Brawn (2003/2003/2007)
A keychain version of Brawn was released by Hasbro licensee Fun4All as part of the second wave of Transformers keychains alongside Windcharger. Though based on the original toy, this is an entirely new set of molds, with a number of small differences throughout (minor proportion differences and generally softer edges), but the most immediately obvious one is the small plastic ring added to the front bumper, which the metal key chain attaches to. The keychains came on pretty close reproductions of their original cardbacks from 1984. These were originally sold in chains like Hot Topic and video game stores, but over the course of several years, found their way even to the racks of Walmart.
In 2003, Takara released all four of the keychain Minibots (Cliffjumper, Bumblebee, Windcharger, and Brawn) as 7-Eleven exclusives. They came in blind-packed boxes so you don’t know which one you got until you open ‘er up, plus each one could also come in a “chase” all-black version exclusive to this release. The black deco was later repurposed as an evil clone of Brawn.
All four keychains were re-released in 2007 under the Heroes of Cybertron banner by Basic Fun (Fun4All having gone bankrupt in 2004). Sold on new cardbacks with the Heroes look, these releases are functionally identical to the originals (just the company stamping has changed) except for the actual chain part, which is a different style with an additional black plastic tab attached.
