A sure fire hit with kids are race cars and let’s face it Formula 1 race cars fill that bill and look cool, so why not incorporate this into a Transformer, that is what Takara thought and thankfully Hasbro thought that to, so that brings us to our next entry Mirage, as most of the car robots of the line he comes from Takara’s Diaclone line and when he came out he looked so realistic and quite frankly he has lasted the test of time in looks, but due to a fragile point he is prone to snapping at the waist. We will stay away from the non car modes and the non formula one type cars as well.

• 1983 – Takara – Unknown class – No.16 F-1 Ligier JS11 – Blue: The original version of the toy in a Blue deco . He transforms into a 1970’s Formula 1 race car

• 1983 – Takara – Unknown class – No.16 F-1 Ligier JS11 – Red: The original version of the toy in a Red deco.

• 1984 – Hasbro – Unknown class – Mirage:

• 1985 – Takara – Unknown class – Good Bye Powered Convoy – Red: Considered one of the rarest of the Takara line with very few numbers showing up over the years, this set is very sought after by collectors, The Red version was available in a 3-pack with Powered Convoy with Red Alert

• 1985 – Takara – Unknown class – Good Bye Convoy – Blue: Alluding to the death of Optimus Prime in The Transformers: The Movie, this set’s Mirage called “Ligier” came packed with Convoy and Red Alert.

• 1995 – Hasbro – Go-bot class – G2 Mirage: Acquiring the Go-Bot name was not enough, Hasbro decided to put there own spin on the name and steer it away from the already known product. These new toys took advantage of the popularity of child’s toy lines Hotwheels and Matchbox cars. These robots have simplistic transformations and smaller forms. They have also steered away from known and familiar color schemes and Mirage is a good example in Black, Yellow and Red with a 5 instead of his normal 26

• 1997 – Hasbro – Basic class – Machine Wars Mirage: He transforms into a Blue and White Penske PC-18 Indycar. and is a flipchanger that has a one-step, spring-loaded transformation with his weapons are hidden in his alt mode. Unlike most of the line his the head looks like his G1 form due to this toy was originally designed for the halted G2 line. His color scheme is Green and White and he sports the number 7 in a Red circle this time. 

• 2001 – Hasbro – Basic class – Robots in Disguise Mirage: A repaint of the go-bots version but in White, Blue and Red had also been used by Takara for their Counter Arrow toy. He was only available in a 2-pack with Ironhide.

• 2002 – Hasbro – Basic class – Robots in Disguise Clear version 1 Mirage: Cast in clear colorless plastic instead of White but keeping their normal paint applications and was a KB toys exclusive

• 2002 – Hasbro – Basic class – Robots in Disguise Tiny Tins Mirage: The normal version of this toy but came in a tin carrying case.

• 2003 – Hasbro – Basic class – Robots in Disguise Clear version 2 Mirage: Another KB toys exclusive but in Black, Clear Blue and Clear Green. It was also re-released as Universe Mirage as a standard release.

• 2004 – Takara – Basic class – Robotmasters Rijie: A repaint of the Machine Wars toy but in more G1 color scheme and a return to the number 26, the new name Rijie, which has the same pronunciation as “Liger” in Japanese, was used instead for legal problems.

• 2006 – Hasbro – Deluxe class – Classic Mirage: He transforms into a closed-canopy Formula concept race car. He returns to his 26 and G1 color scheme. In robot mode he does take ques from his G1 form but has a bit of an awkward stance.

• 2007 – Hasbro – Deluxe class – Timelines Clear Mirage: Cast in translucent and opaque Blue he was an exclusive free-bee gift at Botcon 2007

• 2008 – Takara – Deluxe class – Henkei! Henkei! Ligier: His paint scheme is slightly different then his Classics version he is repaint of, and lacks the sponsorship logos as well.

• 2009 – Takara – Deluxe class – Electro Disruptor Ligier: A translucent plastic version was a mail-away exclusive for those who bought the book Transformers Generations 2009 Volume 1.

• 2013 – Hasbro – Deluxe class – Timelines Machines Wars Mirage: A repaint of the Classics Mold but in his Machine wars colors of Green and White and sports the number 7 in a Red circle

• 2016 – Hasbro – Deluxe class – Generations Mirage: Part of the Combiners Wars sub-line of the Generations line, he is repaint Dragstrip but with a new head sculpt. He transfroms into a Indianapolis style race car and also forms a limb of a combiner called Optimus Maximus and comes with a Silver weapon that can be a foot or hand of a combiner. This toy is due out in 2016.

So there you go, thanks again for reading and sticking with me, and see you next time.