Deprived childhood

I don't really keep up with the latest trends in Transformers toys, but I'm almost certain that British Transformers-buyers have the same range to choose from as their American counterparts these days. It was probably only the children of the 1980s who suffered from the dreadful prejudice of not being able to buy certain Transformers which were appearing in the comics and cartoons but not available on British toyshop shelves. The thing is, Transformers were so hugely popular, Hasbro UK were almost certainly mistaken in the belief that they wouldn't be able to sell such an extensive range of toys at a profit as they could in the USA. People need to go and complain to Anthony Temple ("from Boys Toys at Hasbro" who had a column in the early Transformers comics, and who now apparently is the managing director of DRi Licensing) until he changes his mind and makes all the cool toys available for us to buy in this country.

It was all the coolest characters who weren't available here too, and I'm never quite sure whether they were cool because they were unavailable, or whether it's just coincidence. American readers who were around at the time: were Shockwave, Swoop, Blaster, Perceptor and the Constructicons the coolest toys, or just lost in the crowd? I'll always consider them to be especially exciting, anyway...