HasLab Unicron is shipping slowly, and Don is the first on the crew to get one. A Hasbro Pulse email says every Unicron should ship by the end of May, and the crew argues over why it is taking so long.

In an all-Twitter news week, Super7 adds Soundblaster, Selects Abominus slips to July and Kingdom wave 2 ships from Amazon. Chris unpacks the troll-like Kingdom Galvatron leak photos. Brian crowns Core Class Starscream the best toy ever made at its scale.

News

Super7 Soundblaster

Super7 is repainting its big Soundwave as Soundblaster, in a Super Cyborg style with visible inner parts. The crew works out that Soundblaster originally came with a Buzzsaw variant, not Ratbat. One host says these Super7 figures do not usually interest him, but he will buy Soundblaster. [Source: Super7 on Twitter]

Selects Abominus Delayed to July

A Hasbro email confirms Selects Abominus is delayed until July. One host cancelled his Volcanicus preorder, then ordered again elsewhere after photos showed it beats the original Dinobots. The crew bets the next combiner push will be Studio Series Dinobots. [Source: TFU.info on Twitter]

Kingdom Wave 2 Ships from Amazon

Chris got an Amazon email that Kingdom wave 2 is shipping, starting with Core Class Megatron. Another host has Core Class Megatron and Core Class Starscream due on Monday. Chris could not follow Starscream’s transformation even from photos, and he looks forward to trying it in hand. [Source: @chrisrtxv on Twitter]

HasLab Unicron Shipping Could Run Through May

A TFW2005 forum member shared a Hasbro Pulse email saying the goal is to ship every HasLab Unicron by the end of May. Chris argues the box is so large that couriers can only carry a few at a time. He notes one friend’s box filled his whole front passenger seat. Another host, citing e-commerce experience, thinks FedEx would make room for a paying shipper. Brian notes other North Carolina backers got theirs through the same hub that his has not reached. The crew suspects the boxes ship from California rather than Hasbro Pulse’s usual warehouses. John says every update since the campaign closed has chipped away at his excitement. He adds that the slow, scattered arrivals rob fans of a shared moment. [Source: not found]

Seacons Before Unicron

Miguel shared a photo of the Seacons recreating the Six Weeks Before Unicron moment, and the crew loves it. [Source: @LogosMinor on Twitter]

Kingdom Galvatron Leak Photos

Kingdom Galvatron leaked through a series of photos with odd camera angles. One poster added an anaglyph 3D filter, which Chris undid in Photoshop. Chris thinks the leaker started distorting shots on purpose after fans reacted badly to the first photo. Later photos beside Kingdom Ultra Magnus show more reasonable proportions. The crew expects the official Galvatron, Rodimus Prime and Ark reveals at Hasbro’s April 9 event. [Source: not found]

Bonus Show for the Hasbro Pulse Event

The crew plans an extra episode on Saturday, April 10, to cover Hasbro’s April 9 Pulse event, its stand-in for Toy Fair.

What We Got This Week

Don got his HasLab Unicron, picked up from a Walgreens FedEx drop-off point. His one word for it is daunting. Planet mode looks outstanding, but he has not tried robot mode yet. The instructions skip how to fold a flap before fitting the stand, so he is waiting for trusted video guides. He already has a few stress marks on tabs from the planetary ring and a mandible hinge. He compares the smooth outer panels to the Star Wars Transformers Death Star. Don also got R.E.D. Cheetor and another R.E.D. Arcee for his boxed collection.

Matt got his first Sweep, Studio Series Scourge, and needs two more. He also got knockoff Combiner Wars sets in off colors: an all-red Defensor and a yellow-orange Superion. The plastic is solid ABS, but some joints are loose and a few ratchets do not click. A knockoff Bruticus is on the way.

John took a case of Kingdom wave 2 Voyagers right off a Walmart pallet and got Inferno and Dinobot. He has not opened them yet.

Brian committed on History on the Fives to buying his first Kiss Players figure, and he picked up a Kiss Players Optimus Prime. At a Roses store he bought every Transformer on the pegs: six Slitherfangs and five Rungs. At Ollie’s he found Cyberverse Shadow Striker. Core Class Megatron looks great in robot mode, but the tank and transformation are weak. Core Class Starscream’s elegant transformation makes it his favorite toy ever at that scale, and he bought a second one carded. From an eBay seller he added a Japanese Superion boxed set, Headmaster Wolfang, Double Targetmaster Scoop, Sandstorm and Skids. A nearby dealer supplied a G1 Sharkticon without his gun and a working G1 Shockwave, a grail. A mint-in-box Shockwave is coming next week. He also got a mint-in-box Magnificus and a sealed e-Hobby Deep Cover.

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