Upper Deck's First Transformers Trading Card Set features Peter Cullen Autographs as Optimus Prime

While sports cards and trading card games like Pokémon and One Piece dominate the hobby headlines, an iconic name in the industry might have found its niche in the fierce competition for attention and dollars. Carlsbad-based trading card company Upper Deck recently announced that they have come to an agreement with Hasbro to produce trading cards featuring some of its key properties. Starting with The Transformers, which just so happens to be in the midst of a hilariously titled “Apology Tour” for the 40th anniversary of the 1986 animated movie, Upper Deck has released a 10-card box set as a Target exclusive this past week. Other sets to follow will include a more robust Fleer Transformers set, along with other licenses in the Hasbro line, such as GI Joe and Power Rangers.

What is Featured in the Upper Deck Transformers: The Movie box set?

The Target-exclusive hanger box set consists of 12 cards that include a complete 10-card base set and two additional parallels and inserts. Characters in the set include Optimus Prime, Megatron, sucker of the year Ultra Magnus, and the other principals from the movie. The parallels range from non-numbered cards to numbered pieces that are limited to 1,986, 86, and one-of-one, respectively. The parallel cards will feature special foil effects to differentiate them from the base set. So far, none of the Matrix of Leadership one-of-ones have been pulled.

Beyond the parallels, insert cards highlighting other popular characters from the franchise, but who had minor roles in the movie, like Bumblebee and Soundwave, are included in the Stellar System set. While I don’t understand the erasure of other characters like Jazz and Shockwave, hopefully, they will get their time to shine in the upcoming Fleer set.

Beyond the one-of-one cards, the biggest chase from the entire set is the autograph cards featuring the late Peter Cullen, the voice of Optimus Prime. Cullen passed away this past month, leaving behind a legacy that made him the voice of many people’s childhoods that stretched from the Transformers to Winnie the Pooh’s Eeyore and Cartoon Network’s Toonami block of anime programming. Cullen’s signature can be found on Optimus Prime’s Mark and the one-of-a-kind One Shall Stand card. It goes without saying that the One Shall Stand card is going to be very desirable among not only Transformers fans, but investors looking for the next big thing as well.

While Cullen was a frequent signer on the convention circuit during his career, his only previous autograph appearance on an officially licensed Transformers trading card set was for the 2009 Topps Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen set. Yes, that Michael Bay joint.

Where are the Upper Deck Transformers Cards Available?

The hanger boxes can be found at Target locations, as all online stock is sold out. With hanger boxes reselling for three to four times the $19.99 retail price, it’s going to be an adventure to find one. Interestingly, Upper Deck released a similarly themed Space Jam hanger box set earlier this year to celebrate the movie’s 30th anniversary with Michael Jordan in his Tune Squad uniform as the main chase. Unlike the surprising demand for the Transformers set, which is likely fueled by nostalgia and Cullen’s passing, Space Jam hanger boxes can still be found at Target nationwide.

Juan Martinez

From video game journalism to veteran of the sneaker blog era to podcasting about well, everything, Juan is smiling through it all and can't believe this is his life. His current hot take is that people are really underrating the Psyduck trading card market. Email: juan@soleretriever.com Instagram | Twitter | Bluesky | Threads : @ezyville