Hasbro maps out an expanded Transformers movie universe, with a Bumblebee movie on the short list and new writers Christina Hodson and Lindsey Beer. Two weeks before BotCon 2015, the crew picks apart the official transit route to Pheasant Run Resort. Combiner Wars Titan Class Devastator still comes up short of Metroplex, and Unite Warriors Dragstrip turns banana yellow. Maketoys’ Masterpiece-scale Reflector and Chromedome lead the third-party news.

This Week in History

The Beast Wars PC game came out May 31, 1998, and the crew trades memories of the PlayStation port and the Transmetals fighting game. The wiki also says Chevrolet began taking orders for the Bumblebee Edition Camaro on June 1, 2009. Diecast disputes the date, since he ordered his after its San Diego Comic-Con announcement in July 2009. He had to put down a $1,000 deposit at the dealer.

News

Global Consumer Conference 2015: Upcoming Transformers Movie Plans

Hasbro plans an expanded Transformers movie universe with prequels and origin stories, and a Bumblebee movie is on the short list. The crew bets on how many films will actually happen, with guesses from none to three. One host thinks the Marvel model will not work with only Transformers to draw on. Another hopes the Dinobots get a prehistoric origin story. Don argues the studio should reuse its Dinobot models, and another host counters that Age of Extinction already earned that money back. [Source: TFW2005]

Christina Hodson and Lindsey Beer Join the Transformers Writers Room

Two more writers join the writers room. Lindsey Beer has worked on a Short Circuit project, which earns a thumbs up. One host likes that more writers raise the odds of a meaningful story, but he is not excited until he knows their work. The crew jokes about hiring the writers of The Goonies. [Source: Empire]

Robots in Disguise Clash of the Transformers Legion 2-Packs Sighted in Australia

The Optimus Prime versus Megatronus two-pack turned up first in Australia. The crew notes Australia rarely gets anything first, and prices there are often much higher. One host suggests trading with an Australian collector as the best way to take advantage. Paul in the chat adds that Revenge of the Fallen Devastator is still on Australian shelves. [Source: TFormers]

Night Ops Bumblebee and Gold Armor Grimlock Images

New Robots in Disguise Warrior and Legion Class images show gold armor Grimlock and an inverted-color Bumblebee. One host prefers Grimlock as he is, while another loves the gold look. The crew finds the Bumblebee uninspiring and jokes it could be a Pittsburgh Steelers exclusive. [Source: TFormers]

Repainted Generations Arcee

More shots of the Arcee recolor are out. Don calls it a night ops Arcee and will buy it if he finds it at a fair price. One host points out the remolded hands now take 5mm weapons. He hopes the change carries over to the Legends Arcee rerun due in August, which he has preordered. [Source: TFW2005]

Hisashi Yuki Shows Off Unite Warriors Slingshot, Dragstrip, Wildrider and Groove

The crew finds Dragstrip boring and very yellow, and one host calls him a walking banana. Wildrider loses much of his red. One host explains that TakaraTomy matched the unpainted red plastic in the doors to the rest of the body, so the colors are consistent but duller. Groove looks phenomenal, though only an uncolored prototype has been shown. [Source: TFormers]

Generations Legends Wheelie, Ravage and Rumble Listings

Diecast brings retailer listings for 2016 Legends Class Wheelie, Rumble and Ravage. Nobody knows yet what color Rumble will be. The crew expects Wheelie to be a new mold, Rumble a retool of Rewind and Ravage a recolor. One host suspects they will be accessories for future Soundwave and Blaster figures, and predicts a Leader Soundwave with Laserbeak. [Source: TFW2005]

Rumor: Leader Class Skywarp Incoming?

Brian forgot Leader Class Thundercracker when listing his pickups, because he calls it garbage. He was excited until he held it. A Skywarp version may be coming, which saddens him because Skywarp is his favorite Seeker. The crew hopes the mold stops at the three core Seekers, though a one-off Sunstorm would be acceptable to some. [Source: TFW2005]

Combiner Wars Titan Class Devastator Still Is Not as Tall as Metroplex

New photos show Devastator is big, though not as big as Metroplex. One host is excited but sad that Devastator is out of scale with the other combiners. The crew says the Constructicons look great as a group and scale well with Masterpiece figures. One host jokes about Mixmaster’s drum and expects a third party to make a new Mixmaster for a 1985 look. [Source: TFormers]

BotCon 2015 Schedule Now Online

The BotCon 2015 schedule is posted. A Fun Publications email about the Frank Welker package briefly alarmed Brian and another host, who misread it as Frank Welker not attending. The Frank Welker VIP package is now open to non-attending buyers. The crew wonders whether people bought Primus packages only for that access, and one host explains why sets move to non-attending on such a short timeline. [Source: TFormers]

BotCon 2015 Transportation to Pheasant Run

Chris walks through the suggested route from O’Hare or Midway to Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles. It takes an L train downtown, a walk to the Ogilvie Transportation Center, a train to Geneva and a hotel shuttle for the last mile. He puts the trip at about two hours and about $10. A later update lists limousine services, with a three-person sedan at about $25 each way per person. The crew worries about late flights and suggests renting a car. One host notes the plan arrived three weeks out, after months of promised shuttle service. [Source: not found]

New Third Party Voodoo Robots Shows Off Ratchet/Ironhide Design in Van Mode

The van looks like G1 cartoon Ironhide. One host would rather have an official version. Another wants a G1 toy-accurate Ironhide at Masterpiece scale. Another host is happy with his iGear Ratchet and Ironhide as stand-ins. [Source: TFormers]

X-Transbots Arkose Test Shot

One host notes the Arkose test shot looks eerily like a scaled-up Legends Beachcomber knockoff he saw this week. The crew hopes X-Transbots gets the blue right, since iGear’s Beachcomber missed it. G2 Beachcomber’s green reminds one host of an Andes mints wrapper. [Source: TFW2005]

Maketoys Re:Master MTRM-07 Visualizers

New photos of the backs show how the Masterpiece-scale Reflector figures work. It is the third third-party Reflector, but the first one several hosts want. One host is buying it, and another wants to see the camera mode before choosing between companies. [Source: TFormers]

Maketoys Re:Master RM-01 Cupola Color Test Shot

The Masterpiece-scale Chromedome looks nice but boring, and the test shot is missing its paint. Two hosts are happy with Fans Project’s Code. One host wishes the Fans Project heads used magnets for a satisfying snap. [Source: TFormers]

Maketoys Guardia Axle Colored Images

One host prefers the TakaraTomy Groove by a wide margin, and another says this one looks like an elaborate Legends figure. Don likes it best of the third-party Grooves he has seen. [Source: TFW2005]

What’s on TFormers

Rob says more Protectobot reviews are up, including Exvee’s video review of Hot Spot. Rob also reviewed Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #7, and TFormers posted a Devastator retrospective.

What We Got This Week

Rob

Rob found the last wave of Kre-O Micro-Changers at Dollar Tree, the Age of Extinction wave 2. He got Trailbreaker, Seaspray and Scaler for a dollar each.

Don

Don got a care package with all of the Combiner Wars Protectobots, plus Quickslinger and Breakneck. He likes Defensor but cannot get him quite as G1 as Superion. His Hot Spot has a shoulder that will not peg in, though a leg tip from a TFormers video review helped the robot mode.

John DeLuna

John got the third-party Utopia, which came in three layered boxes. He plans to open it and post photos this weekend.

Brian

Brian got the same Combiner Wars figures as Don, plus Viper. He also received Masterpiece Ultra Magnus from his pile of loot, and he says he likes Viper better, which the crew disputes.

Matt

Matt got the Fans Project not-Swoop. He warns that swapping the blue and red bodies is not as easy as popping off limbs, so he unscrewed the head instead. Diecast plans to get one and may make a video on the torso swap.

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