It’s no secret that despite the massive boon in online shopping and packages needing delivery, traditional mail service is struggling. No one writes nice letters to each other any more, but that could soon change as the Royal Mail in the UK is about to introduce some truly amazing postage stamps featuring heroes that pre-date email, texting, and Facetime.
Everything ‘80s is cool and lucrative again, and while companies like Hasbro are making another mass fortune by re-releasing Transformers toys, the Royal Mail is instead putting some of that iconic toy lines’ best characters onto a new collection of postage stamps in hopes of luring more than just stamp collectors.
For those old enough to have purchased (or begged your parents to) Transformers toys the first time around, the artwork on these stamps is reminiscent of the fantastic collages featured on the back of the packaging. But the stamps all feature completely original artwork, created exclusively for the Royal Mail by three comic book artists: Andrew Wildman, Stephen Baserville, and John-Paul Bove, who have all work on the long-running Transformers comics.
Like the Transformers themselves, who famously have secret alter-egos, eight of the stamps in this 13 stamp collection are printed with an extra layer of special ink that when exposed to UV light reveals additional details about the characters featured. Those eight stamps can also be recognised when scanned by the Royal Mail mobile app revealing animations brought to life through augmented reality, as well as clips of the specific character from the original animated series.
The collection will be available starting on September 1, and the cheapest way to grab all 13 is with the Transformers Presentation Pack which will sell for £17.50 — or about $US21.00 ($29) in US currency.
Click through for more details about which Autobots and Decepticons made the cut.
Optimus Prime Vs. Megatron
One of the greatest rivalries in make-believe intergalactic war.
Bumblebee Vs. Starscream
The battle of the lackeys, although at least Bumblebee got his own blockbuster film.
Grimlock Vs. Shockwave
Brains vs. brawn, as a robotic T.rex goes toe-to-toe against the Decepticon with the weirdest head.
Arcee Vs. Soundwave and Laserbeak
We really want to root for Arcee here, one of the few female Transformers, but Frank Welker’s voice work for Soundwave is legendary.
The Dinobots
The Dinobots — Slug, Swoop, Sludge, Snarl, and Grimlock — are all flying solo in this collection, with the Decepticons wisely choosing to skip creating dimwitted prehistoric robotic beasts. But given how popular the characters are, collectors can also buy these stamps as a separate Miniature Sheet Pack, protected under a clear plastic strip, for £5.70 — or just shy of $10