was supported by the Marvel Comics series, an animated television series, and a gamut of other merchandising tie-ins. In 1986 a was released, generating $5,706,456 in the United States. The setup for "Transformers" is two factions of sentient alien robots: the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons. Both sides are from a race called Transformers - robots that can change into vehicles, mechanical devices and even animal forms. They have waged civil war for eons on their home planet of Cybertron, a war that had
The Robotic Workshop released for Apple, Atari, and IBM computers. The Robotic Workshop The Robotic Workshop was a toy kit, much like Lego Mindstorms, that allowed users to build and program robots using a home computer. Access Software announced The Robotic Workshop in the January 1987 issue of "Ahoy!" magazine. A review later appeared in the May 1988 issue of Compute! magazine. The kit included over 50 Capsela parts, including two motors, gears, wheels, and sensors. It also included an electronic control unit that plugged into the user port of a , an instruction manual with 50 tutorial projects, and special programming software