The crew makes its 2021 Transformers predictions, from Masterpiece Crosscut and Terrorsaur to an Armada-themed Generations trilogy and a HasLab Autobot City. TakaraTomy officially reveals Masterpiece Skids as a new direction for the line, and MP-52+ Thundercracker preorders open during the show.

Generations Retro Headmasters reach Walmart, Kingdom Ultra Magnus shows up in hand, and Netflix wave 3 redecos leak. Chris reviews Studio Series 86 Jazz and Blurr, Kingdom Optimus Primal and the Buzzworthy Bumblebee Spike two-pack, and Brian lands a boxed Beast Wars II Tako Tank.

News

Masterpiece Skids Announced

TakaraTomy officially revealed Masterpiece Skids through its social media channels with CAD line art. Chris expects the final toy to look very close to the art, as Masterpiece Starscream did. He notes the announcement called Skids the start of a new direction for Masterpiece. The design balances the G1 toy and the cartoon, which Chris likens to the early Masterpiece Autobot cars. John asks the Masterpiece collectors whether the line’s shifting direction frustrates them. Don thinks TakaraTomy wants simpler designs at lower prices that sell in volume. Chris sees Jazz and the minicars as good fits for that approach. [Source: TFRadio]

Masterpiece Thundercracker 2.0 Leaked

Masterpiece MP-52+ Thundercracker leaked on the new Masterpiece Starscream mold, with preorders expected on January 14 in Japan. One host is not excited, since the Starscream price tag scares him. The crew worries about buying a full set of Seekers at around $300 each. One host argues higher prices likely help TakaraTomy, with collectibles booming. Late in the show, preorders for Thundercracker go live. [Source: TFW2005]

Transformers Generations Retro Headmasters Wave 1 Sighted at Retail

The first Retro Headmasters wave turned up at Walmart in Houston, likely taking the pegs of the clearing Blaster reissues. Diecast worries he will never find them. The crew likes the boxes, which Rob calls vintage boxes from an alternate universe where 1984 never ended. One host wishes Hasbro had called the Titan Masters Headmasters all along. Later in the show, Brian reports the Retro Headmasters have reached North Carolina Walmarts too. [Source: TFormers]

Transformers WFC Kingdom Ultra Magnus In-Hand Images

In-hand photos of Kingdom Ultra Magnus show a reworked trailer that sits farther back than the Siege version. The first flap no longer unfolds, so the arms stay visible in truck mode. Most of the crew prefers the new robot mode, though one host finds too much white on the legs. One photo shows the trailer carrying Studio Series 86 cars. The crew notes Amazon trimmed Kingdom prices to about $16 for deluxes, $25 for Voyagers and $45 for Ultra Magnus. [Source: TFormers]

Netflix Wave 3 Redecos Leaked

Photos leak Netflix War for Cybertron redecos of Cheetor, Siege Ironhide, a rusty Barricade and a clear Paleotrex. The images appear tied to a lucky draw in Singapore, and Chris doubts they are true Hasbro stock photos. The Netflix Cheetor colors are closer to the original Beast Wars toy than the retail Kingdom Cheetor. The Ironhide loosely follows the Quintesson troopers, and Barricade looks like one of the Sparkless zombies. Rumor puts the clear Paleotrex in a third Spoiler Pack with Earthrise Megatron at $60. The crew would rather have a Leader in that slot. [Source: Snakas Blog]

Buzzworthy Bumblebee Hits Target

Buzzworthy Bumblebee product is shipping across Studio Series, War for Cybertron Trilogy and Cyberverse, plus a reissued Movie Masterpiece Volkswagen Bumblebee. In-store signage confirms the subline as a Target exclusive, a find shared in the RFC Discord. Chris says the exclusives are choking out peg space for regular Studio Series 86 figures. He compares it to Walmart’s Transformers Universe exclusives around 2004. [Source: not found]

2021 Transformers Predictions

Chris predicts a Studio Series Selects-style subline for redecos like Ricochet. His Masterpiece picks are an obvious Crosscut, an optimistic Jazz and an out-there Beast Wars Terrorsaur. His sad trombone prediction is that the entire 2022 Generations line leaks by August.

Diecast predicts no Masterpiece Jazz, after picking it for several years, and a Masterpiece Skywarp announcement. He also expects the next Generations trilogy to be something other than G1.

Rob predicts Masterpiece Skids starts a trend toward lower prices and less complexity. He also says the next Generations chapter goes with an Armada theme, likely starting a new trilogy.

Matt predicts the post-Kingdom line leaks with Euro G1 characters and a Generations Thunderclash. He wants Hasbro to stop using clear plastic, and expects Masterpiece troop builders. His last pick is that HasLab Unicron slips to early 2022.

Don predicts a Kingdom Beast Wars Inferno sold under the Scavenger name. He also calls for a crowdfunded Black Zarak with a recolored Fasttrack. His way-out-there pick is a Combiner Wars Stunticon set redone as the GoBots combiner Puzzler.

John predicts the long-shelved Armada Optimus Prime test shot suddenly ships. He also predicts another Transformers HasLab, possibly an Autobot City that forms a pseudo-Metroplex. The crew floats Black Zarak or a new Metroplex as more plausible HasLab options.

The final set of predictions says Studio Series 86 continues past 2021 and a non-G1, non-Beast Wars Masterpiece gets announced. The bold call is that TFCon becomes an official convention. Along the way, the crew predicts Brian buys a boxed G1 Pyro, and he admits he is looking at one.

What We Got This Week

Chris got the Buzzworthy Bumblebee Bumblebee and Spike two-pack, whose vehicle mode closely matches G1 Bumper. He says it feels unlike any Core Class toy and may be unique to this subline. Studio Series 86 Blurr is a lateral move from the TakaraTomy Legends version, and its hover mode cannot roll. Studio Series 86 Jazz is the best Jazz since Reveal the Shield, and its car mode is a near-exact Porsche 935. Kingdom Optimus Primal completes his first wave, with a well-articulated head and pop-up arm cannons. He also bought a Netflix Elita-1 with correctly assembled shoulders.

Diecast got Kingdom Megatron, and Kingdom Optimus Primal from Rob. He wants to compare Primal to the Masterpiece version he loves. He also got Studio Series 74 Bumblebee, the one new mold in Buzzworthy Bumblebee, though he admits Bumblebee movie fatigue has finally hit him.

Don got the Buzzworthy Bumblebee two-pack, plus a second for Rob. He also picked up Kingdom Core Class Rattrap and Vertebreak and the Kingdom deluxes, and is most eager for Warpath and Blackarachnia. Kingdom Cyclonus and Optimus Primal round out his Kingdom haul. A Target listing mix-up led him to order both Cyberverse Deluxe Prowl and Starscream. He also got Ectotron and Masterpiece MP-51 Arcee from Amazon Japan for about $115 plus shipping.

Rob got Netflix Bumblebee from wheeljack64 and calls it everything he wanted in a modern Volkswagen Bumblebee. Don sent him Runamuck, and Walmart came through with Gigawatt, a nice use of the Sideswipe engineering.

Matt got the Buzzworthy Bumblebee two-pack but dislikes the hanging rear panels on Bumblebee. He likes Kingdom Vertebreak and finally got the Cordon and Spinout pack, which he loves despite thin white paint on Cordon’s chest.

John got nothing new but opened most of his Studio Series 86 figures. He calls Hot Rod a low-key scam that conditions fans for a $30 deluxe-sized price. Hot Rod’s head sculpt is perfect, which shows how odd Kup and Blurr look. Jazz coexists happily with Reveal the Shield Jazz. He also opened Kingdom Vertebreak and Paleotrex and likes the Fossilizers.

Brian got Cyberverse Deluxe Starscream and a sealed Kingdom Core Class Optimus Prime. He dislikes the transformation on the Buzzworthy Bumblebee two-pack. He also got a Jada mini vehicle three-pack and can still pick up Ectotron after Target cancelled his order. Netflix Optimus Prime is his G2 Earthrise Optimus Prime, and Netflix Soundwave makes him want a Soundblaster on that mold. Diecast sent him a Jazz Funko Pop, despite Brian’s dislike of Pops. Masterpiece MP-51 Arcee has a great robot mode but a shell-former transformation. His big pickup is a boxed Beast Wars II Tako Tank he has wanted for years.

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