Not sure why TFW2005 hasn't mentioned this yet, but the passing of Markie Post affects the fandom as Post was the voice of June Darby in Transformers Prime!

https://www.seibertron.com/transform...ed-away/46186/

It's official: The Ark has been released!

I saw one this afternoon.

Galvatron has also been released!

Both images were taken at the Super Target in Lafayette, Louisiana, and this location also has a bunch of the Maximal T-Wrecks figures.

Every time I see Galvatron wearing the Matrix of Leadership like it was a medallion makes me wanna listen to 80s hip hop. :lolol

new HasLab project: Victory Saber!

https://hasbropulse.com/products/tra...-victory-saber

So uhhh… Unicron made sense due to the sheer scale of it all. This is like, two slightly bigger leaders. Why do we need to crowdfund this

Crowdfunding is an very safe way to produce something. It absolves some serious risks. And the toy industry is a little more volatile than other similarly manufactured consumer goods.

Also as Transformers Victory tends to be a bit more obscure in the west for a Transformers thing (IE: it's not G1 or Beast Wars!) I think it makes for a good candidate for crowd-funding.

I think if you'd have any luck selling a 'more obscure' character though, it'd be friggin' Star Saber! Especially when next wave is looking to have a Command Class Motormaster.

This is just... no, I really don't like this. This would easily have sold just fine in the main waves, there's no need for this.

I feel it's a "Test the waters" sort of thing. Despite Star Saber's implied popularity in the west, they've rarely released characters from Japanese exclusive media over here.

So they picked the safest option. Crowd fund the most popular character. If he does well, then boom. Gates are open for Lio Convoy, Desaurus, Liokaiser, etc. If not, then let Japan keep them.

W-wha?!? That's awesome! Too bad I'll never be able to get it...

I think that's pretty much the opposite? Like, if they have to crowdfund Star Saber, then that all but guarantees we're never getting anyone else.

You have to keep in mind that Hasbro is still a corporation, with the ones in charge looking solely at character recognition in relation to character value.

Star Saber has not appeared in any cartoons in the West, in none of the films, has had no transforming figures released here, lost his chance in a popularity poll, and appeared in a niche (And unpopular) role in the IDW1 comics (A continuity that basically incorporated every random nobody, making his appearance there worthless)
Not only that, but he's an entirely new mold, with little to no room for redecos, meaning there is no room for recouping costs beyond the initial sales.

So I can honestly see it like this: Transformers team wants to make a new Star Saber, but the big wigs make note that he's not classic G1 and hasn't appeared in the West. So they compromise. If they can sell 11,000 copies to the fans via crowdfunding, that could open the gateway for Japanese characters at smaller scales.
Guys like Lio Convoy (Who would only be Voyager at best), Big Convoy (Leader), Dezarus (Commander to Leader)

It also makes sense to pick Star/Victory Saber from a monetary standpoint, too. He's the only character large enough to warrant this level of asking price.

We just got guys like Doubledealer and Sky Lynx in large expensive size classes which would only sell to hardcore fans or on their own merits. I think Star Saber would be just fine.

All this means is that the figure is way more expensive and way less available. It's a terrible deal and the only thing it'll 'encourage' Hasbro to do in future if it succeeds is to get away with even more rubbish.

The only redeco possibility I see is a theoretical "Nemesis Saber"!

The most recent iteration in the West is probably the Manga reprints, which I still see on BAM and Barnes and Noble shelves.

If they really want to push Japanese-Exclusive characters, they need to re-release the Trilogy of Headmasters, Masterforce, and Victory. The SHOUT! DVDS are the best way in the West, but they're out-of-print!

They have found ways to market homages of Black Shadow and Overlord (to say the least) in the main line before, so it isn't impossible.

I do fear that marketing lesser-known G1 characters is indicative of weakened imagination and will only lead to increased oversaturation of G1 (though we crossed that threshold a long time ago)! Is Hasbro even trying to engineer new and fresh ideas anymore? That being said, I would love to see some of the Japanese Trilogy characters on shelves with marginally affordable prices which don't cost as much as the original figures of said characters. It would also help some in the general public see that there is more to Transformers than just Optimus Prime and Bumblebee.

Sky Lynx was a reoccurring character in the G1 cartoon. Despite his odd design, I feel he falls under the "Safe" category for the higher ups.
Doubledealer was an oddity, having not appeared in the US cartoon. Really, all he ever had was his original toy and a scant few appearances in the UK comic. So I'll give you that one.

I guess I'm just optimistic. I'm looking through the lens of "Maybe this will open the flood gates!" rather than "Ugh, Hasbro just trying to get more money than they're worth."
It could legitimately be the latter, but I guess I'm just remaining hopeful :lol

I just heard about the new Star Saber. I had an old DVD of him.

I-

Oh my god, why...

https://i.imgur.com/h4B16uZ.jpg

What's wrong?

I'm also confused.

What "old DVD" are you referring to? I do hope you're not thinking of the Star Saber from Armada, which isn't the same as the Star Saber from Victory.

He's a HasLab. Which is, what?

Well, it's not technically a traditional DVD per se. It's a thing basically here that some markets sell pirated CDs and I had one where it was a compilation of several Transformers stuff.

*shrugs* What the heck is a HasLab. Really, I am dead serious. Is it one of those crowdfunding projects?

Exactly that actually. They want to make the thing, if enough people pre-order it they'll make it, otherwise not.

As to why someone like Hasbro does this - mostly to get niche stuff out there to test the waters. Star Saber wouldn't really fly off the shelves so they’ll make him like this and if he does better than expected maybe more JP G1 stuff later.

I was aware their Marvel toys did it but interesting. Maybe their Power Rangers department will do it one day and try out stuff like Drakkon or some random obscure sentai team pre-Zyuranger stuff. Imagine, a Hasbro-made Jet Icarus or Flash Titan. Hell maybe a Turbo Builder while at it. Or imagine the Deka Base Robo that is the size of a gatorade cooler.

Considering HasLab usually focuses on super large figures, if they did anything Power Rangers for it it'd likely be something like Serpentera.

That said I hope HasLab never touches PR because I ain't got a casual $200+ to just drop.

For now...screw Serpentera! Give me the "McDonald's Megazord" from the old Happy Meal Promos for the Mighty Morphin' Movie!

As for Transformers, I'd have done the OG Last Autobot from the Marvel Continuity (cause the Kingdom Ark figure doesn't fully echo the original design), an updated Cybertron/Primus, or Marvel's Underbase Starscream!

You mean those happy meal toys that was basically a ranger figure and a fit-to-scale bathtub for them to sit in? Eww. :lolol

Negative on all counts! I do want figures which echo the designs of the CGI Ninjazords, but that wasn't what I was referring to.

Back in the day, McDonald's had two sets of Mighty Morphin' Movie Toys: Accessories and Bathtub Ninjazords.

Also back in the day, McDonald's would release Happy Meal commercials to promote the newest figures available. One promo had the White Ranger Movie Suit asking someone about their fries, and I swear JDF was doing the voice!

Another promo, the one I am actually thinking of, had a classic McDonald's mock-up transform into a Megazord form which had hints of the Thunder Megazord, suggesting to me that it's a kitbash which may have used the Thunder Megazord as a base model. If I remember right, the completed Megazord held the "Arch-On-A-Pole" like a staff!

Unfortunately, I don't have a video link at the ready.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuYVzpQUWb4

Found it. Yep good times.

Can someone help me identify all the characters on the cover of the new Wreckers comic?

https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/idw-ne...d-and-circuits
https://www.syfy.com/sites/syfy/file...k-lawrence.jpg

Much appreciated!

Gladly!

- At the top (and the leader of this new group) is Thunderclash; a Europe-exclusive G1 toy who went on to become a bit of a fan favourite before being featured in a bunch of TTFC comics and fairly recently in the original IDW G1 continuity. Often portrayed as a bit of a modern legendary warrior, sort of like Ultra Magnus usually is

- Middle left is Hot Shot; originally the Bumblebee-esque child friendly character from the Unicron Trilogy! He's based on his recent Siege toy, a recolour of the Hound in that toyline and based on his Cybertron Defence Team body

- Middle right is Minerva from Masterforce, a headmaster and a medic! One of the very few female characters from original G1

- Bottom left is Aileron, a character first introduced in the original IDW G1 continuity not long ago! She acted as a close ally and a foil to Optimus in his latter stories

- Finally, bottom right is Circuit; an Action Master from the American G1 toyline's final days! He's previously been portrayed as a reporter in bit-parts in original IDW, but hasn't gotten any real media prominence before now


Bit of an oddball assortment -- but then, what are the wreckers if not that?

Very cool! Thank you so much.

Yeah I tend to gravitate towards the "ragtag bunch of misfits" trope. This comic looks pretty cool and I might sign up for it.

Oh I think you missed the top right character in black

Same!! It was a big draw to me with MTMTE; throwing in characters like Whirl and Chromedome and Crankcase was just kinda cool to see as a break from all the Bumblebees and Starscreams.

I absolutely did just forget Richochet, whoops! His colour scheme meant he blended in a little. He's a JP G1 toyline-exclusive recolour of Jazz from back in the day who came with a Targetmaster to expand the toyline a little. He hasn't really gotten any media appearances since then (aside from, of all things, his Shattered Glass counterpart being a part of the SG Autobots in the original TFCC stories), but plenty of toys given he's a recolour of Jazz -- and that includes his relatively recent Generations Selects toy. Like Circuit, this is the first time anything's really being done with the guy!

Okay here I go again. I realize I'm slowing getting more and more into Transformers and its such an old franchise that everything looks familiar and alien to me all at once.

Can someone identify this particular Optimus Prime figure?

https://i.imgur.com/4YjW7d4.jpg

Took me a second because it turns out it's not even official! That's a third party Legends-scale Optimus figure from Generation Toy's GT-5 Mini Leaders set; packaged with a Megatron

https://news.tfw2005.com/2017/03/10/...egatron-335197

Ah no wonder! It looks so good, I almost thought it was a straight up action figure.

Thanks again!

I did actually look at the Revoltech and Hybrid style releases first because I thought the same thing! :lol

New Studio Series reveals of Bumblebee Movie Characters (with transformations we didn't see much of if at all)!

https://news.tfw2005.com/2021/11/09/...ockwave-444599

Given that they are releasing Core Class figures, I'm now fairly certain that this is indicative of an inevitable release of a Studio Series 86 Soundwave with Core Class Cassettes. They wouldn't do new Studio Series Core Class Packaging unless they had long-term plans for it, and it seems they will milk whatever they can from the movies, including the 86 Original!

Got to wonder how long it will be before we get Studio Series 86 Devastator?

Soundwave's alt mode is very Final Form Ride Hibiki

First Siege Soundwave and now this, they seriously can't be bothered designing a proper-looking non-radio altmode for Soundwave that isn't 'contorted yoga pose'?

Brawn and Ratchet look really cool. It's a shame that these figures have the hallowed legs in some areas. I bought some 3rd party filler parts and they make the toys look amazing, but then you think about the total cost for the figure and... :(

It's also super funny that this is the Ratchet that gets to be part of a normal retail wave rather than relegated to some Walgreens or Amazon exclusive when he's the one that turned up for maybe three seconds in them background. Like, great for him! He looks awesome! But man...

So, there's a pretty decent chance that there's going to be a Studio Series 86 Ratchet coming out at some point, since there's a Studio Series 86 Ironhide being teased. It's more than likely that Ratchet would be a retail release, since they haven't (to my memory) done any exclusives for Studio Series 86 yet. If you're okay with two degrees of speculation, get excited for 2022!

Also, I really like these Cybertronian designs. I don't go in for the live-action figures generally, but these are way more interesting looking to me. Might need to start a very focused Bumblebee Movie Cybertronian Mode collection!