The PulseCon exclusives presale goes remarkably smoothly, with a captcha, a virtual checkout queue and almost nothing selling out. Just before PulseCon, Hasbro officially reveals Kingdom Beast Wars Megatron, Cheetor, Rattrap and Cyclonus. The Transformers Prime 10th anniversary set turns out to be a reissue of Arms Micron Breakdown with the jet Vehicon. Leaked reviews show Studio Series 86 Hot Rod, Kup and Scourge, and Don finally gets the Hot Rod transformation he has wanted for years.

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PulseCon Exclusives Presale Goes Smoothly

The PulseCon exclusives went up for Pulse Premium members at noon Eastern. Buyers passed a captcha and then waited in a virtual checkout queue that throttled the load. Nothing sold out for about ten minutes, and only the Star Wars Heroes of Endor set and the Snake Supreme Cobra Commander sold out on day one. Diecast got the Quintesson Pit of Judgment set, Cobra Commander and the Star Wars set, checking out after each item. One host bought the Pit of Judgment set from work after hunting for a Wi-Fi sweet spot. Don hopes fans praise the process so other retailers copy it. The crew also notes Gigawatt preorders have dropped to $200 on eBay.

Hasbro Officially Reveals Transformers Kingdom

Hasbro’s first official Kingdom reveal shows Rattrap, Cheetor, Cyclonus and a Leader Class Beast Wars Megatron. Brian dislikes that Rattrap’s beast mode is a realistic mouse rather than the character’s look. One host loves the Megatron and no longer regrets selling his Masterpiece version, since this one will be fun to handle. Cyclonus looks good, though some of the crew are not sold on its face. Cyclonus landing in Kingdom while Scourge is in Studio Series suggests both lines run on one playbook this year. [Source: Seibertron]

Transformers Prime 10th Anniversary Set Revealed

The Prime 10th anniversary set is a reissue of Arms Micron Breakdown and the jet Vehicon, complete with Arms Microns and sticker sheets. Breakdown commanded hundreds of dollars for a decade after releasing only in Japan. Don recalls Hasbro saying at BotCon that the figure did not fit its price points. The set is on sale in the Philippines for the equivalent of about $82 to $85, so the crew guesses around $80 in North America. They call that a bargain next to the $400 or more the originals cost. [Source: not found]

The PulseCon Schedule

PulseCon has two Transformers panels, both on Saturday. One features Peter Cullen and Frank Welker. The other is a Transformers Kingdom reveal panel expected to show the whole first wave and tease the Titan Class Ark. Hasbro Pulse also posted blueprint graphics of the Ark, and the 10th anniversary is on the agenda. The crew hopes Studio Series gets attention even though the description does not mention it. [Source: Hasbro Newsroom]

Leaked Reviews of Studio Series 86 Hot Rod, Kup and Scourge

Leaked reviews of unannounced toys show Studio Series 86 Hot Rod, Kup and Scourge. Don is stoked that Hot Rod recreates the arm-spin transformation he does on Quintessa, a fresh take after years of similar Hot Rods. Hot Rod comes with a blast effect, a Matrix with a light burst and a buzzsaw. Kup’s truck mode is perfect and his robot mode comes apart for a dismemberment gimmick, another nod to the Quintessa scenes. One host finds Kup’s face sad, and another wishes Scourge’s bathtub shell could hide better. The crew calls Hot Rod the best screen-accurate Hot Rod yet and wants this treatment for Blurr. [Source: not found]

What We Got This Week

Don

Don found ReAction Devastator on eBay and loves the card art. Generations Selects Hubcap and the Centurion pack arrived. He picked up a knockoff of the LeBron Optimus Prime and a loose, complete Ecto Optimus Prime for $120 so his boxed copy can stay sealed. He returned Masterpiece Starscream and rebought it at Target’s clearance price, then used the savings on the Pit of Judgment set.

Chris

Chris got Generations Selects Hothouse, which has the fire station tampo the right way up and colors that beat the stock photos. He also got the Earthrise Autobot Alliance set. Prowl feels like Smokescreen but has no shoulder launchers. Ironhide is the Siege Ironhide core with new Earth van panels, and a misfired shoulder rivet leaves a gap on his copy.

Diecast

Diecast found Siege closeouts at Ross: Ultra Magnus and Shockwave for $17.99 each and two Springers for $12.99. His Centurion drone accessory pack arrived. He forced Megatron’s mace into Siege Megatron’s left hand, but it does not fit the right.

Rob

Rob got the Centurion pack and confirmed with Wheeljack64 that Megatron’s mace does not fit Siege Megatron’s hand. He is undecided between this roller and his Nonnef roller for the trailer. He also got Chris’s extra Generations Selects Rotorstorm, which he calls a pretty toy. Chris found him a Siege Astrotrain at Ross for $18, which looks good in all three modes but is tough to transform.

Matt

Matt got Generations Selects Hubcap, whose backpack is loose. With new versions unlikely, he also picked up Siege Sideswipe and Mirage from Hasbro Pulse. Tigertrack is on the way. He dislikes the heavy battle damage on the Netflix figures.

Brian

Brian got Generations Selects Rotorstorm, which looks beautiful but does not quite click for him. He finds Hubcap acceptable and has not transformed Studio Series Blitzwing yet. Kim found a Transformers Stuck on Stories book and a Rescue Bots dinosaur Optimus Prime. Brian also added a sealed Transformers: The Movie UMD for PSP and Stan Bush’s The Touch on a 45 single. His last pickup is a boxed Japanese Headmasters Chromedome.

John

John spent the show toy hunting at Walmart and came up empty, though he saw Snapdragon there for the first time.

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